The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Rice the Indian Way (6 page)

Try this dish when you have some left-over boiled rice lying
around, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the transformation.

Ingredients

Cooked Boiled rice-1 cup

Cauliflower-a few florets

Broccoli-1 small

Carrot-1

French beans-a few

Peas- ¼ cup

Button Mushrooms-4

Chopped Onions-2

Chopped Garlic-4 cloves

Chopped Ginger-1 inch

Red Chilli Powder-1/4 teaspoon

Garam Masala
(mixture of common Indian spices) -1/4
teaspoon

Tip: If you can't get ready-made
garam masala
mixture
from a nearby Indian store, you can make yours by using 1 black cardamom, 3
green cardamoms, 4 cloves, and 1 inch cinnamon-all ground together for this
dish.

Turmeric (
Haldi
)-1/4 teaspoon

Egg-1

Salt to taste

Cooking Oil- 1 + ½ tablespoon (1 tablespoon for cooking
vegetables + ½ tablespoon for the egg)

Method

Wash the vegetables and chop into small pieces.

In a wok, add the cooking oil and as soon as it warms up,
add the chopped onions, garlic cloves and ginger.

As soon as the mixture starts giving off a nice aroma, add
the vegetables.

Stir well.

Cover the wok, reduce the flame and let the vegetables steam
in their own juice till cooked.

You may add the salt at this juncture along with turmeric,
red chilli powder and
garam masala
.

Stir well.

Add the boiled rice, and again stir well so that all the
ingredients are well mixed.

Switch off the heat source.

In a separate pan, pour the half tablespoon oil. While the
oil heats up, beat the egg in a bowl. Pour the egg batter into the pan and let
it cook like an omelette.

Remove the omelette from the pan and cut into strips.

Sprinkle this egg over your fried rice.

Your fried rice is ready.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

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Rice is a great neutral medium to cook all kinds of meats
with. We present five basic recipes, which once mastered can be used to rustle
up myriad variations.

Ingredients

Cooked Boiled rice-1 cup

De-shelled Prawns-200 grams (7oz) (1 cup)

Chopped Onion-1

Chopped Red Pepper-1

Chopped Garlic-4 cloves

Tomato Puree-2 tablespoon

Soya Sauce-1 + ½ tablespoon

Vinegar-1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli sauce-1/2 teaspoon

Sugar-1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Cooking Oil- 2 tablespoon

Method

Marinate the prawns with some salt, half tablespoon soya
sauce and ¼ teaspoon red chilli sauce. Leave the prawns for 15 minutes.

In a wok, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and as soon as it
warms up, add the marinated prawns and sauté till the prawns are cooked.

Remove from the wok and keep the sauté prawns aside.

Now, add another tablespoon of cooking oil to the same wok
and add the chopped garlic cloves.

As soon as the garlic starts giving off a nice aroma, add
the chopped onions and sauté till the onion becomes translucent. Add the
chopped red pepper.

Stir well.

Now add rest of the soya sauce, the red chilli sauce, the
vinegar and the tomato puree. Also, add ½ teaspoon sugar and salt for the rice.
Stir well.

Add the boiled rice, and again stir well so that all the
ingredients are well mixed.

Now add the prawns and again stir well. Switch off the heat
source.

Your prawn fried rice is ready.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

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Biryanis
are normally elaborate affairs with
saffron-tinged rice layered with cooked meats and then cooked in a pot sealed
with dough. We present here, however, our Home- Style JIFFY version, which is
in my opinion also tastier.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

Whole chicken -1 (cut into 8 pieces)

Chopped Onion-3 large

Chopped Ginger-2 inch piece

Chopped Garlic-8 Cloves

Tomatoes-2

Yoghurt-1 tablespoon

Coriander powder-2 teaspoon

Garam Masala
-1 teaspoon

Tip: If you can't get ready-made
garam masala
mixture
from a nearby Indian store, you can make yours by using 1 black cardamom, 3
green cardamoms, 4 cloves, and 1 inch cinnamon-all ground together for this
dish.

