Mushroom Pilaf

Ages ago I signed up for the Veg Box Recipes email service.  Usually once a month they send out recipes for what is in season.  The last one I received had a recipe that caught my attention--Crunchy Mushroom Pilaf.  I love the combination of red lentils and rice, it is creamy, healthy, and oh so tasty. While I do not like the "crunchy" in the title, yesterday for I made it for dinner. I've linked up to the original recipe, and below I've written out how I changed it to suit my families tastes.

Mushroom Pilaf

Serves: 4
15ml/1tbsp oil
250g mushrooms, halved, quarter the big ones.  I used chestnut.
1 onion, chopped
5ml/1tsp ground cumin
2.5ml/1/2 tsp ground coriander
5ml/1tsp ground paprika
2 cloves garlic, crushed
100g/4oz split red lentils
225g/8oz brown rice
50g/2oz raisins
900ml/11/2pts vegetable stock plus two bullion cubes
75g bag watercress, roughly chopped
2.5ml/1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
50g/2oz raw cashews, roughly chopped
Salt and ground black pepper


Directions: 
Heat half of the oil in a large pan, add the mushrooms and sauté over a high heat for 4-5mins or until nicely browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining oil and onion to the pan and sauté for 5 mins.

Stir in the cumin, paprika, coriander and garlic, lentils, rice, and raisins. Cook, stirring for a minute. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30-40 mins or until the rice is tender.  When the rice was almost done I added the mushrooms back in, because I like them to soak up the flavor.  Add a little more water if the rice begins to stick.

Add watercress to the rice, stir well then cover and cook for a further 2mins until the watercress has wilted. Season to taste. Stir in the cashews and serve straight away.

Review:
This is a great recipe in the making.  I didn't really like the burst of sweetness from the raisins, but my husband did.  I am also not that keen on watercress I guess, so next time I will use spinach instead.  Over all, I will be sure to make this again, with a few alterations.  It is an excellent vegetarian meal.

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