Middle Eastern rice pilaf with chard stems and chickpeas
This delicious Middle Eastern rice pilaf with chard stems and chickpeas is as much vegetable as it is rice. Visually, it’s quite lovely. If you use red chard, little pieces of chard stems look like red jewels sprinkled throughout the dish. The chard adds great flavor along with some preserved lemon, cilantro, and pine nuts. A can of chickpeas adds protein, making this a one-pot meal or a hearty side dish.
I created this rice pilaf with chard stems and chickpeas trying to come up with a way to use excess chard stems, and it turned out great! If you like it, too, let me know in the comments! To use up the leftover leaves, check out my eggplant and chard moussaka. 😊
Tips for making rice pilaf with chard stems and chickpeas:
- Chop the chard stems into small pieces, roughly 5 mm (¼ inch) cubes (see picture below). I like to slice several stems down the length first, then chop them all into cubes at once.
- When you add the rice to the pot, be sure to let it toast and take on a little color before adding the stock.
- Use a good quality vegetable stock, even if you’re reconstituting it from a bouillon cube. Despite all the other aromatics in this dish, any off flavor in the stock can still come through.
- Can’t find preserved lemons? You can sub lemon zest, but it has a bit less zing to it.
- You can substitute pine nuts with chopped almonds, if desired. The buttery flavor of pine nuts is lovely here, but they are quite expensive!
If you want to add a little more zing to the dish, you can sprinkle some crumbled feta on top, as pictured below. Not mandatory, but also tasty.
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For more Middle Eastern flavor, you might also enjoy my cauliflower rice with fresh herbs and sundried tomatoes, these Syrian cherry meatballs, or my Middle-Eastern take on palak paneer (a.k.a. spinach puree with halloumi cheese). For dessert, check out my orange blossom rice pudding.
Middle Eastern rice pilaf with chard stems and chickpeas
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp preserved lemon peel finely chopped
- 15 g cilantro chopped
- 200 g (1 cup) basmati rice
- 250 g chard stems chopped in approx. 5 mm (¼ inch) cubes
- 425 ml (1 ¾ cup) vegetable stock
- 35 g (¼ cup) raisins
- 265 g chickpeas drained (from 400 g can)
Toppings:
- 15 g chopped cilantro leaves
- 40 g (¼ cup) toasted pine nuts
- 100 g feta crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- Start cooking aromatics & toast rice: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook 5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic, ¾ tsp salt, pepper, ¼ tsp paprika, 1 tbsp chopped preserved lemon peel, and 15 g chopped cilantro. Cook another 1 minute. Add 1 cup rice and 250 g chard stems. Cook another 3-4 minutes.
- Simmer: Add the 1 ¾ cup vegetable stock and ¼ cup raisins. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle on the drained chickpeas and simmer (covered) for another 5 minutes. All the liquid should be absorbed and the rice should be cooked. If any liquid remains, cook on low uncovered to let it evaporate. Stir the warmed chickpeas into the rice.
- Serve with toppings: To serve, sprinkle on some chopped cilantro leaves, toasted pine nuts, and feta if using.