Rice - Which one do you use?

[Suvir Saran]

Rice

Chaawal, Bhaat, or Anna, rice is what makes for the most important element of Indian cooking. It is believed in India that our lives depend on rice. Rice is symbolic of life itself. When sick, most patients are fed foods that are rice based. This takes us to the nurturing qualities of life.

Rice plays a very important role in the daily lives of all Indians. A childs first non dairy meal is the eating of rice. Called anna-jal or anna praashan sanskar, the paternal grandparents feed the baby with simple boiled rice. The rice given to the baby is the same as that which is offered to the gods after a ritual prayer and offering ceremony. The ceremony is grand and special, after offering the gods, the child gets its first bite. Thereafter all the elders, family and friends sit down for a multi-course meal.

During the Hindu wedding ceremony, the brothers of the bride fill her sari with grains of rice. This is symbolic of showering her with blessings of a long life, and of procreation. Rice is a symbol of life that is eternal and everlasting. By putting rice in her sari, which is made into a bag resembling her womb, the brothers are blessing her with fertility and also take a vow to protect her for life.

Basmati rice is only one of many different kinds of rice found in India. Basmati rice actually grows only in a very small area. Long grain, small, fat, thin, curved and brown are many different types of rice found in India. Puffed rice and beaten rice (poha) are other forms of rice. The tastes of each of these grain varies. They can be aromatic, sweet, nutty or starchy.

Known in India well before written history, rice is a part of Indian life unlike any other grain. Rice became a integral part of the Aryan society. It is offered to the gods. Used for healing and to bless. Payasa, known as Kheer in northern India, Payassam in Southern India, is basic rice pudding. Many believe that Rice Pudding as we see today in restaurants around the world owes it origin to this dish. Cooked for hours in milk and then sweetened with sugar and flavored with cardamom, this pudding is offered to the gods and is the essential dessert of any Indian feast.

From Kashmir to Kanyakumari in the southern tip of India, from Bombay to Calcutta in the east, every formal banquet has at least a few preparations of rice. One often sees just plain steamed rice an aromatic pilaf of some kind and often a biryaani. The steamed rice is prepared for all to enjoy the subtle flavoring of the savory dishes. Pilafs and Biryaanis are eaten by themselves as they are able to give the palate a very rich culinary experience in each bite. Then there are teharis and khicharis that are made in most homes. These are simpler pilafs that are made either with rice and vegetables alone or often some lentils are mixed as well. When one needs a break from having eaten very complex and rich meals during festivities and special events, one sees the Khichari take a very plain form. Then there are those versions of Khichari that are very lavish and complex. One heals an overworked palate while the other excites a dull palate.

Puffed rice and beaten rice are other ways of eating rice in India. Puffed rice is used in the making of tea time snacks like munmure in eastern India and jhaal mooree in Bengal. Both are spicy and tickle the taste buds and open them for more spicy foods to follow. Munmura was eaten at our home around dusk. It was just a spiced rice puff trail mix. The rice puffs were mixed with crunchy chickpeas and some gram flour noodles and spices. Very crunch and light, this was a snack we could feast on as we drank our long glass of milk. Jhaal Mooree was the wet and crunchy Calcutta version. It was street food that I feel moves the soul into a much deeper consciousness. Poha on the other hand is the word for the beaten rice. Popular all over India, this is an Indian Paella. The beaten rice is very easy to cook with. All it needs is some water to rehydrate and no cooking. Simple and fast, recipes that call for this are a favorite with all ages. This is another tea time favorite and also a common dish found in tiffins of school children.

In the winter I remember coming back from school, eating lunch and then heading to the veranda, where I would sit in comfortable cane chairs and munch on Moa. This is a cake made with puffed rice, honey, jaggery and some spices. Crunch and sweet, this is very similar to the puffed rice cakes that are now showing up in many neighborhood bakeries in America. We could never have enough of these. I remember my mother always telling us that too much sugar was bad for our delicate teeth. Not even the fear of a dentist visit would stop us from overeating these tasty Moas.

As one visits homes in India, one sees many different ways of rice preparation. A great way of telling a home where the cooks have steady hands is their rendering of plain steamed rice. Simple to cook, often most people have a hard time preparing this plain recipe. In most homes one sees a designated pot for cooking rice. Most often this is a wide and shallow pot as the shallower the depth of water and rice the better the results. A tall pot would result in little steam and then the grains of rice could remain too hard. Thus all a perfect pot is needed for daily cooking of rice. Indians love to eat steamed rice just perfectly cooked. Perfectly cooked rice must have distinctly separate, plump and cooked yet gently firm grains. The rice must be served steaming hot and imparting its subtle yet priceless aroma. Ghee must always accompany rice. Most Indians sprinkle some ghee over steaming rice and only then pour the curries that will complete the meal.

[Suvir Saran]

Are there any favorite recipes people have with rice?

What rice do you use most when cooking at home?