Red chilli powder-1/4 teaspoon (enough only to add flavour
and not to make it hot)

Cumin seeds-1/2 teaspoon

Cooking Oil-2 tablespoon

Ghee
(Clarified butter)-1 tablespoon

Water-1/2 or 1 cup (just to ensure that the chicken cooks
and doesn’t burn)

Salt to taste

For the rice:

Long grain rice (Basmati)-2 cups

Chicken stock-4 cups

Black Cumin seeds (
Shahi Jeera
)-1/2 teaspoon

Green Cardamom (
Chhoti elaichi
)-4

Brown Cardamom (
Badi elaichi
)-2

Cinnamon (
Dalchini)
-1 inch

Cloves (
Laung
)-6

Bay leaf (
Tejpatta
)-1

Clarified butter (
Ghee
)-1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Sugar-1/2 teaspoon

Few strands of saffron dissolved in ¼ cup warm milk

Blanched Almonds-24 kernels

(To blanch almonds, immerse them in half a cup of hot water
for 30 minutes. Remove the skin thereafter.)

Method

First of all, wash the rice well (
in a vessel 3-4 times,
but don’t rub it lest the grains break
) and let it naturally “dry”, on an
inclined plate, for 15-20 minutes. This helps enhance the aroma.

Next, prepare the chicken stock. Put in a vessel, the neck
and wings of the chicken and pour 4 cups of water over it. Now add ½ inch piece
of cinnamon, one green cardamom, and two cloves.

If using pressure cooker, cook under full pressure for 5
minutes.

If not using a pressure cooker then let the stock be made
for half an hour on low heat.

Remove the chicken pieces, strain and keep the stock ready.

Now, prepare the chicken:

In a pressure cooker, add the oil and the put it on your
heat source.

As the oil turns hot, add the cumin seeds and let it
splutter.

Immediately add the chopped onion. 

Stir well till the onions become translucent.

Now, add the chopped ginger and garlic and stir till it
starts giving off a nice aroma. 

Add the chicken and the
ghee
(clarified butter).

Stir well.

Add the coriander powder,
garam masala
and the red
chilli powder.

Stir and cook the chicken till all the water evaporates and
the chicken becomes almost dry.  This ensures that all the raw flavours of
chicken, onions, etc. are removed.

Add now the tomatoes and the yoghurt.

Stir well again and add the salt. 

Let the tomatoes cook well.

Now, add the water, and close the lid of the pressure cooker
with weight.

Let it come to full pressure (
i.e. when the weight lifts
and there is a whistling sound
).

Turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove the weight from the cooker and dry the chicken
completely in the open cooker itself.

If not using a pressure cooker, then cook till the chicken
is cooked thoroughly and dried.

Separately, in a wok, add the clarified butter along with
black cumin seeds, green cardamom, brown cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay
leaves.

As soon as you start getting a nice aroma, in less than a
minute, add the rice along with the salt and sugar.

Do please ensure that the spices brown and not burn,
otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled.

Stir well.

Now, add the rice to the cooked chicken in the pressure
cooker.

Add the chicken stock, the saffron dissolved in milk and the
blanched almonds.

Gently stir so that the mixture is well blended but the rice
doesn’t break.

Now, close the lid of the pressure cooker without the weight
and place on the heat source.

As soon as the steam starts escaping, reduce the heat to low
and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Switch off the heat source and let the cooker cool for about
10 minutes before you open it.

This helps all the flavours to seep into the rice and the
chicken.

That’s all. Your delicious chicken
biryani
is ready.

In case not using a pressure cooker, then place the
cooked chicken and the prepared rice in a deep thick bottomed vessel along with
the chicken stock, saffron and almonds.

Gently stir and then place the vessel on the heat source.

As soon as the stock starts boiling, reduce the heat source
and close with a tight fitting lid.

The
biryani
should be ready in about 15 minutes but
you should check by pressing one grain of rice to see if the rice has been
properly cooked.

After switching off the heat source, leave the
biryani
inside the deep pan with the lid tightly shut for another 10 minutes. This
helps all the flavours to seep into the rice and the chicken.

If using a rice cooker

First of all, wash the rice well
(in a vessel 3-4 times,
but don’t rub it lest the grains break
) and let it naturally “dry”, on an
inclined plate, for 15-20 minutes. This helps enhance the aroma.

Next, prepare the chicken stock. Put in a vessel, the neck
and wings of the chicken and pour 4 cups of water over it. Now add ½ inch piece
of cinnamon, one green cardamom, and two cloves.

If using pressure cooker, cook under full pressure for 5
minutes.

If not using a pressure cooker then let the stock be made
for half an hour on low heat.

Remove the chicken pieces and keep the stock ready.

Now, prepare the chicken:

In a pressure cooker, add the oil and the put it on your
heat source.

