PULAO (Indian-style Rice with stuff in it)
Serves 4-5. Recipe scales easily: rice to water proportion is always 1:1.5. The spices and the veggies do not need to be scaled up as much.
- 2 Cups basmati or long-grain rice
- 1 Cup frozen peas (thawed if possible)
- 1 Cup diced or julienned carrots
- 1/2 Cup roasted cashew pcs (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1/2 medium Onion, sliced thin
- 5 peppercorns
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 stick of cinnamon (not ground cinnamon)
- 2 pods cardamom (green pod with black seeds still inside)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed or ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional, use if you want rice to be yellow)
- 3 Cups almost-boiling water
- 1 teaspoon salt
This recipe is foolproof if you handle the rice gently and generally fidget as little as possible! Basmati rice in particular, is very delicate and breaks easily.
1. Gently rinse the rice 2-3 times in cold water and soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain through a fine colander or wire-mesh sieve. Let drain, untouched for at least 1/2 hour and up to 4 hours.
2. Use a generously-sized, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid. Have ready a piece of aluminum foil that fits comfortably under the pot’s lid and closes off the top of the pot.
3. Heat oil in pot on med-high heat. When oil is hot, add the onions and the 6 whole spices that follow. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the rice and the turmeric (if using), and VERY GENTLY, fold the rice on itself a few times until well coated with the oil and the spices. Do this step for only 2-3 minutes, and don’t play with the rice –do the folding motion about 6-8 times at most.
5. Add the peas and the carrots, fold once more.
6. Mix the salt into the very hot water and pour into the pot. Give it one gentle stir. Since the water is very hot, and the rice was hot, the pot should come to a boil very quickly.
7. Cover the pot with the foil, jam down the tight-fitting lid, and turn the heat down to very low. DO NOT TOUCH OR PEEK OR DISTURB FOR EXACTLY 20mins.
8. The rice is now done. Turn off the heat (it is the steam built up above the rice that cooks the top layer of rice – that’s why you must have a tight-fitting lid and you must not open it at all during the last 20 mins).
9. If you’re using cashews, open the lid slightly, toss in the cashews and close the lid (foil and all) tightly again. Let sit for 5 minutes, this will soften the cashews.
10. In the interest of handling the rice as little as possible, serve in the cooking pot if possible.
Recipe by Ratna Sarkar, Wiess Associate