Topic: Pilau Rice

[pete]

I was talking to a chef about cooking restaurant rice
I've seen them produce the rice in two ways, before.
From a large metal container, which was kept warm under the cooker
And also scooped out from another container and microwaved in the takeaway container
Restaurant rice is always perfect
Seperate, coloured, tasty and soft.
I have had a few rice disasters over the years
Anyhow, this chef told me they don't cook it all by just one method.
It is cooked on gas ring and then cooked on in the oven.
The rice also has to be thoroughly washed.
He worked out a recipe to cook it at home
I tried it and bingo!
This makes a carton of rice:-

1 pot that can go in the oven as well as on a gas ring
2 oz basmatti rice
1 teaspoon vegetable ghee
1/4 teaspoon cummin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 inch cinammon stick
2 crushed green cardomons
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic ginger puree
red, yellow and green colouring

Soak the rice for ten minutes, then rinse in a jug until the water runs clear.
Drain.
Heat the ghee on low til melted
Add the spices and fry a minute
Add salt & rice? and stir fry for a minute
Add cold water only to the level of the rice
If? you add too much it will go stodgy
Add garlic ginger puree
When boiling, turn down very low and cook with the lid on for only five minutes
After this give a gentle stir and place the covered pot into the oven on a low heat.
Take out after fifteen minutes and add the diluted colours, in lines across the rice.
Back in the oven for another ten minutes and it's ready.
It's the best rice I have ever done
It freezes really well
When microwaving back, add a teaspoon of water to it
That will keep it fluffy.
The aroma of the rice on the cooker ring is amazing.
I think it smells better than it tastes, and it tastes fantastic!
What I also like about this recipe, is the small quantities it works with.
If anything should go amiss, there is very little to throw away!

[Mark J]

Tried this last night with double the quantity and it was very good, I was worried there wouldnt be enough water but it was fine in the end.

Pete, what temp did you set the oven to?

[pete]

I preheated it on gas mark 5
I don't know what temperature that is, but it's half way on the dial

[Dylan]

Perfect Pilau

After a lot of experimentation, I reckon this simple recipe/technique gives excellent results.

Take 2 cups of basmati rice and rinse thouroughly for a couple of minutes in cold water. Now soak in plenty of warm ? hot water for 2-3 hrs (this is important as it helps the grains become more elongated*). Strain and rinse under cold water.

Boil the rice in plenty of salted water to which you have added a few crushed cardamoms, some pieces of cassia bark and a couple of cloves (occasionally I?ll add a few coriander and cumin seeds, a bay leaf or two).

Once cooked (slightly al-dente), strain through a sieve and return to the pan. Add a couple of knobs of butter ghee and a drop of green and red food colouring. Cover with a dry/clean tea towel and leave for thirty minutes. Don?t peek. The residual heat will finish steaming the rice so it becomes perfectly light and separate.

Finally, fluff with a fork.

Some flaked almonds make a tasty addition.

* Try soaking in warm-hot water. I'm sure you'll notice the difference.
   Because it's been soaked for a long period it will cook much quicker than usual.
 

[Fandango]

Pete

Just wondering if you double the amount of rice, do you do you use double the amount of spices?. Hope you see the post soon mate co I want to try it tonight!!

cheers
\F

[Mark J]

Ive used this recipe a lot and when I double/quad the ingredients I always do same with the spices, I go easy on the garlic ginger puree though.

Also I substitute black cumin for the cumin (more aromatic)

[Fandango]

Cheers Mark

You'd think after 10 years on curry on Saturday night we'd get bored but it never loses the appeal! I'm even going to try and lay of the vino while I'm cooking it tonight so i stand some chance of remembering how good it is

\F

[Fandango]

Just checking on hte temperature of the oven as we don't have gas here. Gas mark 5 is ahout 190 deg.C - that seems pretty hot to me.

Any thoughts please?

Cheers
\F

[pete]

The setting is half power on my gas cooker ,if that's any help
I made some more of this recently, and have changed a few things
I don't dilute the coloured powder now
I just dab tinyl amounts of the powder, in a few places direct onto the rice
To make the rice a little less stodgy, I have started boiling it for two minutes, then draining it
I then use it, as the recipe instructs

I bought some rice from my loca,l and always check what spices are in it
There was one green cardamon pod, white cummin seeds, a couple of black cummin seeds too.
Very very nice!

[curryqueen]

I have been cooking tri-coloured pilau rice this way for a long time.  No need to dilute powder.  You get a more definate colour if you don't.