(Taken from Indian – Shehzad Husain & Rafi Fernandez)
Serves : 6
Ingredients
- 450 g / 2 ¼ cups Basmati rice
- 750 ml / 3 cups Water
- 3 Green cardamom pods
- 2 Cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp crushed Saffron strands
- 2 tbsp Milk (semi-skimmed)
Directions
- Wash the rice at least twice and place it in a medium saucepan with the water.
- Toss all the whole spices into the saucepan along with the salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the saffron and semi-skimmed milk in a small pan and warm. Alternatively, put the ingredients in a cup and warm for 1 minute in the microwave.
- Check the rice to see if it is fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to lift out a few grains and press the rice between your index finger and thumb. It should feel soft on the outside but still a little hard in the middle.
- Remove the pan from the heat and carefully drain the rice through a sieve (strainer).
- Transfer the rice back into the pan and pour the saffron and milk over the top of the rice.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place the pan back on a medium heat for 7-10 minutes.
- After cooking, remove the pan from the heat and leave the rice to stand for a further 5 minutes before serving.
The Verdict
It was good but it wasn’t as fragrant as I thought it would be. Everyone seems to enjoy it though. I have an empty pot at the end of dinner.
Perhaps this is because I used the rice cooker instead and I put a little bit too much water -the rice wasn’t fluffy and loose. Unfortunately yesterday night I was rushed for time to prepare dinner so I didn’t try out their method.
And also the book asked for green cardamom pods but I didn’t have any so I used white cardamom instead. I don’t know whether this has any effect on the final results or not. Will have to try this recipe another time and let you know the differences.