The onions go in first and stay in the pan long enough to turn properly golden and crispy — that's the foundation of this dish. Everything else follows from there: the whole spices blooming in the oil, the vegetables softening, the rice going in dry to absorb the spiced fat before the liquid is added. It's a one-pan rice dish that earns its place alongside a curry or stands up perfectly well on its own.

This is a Casa Adora recipe — cooked in the kitchen on the five-ring hob when there's a curry already on and the table needs something to sit alongside it.

The Spiced Fried Onion Rice Recipe

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 120g basmati rice, rinsed well
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small potato, cubed
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• A handful of green beans, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 small cinnamon or cassia stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 whole cardamom pods
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 240ml water or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
• Sea salt to taste
• Fresh coriander or parsley to finish

Method

1. Rinse the rice under cold water until it runs clear. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil or ghee in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crispy. Remove a few onion slices and set aside for garnishing later.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for one minute until fragrant.
4. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods and bay leaf. Cook for one minute to release the aromatics.
5. Stir in the ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Cook for 30 seconds.
6. Add the potato, carrot and green beans. Sauté for 5–7 minutes until beginning to soften.
7. Add the rinsed rice and stir well to coat the grains in the spiced oil.
8. Pour in the water or stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed.
9. Remove from the heat and leave covered with a tea towel for 5 minutes.
10. Fluff with a fork, top with the reserved crispy onions and scatter with fresh coriander or parsley. Serve immediately.

To serve as pictured — top with sliced cherry tomatoes, a halved hard-boiled egg and the reserved crispy onions.

For more about cooking rice — pilaf, pilau and polow — read this.

This spiced fried onion rice recipe is part of my Curry Recipes collection — the complete guide to curries, spice blends, bases, chutneys and sides from The Flexible Chef. Explore the full Curry Recipes hub. It's also part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef