Cockle and dill rice
- Portion size: Serves 4
- Hands-on time 15 min. Simmering time 10 min, plus standing
- Difficulty: easy
Zainab Pirzada’s cockle rice recipe is inspired by her mum’s signature spicy prawn and dill rice, a family favourite in Karachi, Pakistan. Dill and rice are a wonderful flavour combination and sustainable cockles are inexpensive in the UK and make a wonderful addition.
You might also like our cockle and mussel chowder.
Check out more recipe inspiration from Zainab @cookingwithzainab
Photography: David Loftus
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Ingredients
- 400g basmati rice
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 6 garlic cloves
- 40g ginger
- 6 green finger chillies
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1kg raw cockles (in their shells), rinsed
- Large bunch dill, chopped
- ½ lemon, finely sliced into wheels
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Method
- Start by rinsing the rice in cold water until it runs clear. Set aside to drain.
- Put a large, lidded saucepan or casserole dish over a medium heat and pour in the oil. Add the onions and fry for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Meanwhile, put the garlic, ginger, green chillies and a splash of water in a blender and whizz until smooth.
- Add the blended paste to the onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, cumin seeds and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes. Add 900ml water and bring to the boil. Add the drained rice, cockles and dill. Cook over a low medium heat until about 80% of the water has evaporated (about 5 minutes).
- Put the lid on, reduce the heat to very low and let it cook for a further 10 minutes (without taking the lid off). Remove from the heat and leave it for 10 minutes more, keeping the lid on. Serve scattered with the lemon slices.
Nutrition
- 639kcals Calories
- 15g (1.5g saturated) Fat
- 41g Protein
- 84g (5.1g sugars) Carbs
- 3.6g Fibre
- 5.5g Salt
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