Topic: Pakistani rice recipe - perfect, and best I've ever made!

[GuitarDemon]

I've trawled forums and recipe sites to find the perfect rice recipe - and here it is...
This is the rice I've bought hundreds of times from takeaways and restaurants here in Bradford, and for me it's the best tasting and textured rice I've ever had. I've had this recipe for only a week, and thought I must share it with you.

Take 3 cups of rice soak in warm water for 30mins.
Stir often to release the starch, then rinse with cold water till the water runs clear.

In a deep saucepan add 6 tablespoons of oil.
Add 1 medium size finely chopped onion and fry till onion is dark brown/black.

Spices/Ingredients

1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp garam masala
3 cloves
1 whole stick cinnamon (broken into pieces)
1 black cardamom
1 cube frozen ginger. (or 6 crushed cloves)
1 cube frozen garlic. (or 1" piece grated)
3 rounded teaspoons salt.

Method

Put all spices/ingredients into pan with onion.
Stir for a few seconds then add 4 1/2 cups water (same cup that was used for rice)
Put lid on saucepan and bring to boil.
Stir in the salt.
Drain water from soaked rice and add rice to saucepan.
Stir once or twice then replace lid and leave for 4 or 5 mins.
Remove lid take 1 grain rice and squeeze between finger and thumb and check that rice grain is whole cooked or still hard white in middle.
If whole grain cooked then turn off gas.
If rice grain hard white in middle then take a wet t towel put in between saucepan and lid
close properly so as not to let the steam escape return to the gas at a very low heat for 5 minutes check 1 grain to see if whole cooked.

Please try this recipe, and let me know what you think!!

[Peripatetic Phil]

I've trawled forums and recipe sites to find the perfect rice recipe - and here it is...
[snip]
Spices/Ingredients

1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp garam masala
[snip]
Please try this recipe, and let me know what you think!!

Now let me start by confessing that I haven't tried it.  But I do have one major reservation, which is likely to put me off trying it unless/until you can convince me that it is unfounded.  In the past, whenever I have included powdered/ground spices in pulao rice, the resulting dish has neither been white nor has it been "clean" looking : rather, it is murky, because of the ground spice particles clinging to the rice.  To obviate this, I now use only whole spices : faux cinnamon, star anise, kala jeera, fennel, a couple of cloves, and so on.  My questions are therefore these : (1) using your method and recipe, how clean and white does the final rice appear, and (2) do you think it would be possible to replicate or even better your recipe by replacing the coriander powder by whole coriander, and the garam masala by (e.g.,) mixed whole masala or panch phoran ? Or might there be some way of incorporating the ground spices without causing rice contamination (e.g., in a potli ka masala) ?

** Phil.

[GuitarDemon]

Hi Phil,

Certainly, the rice has a light brown colour at the end. I can't imagine how it can end up white with the various spices infused? I know that restaurants use the spices in a tied muslin cloth as you suggest, so that the whole seeds, etc are not present in the finished rice. They sometimes blend all the ingredients into the boiling mixture using a stick blender for the same reason, but this is only when preparing huge quantities as in a restaurant.

I am happy that they are there though, as a little bite on a cumin seed only adds to the experience!

Please give the recipe a go though - even if you only make a small quantity, and put all the ingredients into a tied bag so that they infuse into the boiling water.

[GuitarDemon]

Bugger! Just noticed I didn't include the salt in the recipe above! You need about 1 rounded teaspoon per cup of rice i.e. 3 in this recipe. Stir into the boiling water before adding the rice.... sorry for the omission!

[GuitarDemon]

Then I noticed I could edit the recipe - now the salt is in there.... 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Please give the recipe a go though - even if you only make a small quantity, and put all the ingredients into a tied bag so that they infuse into the boiling water.

OK, I'll give it a go, but with the ground spices in a muslin bag as you suggest.  Do you have any particular garam masala you recommend for this recipe, given the discussions elsewhere on this forum w.r.t. Natco v. Rajah v. TRS v. Jalpur ...

** Phil.

[GuitarDemon]

I've just looked back at my first posts here - they were in 2007!! I mentioned Garam Masala at the time, and I still stand by my comment that I'm not a fan of it. Star anise, nutmeg, and the other "sweet" flavours are not the ones I am used to tasting in an indian dish. I only use Rajah brand. I'm fortunate that, living in Bradford, I have a massive range of shops and markets where I can buy spices and spice blends. There are market stalls that sell they're own blends of garam masalas and basaars, but I really do think that Rajah have got it just right. I know several restaurants and takeaways that have store rooms with huge packs of Rajah spices.

FYI How many Indian restaurants are there in Bradford? The answer is 2 (two). They are the 3 Singhs on Sticker Lane (owned by 2 good friends of mine), and one whose name escapes me on Great Horton Road. All the others are Pakistani. This is not a bad thing at all - I much prefer the Pakistani-style recipes to the Indian ones.

[DalPuri]

3 singhs, great name ;D
drove past it a couple of weeks ago. looks like an indian harvester from the road.
Where would you recommend shopping in Bradford?
I trawled up and down Leeds rd and was pretty disappointed.
Was a bit scruffy and very deserted. I only saw one grocers which was practically at the end of  the line of shops. Not far from Save co.c&c.       

I assumed that everyone had migrated to another part of town, Bombay stores perhaps?
It was my first time in Bradford and i didn't really know where to go.

Cheers, Frank. 

[GuitarDemon]

Hi Frank,

The 3 Singhs used to be a pub called The Stickler, which was very much like a Harvester!
If you went down Leeds Road, at the bottom on the RH side is an asian supermarket called Pakeezah, which I go to for my fresh meat, chicken and spices. There's also a huge kitchen inside where you can buy ready made curries, side dishes, breads, etc all made fresh on the premises. They are excellent (especially the large veg samosas.... *makes drooling sound like Homer Simson*). The fresh chicken fillets there are amazing value, currently ?4.30 per kilo! I also use another supermarket just out of the centre on Legrams Lane called Haqs, which is great for everything asian apart from the meat and chicken, which look (and are) dodgy.
In John Street Market, roughly in the centre, is a small stall which sells only spices, in large help-yourself tubs. The basaar here is really the best I've ever used.
It's a shame that Bradford has died the way it has - deserted centre, scruffy shops on the way in from any direction, but I was born and lived all my life here (apart from uni and working away lots). There are lots of great shops if you know where to look, and I've found all the asian stores are extremely helpful if you ask for any tips or recommended ingredients.

Cheers, Mark

[DalPuri]

Thanks for that Mark.
I did say never again, but never say never right?
It's only an hour away from me aunts house in colne, so i might be tempted again if only for Dadibhais. That place has everything!
Pakeezah looks like a good shop, wish i'd seen it on the way in. Unfortunately, i was in a car with sopping wet windows and couldn't see out so well.
I went to a shop in Nelson whilst i was up north. They had an isle of help yourself spices like you mention in John Street Market.
It got me thinking that it could be a possible route to a catering spice  blend only sold in large quantities.

Frank.