Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Starters & Side Dishes => Starters & Side Dishes => Rice (Plain, Pilau, Special, etc) => Topic started by: curryhell on August 21, 2011, 12:47 PM
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This is my recipe for pilau rice. I apologise in advance if it
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Hey CH,
Wonderfull looking rice, both of them. Would you say that one portion of this could feed 3?
Ray :)
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Hey CH,
Wonderfull looking rice, both of them. Would you say that one portion of this could feed 3?
Ray :)
Thanks Razor. My recipe says 1 cup but i actually use a standard size mug for measuring my rice as the house is devoid of cups ;D. I would say it does provide 3 standard restaurant servings or two very generous portions. As you can see from the dish i opted for one generous portion ;D. Any plan soon to try my North Indian Special??
Dave
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Hi Dave,
That's great, only a teaspoon of oil per portion then, brilliant, fits in with my diet perfectly. I do have my own version but it is way too unhealthy for me at the moment ( 3 tbs of butter ghee) :-X
Any plan soon to try my North Indian Special??
Yeah, I got a little side tracked of late with my 'Healthy' eating as you may have read. I just need to get to grips with this diet plan and see how I can work it in. One way or another, the NIS is next on the agenda, even if it means it's part of my once a month treat.
This dieting lark is playing havoc with my currying but on the up side, I've already lost 4lb since Wednesday, and that's without any exercise at all, so, with a bit of luck, the NIS will be with us very soon ;D
Ray :)
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Hi Curry.
That picture looks great, and will try this out in the week with Chewy's mint chicken curry.
tc
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Oh well, as promised I made your rice, with Coryanders vindaloo, and my conclusion for the challenge of who's rice is better betweenn your recipe and mine is:-
Yours was better!!!
Dont know why that came out in a smaller font? ;D
Seriously though, I feel the taste of both was about the same, and mine is obviously quicker and easier to make, but does not come out as fluffy as yours.
The result of your rice way fantastic mate, each grain was loose, with no moisture present.I will be using this as my standard from now on, and look forward to making Dips mushroom rice recipe using it.
See pics below,
Well done mate, have a go at my base, and korma recipe when you get chance if you would, and let me know what you think.
Regards
Matt
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Seriously though, I feel the taste of both was about the same, and mine is obviously quicker and easier to make, but does not come out as fluffy as yours.
The result of your rice way fantastic mate, each grain was loose, with no moisture present.I will be using this as my standard from now on, and look forward to making Dips mushroom rice recipe using it.
So I've a convert then??? ;) Well done Matt. The entire meal look so so scrummy never mind the rice :P :P :P :D. I want it now for lunch :o. I agree the taste should be similar as were using almost the same spicing although you beat me in quantities ;D. Yours if definitely quicker. TBH i think they're both very easy to make especially when you've been doing it on a regular basis :). I'd planned to make yours over the weekend but due to other demands have not got round to it. But my next curry will be served with your version of pilau with a full report to follow :D. I am not looking forward to the washing bit in the slightest though >:(.
Did you try it with Dips mushroom rice recipe? That's a real winner IMO. Try my special rice without the mix powder. It's a refreshing change from the normal special fried rices with mix spice. A nice hint of sweetness coming from the peas and the onions. A few TA's in my area do it this way. One improvement i have made recently, purely aesthetic, is when i add my tiny pile of colourings i take a teaspoon of rice and place on top of each colour. This intensifies and concentrates the colouring into a few grains and reduces the colour bleed which can detract from the overall appearance. A bit anal I know :o but this is one dish i nailed ages ago so i like it to be spot on everytime. Will try your korma out on a friend of mine. Personally i don't eat the stuff, far too mild for me, but tasty nonetheless. My next base to try is Abduls but i will add yours to the "to do" list. Once Abdul's is done i intend doing my cook off between 5 bases on my favourite dish to see which produces the best result. One result will definitely be a mountain of North Indian Special to eat for the entire week ;D ;D ;D
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I look forward to your '5 base' test mate, and your opinion on my korma, and my base(And my rice lol)
The korma does not need to be mild, as always you can pep it up a bit and it is really good(Im a vindaloo man normally, so like it spicy)
Funnily enough am mate and I had a take away on friday, and we had a vindaloo, and a new one to me called a 'Naga Chicken'
I know naga's are supposed to be the hottest of hot, but the result was the vindaloo IMO was slightly hotter, but the flavour of the Naga dish was fantastic.
