Tuna Pilaf
This is an old stand-by from the days when food companies would provide you with recipe books based on their products, if you mailed them a stamped self-addressed envelope. I have heavily modified it.
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 ½ cups brown long grain rice
- 2 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 Tbsp curry powder or 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes or chilli powder optional
- 1 x 400g tin of tuna in oil
- ½ cup chopped dates
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen spinach
- ½ cup toasted almond slivers
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Decant most of the oil from the tin of tuna into a heavy pan with a lid.
- Add onion and fry on medium heat until starting to colour (5 minutes).
- Add spices and fry until fragrant (1 minute).
- Reduce heat to low, add rice and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add stock and pepper.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until rice is nearly done.
- Add peas, spinach and dates, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add tuna and break it up into the rice. Turn off the heat and leave the tuna to heat through.
- Served topped with almonds.


This is the first time that I’ve tried using dates as more region-appropriate instead of the sultanas specified in the original, and they partly dissolved into the rice. I liked the effect but you might want to add them with the tuna instead.
Thanks for sharing the recipe Mark!