Harissa and Orange Scented Rice with Dates
A flavorful rice dish with spice and kick from harissa, beautiful and aromatic citrus notes from orange juice and zest along with sweetness from dates. A homerun!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup red onion finely chopped about half of a big onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon harissa paste OR to taste *See Notes
- 1 orange,zested and then juiced
- 1 cup long grain rice preferably white basmati
- 6 mejdool dates diced small
- 1 to 1.5 cup broth vegetable or chicken * See Notes
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 5 sprigs of parsley leaves stripped and roughly chopped *See Notes
- Lime juice optional
Instructions
- Zest the orange and juice it in a measuring cup. Add broth to make the liquid 2 cups. So, for example, if you have ¼ cup orange juice add 1 ¾ cup broth.
- Rinse and soak the rice in water while you get other things done.
- Set a heavy bottomed skillet (choose one with a lid) on medium high heat. Add oil and wait for it to get nice and shiny. Add the chopped onions and minced garlic.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add a pinch of salt and sauté till onions have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the harissa and mix to combine with onions and garlic. Drain the rice and add the rice to the skillet. Mix to coat the rice with harissa and onions. Add the diced dates and let the rice toast for about a minute or two.
- Add the orange juice and both mixture, salt and black pepper and mix. Turn the heat to high and cover the skillet with a lid.
- Wait for the liquid to come to a full boil and then lower the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes. after 15 minutes, check a spoonful of rice for doneness. Caution – HOT!
- Turn the heat off and let the rice stand for another 10 minutes before adding parsley and lime juice (if using). Gently fluff with a fork and serve warm as such or with yogurt.
Notes
Harissa is spicy so use according the level of heat you would like. 1 teaspoon of harissa added a good spice punch to this rice dish.
I used chicken broth to add more flavor to the rice. Use vegetable broth to make the dish vegan. And of course, you can use water.
You can use cilantro if that is what you have on hand. Or skip it. Your call!