I've not seen any recipes for this, but am determined to find it.The taste of the chillies was intense, but the heat not overpowing.A real winner.(from a new TA also-in a village near me called 'Deadmans Cross')
Good luck with the tests mate, and I look forward to the results,
Matt
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I look forward to your '5 base' test mate, and your opinion on my korma, and my base(And my rice lol)
The korma does not need to be mild, as always you can pep it up a bit and it is really good(Im a vindaloo man normally, so like it spicy)
Funnily enough am mate and I had a take away on friday, and we had a vindaloo, and a new one to me called a 'Naga Chicken'
I know naga's are supposed to be the hottest of hot, but the result was the vindaloo IMO was slightly hotter, but the flavour of the Naga dish was fantastic.
I've not seen any recipes for this, but am determined to find it.The taste of the chillies was intense, but the heat not overpowing.A real winner.(from a new TA also-in a village near me called 'Deadmans Cross')
Good luck with the tests mate, and I look forward to the results,
Matt
Hi CH
You rice looks spot on, what brand do you use?
Hi Matt
Get yourself a jar of Mr.Naga, its what BIR cooks use to create
Naga dishes, like your "Naga Chicken". only half a teaspoon will
give you the Naga flavour.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5591.msg55597#msg55597 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5591.msg55597#msg55597)
I use it in lots of my restaurant recipes.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5834.msg57818#msg57818 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5834.msg57818#msg57818)
cheers Chewy
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Hi CH
You rice looks spot on, what brand do you use?
Hi Matt
Get yourself a jar of Mr.Naga, its what BIR cooks use to create
Naga dishes, like your "Naga Chicken". only half a teaspoon will
give you the Naga flavour.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5591.msg55597#msg55597 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5591.msg55597#msg55597)
I use it in lots of my restaurant recipes.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5834.msg57818#msg57818 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5834.msg57818#msg57818)
cheers Chewy
Thanks CT. The brand i have at the moment is called Badshah. I bought a 25kilo bag way back when. You could definitely call it aged as its gone way way past its BB but as you can see it produces the results ;D and the taste is as good as any pilau i have eaten. Having read the thread on basmati rice, i am a little bit concerned as what brand i will buy when eventually my supply runs out :-\. But that'll be a while yet ;D.
As for the Mr Naga, i love the stuff on my poppadums. next time i cook i will add a couple of teaspsoons to my curry and see what happens.
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CT, thanks for the info. Will have a look for mr naga next time I'm in the Asian store(not seen it in tesco's)
CH,
I shouldn't panic about the rice, the brand you use is still widely available.
Has a group test been done on pilau? If not, let's get one organised!
Matt
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CT, thanks for the info. Will have a look for mr naga next time I'm in the Asian store(not seen it in tesco's)
CH,
I shouldn't panic about the rice, the brand you use is still widely available.
Has a group test been done on pilau? If not, let's get one organised!
Matt
Now that is not a bad idea Matt. Cost wise cheap for everybody to do and timewise, again does not require a lot of peoples time to do it. How about you post the idea in the group test section and see what the response it. It's been a bit quiet in there of late ;D. It certainly would be useful to those individuals who have just started to cook BIR. And some of the regular contributors may experience a pleasant surpise too 8). My recipe developed only through trial and error. And there were a few errors and saucepans of what i can only describe as "gloop" :o
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Trebled all quantities to make a batch for freezing.
Great taste, but had to add more water after the initial 15 mins, and gave it another 7 mins.
Matt
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Trebled all quantities to make a batch for freezing.
Great taste, but had to add more water after the initial 15 mins, and gave it another 7 mins.
Matt
That's looking good Matt. Kind of scratching my head over the need to add extra water though, which would obviously require additional cooking time :-\ :-\. I've made this for over 20 years and never had a problem. Did you give it a good stir after adding the initial water before checking the level and topping up to 1/3 inch above the level of the rice??? Not that i put that in my recipe - oops. I must confess to only making a large casserole dish of the rice in the oven but the principles are the same as when i've done rice for 20+ people using a pot on a stove. Now you've got me intrigued. If i had a huge casserole dish like yours, i'd try it just to satisfy myself. Don't forget, if you're gonna freeze it, best reheated only as pilau. Once it's been frozen it's very brittle and doesn't lend itself to being mucked about with as the grains WILL break up during any sort of frying. Haven't cooked rice for a while now, have been brushing up on my chapatti skills :P :P
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This is my recipe for pilau rice. <snip>
Obviously, any comments, suggestions or feedback on the recipe are always appreciated.
Hi CH. I'm cooking this recipe as we speak - in fact the dish has just come out of the oven following the last 5 min reheating. You asked for suggestions on improving the recipe and I have a couple of ideas to improve clarity of the directions, if you don't mind?
First, I found it hard to be sure how much water to add. You describe adding enough water to cover the rice by 1/3" but I find that hard to judge. Plus, using this approach surely the volume of water will be greater in a large dish than a small one (while the amount of rice is constant at 1 cup). In fact I suspect I've added too much water as my quick tasting when I removed the dish after 15 mins reveals the rice is wet and fluffy and seems over cooked. Maybe that's right though and it will dry out further? My suggestion would be to stipulate the volume of water to be added, which hopefully reduces the margin for error.
My 2nd thought is it would be helpful to mention how the rice should look when removed at the end of the 15 mins as this would help us to know if we need to add extra water, or cook for longer to dry it out more, etc.
Well those are just a couple of ideas which might help make this recipe even more foolproof. I'll let you know how my rice turns out.
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Hi CH, further to the above I really should wait until I've cooked a dish before I start commenting! The pilau I cooked this afternoon did dry out in the end and when mixed up with a fork the colours didn't bleed into each other as I feared they might. It was, in fact, a stunning success - well done on a great recipe!
I would still prefer more certainty over the volume of water to add, so will experiment with measuring the water I add so I can get it nailed with 100% confidence each time. I think I might also reduce the amount of fennel seed and oil next time but that's a matter of personal preference.
Slightly dark photo below
(http://i42.tinypic.com/14afpfb.jpg)
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Its funny, Lots of interest in the forum for pilau rice, but no one seems interested in doing a group test on it :o
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Hi Matt
I'd be up for doing a group test - have I missed seeing a thread about that?
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Thanks for trying the recipe and reporting back. I'm glad the recipe didn't let you down in the end and came out as it should do. That looks a fine plate of rice mate. By all means adjust the spicing to your liking as we all do and there does appear to be a sheen of oil on the rice which does suggest just a fraction too much. As for the volume of water, because i cook the rice this way so often maybe my instructions are not as good as they could be and i assumed that people would find it easy to judge 1/3 inch above the rice level - wrong (specially if the casserole dish isn't see through :o ) . I will try harder next time :D and provide pics during the cooking stages. I've only ever once cooked rice using volume measurements and that was the first and last time due to the pot of gloop that i produced. Never done it since just used my fingernail method ::). My excuse for lack of volume measurements is that its a chef thing ;D. Next time i cook it i will measure the weight of the rice and volume of water and report back in an attempt to make it easier for people and for those who like to use precise measurements when cooking to guarantee consistancy.
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Hi NJ, I have started a thread in the group test section, but no interest! Would be happy to mix it up with a main dish group test also if needed!
Matt
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Hot on the heels of yesterday's success, I made this recipe again this morning, but in a bigger batch. I used a 5litre stockpot which I warmed for 15 mins while the oven heated up. I used the following ingredients proportions and it came out just about perfect:
- 6 large mug fulls of rice
- 5 TBS oil
- 2 litres of boiling water
- 2 TSP salt
spices, etc. more or less as your recipe but I didn't have any black cumin. Really happy with this technique as it seems quite foolproof. Although I expected to yield 6 portions it has divided into 8 takeaway trays (pic below), so I'm going to freeze most of it as I've heard you shouldn't keep rice at room temp too long.
(http://i44.tinypic.com/23w9px4.jpg)
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Looking Good natterjak
Do you do Mail Order ;D
HS
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@ HS ;D ;D
Hot on the heels of yesterday's success, I made this recipe again this morning, but in a bigger batch. I used a 5litre stockpot which I warmed for 15 mins while the oven heated up. I used the following ingredients proportions and it came out just about perfect:
- 6 large mug fulls of rice
- 5 TBS oil
- 2 litres of boiling water
- 2 TSP salt
spices, etc. more or less as your recipe but I didn't have any black cumin. Really happy with this technique as it seems quite foolproof. Although I expected to yield 6 portions it has divided into 8 takeaway trays (pic below), so I'm going to freeze most of it as I've heard you shouldn't keep rice at room temp too long.
