Tri coloured pilau rice
This is a very simple recipe that looks more complicated than it looks and will impress all at the dinner table.
The main thing that you must do in this recipe is use the best quality basmati rice that you can get your hands on. Please do not use 'easy cook' as it will not be nice. This recipe does not use the absorption method so water amount will not be measured.
Ingredients:
Basmati rice (1/2 cup per person),
1 teaspoon cumin seeds,
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds,
1 piece cassia bark or cinnamon,
1 tej patta,
2 dried kashmiri chilli,
4 green cardamon,
3 whole cloves,
4 black peppercorns,
Salt,
1/4 teaspoon turmeric,
Oil or ghee
For the colour you will need green and orange colouring powder. This is very cheap and found in Asian markets.
Wash your rice at least 5 times until water runs clear. Then leave your rice to soak for 30 minutes before draining completely.
In a large pot add in oil and heat up until hot but not to smoking point. Add in the whole spices and stir until fragrant. Add in the washed and drained rice then stir until coated. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the rice by at least 2 inches. Add in salt to taste and the turmeric. Stir to prevent sticking then loosely place a lid on top. Set a timer for 4 minutes, this is very important to time! Once the time is up drain all the rice, remove the peppercorns, cloves, cardamon, chilli and tej patta then place a cloth over the top of the pot then cover with a lid for 5 minutes.
Now it is time to add the colours to the rice that should already be a nice golden colour. In 2 separate bowls you must now mix a tiny amount of each colouring powder with a drop of water. This would roughly be 1/8 teaspoon with 1 tablespoon of water - this depends on the amount of rice that you have cooked! From the pot remove 1-2 tablespoons of rice and place into each bowl, remember to cover the pot quickly to keep the heat in. Stir each bowl to coat the rice in your colour before adding back into the pot and covering quickly. Leave to sit for a few minutes before carefully mixing the coloured rice through the entire pot with a fork - serve immediately!
Enjoy