Topic: CA's Perfect Pilau Rice - Every Time! (Illustrated!)

[Bobby Bhuna]

half a teaspoon or so of panch phoran (an equal mix of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, wild onion seeds and fennel seeds

I picked up some TRS "Panch Puren" today. Do I add it whole or grind it first? The reason that I ask is that I can't imagine having whole fenugreek seed in my rice.

Cheers,

BB.

[Cory Ander]

I picked up some TRS "Panch Puren" today. Do I add it whole or grind it first?

I add the panch phoran whole Bobby.  I also add a little to many curries (just prior to frying powdered spices).  It's a great mixture of whole spices!

The reason that I ask is that I can't imagine having whole fenugreek seed in my rice

It's effectively 1/10th of a teaspoon (0.5ml!) of fenugreek seeds in enough rice to feed 4 to 6 people Bobby.  So it's harldy worth worrying about, but I feel the panch phoran adds a little extra texture, flavour and interest to the rice.  I would say that the mustard seeds, cummin seeds and fennel seeds are probably the more desirable ingredients for rice though.  Add them separately if you wish to.

I did say it's optional, so just omit (or add) any whole spices you particularly dislike (or like) accordingly....problem sorted!   

[Cory Ander]

PS:  The main purpose of my recent post was to better describe (and show) the method for obtaining nicely coloured, free-flowing rice grains, rather than to prescribe the whole spices to add.

[Bobby Bhuna]

Cheers CA,I must admit, I've been adding more than you specified. Cheers, BB.

[Cory Ander]

PPS:  I forgot to mention that I also add a little milk (about 200ml) with the water.  I find that this gives the rice a more mellow and creamy taste.  Adding too much, though, makes it taste more like rice pudding. 

[bitchinsahsa]

Hey guys,

Well I made a batch of this for tonights dinner, and I finally remembered to take some pictures 

[gideon_farquharson]

Yo,

I tried this yesterday and it works an absolute treat. Did the most basic version of it (no food coloring or extra spices) in a rice cooker and it was great. Turned the rice cooker on with no rice in it, just oil and aromatics, and when they were released, I threw in the washed rice and water and let it get on with it. Worked like a charm!

S.

[Cory Ander]

Thanks for posting your pics Sasha    How did you find it?

Glad it worked like a charm for you Gideon 

[pforkes]

I've made this 4 times now and have found that if I add the sugar it just doesn't taste right for my palette, so I do not add that, anymore.

The key (I believe) is NOT to overcook it, as you so rightly emphasize.

Also, I have been tending to add too much food coloring (it doesn't take a lot) so that's also something I need to be careful off.

It's an OUTSTANDING recipe.  I'd been trying to get rice right for over twenty years, and it seemed that no matter what I did I ended up with a bowl of stodgy, sticky rice.

Thanks for sharing.

[qprbob]

I have always cooked my rice by the absorption method ever since I obtained a Pat Chapman curry book. I have followed his method of using 300g of rice to 600ml of water. I only use use 5 spices as they are the only ones I have tasted in a BIR Pilau Rice, These are  2 Brown Cardomen, 4 Green Cardomen, 2 inch piece of Casia Bark,2 Asian Bay leaves and 4 Cloves. These are then fried in 1 tablespoon of Ghee (butter ghee not vegetable ghee, very bad for you, full of trans fats) until they release their aromas.Then fry the rice for 1 minute which has been soaked and rinsed and then drained so there is very little moisture left on the rice. My particular brand recommends two hours and when rinsed there is very little starch coming off the rice. To this add your boiling water( 600ml)and return to the boil. Once water is boiling turn the heat down to half and leave covered for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and leave for a further three minute or till all the water has been absorbed. Spread out thinly on a baking tray, this is imperative as this lets the steam to escape, thus preventing over cooking and place in a cool oven 80 degrees C for 30 mins, turning over every ten minutes so all the rice dries out. I do this with my fingers, being carefull not to break the grains. The colour is achieved by placing a teaspoon of rice in a small pot with the food colouring. I use dry food colouring as I find i achieve better results. A pot each for the three colours,. yellow,red and green.these pots are placed in the oven with the rest of the rice and allowed to dry. Once dried the three colours are mixed with the rice.
Very similar to CA's but with different measurements and spicing. Will give CA's a go because of the larger quantities, as I use a lot of rice.