(http://i44.tinypic.com/23w9px4.jpg)
Not a lot i can say to that really 8). You've obviously sorted out your rice to liquid ratio in a way that suits you. And that at the end of the day is what it's all about. Do get some black cumin seed. The taste is different and IMHO far superior to white cumin seed. The pictures say it all mate. Anyway, it must be fool proof. I've been using for 20 plus years and never had a failure ;). I will revise the recipe in line with your suggestions to make it easier for anybody that wants to try it and include some pics to help along the way.
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just picked up Morrisons new food magazine....
and also maybe a nice handy tip.....
I see their tricolour rice is coloured with beetroot juice and turmeric
as most people throw away their empty beetroot jars when the beets are finished...
why not use this instead of red food colouring ??
worth exploring methinks :)
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just picked up Morrisons new food magazine....
and also maybe a nice handy tip.....
I see their tricolour rice is coloured with beetroot juice and turmeric
as most people throw away their empty beetroot jars when the beets are finished...
why not use this instead of red food colouring ??
worth exploring methinks :)
I'm ok with using red powder colouring. It's use is fairly minimal and doesn't affect me in anyway that i am aware ;D. I'd be a bit concerned if the left over juice imparted a taste on the finished article. However, if you want to avoid using standard red food colouring a better alternative may be to use beetroot powder as a colouring but i'm not sure how readily available this is.
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I'm gonna try this at the weekend. having a curry party.lol
think the beetroot will impart a nice sweet flavour to the rice and colouring will be similar to red food colour sh1t but more natural.
Also, if i ever run out of red food colouring, this can be a nice handy standby
and price wise too..red food colouring approx ?0.75 per 38ml...Beetroot (including the beets ) ?1.20 per 340g
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I'm gonna try this at the weekend. having a curry party.lol
think the beetroot will impart a nice sweet flavour to the rice and colouring will be similar to red food colour sh1t but more natural.
Also, if i ever run out of red food colouring, this can be a nice handy standby
and price wise too..red food colouring approx ?0.75 per 38ml...Beetroot (including the beets ) ?1.20 per 340g
What, my recipe, the beetroot colouring or both ;D? Let us know how you fare with it mr m. My red food colouring 400gms @
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Trebled all quantities to make a batch for freezing.
Great taste, but had to add more water after the initial 15 mins, and gave it another 7 mins.
Matt
Haven't cooked rice for a while now, have been brushing up on my chapatti skills :P :P
CH how did the chapati skills turn out and what recipe are you using - and they soft?
best, Rich
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Haven't cooked rice for a while now, have been brushing up on my chapatti skills :P :P
CH how did the chapati skills turn out and what recipe are you using - and they soft?
best, Rich
;D ;D Hi Rich. I get the impression you've cooked them and they've gone hard??? A colleague of mine at work has that problem. Why, i don't know. Whenever I've cooked them they have always remained soft and floppy :P. I always call them facecloths cos that's what the texture reminds me of :). Until recently i hadn't made them for a long while and i decided to use a recipe already on the site:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4988.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4988.0)
i used medium ata flour and warm water (a tip from an Indian lady at work with many years experience of making them at home no doubt ;) ) and used four heaped dessertspoons of flour and 1/2 tsp of salt. I got 6 ping pong ball size balls of dough out of this amount. The secret to a good chappati for me is to roll it out to a MAX thickness of 2mm. I use a tava bought for the sole purpose of chappati cooking which i heat on high until when i flick water on it, the liquid bounces around :o ( a heavy frying pan will do though). Then i turn it down to a medium heat for the cooking of the chappatis. Simply slap each one on and watch as they seem to expand, apply pressure with a tea towel which makes them puff up. A quick look at the under side. Once a few light brown spots appear its time to flip it over and repeat the process. It should take no longer than a minute a side. When cooked wrap in foil and cook the rest. When i cooked them last week i used the recipe on the flour packet. Pretty much the same with the only difference being the addition of some ghee. I can post this if you want. What i will say is, as with most bread, salt is a must. In future i will add 2 pinches per chappati. That should be just about right. End result was eight lovely soft floppy chappatis now living in the freezer 8). Pm me if you want any more info. Happy chappati cooking :P
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Each time I cook this I seem to increase the quantity ;D Today I cooked a total of 19 portions, in 2 big stockpots (one 8l one 5l). It just seems so much more time efficient to cook in big batches and freeze into takeaway trays. Had myself a regular production line running and was surprised to find it stretched to 19 tray fulls (350g cooked weight each) at the end. Now they're all freezing except one in the fridge for tomorrow. Each stockpot had - 6 large mug fulls of rice, 5 TBS oil, 2 litres of boiling water, 1 TSP salt plus 1 tsp of each of the seeds and plenty of cassia bark and cardomoms & asian bay leaves.
