Spiced Basmati Rice Pilaf Recipes

BASMATI RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat chicken stock in a saucepan until boiling; keep hot until ready to use.
• Heat vegetable oil in a 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion and bay leaf in the hot oil until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir basmati rice into onion mixture until rice is coated with oil.
• Pour hot chicken stock into the rice mixture. Season with salt; stir.
• Bring rice mixture to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue simmering until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and discard bay leaf. Add butter and fluff the rice with a fork.

SPICED BASMATI RICE AND SWEET CORN PILAF

Steps:

• Put rice in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Swish with fingers, then pour off water. Repeat 2 or 3 times, until water runs clear. Cover again with cold water and soak 20 minutes, then drain.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter or ghee in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, saffron, coriander, cumin, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom, and stir to coat. Let sizzle a bit, then add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter or ghee, the rice and the corn, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 1 minute. Add raisins and 2 cups broth or water and bring to brisk simmer. Taste cooking liquid for salt and adjust if necessary.
• Cover with tight-fitting lid, turn heat to low and let cook 15 minutes. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes off heat. Fluff rice and transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro, scallions and cashews, if desired. Serve with yogurt raita.

MADHUR'S SPICED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Pick over rice, and place it in a large bowl. Wash rice with several changes of water. Drain.
• Pour 5 cups of fresh water over the rice, and let it soak for 30 minutes. Transfer to a sieve, and let drain for 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until onion has lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice, green chile, garlic, Garam Masala, and salt. Stir gently until all the grains have been coated with oil, about 3 minutes. If the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, reduce heat slightly.
• Pour in the stock, and bring the rice to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and reduce heat to low. Cook 25 minutes more; serve.

TASTY SPICY RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, red pepper, mushrooms, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice. Add chicken stock; cover and boil until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.

BASMATI PILAFF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. You will need a medium casserole with a lid. Rinse the rice well in a large bowl of water, then drain.
• Melt two-thirds of the butter in the casserole and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes. Add the rice, stir well, then add the herbs, whole spices and lemon zest and cook for a minute. Now pour in the boiling stock or water and mix into the rice, along with 1½ tsp sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.
• Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fork through the remaining butter until the rice is fluffy and separated.

BASMATI RICE PILAF

Steps:

• To wash or not to wash rice? In the case of basmati, no matter what my preparation is, I always wash it. It cleans out any small particles and it also rids the rice of any starch on the grain. This starch makes the rice gummier when cooked.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, add the rice and 4 cups of cold water. Soak the rice for 1/2 hour.
• In a small bowl, add the cumin seeds, cardamom, fennel seeds, cinnamon, black peppercorns, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Turn the mixture out onto a baking sheet and put it in the center of the oven to lightly toast the spices and awaken the flavors, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the spices to cool.
• Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the butter and the onion. Season with salt and cook until the onions are translucent but not brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the spices. Drain the rice but reserve the soaking water. Stir in the rice and cook until you hear the rice crackling, about 2 minutes. Gently stir in the reserved soaking water. Season with a generous portion of salt and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat.
• Cook the rice over medium-low heat, uncovered and undisturbed, for about 8 minutes. Take a fork (so as not to damage the rice) and flake a few grains off to taste for doneness. It may need to be cooked another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to "rest" (as you would a roast beef) for 10 minutes before "forking" it gently into a serving bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons of butter, if desired, and serve.

SPICED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Pick over the rice if necessary and put in a bowl. Wash in several changes of water. Drain. Pour 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. Cove with a very tight-fitting lid, turn heat to very, very low, and cook for 25 minutes. At this point I put mine in my rice cooker instead.
• Note: I couldn't get fresh green chilis, so I used half a fresh Jalepeno pepper instead.

SPICED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Bring the rice to the boil in 2 litres of water and allow to cook for 7 mins. Rinse the rice in a colander with cold water. Leave to drain for 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, put half the butter and the oil into a saucepan. Bring to a medium heat and add the rest of the ingredients, except the rice and the saffron. Slowly fry until fragrant, then stir in the drained rice. Using the end of a wooden spoon to make holes in the rice to allow the steam to rise. Dot the remaining butter on top of the rice and scatter over the saffron. Put the lid back on the pan, and cover with a tea towel to seal the steaming process. Turn off the heat and leave to steam for 30 mins - this makes the rice fluffy and separated without drying it out.

WHOLE SPICE BASMATI PILAF

Steps:

• Rinse the rice.
• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Make a cartouch to fit a medium round casserole dish; cut a circle of greaseproof paper, slightly larger than the dish, and snip a tiny hole in the centre to make a steam vent.
• Melt two thirds of the butter in the flameproof casserole dish and saute the onion for about 5 minutes, until softened.
• Add the rice and stir well, then add the herbs, whole spices and lemon or orange zest.
• Cook for a minute or two.
• Bring the stock to a boil, using the larger volume if you prefer a more tender grain.
• Mix the stock into the rice along with the salt and pepper to taste.
• Press on the cartouche, turning the edges up and pressing them to the side of the pan for a neat fit.
• Make sure the vent is visible.
• There is no need to cover with a lid.
• Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, allow to stand for 5 minutes, and then remove the cartouch.
• Fork through the remaining butter until the rice grains are fluffy and separate, removing the whole spices before serving if you prefer.

SPICE-INFUSED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Tie bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and clove in a small piece of cheesecloth. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine rice and 2 cups water. Add herb sachet, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until water has been absorbed and rice has cooked, about 20 minutes. Remove sachet, check seasoning, and serve immediately.

SPICED RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon and cloves and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with onion mixture. Mix in water and bring to boil. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff pilaf with fork. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl.