An audience of two

Tuesday March 11, 2008

How to cook rice (1)
To go with a good curry you need good rice. This is something that I do make from scratch. I have two rice dishes that I make - this is the complicated one. Note that you don't need to use all these spices; it'll be good with just a few. All of these spices are readily available in huge, cheap bags at any Indian shop. However if you try to buy them at Safeway it'll cost you a fortune.

8 oz basmati rice
10 oz water
pinch of salt
oil
Spices:
1-2 Brown cardomoms
4-6 Green cardomoms
8-10 Cloves
tsp Fennel seeds
tsp Cumin seeds
1 Star Anise
1 stick Cinnamon or Cassia
1-2 Bay leaves
pinch saffron
Heat the oil in a large heavy pan. Fry the spices (except for the bay leaves and saffron) for about a minute. Add the rice and stir so that the rice is coated in the oil. Add the water (you can also half water and half milk or broth if you like) salt, bay leaves and saffron. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down low and cook until the water is absorbed. Most of the spices will float to the top. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to rest for at least 10 minutes - if you don't then the grains will break.

When ready to serve remove the cardomom pods, anise, cinnamon/cassia and bay leaves. You can also remove any cloves that you can find, but they tend to sink. Don't bother trying to remove the fennel or cumin seeds. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

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Tags: curry food indian rice