Thanks for a very practical and easy recipe CH.
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Each time I cook this I seem to increase the quantity ;D Today I cooked a total of 19 portions.
As you seem to have gone into production in a big way :o :o, Hotstuff asked if you do home delivery? ::) ::) If you do count me in ;D
Glad it's working well for you mate. To go with 976's bhuna I just turned a portion into keema rice - identical to my local BIR / TA 8)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/90ef0d02b5cfcde202bc6186218c9303.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#90ef0d02b5cfcde202bc6186218c9303.jpg)
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This reply is kind of a bounce for the post really, as I think this is one of the best pilau recipes on here(Especially when used with Dipurajas Mushroom recipe)
Madmatt
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Thanks for bumping the thread Matt ;). For any poor sod that's got an electric hob like me and had struggled to cook decent rice on it, this recipe has proven to be a godsend :D And it does lend itself easily to be turned into many of the BIR rice dishes on the menu :D
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I've made an illustrated guide to the scaled up version of this recipe which I always use to give me a ready supply of pilau in the freezer. It's here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8713.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8713.0)
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Hi,
I am interested in giving this a try....my question...what temperature and timings should I cook for if i have a gas oven...does 160 on electric fan oven make any difference to 160 gas oven...also how would you defrost if you do not have a microwave and how do you prepare the rice prior to serving.
thanks
emann
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I am interested in giving this a try....my question...what temperature and timings should I cook for if i have a gas oven...does 160 on electric fan oven make any difference to 160 gas oven...also how would you defrost if you do not have a microwave and how do you prepare the rice prior to serving.
Hi Emann Answer to your question - yes it does. I don't use my fan on my electric oven when cooking rice as i've always used it as a conventional oven, which results in different temperatures depending on where you place what is being coooked, just as in a gas oven.
Use gas mark 4 which equals 175-180 electric and place in the middle of the oven. Cooking times are the same (this can vary a little depending on the brand/age of bastmati, but normally between 12 to 15 mins for the actual cook). When you take it out of the oven to remove the whole spice, the surface should look quite dry as per Natterjak's picture although there is plenty of moisture underneath. Any grains that are dry will rehydrate using moisture from the other grains when the rice is forked over to mix the colours.
Defrost by placing in fridge 24 hours before needed. Reheat by adding a tsp of oil and frying on med high heat until piping hot. You may want to add a couple of tsps of water during the reheating if needed.
Others may be able to advise on how to cook from frozen in the oven but i've never done it :-\
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Hi there and thanks for your quick reply.
I think i have the information required to give this method a go.
Something else, what sort of food colouring do you use (like the ones used in when cooking deserts?) and when doing the maths, 1250g making 23 portions works out to about 55g...this is considered a single portion?
thanks
emann
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Hi emann,
6 mugfulls of rice was what I weighed at 1250g and that is what I call "one batch" of rice because it's all that will fit into my stockpot. But as noted I cooked two batches yielding a total of 23 portions, hence around 110g of dry rice per portion (finished portions weigh approx 300g after taking on water).
Liquid or powdered food colourings should work, but be careful with the powder - only tiny amounts are needed. I use liquid colourings.
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hi natterjak...thanks first of all...the liquid colours are the ones used in deserts...i have never used these so do not know if they have any impact on the taste of the finished rice.
tks
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hi natterjak...thanks first of all...the liquid colours are the ones used in deserts...i have never used these so do not know if they have any impact on the taste of the finished rice.