Is there a favorite brand of Indian rice you find yourself using?

[Varmint]

Wow, thanks for that post. Very few of us have much of an appreciation of rice beyond basmati, arborio, jasmine and carnaroli.

Way back when I was in college, a professor was talking about East Asian cultures, particularly some particular areas of China. He indicated that much of the Chinese had a near reverence with rice as well, to the extent that it would be disrespectful to the rice (not the cook) to leave a grain remaining in a bowl. Whether that's true or myth, I don't know. Is there something analogous in the Indian culture?

[Suvir Saran]

I find myself prefering Lal Qila Basmati from Pakistan and also Champagne Basmati rice that you can find at Foods Of India in Little India in NYC.

I have had little if any good success with the store bought American Basmati Rice. It is too starchy for my taste. And the grains of rice are never slender and separate unless I add some fat into the recipe.

[Suvir Saran]

Varmint,

In Hinduism, rice is revered as well. If you read the first post, you will see the many references I make to that point. In India it is considered wrong to waste food. While I often see people in the US throw lots of food into the garbage from their plates at parties and other social events, in India that would be considered wrong. One is supposed to take small portions but often. What I see is that people often take too much. And then feel nothing as t hey throw large amounts of food away. I am not sure if the reason behind not wasting in India is religious or simply the fact that such a large number of the population is starving.

But rice is of great religious importance. If you read that first post, you will see in how many different ways rice guides the Indian psyche.

I forgot to mention how in many Southern Indian homes, rice flour is made into a batter that is used to paint the floor of the home with "rangoli", geometric patterns that adorn the floors of many homes. Many of these drawings also have religious significance. And the rice flour is supposed to be auspicious.

[Varmint]

Thanks again, Suvir. Excellent, informative post.

We in the sticks cannot get such a wide variety of rice. Can you recommend good mail order sources?

[Suvir Saran]

Foods Of India is a great source in NYC. They do ship around the country. I know someone else used them to order curry leaves. Their Indian stuff is of the best quality I have ever seen in the US. They are maybe a few pennies more expensive than some of the other places, but you get far better ingredients than you could anywhere else.

Foods of India

121 Lexington Avenue

New York City, NY

Tel: (212) 683 4419

Proprietor: Arun Kumar Sinha

On the internet you can go to www.namaste.com or even www.ethnicgrocer.com

[Suvir Saran]

Sahadis is a great store we have on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.

You can visit their website or call them. I am sure they can help you get most of the stuff you need.

Sahadi's

187 Atlantic Avenue

(between Clinton & Court Streets)

Brooklyn, New York

(718) 624-4550

Sahadi's website

[Toby]

Suvir, that was a wonderful introduction to rice. Some questions -- Is rice generally washed or soaked in India before cooking? Is it cooked in some oil before adding water or stock? Also, what is Patna rice and when is it used?

[Suvir Saran]

Mung Daal Kee Khichree

Serves 4 to 6

When we were kids in Nagpur, a city in the state of Maharashtra, we had several family members come visit us. One couple I remember visiting were my grandaunt and uncle from Delhi. Grand Uncle could not understand why my parents did not have help at home. He had seen us in a home with way too many people, and now here we were with none. My parents had decided to take this 3-year posting away from home in Delhi as a way to accustom them and us to the art of living. We did everything ourselves. My mother would cook and we each had chores we would do to help relieve her of some burden. Granduncle prepared this rice and lentil Khichree one day and we were all hooked. He made it with ghee which was something of a luxury; my mother made it by churning the cream by hand into butter, and then clarifying the butter into ghee. Khichree is a one-pot meal that is delicious, healthy, soulful and addictive. In fact in our home in NYC, I often end up making this as we find this a perfect way of taking a break from non-stop eating out and entertaining. Chicken soup of India.

Sometimes I add vegetables to this dish, too: I saute diced potato along with the onion until the onions begins to wilt, and then add chopped cauliflower and green chili and sauté another minute. Then I continue with the recipe as below. Serve this with raita and chutney.

1 1/4 cups split mung beans (moong chilka dal), picked over, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup basmati rice, picked over, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup ghee or canola oil

3 whole dried red chilies

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

8 cloves

4 black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon asafetida

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 3/4 cups water

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

2 onions, halved, sliced, slices cut in half

1. Combine the lentils and rice in a bowl and add cold water to cover; let soak 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the ghee, if using, in a 9 1/2-inch, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat until liquid. Add the red chilies, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, turmeric, asafetida, and ground black pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Or, if using oil, combine the oil with the spices over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

3. Add the onions and fry until they begin to wilt, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the rice and lentil mix and sauté, stirring gently so as not to break the rice, about 1 minute.

5. Add the water, salt and garam masala stir gently to mix. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer very gently 20 minutes. Then uncover and stir gently. Cover and cook 5 more minutes. (At this point, the rice and lentils should be cooked through and the mixture should be wet, like a very thick, savory porridge.)

