Ghee Rice

INGREDIENTS (1 CUP = 250 ML)

main ingredients for ghee rice:

• 1 cup basmati rice or 190 grams basmati rice
• 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
• 15 to 18 cashews (kaju)
• 1 tablespoon raisins (kishmish)
• 50 grams onion, thinly sliced or 1/3 cup thinly sliced onions or 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1.75 to 2 cups water, add water as required
• 1/3 teaspoon rock salt or add as required
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta) for garnish

whole spices for ghee rice:

• 1.5 inches cinnamon (dalchini)
• 3 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
• 3 cloves (lavang)
• 2 single strands of mace (javitri)
• 4 to 5 whole black pepper (sabut kali mirch)
• 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)

HOW TO MAKE GHEE RICE

preparation for ghee rice:

1. rinse 1 cup basmati rice in water till the water runs clear of starch. then soak the rice grains for 30 minutes in enough water.
2. after 30 minutes, drain the water and keep the soaked rice aside.
3. before cooking, gather everything and keep aside. the following are the whole spices that we will be adding to ghee rice: cinnamon, cloves, green cardamoms, tej patta, mace strands, black pepper.
4. slice 1 medium sized onion and keep aside. also remove 15 to 18 cashews, 1 tablespoon raisins and keep aside.

frying dry fruits for ghee rice: 5. heat 3 tablespoons ghee in a thick bottomed pot or a thick bottomed pan. keep the flame to a low. 6. add the cashews first. 7. saute till you see light brown specks on a few of the cashews. 8. then add the raisins. 9. saute till the raisins puff up in the ghee. do stir continuously while sauteing the raisins and cashews. 10. remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

making ghee rice: 11. to the same ghee, add the whole spices and let them crackle and turn fragrant. do not burn the spices. 12. then immediately add the sliced onions. 13. stir and saute till the onions turn golden or caramelize. 14. now add the soaked rice. 15. gently stir the rice so that the ghee coats the rice grains well. 16. now add 1.75 to 2 cups of water. add water as required, depending on the quality of rice. some brands of basmati rice need only 1.5 cups of water. so add water accordingly. 17. season with salt as per taste. i have used 1/3 teaspoon rock salt. if using any other salt, then add as per your taste. check the water and it should taste a bit salty. in this step 3 to 4 drops of lemon juice can also be added.

cooking ghee rice: 18. cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. 19. simmer till the rice is cooked and all the water is absorbed. you can check once or twice while the rice is cooking. if the grains are not cooked and the water looks less, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water all over. cover and continue to cook. 20. once the rice grains are cooked, give a standing time of 5 to 6 minutes. remove the lid. fluff the ghee rice gently with a fork. 21. serve ghee rice hot garnished with fried cashews & raisins and some chopped coriander leaves. ghee rice tastes so good, that you can even have it plain also. ghee rice goes well with gravy based dishes or with dals or korma varieties like veg kurma or potato korma. while serving, you can even use some mint leaves for garnish instead of coriander leaves.

RECIPE NOTES:

• you can even use a pressure cooker to make ghee rice. if using a pressure cooker, then cook for 2 whistles or for about 7 to 8 minutes on a medium flame.

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