I use only liquid colours (for rice) and can state with confidence that they do not seem to affect the flavour one iota. Whether the same would be true if they were used on plain boiled/steamed rice I cannot say, but in a pulao where the whole spice flavours predominate, I can tell no difference in flavour at all between coloured and plain. (Well, not strictly true : the coloured always tastes better to me (so long as I use the colours with discretion), because taste is influenced by sight and I like the sight of green and orange grains nestling amongst the white !).
** Phil.
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Personally I prefer the powder colouring as IMO it's easier to control how much rice gets coloured. With liquid there tends to be a bleeding of colour and the end result is not as intense. Plus it goes a lot lot further. And like Phil i believe the coloured grains "add" to the eating experience experience but do absolutely nothing to influence the flavour. Try both and see what works for you mate.
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Personally I prefer the powder colouring as IMO it's easier to control how much rice gets coloured. With liquid there tends to be a bleeding of colour and the end result is not as intense. Plus it goes a lot lot further. And like Phil i believe the coloured grains "add" to the eating experience experience but do absolutely nothing to influence the flavour. Try both and see what works for you mate.
Where would I look for powdered colourings (small quantities, not catering tins) of green, blue, orange and yellow, CH ? I have "Tandoori red" (full of carcinogens, of course) but no other powdered colourings.
** Phil.
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Personally I prefer the powder colouring as IMO it's easier to control how much rice gets coloured. With liquid there tends to be a bleeding of colour and the end result is not as intense. Plus it goes a lot lot further. And like Phil i believe the coloured grains "add" to the eating experience experience but do absolutely nothing to influence the flavour. Try both and see what works for you mate.
Where would I look for powdered colourings (small quantities, not catering tins) of green, blue, orange and yellow, CH ? I have "Tandoori red" (full of carcinogens, of course) but no other powdered colourings.
** Phil.
Asian corner stores / grocers are the best Phil. They do in little plastic bottles of 25 grams. Ideal for your rice colouring and lasts ages. Normally no more than 50p a bottle. Only trouble is once you start doing marinades and other stuff, this soon eats into it. I have the large plastic containers you see in videos.
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If you struggle getting the little ones let me know. More than happy to acquire and post.
You are a Gentleman, Sir. I will try Messrs Crowhurst and Thomsett (who promised to try to get me some more cumin papadom when I told them what I thought of the Sharwoods that were all that they had in stock !), and if no luck I will indeed let you know.
** Phil.
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If you struggle getting the little ones let me know. More than happy to acquire and post.
You are a Gentleman, Sir. I will try Messrs Crowhurst and Thomsett (who promised to try to get me some more cumin papadom when I told them what I thought of the Sharwoods that were all that they had in stock !), and if no luck I will indeed let you know.
** Phil.
I would advise Mr Singh's or Gupta's Emporium rather than Messrs Crowhurst and Thomsett Phill ;D. PM me with your requirements if they don't come up with the goods ;)
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I would advise Mr Singh's or Gupta's Emporium rather than Messrs Crowhurst and Thomsett Phill ;D. PM me with your requirements if they don't come up with the goods ;)
Despite the English aristocratic naming, Messrs Crowhurst and Thomsett is owned and run by an extremely helpful Indian couple and their sons. And whilst perhaps not stocking everything that Messrs Singh's or Gupta's emporia might carry, they don't do badly considering they are catering to a primarily rural farming community !
** Phil.
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I made this for the first time last night & I must say it was really easy. I made it to spec apart from the black cardamon.
This will be my main recipe from now on it turned out that good :D.
Thanks for posting the recipe Curryhell 8)
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I made this for the first time last night & I must say it was really easy. I made it to spec apart from the black cardamon.
This will be my main recipe from now on it turned out that good :D.
Thanks for posting the recipe Curryhell 8)
Glad it worked for you Will. What i like about the recipe, besides the flavour and the end result, is the minimum effort IMO. It can be left to do its own thing while you busy yourself with prep or cooking the main event ;D.
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Hi,
I made this again tonight(for about the 5th time)
perfect Pilau Rice, as good as and in fact better than my local favourite resteraunts
thanks again curryhell 8)
Will
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Hi,
I have tried this recipe for three times now in a gas oven and positioned in the middle.
The aroma of the rice is great and the taste resembles very well to my local TA.
