Rice with nuts ( roz bel khalta)

yeah, we call it that intelligible stuff in the title, it means rice with mix, the mix here is that of nuts.

this is not particularly Egyptian, but it is well liked here and i believe we , in Egypt, modified it to our taste, so hope others will like it as well.

This recipe is usually made with chicken liver and gizzard, but i personally don't like them much so i prepare it without these, and only use nuts. but for authenticity purposes i will include them in the recipe, and show you how you can also do it without these.

Ingredients:
(for the mix)
almonds
hazelnut
raisins
pine nuts
(all in the preferred quantities)
1kg chicken livers and gizzards, cut in small cubes
1 large onion, grated
S&P
butter/ghee /olive oil
1tsp yellow curry powder (optional)

(for the rice)
2 tbsp sugar / 14 cup
2 cups rice
1 tbsp butter/ghee

preparation:

we start by soaking the nuts in boiling water for 2-3 minutes for the almonds a slightly more for the hazelnuts until you can rub off their sheath, as for the raisins, sauté in very little oil or butter until it swells up then remove immediately, as it gets burnt very easy. and if you decide to use pine nuts, sauté as well for a short time. alternatively, and if you don't mind some crunch, you can toast them all in a hot oven for 5 minutes. put the prepared nuts aside.

next we prepare the livers and gizzards, saute the grated onion in on medium heat until soft, add the cubed livers and gizzards, stir and cover. keep stirring every few minutes, when done, add the curry powder (if you opted out of using that, you can add some turmeric for colour) mix and cover again, leave for about five minutes or until you taste and find it done, remove from heat and put aside.

now comes the rice, in a big pot caramelise the sugar, then add to it the quantity of water or chicken stock (yes sometimes we use it instead of water for richer flavour), for 2 cups of rice you use 2.5 - 3 cups and bring to a rolling boil.
while it boils, in a separate pot add about a tbsp ghee and fry the rice until golden then add the salt and cinnamon and mix well. next add the previously prepared caramel-water mix to the rice and leave to boil, once it does put down the heat and leave to cook.

and you are done, all is left is serving once the rice is done.
in the serving plate, first add the cooked rice, then add the prepared livers and gizzards on top then the nut mix.

now, if you don't want to add the chicken bits, do it as before and drop the chicken bits part, easy! then you can serve a meat dish on the side, i do it with a cured tenderloin and mushroom or pepper sauce.

note, the above recipe could also be made using lamb liver, heart and kidneys, i personally find it very tasty.. the only note is that each should be prepared separately and they, of course, take longer to cook.
and, belhana welshefa (wish you enjoyment and good health, in Egyptian)

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