Who said frozen food dinners have to look like, well, frozen food microwave dinners? When I served this kebab rice on the dinner table, it certainly didn’t look like it nor tasted like it. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of microwave foods, but sometimes you may occasionally come across some decent quality ones, like these kebabs, which you can conveniently turn into a proper meal. I used frozen kebabs from Zulekha Foods, which only require a few minutes in the microwave to cook through. But instead of microwaving them, I steamed them over a bed of seasoned rice. It’s one of the simplest recipes you can whip up after a long day and it’s a hearty one to serve.
Why You’d Love This One-Pot Kebab Rice Recipe
Firstly, it’s a one-pot recipe. This means easy and hassle-free cooking that won’t leave you with many pots to clean up after. Secondly, the recipe calls for frozen kebabs, which means you don’t need to worry about making them from scratch. It’s an easy, quick, and straightforward recipe that really comes in handy for weeknight dinners. Thirdly, the recipe is delicious! There are a lot of spices involved to temper the oil, adding lots of flavour depth to the dish, along with all the aromatics & seasonings to get your palate going. Then simply get some good quality kebabs, and you’ll be having a flavour party.
How to Make This One-Pot Kebab Rice Dinner
Ingredients You Need
- Frozen Kebabs of your choice
- Ghee – use vegetable oil/sunflower oil/butter if you don’t have ghee
- Cloves, Cumin Seeds, Black Peppercorns, Cardamoms, Bay Leaf – spices for tempering the oil/ghee
- Onion, Ginger Paste & Garlic Paste, Green Chillies – the aromatics
- Salt, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Paprika, Garam Masala – the spices and seasonings
- Rice – Basmati Rice would be ideal. If not, you can use other long-grain rice varieties
- Water – for cooking the rice
- Fresh Coriander Leaves – more for garnish
- Lemon Wedges – to serve
Recipe Notes
- By tempering the spices in hot oil/ghee, you get to extract the essence of the spices and really add a layer of flavour when cooking the dish. That being said, do not burn the spices. Otherwise, that would then add a burnt taste to your dish!
- Take your time to cook the onions, allowing them to soften and turn golden brown. The onions really add flavour depth and a subtle sweetness from the caramelisation.
- Wash the rice till the water runs clear before cooking. This helps to wash away the starch and keeps the rice fluffy.
- When cooking the rice, once you put the lid on, keep it closed and let it steam away without disturbance.
Discover More Rice Recipes
Black Garlic Mussels Rice
Sumac Chicken Lemon Rice
Easy One-Pot Kebab Pilau Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 heaped tbsp Ghee
- 3 Cloves
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorn
- 2 pods Cardamom
- 1 piece Bay Leaf
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- 1 tsp Garlic Paste
- 2-3 Green Chillies
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ tsp Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 cup Rice washed and drained
- 1 cup Water
- 4-6 Frozen Kebabs
- 10 g Fresh Coriander Leaves for garnish
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a pot over medium heat. Add cloves, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom, and bay leaf. Allow to cook until crackling and the bay leaf browned.1 heaped tbsp Ghee, 3 Cloves, 1 tsp Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp Black Peppercorn, 2 pods Cardamom , 1 piece Bay Leaf
- Add in chopped onions and sautee for 5-10 minutes until golden and softened.1 large Onion
- Stir in ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chillies. Saute for another 5 minutes till the raw smell cooks off.1 tsp Ginger Paste, 1 tsp Garlic Paste, 2-3 Green Chillies
- Season with salt and stir in turmeric powder, coriander powder, paprika, cumin powder, and garam masala.1 tsp Salt, ½ tsp Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp Coriander Powder, ½ tsp Garam Masala, ½ tsp Paprika, ½ tsp Cumin Powder
- Add in rice. Stir until evenly combined.1 cup Rice
- Pour in water and bring to a boil. Lay the frozen kebabs on top and cover. Turn down to low heat and allow to steam away for 15 minutes.4-6 Frozen Kebabs, 1 cup Water
- Remove the lid. Add in chopped coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon. Toss to combine and serve immediately.10 g Fresh Coriander Leaves, 1 Lemon
Notes
- If you don’t have ghee, you can use vegetable oil/sunflower seed oil/butter.
- If you don’t have basmati rice, you can use other long-grain rice varieties.
- When tempering the spices in hot oil/ghee, do not burn the spices. It is ready once it starts crackling and the bay leaf has browned in colour.
- Wash the rice till the water runs clear before cooking. This helps to wash away the starch and keeps the rice fluffy.
- When cooking the rice, once you put the lid on, keep it closed and let it steam away without disturbance.
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