The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Rice the Indian Way (9 page)

This used to be a favourite dessert of the Muslim rulers of
India.

Ingredients

Full cream milk-1 litre (2 US pints liquid) (4 cups)

Rice-2 heaped tablespoon

Sugar to taste - (start with 3 tablespoons)

Milk Powder-2 tablespoons

Green Cardomom-2 crushed

Saffron-few strands dissolved in a tablespoon warm milk

Method

Wash the rice well and then let it dry.

Crush the same coarsely.

In a heavy bottomed wok, bring the milk to boil. Add the
milk powder.

Add the coarsely ground rice.

Keep stirring on low heat making sure that NOTHING BURNS.

As the mixture begins to thicken, add the sugar, cardamom
and the saffron.

Stir well and keep stirring for about 5 minutes or till the
whole mixture becomes like a thick custard.

Switch off the heat source and pour the mixture into small
individual servings bowl and let it set.

That’s all.

Your delicious
Phirni
is ready.

Let it cool down and then put it in the fridge and have it
chilled.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

Rice-1 cup (washed)

Coconut Milk-1 cup

Water-1 cup

Palm Sugar/Sugar-4 teaspoon

Ripe Mango-1 (cut into bite size pieces)

Method

Method using a pressure cooker

Place the rice, coconut milk, water and sugar in the cooker
and light the heat source.

Close the lid and let the cooker come to full pressure.

Reduce the heat and let the rice cook for 2 more minutes.

Switch off the heat source and let the cooker cool on its
own.

Take out the rice in individual serving bowls and decorate
it with ripe mangoes.

You can either have it cool or at room temperature.

Method using a thick bottomed pan

Place the rice, coconut milk, water and sugar in the pan and
light the heat source.

After the water boils, reduce the heat and cover the pan
with the lid.

Keep checking occasionally to see if the rice has cooked and
all the water and the coconut milk has been absorbed.

Switch off the heat source and let the rice cool on its own.

Take out the rice in individual serving bowls and decorate
it with ripe mangoes.

You can either have it cool or at room temperature.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 7 minutes with a pressure cooker; 20 minutes
with a pan

Total time: 12 minutes with a pressure cooker; 25 minutes
with a pan

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Ingredients

Rice-3/4 cup

Moong Dal
(Bengal Gram)-1/4 cup

Jaggery (
Gud
which is unprocessed sugar)-1 cup

Roasted Cashew nuts-2 tablespoon (fried golden and then
chopped up).

The method to fry the cashew nuts: in a small pan, add
about a tablespoon of cooking oil. Put the pan on your heat source. When the
oil heats up, add the cashew nuts and stir till they turn golden. Immediately
remove the cashew nuts to a plate and chop. Remember if you leave the cashew
nuts in the pan, the hot oil will keep roasting the cashew nuts and burn them.

Ghee
(clarified butter)-2 tablespoon

Water-3 cups

Method

Wash the rice and dal together and let it dry for 5 minutes
on an inclined plate.

If using a pressure cooker:

In a pressure cooker, put the clarified butter and put it on
your heat source.

As it warms up, add the rice and lentils.

Stir well.

Add 2 cups of water and put the lid with the weight on the
cooker.

After the cooker comes to full pressure (don’t worry, you
will hear that typical sound), switch off the heat source but do NOT release
the pressure.

Let the pressure cooker cool down by itself.

Meanwhile, in a pan, melt the jaggery with 1 cup water and
let it come to a boil.

Open the cooker and add the boiled jaggery to it along with
the roasted cashew nuts.

Mix well.

Your Sweet
Pongal
is ready.

If using a thick bottomed pan/vessel:

In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place it on
your heat source.

When the butter warms up, add the rice and lentil.

Stir well.

Add 2 cups of water.

Cover the pan/vessel with a well-fitting lid.

Reduce the heat to minimum.

In other words, if cooking on gas, turn the knob to SIM
(mer). Let the
Pongal
cook for 15-20 minutes.

Switch off the heat source and let the rice remain in the
vessel for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another pan, melt the jaggery with 1 cup water
and let it come to a boil.

Open the vessel and add the boiled jaggery to it along with
the roasted cashew nuts.

Mix well.

