Nov

4

Spiced basmati rice with vegetables

November 4, 2009 | 1 Comment

In this period I’m craving spicy food and in particular Indian. I’m fascinated by this cuisine and particularly interested in the primary role spices and herbs have. I’m amazed by all the different aromas and flavors each individual spice can have: whole and popped, grounded and then cooked, toasted, soaked and more. I have a few books on Indian cuisine and I’ve tried quite a few recipes with success. Notwithstanding I should say I feel I still don’t know anything about it. For the moment I will learn from the books I have, but sooner or later I’m going to follow some cooking classes to learn more about the usage and the different combinations of spices and herbs.

The dish I made today is adapted from a recipe in The Turmeric Trail: Recipes and Memories from an Indian Childhood by Raghavan Iyer. If you have never heard of this book and you’re interested in Indian cuisine you should definitely have it. It’s a beautifully written book where the recipes are well explained and very precise. Each recipe is introduced by an episode from Mr. Iyer’s personal life that captures your attention and brings you on a time travel through India and its world of spices. I’m never tire of reading his recipes and personal notes again and again. I’m planning to try all his recipes and looking forward to going to the States where, thanks to his indications, I can find certain ingredients that I haven’t found in Italy .

I added fresh curry leaves (karhi) to this rice like my friends from Sri Lanka always do. Curry leaves have nothing to do with curry powder which is a blend of spices and herbs created by the British. Curry leaves are shiny dark green leaves, similar in shape to bay leaves but much smaller. They have a unique flavor and aroma which is impossible to imitate, so if you don’t have them don’t try to substitute them with other spices. It’s also possible to find them dry but the aroma will be different from the fresh leaves. It’s worth a trip to your local Indian store to purchase them. Be careful, curry leaves are highly addictive, once you’ll use and smell them you won’t be able to cook without them anymore. If you’re interested in curry leaves there’s an interesting article on the Washington Post written by Monica Bhide, accompanied by two appealing recipes.

Spiced basmati rice with vegetables

2 cups white Basmati rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 big carrot shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. leeks, thinly sliced
the green part of the leek, thinly sliced
2 tsp. black mustard seed
2 tsp. cumin seed
2 three-inch cinnamon sticks
12 green cardamon pods
12 whole cloves
10 fresh Curry leaves or karhi leaves
2 tsp. sea salt
4 cups water

Preparation:

Pour the rice in a bowl full of water and wash it for few times until the water comes out clean. Then leave the rice in clean water for 30 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the vegetables, shred the carrot, chop the onion and slice the leek.
Heat up the oil in a nonstick pan and add the black mustard seeds, when they start popping cover the pan until done. Immediately add the cumin seeds, cardamon, cloves, cinnamon sticks and curry leaves and sizzle them for 20-30 seconds.
Add the onions, scallion and its green part, and cook it for about 2 minutes then add the carrots and continue cooking for 3 more minutes or until the carrots soften.
Drain the rice, add it to the pan together with the water and salt.
Cook the rice uncovered until almost all the water has been absorbed then cover it and cook it at low heat for 5 minutes. Turn the stove off and let the rice rest for 5 more minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

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Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. rose on February 23, 2010 1:57 pm

    I HAVE MADE THIS ITS SO GOOD

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