As the oil turns hot, add the cumin seeds and let it
splutter.

Immediately add the chopped onion. 

Stir well till the onions become translucent.

Now, add the chopped ginger and garlic and stir till it
starts giving off a nice aroma. 

Add the chicken and the
ghee
(clarified butter).

Stir well.

Add the coriander powder,
garam masala
and the red
chilli powder.

Stir and cook the chicken till all the water evaporates and
the chicken becomes almost dry.  This ensures that all the raw flavours of
chicken, onions, etc. are removed.

Add now the tomatoes and the yoghurt.

Stir well again and add the salt. 

Let the tomatoes cook well.

Now, add the water, and close the lid of the pressure cooker
with weight.

Let it come to full pressure (
i.e. when the weight lifts
and there is a whistling sound
).

Turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove the weight from the cooker and dry the chicken
completely in the open cooker itself.

If not using a pressure cooker, then cook till the chicken
is cooked thoroughly and dried.

Separately, in a wok, add the clarified butter along with
black cumin seeds, green cardamom, brown cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay
leaves.

As soon as you start getting a nice aroma, in less than a
minute, add the rice along with the salt and sugar.

Do please ensure that the spices brown and not burn,
otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled.

Stir well.

Now, add the rice to the cooked chicken.

Switch off the heat source and put all the ingredients into
the rice cooker.

Add the chicken stock, the saffron dissolved in milk and the
blanched almonds.

Gently stir so that the mixture is well blended but the rice
doesn’t break.

Switch on the rice cooker and the let the rice cook. The
rice cooker will switch off on its own when the rice is cooked.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes with a pressure cooker; 60 minutes
with a deep pan; and as indicated in the rice cooker manual

Total time: 55 minutes with a pressure cooker; 90 minutes
with a deep pan

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Ingredients

Whole chicken -1 (cut into 8 pieces)

Chopped Onion-3 large

Chopped Ginger-2 inch piece

Chopped Garlic-8 Cloves

Tomatoes-2

Yoghurt-1 tablespoon

Coriander powder-2 teaspoon

Garam Masala
-1 teaspoon

Tip: If you can't get ready-made
garam masala
mixture
from a nearby Indian store, you can make yours by using 1 black cardamom, 3
green cardamoms, 4 cloves, and 1 inch cinnamon-all ground together for this
dish.

Red chilli powder-1/4 teaspoon (enough only to add flavour
and not to make it hot)

Cumin seeds-1/2 teaspoon

Cooking Oil-2 tablespoon

Ghee
(Clarified butter)-1 tablespoon

Water-1/2 or 1 cup (just to ensure that the chicken cooks
and doesn’t burn)

Cooked rice with a little salt and a teaspoon
ghee
(clarified butter)-3 cups

Saffron-a few strands dissolved in one fourth cup milk

Blanched and fried Almonds-3 tablespoon

(To blanch almonds, immerse them in half a cup of hot water
for 30 minutes. Remove the skin thereafter and fry till a light golden colour
is achieved.)

Salt to taste

Method

In a pressure cooker, add the oil and the put it on your
heat source.

As the oil turns hot, add the cumin seeds and let it
splutter.

Immediately add the chopped onion. 

Stir well till the onions become translucent.

Now, add the chopped ginger and garlic and stir till it
starts giving off a nice aroma. 

Add the chicken and the
ghee
(clarified butter).

Stir well.

Add the coriander powder,
garam masala
and red chilli
powder.

Stir and cook the chicken till all the water evaporates and
the chicken becomes almost dry.  This process ensures that all the raw flavours
of chicken, onions, etc. are removed.

Add now the tomatoes and the yoghurt.

Stir well again and add the salt. 

Let the tomatoes cook well.

Now, add the water, and close the lid of the pressure cooker
with weight.

Let it come to full pressure (
i.e. when the weight lifts
and there is a whistling sound
).

Turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes.

If not using a pressure cooker, then cook till the chicken
is cooked thoroughly.

Remove the weight from the cooker and dry the chicken
completely in the open cooker itself.

Layer a deep pan with rice and chicken pieces with the gravy
alternatively.

Finally cover with rice and pour the saffron and milk over
it.

Sprinkle the almonds.

Cover with an aluminium foil and place it in the oven at 150
degrees C (302 degrees F) for 15 minutes.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes with a pressure cooker; 75 minutes
with a deep pan

Total time: 70 minutes with a pressure cooker; 105 minutes
with a deep pan

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