Did you know there are 40,000 varieties of rice? Neither did I! I have 5 in my pantry: Basmati, Jasmine, Long Grain White, Brown, and Black. I don’t think I have room for the other 39,995. I use four of those all the time, the Black – not tried that one yet but it looks interesting.

The reason I mention this is because this week’s IHCC theme is RICE!

Rice is nice. Rice is adaptable. Rice is easy. Rice is a foil for lots of deliciousness. Including this…

P1000446

    Spiced Basmati Rice

Note that the title says SPICED rice, not SPICY rice. “This is one of the finest – and most delicate – basmati rice dishes.” says Madjur. This goes with anything.

    Basmati rice measured to the 450 ml (2 cups) level in a glass measuring cup
    1.2 liters (5 cups) water
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
    1/2 fresh, hot green chili, finely chopped {I used crushed red pepper}
    1/2 teaspoon peeled, very finely chopped garlic
    1/2 teaspoon garam masaia
    1 teaspoon salt (a bit more if the stock is unsalted)
    600 ml (2 2/3 cups) chicken stock

Pick over the rice if necessary and put in a bowl. Wash in several changes of
water. Drain. Pour 12 liters (5 cups) water over the rice and let it soak for 30
minutes. Leave to drain in a strainer for 20 minutes.
Put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and set over medium heat. When hot, put in
the onion. Stir and fry until the onion bits have browned lightly Add the rice,
green chili, garlic, garam masala, and salt. Stir gently for 3-4 minutes until all
the grains are coated with oil. If the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pot,
turn the heat down slightly. Now pour in the chicken stock and bring the rice to a
boil. Cover with a very tight-fitting lid, turn heat to very, very low, and cook for
25 minutes.
If you prefer, you could put the pot in a preheated 170’C/325’F oven for 25
minutes.

This rice is perfect to serve with a spicy dish. We ate it with Chicken with Cream and it just right.

The recipe is from Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking on page 194.

Please visit with the other ‘members’ of IHCC and see which of the 40,000 types of rice they used in their RICE dish this week. Better yet – join us for the next few months cooking with Madjur Jaffrey’s recipes.