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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsIndian Day in the Cafeteria - Butter Chicken & Saag Paneer
Life is GOOD!
LancetChick
(272 posts)One of the great things about Indian food is the wonderful aroma that wafts from the pot as it cooks. Tomorrow I'm doing chicken in a sweet (and also spicy) red pepper sauce, onion-y basmati rice with a salty brown crust, and green beans with garlic and black mustard seeds. You're right, life is good.
IdaBriggs
(10,559 posts)Wow, does that sound YUMMY! Can I get your onion-y basmati rice with a salty brown crust recipe? Please?
LancetChick
(272 posts)I have to point out, first of all, that the brown crust is Iranian, not Indian, and adding salt to it is just me, since that's how I like it (you can google "tah-dig" to see what it's supposed to look like). As for amounts, I would say that 2 cups of dry rice will serve about 4 people, although many insist it feeds more. I just can't see that, but 2 cups is, I would say, the minimum you should use if you want a good crust. No need to measure it accurately. And it's important to use Indian basmati rice, since domestic or other long grain rice will absorb too much water and become mushy.
Put the rice in a bowl and rinse it under water a few times, rubbing it between your fingers to wash as much starch away as you can. Toss a good amount of salt on top (I shake salt right from the container, not the salt shaker) and add enough water to cover it completely. Let it soak at least an hour. You can let Indian basmati soak all day, actually, and it won't get mushy. Soaking in salt water makes the rice more resistant to breakage, and keeps the grains separate.
Meanwhile, saute some onions and heat a big heavy pot of salted water over high heat. I like chopped onion sautéed just until soft, not colored, but you could certainly sauté half or whole rings until brown. I would use a medium or small onion for 2 cups of dry rice, or a large one for 3 cups.
When the water is boiling, add the drained rice and once it returns to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a lively boil for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and put the pot back on the burner over medium heat. Pour a layer of oil (I like peanut oil) over the bottom of the pot, making sure it covers the whole surface. Add salt to taste. Add enough rice to cover the bottom, and mix the rest of the rice with the onion, then add that to the pot. Dot with butter or pour a little oil over it and secure a tight-fitting lid. If your lid is questionable, add a sheet of foil first.
Now here's the tricky part, and why getting a good crust takes practice. How long and what temperature you cook the rice at depends on your stove and your pot, so it's trial and error. With both my present electric induction and my previous gas stoves, I like to heat over medium heat for about 15 minutes, then lower the heat to very low, cooking (altogether) about 1 1/2 hours, but at the right degree of heat, you can cook longer without burning, which is convenient if the rest of your dinner isn't ready on time. If the rice burns, the heat is too high, and the bummer is you can't check while it's cooking. With my gas stove the flame required was so low that it kept blowing out, so I would have to turn the flame up a little and set the pot on a heat diffuser.
If you get a layer of perfectly brown and crisp tah-dig you deserve an award. If you haven't cooked it long enough it won't be brown, and you'll know better next time. What Iranians do is put the rice on a platter, then take the tah-dig and break it into pieces so that everyone can have a piece, and place it around the edge or on a separate plate.
You can also soak some saffron in hot water, then when the rice is done, take a small bowl of rice and mix the saffron water in and spoon the yellow saffron rice over the white rice on the platter. Very pretty.
I went to an Indian Buffet yesterday because our cafeteria is, well, sketchy.
Their idea of any kind of 'ethnic' food is to basically take burgers and put some 'ethnic' sauce on them.
IdaBriggs
(10,559 posts)Yick and sympathy on your suffering!
Myrina
(12,296 posts)And, as a previous post noted, there is nothing better in the world than the aroma of an Indian restaurant.
olddots
(10,237 posts)IdaBriggs
(10,559 posts)and Friday is Indian day. It was *so yummy.* The meal even came with a small rice pudding that I am too full to eat!
Fish sticks = but orange jello can be Delish.
Xyzse
(8,217 posts)That is delicious.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)basically a combo platter of eight South Indian dishes around a big plate of basmati rice and naan. Some I can identify, some I can't, all good.
A local restaurant serves Indian street food. I try to sneak out there about once a week. Delicious and cheap. The non-vegie special was chicken tikka masala.
warrprayer
(4,734 posts)yummmm!
JBoy
(8,021 posts)Gurjit's primary job was doing prep and cleaning up, but about every 2 weeks the chef would have her make her own curry chicken as one of the three choices. This curry was rich, delicious, but hot as hell.
There would be a buzz through the office on the morning when we discovered today was "chicken curry day". People would ask her for the recipe, and she would laugh and say it was a secret. She would be smiling from ear to ear all day long, because that day she was a rock star.