From media!uunet!asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov!chris Wed Feb 13 01:02:34 1991 >From media!uunet!asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov!chris Wed Feb 13 00:13:00 1991 Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 15:31:09 EST From: Chris Shenton To: media!thanatos!chris, "ROBOTS::xrgel"@dftnic.gsfc.nasa.gov Subject: Cooking Basmati From: sfisher@wsl.dec.com (Scott Fisher) Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking Subject: Re: how do I cook basmati rice? Keywords: rice/water proportions Date: 12 Feb 91 18:36:54 GMT Reply-To: sfisher@wsl.dec.com (Scott Fisher) Organization: DEC Western Software Lab When I cook with basmati rice, I generally use one of two recipes. The simple one is to cook it just as if it were short-grain rice, with the exception that I wash it first. That is, I put in basmati rice up to the top of my index fingernail and add water up to the first knuckle. It's roughly 2:1 water to rice, on a volume basis and discounting the fact that the water gets in between the grains. It works flawlessly and it's as simple as it can be; the result has the aroma and flavor of basmati rice and the slightly sticky texture of Japanese-style rice (the knucle trick was taught to me by a Japanese friend). The more complex method is to make a pullao in what I understand is the style of Punjab, using whole spices so that the rice keeps its white color. That is slightly more time-consuming and, I must admit, ends up with a superior product. From memory, this technique is as follows: 1 cup basmati rice 2 cups water 1 1" piece of whole cinnamon 6-8 cloves 8-10 whole allspice 1/4 teaspoon each coriander and cumin seeds, whole 6-8 green cardamom pods 1 bay leaf 1/2 stick butter, or light vegetable oil or ghee if you want to be very authentic (I usually use butter) First, wash the basmati rice until the water comes off clear. Pick it over for any stones or foreign matter that might have been introduced in shipping. Then set the rice to soak in two cups of water for 30 minutes; when done, drain but reserve the soaking water. Heat the butter in a heavy covered saucepan till the foam subsides. Lightly toast all the spices and bay leaf in the butter until they brown slightly, then add the rice. Toss the rice in the butter until it is fully coated (almost as if making risotto). Then pour in the soaking water, add salt to taste, cover the rice and bring the pan to the boil. (Something tells me that I usually also put in a clove of garlic and half an inch of ginger root, both minced fine, with the spices but I can't recall. It wouldn't hurt!) When the contents boil (you'll tell from the rattling of the lid), immediately turn the fire down to its lowest setting and set the timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, the rice will be done. It will be fluffy, each grain will be separate, and it will have a wonderfully delicate flavor. I also sometimes make garnishes to serve atop this rice; one of my favorites is to fry rings of okra until crisp and brown and serve them scattered atop the rice. Crisp onion slices would be good too. Serve with a rich korma of lamb or chicken, a spicy bengan bhartha or bindi bhajee if okra is in season, or gujarati-style green beans, and of course some kind of dal and bread of your choice.