The only thing, and a major one dreadfully, is that I cannot get the timing and water amount right in all three trials. First of all it is taking me way more than 12-15 min as advised in the recipe - at 15min, when i taste some rice, it is still too hard. I add some water to ensure it does not burn and stick to the pan and try it out every 3-5 min and maybe top it up with a tiny amount of water....unfortunatley, by the time i take it out, mix the food colour and leave for the last few minutes....voila...the rice seems to come out over cooked and instead of having separate grains and being fluffy, i sort of finish with rice in lumps. Mind you, the taste and the hardness are just great but when i cook rice by boiling, the texture comes out much different.
Any help as to how I may overcome this issue.
Regards,
emann
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Any help as to how I may overcome this issue.
Well, Curryhell's recipe and methodology are virtually the same as mine, the only difference being that I do wash, soak and dry the rice first, and then I cook it entirely in a microwave oven in a Pyrex(R) casserole with lid. So, if you have a microwave oven and suitable casserole, you might like to try my version and see if you are any more successful; the recipe is here (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8682.msg77174#msg77174), and the only change I have made subsequently is to pre-heat the ghee for five minutes at 100% before adding the whole spices.
** Phil.
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Hi there, thanks for your input but unfortunately i do not have a microwave oven.
So maybe someone from the others can give me some other input as to what I am doing wrong.
Thanks d same
emann
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Are you using a good quality basmati rice?
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Hi,
I have tried this recipe for three times now in a gas oven and positioned in the middle.
The aroma of the rice is great and the taste resembles very well to my local TA.
The only thing, and a major one dreadfully, is that I cannot get the timing and water amount right in all three trials. First of all it is taking me way more than 12-15 min as advised in the recipe - at 15min, when i taste some rice, it is still too hard. I add some water to ensure it does not burn and stick to the pan and try it out every 3-5 min and maybe top it up with a tiny amount of water....unfortunatley, by the time i take it out, mix the food colour and leave for the last few minutes....voila...the rice seems to come out over cooked and instead of having separate grains and being fluffy, i sort of finish with rice in lumps. Mind you, the taste and the hardness are just great but when i cook rice by boiling, the texture comes out much different.
Any help as to how I may overcome this issue.
Regards,
emann
Hi Emann, Ok perfect rice...
Wash the rice first to remove most of the starch and let it drain so most of the water disappears. Boil a kettle of water, put the rice in a large saucepan, cover with water to about half an inch above the rice line. Add some salt, put the lid on and boil the rice for about 3 minutes, turn the heat down to the lowest setting on the smallest ring on your hob, and steam the rice for a further 12 minutes. Turn the heat off, and let the rice sit for about 4-5 mins.
Do not be tempted to lift the lid during any of the above process. When the time is up, you will have nice soft fluffy rice with individual grains :)
If you then want to colour your rice, mix some food colouring in a large mug with a little water, take a few spoons of the rice out and put in the mug, mix it around till the rice is coloured then mix it back in with the large batch.
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Bob, how would you modify your recipe to include Curryhell's additional ingredients ? His is a recipe for pulao rice, whereas if I read yours correctly it seems to be a recipe for boiled rice with the possible addition of colouring.
** Phil.
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Hi 976bar,
thanks for the reply...i will surely try this method when back home from my overseas work in about 2 wks.
with regards to putting in the spices of the remainder of the recipe, at which point should i introduce them; would i get the same results if i start with frying the spices as per the start of the original recipe and then once this is done i proceed from your point from where the rice is ready from washing and drying and ready to go in the pan?
thanks
emann
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Obviously I can't answer for Bob (976bar), Emann, but in my opinion just adding cooked spices to Bob's recipe will not yield "real" pulao rice; in my experience, the gentle frying of the washed, drained then dried rice is essential to achieving the desired grain shape and firmness. I have found that if basmatti rice is boiled without the pre-fry stage, the grains lose their well-defined shape and it is not possible to achieve a real pulao texture. I append an image of some rice I cooked this evening : washed, drained, dried, fried with whole spices for two minutes (in microwave), then add water, salt, dried garlic flakes and cook for exactly 12 minutes; after that, a couple of drops of green colouring (manky green : I need to get another brand), one drop of yellow, then into a conventional oven at 80oC for about ten minutes to set the colour, and finally lift the rice gently to separate the grains, taking the opportunity to remove the larger spices at the same time.
** Phil.
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(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/f76adbd655773900b70627c08aab8a15.JPG)