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| SUNDAY |
ALL ADD ON TO MAKE THE SAME THING. THE WORD PILAF IS ALSO USED IN ENGLAND AS WELL AS THE USA
THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS AND SEVERAL STYLES, THERE ARE REGIONAL STYLES AND DOMESTIC STYLES. BASICALLY A PULAO IS RICE WHICH IS FIRST TEMPERED IN A BIT OF OIL WITH FLAVOURINGS AND THEN PART BOILED AND PART STEAMED.
WHAT I INTEND TO DO IS GIVE YOU A VERY SIMPLE RECIPE, ONE WHICH YOU SHOULD NOT GO WRONG WITH. HAVE NO FEAR IF YOU SPOIL YOUR RICE MAKE CROQUETTES THE NEXT DAY I WILL GIVE A RECIPE FOR “FOFOS” A RICE CROQUETTE LATER.
INGREDIENTS
NORMALLY YOU WILL TAKE 100Gms. OF RICE PER PERSON. IF WE WERE TO TAKE HALF A KILO 500gms THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD NEED.
BASMATI, OR OTHER GOOD LONG GRAIN.
ONION SMALL - peeled halved and sliced thinly
CINNAMON STICK - One, two inch piece
CARDAMOM - Two to three
CLOVES - Two to three
CUMIN SEEDS - One teaspoon
OIL OR GHEE - Three table spoons of oil or two of ghee.
METHOD
• Wash your rice if need be and drain.
• I have realised that in England you do not need to wash the basmati rice available. The rice is so grossly over polished that there is no substance and the grains break up when washed or soaked long. Unlike in India where we do have to wash well and soak rice well for it to expand.
• Heat the oil or ghee in a casserole approximately 10” in dia. and fry the spices for a minute or two until they change colour.
• Remember to first crack the cardamom before adding to the oil. This is for two reasons, one to give a better flavour and secondly so that the cardamom does not explode because the air gets trapped inside when frying.
• Add the onion s and sauté for a minute or two until they go pale but not colour.
• Add the rice and saute for two to three minutes stirring regularly so that all the grains get evenly heated and fried.
• You must also at this stage keep the water ready in a kettle or another pan.
• You rice should normally take 1 ½ times to twice times the quantity of water in weight. Therefore for 500Gms of rice you may need 1000Ml. of water approximately
• However rice does differ in qualities and levels of absorption.
• I therefore recommend that you first add one litre, stir well, clean the sides of any loose grains, lower the heat to simmering point, add salt, cover and cook.
• One your rice has reached the boiling point first, always lower the heat to just about simmering level.
• Stir firstly after every minute or so gently by taking in from each side, and clearing the sides before covering the pan again.
• If you see that the water is rapidly absorbed, add a little more water and check at the next turning, after checking the grains.
• To finish the rice you can also use your oven.
• Heat to gas mark 5 or equivalent and at the half way stage place the casserole in the oven for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes.
• If you cook the rice on the open flame it has to be finished a) on a very slow fire, b) stirred from time to time very gently so that you do not break the grains. This is done, by using the folding method.
• If you want to try out your rice to see if it follows the required amount of water absorption go for the one is to two ratio straight away. However I would still not add all of the water and give it in two stages just before it is to go into the oven.
• Also in the oven the rice will need less water and the grains will come out better separated.
• Once the rice is cooked, stir with a roasting fork loosening all the grains and cover and set aside until you need it.
• If you feel that the rice is mushy you can place it back in the oven for some more time.
• This happens to the best of us from time to time so do not get too concerned. Try again the next time and back track what you did this time. Avoid what you feel was the problem.
OPTION TWO
In option two cooking the rice is altered a bit.
This is sometimes the preferred way to cook a pulao simply because you have less to worry about and the chances of failure are reduced
After frying the spices add the water / stock and season. Once the water begins to boil add the rice and stir in gently.
Stir continuously for the first tow to three minutes to allow the rice to get well mixed and not settle
Then cook as above, covered on a low flame or covered and in the oven. |
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