AROMATIC RICE

This is a fairly simple recipe, but is quite flavorful & the spices make it blissfully aromatic. Just a whiff of this is enough to make you soar..........was that too much of a description??

Well go ahead, make it & see if you soar.

My measurings will do good for two people for a single meal.

Ingredients -

1 tall glass - good quality basmati rice, washed & soaked in water for about 20 mins

2 tbsp - ghee

2 big onions - finely sliced

about 10 pepper corns (black)

5 cardamom pods crushed

2/3 - Bay Leaves

1 tsp - Cumin seeds

4/5 - cloves

1 inch stick of - cinnamon, broken down to small peices

8/10 - cashews (fried)

10/15 - raisins (fried)

a few strands of saffron.

Method -

In a pan, add the ghee & when hot, add all the khada masalas, i.e., the cumin, clove, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon & bay leaves (in that order).

When they give out their aroma, add the onions & fry pink (if you want a whitish coloured rice) & fry slightly brown (if you want a golden coloured rice).

Add the drained rice to this & fry them for about 2/3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the cashew & the raisins. Also add the saffron strands

Now add double the water of the rice, i.e, in this case, two glasses, add salt & stir well

Cover the pan & cook till done, stirring occassionaly.

Perfection calls for the rice to be well done when the water evaporates.

Oh Oh - I forgot to add that putting in about a squeeze of lemon while adding the water allows the rice to be cooked to their maximum length.

Serve with anything, but best had with a nice tangy chutney or a spicy pickle or a flavored simple raita.