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Last week I shared a recipe for comedian/actor
Aziz Ansari's favorite chicken korma recipe - his mother's. This week I thought I'd post my favorite recipe for making basmati rice, which is a typical korma accompaniment.
I do not wash the rice prior to cooking, but I do saute it in oil with spices briefly before boiling.
You can easily double the amounts in this recipe for making larger quantities.
Ingredients:
1 Tbs ghee, vegetable, corn or canola oil
1 stick cinnamon - about 3-inches
3 whole cloves
3 whole green cardamom seeds
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
2 1/4 cups water
1 tsp salt
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Method:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf to the pan and sizzle in the oil for a minute or so. Don't worry if the spices burn a little, they'll be discarded.
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Add the rice and salt to the pan and stir, sauteing for a minute in the oil.
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Pour the water into the pan and bring to a boil.
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Lower the stove to low, cover the pan tightly and simmer the rice for 17 minutes.
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After 17 minutes of cooking, remove the pan from the heat and allow the rice to rest, covered for another 10 minutes.
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The spices will have risen to the top of the rice and can easily be picked out and discarded. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
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Photos by Ted Scheffler