This is NOT the weird stuff you get at the pseudo-northie restaurants in Bangalore.
This is the simplest possible recipe, and something very close to authentic, with ONE variation (which is also mentioned after the recipe). The rice can be cooked either in a rice cooker, or microwave, a pressure cooker, or just steamed in a wok/vessel. For convenience sake I'm putting down the last version.
Ingredients:
1) 2 cups Basmati Rice (Long grained and fragrant) (approx 200 grams rice)
2) 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (raisins, roasted almonds, pistachio and walnuts - these make the recipe authentic. Only variation allowed is dried pine nuts. No cashews, please)
3) 2 pinches saffron in 2 teaspoons of warm milk
4) 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
5) One bay leaf
6) Salt
Method:
1) Wash the rice. Drain the water. For 2 cups of rice, add 3.5 cups water (350 - 375 ml) in a deep, vessel (a deep wok works best). Add half one teaspoon of the ghee, 1/3 teaspoon salt and the bay leaf.
2) Cook the rice. Keep the pan closed. The flame should be high till the water boils. One the water boils and you can smell the starch, reduce the flame to medium.
3) The rice is done when the water is soaked up by the grains. Open the wok and stir the rice with a fork. Cooking this quantity of Basmati rice should take about 20 minutes or so.
4) heat a pan, and fry the dried fruit in the ghee. When the nuts turn broen, take off the flame and add to the rice. Now add in the saffron and stir.
Its done!!!
Variation:
Ingredients:
6 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnammon, 2 cloves or cardamom, 1 star anise, all tied in a small piece of cotton cloth.
1 large chopped onion.
In Step one, add the spice cloth packet while cooking rice.
In step 4, fry onion till golden brown, add dried fruit, and mix with the rice. (Do remember to discard the clothe packet :-p)
(This one's for Nirmal :-) )
This is the simplest possible recipe, and something very close to authentic, with ONE variation (which is also mentioned after the recipe). The rice can be cooked either in a rice cooker, or microwave, a pressure cooker, or just steamed in a wok/vessel. For convenience sake I'm putting down the last version.
Ingredients:
1) 2 cups Basmati Rice (Long grained and fragrant) (approx 200 grams rice)
2) 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (raisins, roasted almonds, pistachio and walnuts - these make the recipe authentic. Only variation allowed is dried pine nuts. No cashews, please)
3) 2 pinches saffron in 2 teaspoons of warm milk
4) 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
5) One bay leaf
6) Salt
Method:
1) Wash the rice. Drain the water. For 2 cups of rice, add 3.5 cups water (350 - 375 ml) in a deep, vessel (a deep wok works best). Add half one teaspoon of the ghee, 1/3 teaspoon salt and the bay leaf.
2) Cook the rice. Keep the pan closed. The flame should be high till the water boils. One the water boils and you can smell the starch, reduce the flame to medium.
3) The rice is done when the water is soaked up by the grains. Open the wok and stir the rice with a fork. Cooking this quantity of Basmati rice should take about 20 minutes or so.
4) heat a pan, and fry the dried fruit in the ghee. When the nuts turn broen, take off the flame and add to the rice. Now add in the saffron and stir.
Its done!!!
Variation:
Ingredients:
6 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnammon, 2 cloves or cardamom, 1 star anise, all tied in a small piece of cotton cloth.
1 large chopped onion.
In Step one, add the spice cloth packet while cooking rice.
In step 4, fry onion till golden brown, add dried fruit, and mix with the rice. (Do remember to discard the clothe packet :-p)
(This one's for Nirmal :-) )
