Topic: colours in pilau

[loveitspicy]

Which is the preferred way to colour Pilau rice - putting a little heap of colour powder or using liquid drops also what method do you use - ie; put the colour on then cover with rice let stand then stir through

best, Rich

[Stephen Lindsay]

I like to make a big batch then freeze so I start off with a big pot of white rice then let drain off and dry in a colander. I'll take off some portions, one for each colour and put them in a plastic tub with lid and pop them in the fridge to chill. Then I'll add food colouring to each plastic tube - usually yellow, orange or red and green. You can either add the food colouring directly in powder form or mix it with a tablespoon or two of water and pour it over the white rice. The little amount of liquid helps it to coat the rice I think. I put the lid back on then give it a shake until the white rice has turned a fairly even colour. I let it dry off for a few hours then mix in with the white rice and voila I have a big batch of pilau rice for freezing in batches.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Which is the preferred way to colour Pilau rice - putting a little heap of colour powder or using liquid drops also what method do you use - ie; put the colour on then cover with rice let stand then stir through

I use liquid : three drops green, one red, one yellow.  Apply to the finished rice, then put lid on and place in low oven (circa 80C) for about 20 minutes for the colour to set, then remove and fork over.  No objections at all to use of powder, but would dissolve first.

** Phil.

[curryhell]

I prefer powder, less bleeding  ;D.  I add a tiny little pile of each (two of yellow and one of the others) when the rice is cooked.  Then cover with a teaspoon of rice and leave to stand.  Then simply mix through.  Results can be seen here:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=6070.0

[loveitspicy]

Good tips on here for all the new comers and old alike i reckon

thanks guys

best, Rich

[madeinbeats]

You know it's a good Indian when they don't feel the need to do this  It's a little 1970's!

Mix a little powder (the very tip of a teaspoon -- the tiniest tip) into a cup, something that won't stain. Add enough water so that the colour is not strong, so it's more like a water colour painting wash. If the colour is too prominent it just makes it look too try hard.

For a pan containing, say, 3-4 portions of cooked rice, just add 1 or 2 teaspoons at the most of each of the 2 colours. Don't be tempted to add more, which is a classic mistake.

It's import to let the colours stand and set for 5 minutes, so put the lid back on and leave it for 5, then fork through the rice. Again, forking it through before the colours have set it another classic mistake resulting in a puke like mess.

[Peripatetic Phil]

You know it's a good Indian when they don't feel the need to do this  It's a little 1970's!

I might /know/ it's a good Indian, but the rice won't taste half as good !  Incidentally, I associate yellow throughout with "naff" and "old hat", whereas I do like to see a few coloured grains to liven up the appearance.

** Phil.

[madeinbeats]

I might /know/ it's a good Indian, but the rice won't taste half as good !

Half as good, but why? Colouring has no flavour.

[natterjak]

Perhaps for the same reason that the blue ketchup Heinz used to produce tasted wrong, despite the flavour being indentical. Flavour and our perception of taste are two different things!

[Peripatetic Phil]

Perhaps for the same reason that the blue ketchup Heinz used to produce tasted wrong, despite the flavour being identical. Flavour and our perception of taste are two different things!

Spot on, my friend : spot on !  The psychology (and perhaps even the physiology) of taste is a very strange thing indeed ...  Have you (for example) ever taken a mouthful of coffee, when you were expecting to drink tea ?  Even if you /love/ coffee, you will (almost certainly) spit it out in disgust, because it fails to match the mental model of the expected flavour that your brain had already constructed long in advance of the actual experience.

** Phil.