To make this exotic green rice, simmer basmati rice in a broth of mint, chives, parsley, and cilantro perfumed with sautéed red onion, fennel, and fennel seeds. When you prepare the herbs, don’t waste too much time on fastidious herb-picking. They all get puréed into an emerald green broth, so no one will ever know if you cheated a little and left some of the stems on.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring the chicken stock and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium pot, and then turn off the heat.
Step 2
Place the parsley, mint, chives, and cilantro in a blender. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid, and purée the herbs on medium speed. Pour in the rest of the liquid slowly, and purée on high speed for almost 2 minutes, until you have a very smooth, very green broth.
Step 3
Toast the fennel seeds in a small pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until they release their aroma and turn light golden brown. Pound them with a mortar and pestle.
Step 4
Quickly rinse out the chicken stock pot and heat it over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, diced fennel and onion, toasted fennel seeds, chile, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion and fennel are translucent. Add the rice, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Stir well to coat the rice with the oil and vegetables. Add the herb broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Add the butter, cover, and cook the rice 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Turn off the heat, and leave the rice covered for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and taste for seasoning.
