Peanut Rice Pilau

2 lbs brown rice 
1 large onion 
3 cloves garlic (to taste) 
3 carrots, sliced 
1 large potato, diced pretty small 
2 bell peppers, diced 
8 oz mushrooms sliced (optional)
1 cup cooked chickpeas 
2 tbsp whole star anis
1 tsp each: whole cloves, ground coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger 
1/2 tsp ground allspice 
4 tbsp oil for frying 
salt to taste 


Preparation 

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the spices for 1 minute. This helps release their flavors. Add the onion, garlic and potato and fry for 10 minutes. You may need to put in 1/2 cup of water to prevent it from sticking to the pot.

2. Add in peppers and mushrooms (optional) and sautee for two minutes.

3. Wash the rice, add it to the mixture and fry for a further 2 minutes. This way the rice gets coated with the oil and comes out fluffier.

4. Put hot water into the saucepan at a ratio of 2:1 to the rice. Don't worry about putting in too little rice as you can always add more during the cooking process. Stir thoroughly once, bring to the boil and Simmer with the lid on for 45-55 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Keep an eye on it in case all the liquid evaporates too early (as explained above).

5. Serve with peanut sauce.


PEANUT SAUCE
- Believe it or not, this sauce is a winner with chips or with the Rice Pilau.

1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic (optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder
5 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 jar peanut butter


Preparation

1)  Fry the onion and garlic (if desired) in hot oil with the chili powder until browned.

2)  Stir in the peanut butter and soy sauce.

3) Gradually add hot water until the sauce has a gravy-like consistency (or however thick you want it)