Ingredients
- Basmati Rice, washed in water and drained well- 2 cups
- Water- 4 cups
- Onion, large cut thin lengthwise- 1
- Bay leaves, fresh or dry- 2
- Ghee- 4 tbsp
- Salt- ¾ tsp
To Grind
- Fresh ginger, chopped- 1 inch slice
- Fresh garlic chopped-3 cloves
- Green chilies, chopped- 3
- Whole cardamom-2
- Whole cloves-2
- Cinnamon- 1 inch slice
Other ingredients
- Onions, cut thin lengthwise- 2
- Vegetable oil- enough for frying onion
- Cashew nuts- 10
- Raisins, roasted in 1 tsp ghee- 1 tbsp
- Cilantro, chopped- to garnish
Method:
- Grind the above-mentioned ingredients ‘to grind’ in a blender and keep aside.
- Place a saucepan over medium heat, add the ghee.
- To the ghee, add the onions, salt, bay leaves, saute until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the ground mixture, saute until the raw smell of the ginger/garlic goes away- about 3 minutes.
- Add the rice to this and saute in ghee for about 3 to 4 minutes. Don’t brown or over roast the rice.
- Add 4 cups water.
- Cover the saucepan with its lid and cook for 20 minutes till the water has dried off.
- Open the lid, using a spatula give the rice a mix and keep aside covered.
- Fry the onions in oil until golden brown and transfer to a paper towel.
- Roast cashew nuts in the oil used for frying onion until golden, keep aside on a paper towel.
- Roast Raisins in oil till it bubbles up, keep aside.
- Garnish the cooked rice with fried onions, roasted cashew nuts, roasted raisins, and cilantro.
- Keep covered for a few more minutes.
- Serve warm with your favorite veg or non-veg dish.
Cooking in a rice cooker
- After the rice is roasted in ghee-onion/ginger/garlic/green chilies mixture, transfer the roasted rice into a rice cooker pot.
- Rinse the saucepan in which rice is roasted with 1 cup water and add this water to the rice, along with the 2½ cups water. In a rice cooker, you only need 3½ cups water for 2 cups rice.
- Cover the rice cooker pot with its lid and turn on the rice cooker, let cook.
- After the rice has cooked well, combine the rice using a spatula.
- Garnish with fried onions, roasted cashew nuts, raisins, and cilantro.