Your Sweet
Pongal
is ready.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes with a pressure cooker; 20-25
minutes with a deep pan

Total time: 15 minutes with a pressure cooker; 25-30 minutes
with a deep pan

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Ingredients

Rice-3/4 cup

Moong Dal
(Bengal Gram)-1/4 cup

Jaggery (
Gud
which is unprocessed sugar)-1 cup

Roasted Cashew nuts-2 tablespoon (fried golden and then
chopped up)

The method to fry the cashew nuts: in a small pan, add
about a tablespoon of cooking oil. Put the pan on your heat source. When the
oil heats up, add the cashew nuts and stir till they turn golden. Immediately
remove the cashew nuts to a plate and chop. Remember if you leave the cashew
nuts in the pan, the hot oil will keep roasting the cashew nuts and burn them.

Raisins- 2 tablespoon

Green Cardamom (
Chhoti Elaichi
) - 3 crushed

Saffron- 9-10 strands, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm
milk

Ghee
(clarified butter)-2 tablespoon

Water-2 cups

Milk- 4 cups

Method

Wash the rice and dal together and let it dry for 5 minutes
on an inclined plate.

If using a pressure cooker:

In a pressure cooker, put the clarified butter and put it on
your heat source.

As it warms up, add the rice and lentils.

Stir well.

Add 2 cups of water and put the lid with the weight on the
cooker.

After the cooker comes to full pressure (don’t worry, you
will hear that typical sound), switch off the heat source but do NOT release the
pressure.

Let the pressure cooker cool down by itself.

Open the cooker and add the milk.

Put the cooker on the heat source and let the milk come to a
boil.

Add the jaggery and let the mixture thicken.

Keep stirring gently so that the mixture doesn’t burn or
boil over.

Now add the dissolved saffron and the crushed cardamom.

Stir well. The consistency should now be of a thick custard.

Switch off the heat source.

Keeping aside a few raisins and roasted cashew nuts for
decorating the dish, add the remaining raisins and the roasted cashew nuts.

Mix well.

Now decorate the dish with the raisins and roasted cashew
nuts that you had kept aside and serve.

Your
Sakkarai Pongal
is ready.

If using a thick bottomed pan/vessel:

In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place it on
your heat source.

When the butter warms up, add the rice and lentil.

Stir well.

Add 2 cups of water.

Cover the pan/vessel with a well-fitting lid.

Reduce the heat to minimum.

In other words, if cooking on gas, turn the knob to SIM (mer).
Let the
Pongal
cook for 15-20 minutes.

Switch off the heat source and let the rice remain in the
vessel for another 5 minutes.

Open the vessel and add the milk.

Put the vessel on the heat source and let the milk come to a
boil.

Add the jaggery and let the mixture thicken.

Keep stirring gently so that the mixture doesn’t burn or
boil over.

Now add the dissolved saffron and the crushed cardamom.

Stir well. The consistency should now be of a thick custard.

Switch off the heat source.

Keeping aside a few raisins and roasted cashew nuts for
decorating the dish, add the remaining raisins and the roasted cashew nuts.

Mix well.

Now decorate the dish with the raisins and roasted cashew
nuts that you had kept aside and serve.

Your
Sakkarai Pongal
is ready.

Prep time: 7 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes with a pressure cooker; 30-35
minutes with a deep pan

Total time: 27 minutes with a pressure cooker; 37-42 minutes
with a deep pan

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Ingredients

Rice Flakes-1 cup

Milk-4 cups

Sugar-8 teaspoons or to taste

Method

Wash the rice flakes and drain all the water.

Light the heat source and in a wok or deep pan, bring the
milk to boil.

To the boiling milk, add the sugar and let it dissolve well.

Now add the rice flakes and again let the mixture come to a
boil.

Switch off the heat source.

Your rice flake pudding is ready.

This dish tastes excellent hot especially when you add
sliced ripe bananas to the same.

Prep time: 3 minutes

Cooking time: 7 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

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It is easy to be overwhelmed with the sheer number and
variety of fresh herbs and spices that are commonly used in Indian cuisine. I
shouldn’t, therefore, make this topic even more complicated by giving the
scientific or botanical names of such spices, or where they grow, or how these
are harvested and processed. There are many excellent books who have done
better justice to this topic.

What I shall attempt here is to just list out some spices
that you should experiment with when you are just starting out with “Home
Style” Indian cooking.

Here is then my list, in alphabetical order.

Asafoetida (
Hing
):

This is used in small quantities for imparting a strong
smell. It is considered very healthy for digestive purposes though some people
may find the smell unpleasant and strong. Don’t use your saffron with
Hing
,
therefore, ever!

Bay Leaves (
Tej Patta
):

Used as a flavouring agent.