Cockle and dill rice

Cockle and dill rice

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.

Cockle and dill rice

You might also like our cockle and mussel chowder.
Check out more recipe inspiration from Zainab @cookingwithzainab 

Photography: David Loftus

  • Serves icon Serves 4
  • Time icon Hands-on time 15 min. Simmering time 10 min, plus standing

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

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
639kcals
Fat
15g (1.5g saturated)
Protein
41g
Carbohydrates
84g (5.1g sugars)
Fibre
3.6g
Salt
5.5g

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
Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

  1. Start by rinsing the rice in cold water until it runs clear. Set aside to drain.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).
  4. 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

Calories
639kcals
Fat
15g (1.5g saturated)
Protein
41g
Carbohydrates
84g (5.1g sugars)
Fibre
3.6g
Salt
5.5g

delicious. tips

  1. Easy swaps You can also use sustainably sourced mussels or clams for this recipe.

  2. Cockles are harvested around the UK’s shores and work well as a swap for prawns. They both have a soft, slightly sweet and tender texture and are packed with B12 and a good source of essential omega-3s

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By

Zainab Pirzada

Subscribe

Fancy getting a copy in print?

Subscribe to our magazine
April 2024 delicious magazine cover

Rate & review

Rate

Reviews

Share a tip

Or, how about...?

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Cheat's recipes

Quick prawn and brown rice pilaf

We’ve used packets of microwave rice to cut down the...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Spicy seafood rice

Use our basic pilaf recipe as the base of this...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Sea bass recipes

Steamed sea bass with cockle pistou

Serve something fresh, light and simple for dinner tonight with...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Mussel recipes

Cockle and mussel chowder with sweet potato and spring onions

Serve this creamy seafood chowder, made with mussels and cockles,...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Cheat's recipes

Easy mushroom and kale basmati pilaf

A vegetarian, gluten-free recipe that’s perfect for when you don’t...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Courgette and pumpkin seed rice

This is an incredibly easy courgette recipe – a sort...

Subscribe to our magazine

Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.

Subscribe

Unleash your inner chef

Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter

We treat your data with care. See our privacy policy. By signing up, you are agreeing to delicious.’ terms and conditions. Unsubscribe at any time.