Chicken Pilaf

This is one of my favourite dinner recipes.  It's so quick, and so healthy, and oh so delicious because of the variety of spices used.  I was lucky enough to have this cooked for me at a friend's house, and I simply had to have the recipe because it was so good.  I love the hint of cinnamon and cumin, among other spices, in this dish. I like to imagine it as a waffling sent from the far corners of Morocco..


Ingredients
olive oil
600g chicken breast, diced
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 red capsicum, sliced and diced
1 onion
2 -3 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
800mL chicken stock, hot
300mL lite coconut milk
2 zucchinis, diced
700g pumpkin, cubed
1 small floret cauliflower, chopped relatively finely
+ fresh corriander, chopped

Method
Heat olive oil in a large fry pan on medium-high.  Cook chicken in pan until it has lost its pink rawness; and is just starting to turn slightly golden or brown.  Add onion, garlic, red capiscum and stir until soft.  Add mushrooms and stir for 1-2 minutes.  Now add all the spices along with the rice and stir through well.  Once evenly distributed, pour in the hot stock and the coconut milk.  Bring to the boil, then cover, and reduce heat to allow everything to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes; or until rice is cooked and majority of liquid is absorbed.  Stir occassionally.  Meanwhile, I like to steam all of the other veggies in the microwave.  I do it in batches of course - the pumpkin first which usually requires more cooking time, then the cauliflower, then the zucchini.  Ensure they are completely cooked before adding them to the pilaf which should now be ready (ie. the rice cooked).  Stir the veggies through, along with the fresh chopped corriander.  Serve!