Note: Add less water in the beginning and add as you go along if you want the recipe more dry.

[Suvir Saran]

RICE CASSEROLE WITH PEAS, POTATOES AND WHOLE GARAM MASALA

Tahiree

Serves 6 to 8

This was a dish that is revered in the UP (Uttar Pradesh in the north of India) side of my family. My fathers family eats this rice dish when taking a break from a week full of over indulgence in foods. We ate this with a simple onion and tomato raita and lots of papadum and some mint and mango chutney. (Yogurt and tomato chutney is even simpler.) It's very clean tasting because it has very little oil but the mixture of spices also makes for great depth of flavor. This is also very good with cauliflower in place of potato – use the smallest head you can find and cut it into medium florets. The rice is cooked on top of the stove and then finished in the oven to ensure separate, dry grains and the formation of "khurchan", the crispy browned rice on the bottom of the casserole that Indians love so much.

2 cups basmati rice, soaked in 4 1/2 cups water for 20 minutes, drained, water reserved

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

8 whole cloves

10 black peppercorns

1 inch cinnamon stick

3 whole dried red chilies

4 green cardamom pods

2 medium red boiling potatoes (bout 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares

10 ounce package frozen peas

1 fresh, hot green chili, stemmed and cut into half lengthwise (optional)

3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

3/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 300? F.

2. Combine the oil, cinnamon, red chilies cardamom, cumin, cloves and peppercorns in a large, heavy bottomed casserole over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the whole spices and fry them till the seeds turn brown (1 minute).

3. Add the potatoes and fry until the edges become translucent, 3-4 minutes.

4. Then add the turmeric and green chili and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

5. Add the peas and cayenne and cook, stirring, for another minute.

6. Add drained rice and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.

7. Add the garam masala, salt and reserved water and bring to a boil. Give it a stir. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, 10 minutes, until water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. After 5 minutes, uncover and stir gently (so as not to break the rice) in order to distribute the potatoes and peas evenly in the rice.

8. Put the rice in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 more minutes.

9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir, that was a wonderful introduction to rice.  Some questions -- Is rice generally washed or soaked in India before cooking?  Is it cooked in some oil before adding water or stock?  Also, what is Patna rice and when is it used?

Toby, I have mixed feelings about soaking rice. I do both. Most often I do not soak. SInce I end up cooking last minute and do not have the luxury of time.

Also I really feel that the rice we get here is very clean. And really does not need that extra step if you do not have time.

I sparingly use extra fat in my food. So, most often I simply make steamed basmati rice. And for that I cook it like pasta and drain the extra water. This keeps the rice nice and fluffy and also gives much less starch to the meal. It is best for people with high sugar or even diabtes to eat rice prepared like that.

Patna rice (Oryza sativa), comes from Patna, captial of Bihar state in Eastern India. Thus the name Patna rice. It is grown and processed similar to Basmatic rice. It is a long grain rice but less hard than basmati and also little shorter. It has a mild taste and is more starchy. In India some people use this for daily usage and save the more expensive Basmati for special occasions. It is used in the making of some biryaanis and also to make rice salads and stir fries.

[Toby]

I used Patna rice to make "Rice with whole spices" from Invitation to Indian Cooking the other day. I guess I could have used any long grain rice, but I had some Patna rice in the house, and it held a slightly firmer shape than the American long grain rice I usually use (Canela brand) and had a very non-sticky quality to it.

[Suvir Saran]

Toby sounds like you did the right thing. Basmati would work even better. But Patna rice is great. Much better than the Texmati you find in groceries around the country. That is such dissapointing rice.

What did you eat your "rice with whole spices" with? How did you like that preparation?

[BettyK]

Hi Suvir

What do you think of Tilda? Is it a good basmati? We usually eat Jasmine rice but I like basmati for Indian dishes. I'd like to buy some basmati to make biryani. I think there is no other substitute for this dish, right? Any secret to avoid making a pudding? My first and last biryani was a total disaster.

I probably need to invest in a good size Dutch oven too.

[Suvir Saran]

Tilda Basmati should be just fine BettyK.

Were you following a recipe for the biryaani? Whose recipe?

If you had too much sauce in the chicken/lamb/veggies, that could make t he rice into a pudding.

Perhaps you can share your recipe.. and we can see if one of us can identify why it became a pudding.

I often eat Jasmine rice with Indian food as well. It is great for simple home meals. It has a great bite to it. But there is nothing like Basmati if you really want to enjoy a perfect compliment to your hard labors.

A Dutch Oven is not necessary. You can even use just a heavy bottom pan for stove top cooking. Or if you would rather do the last part of cooking in the oven, any casserole type dish is fine.

[Jonathan Day]

Julie Sahni wrote in a book called Moghul Microwave (or perhaps it was the other way around) that the best way to cook basmati rice was in the microwave. Her method was reprinted in Gourmet about a year ago. I don't have the recipe in front of me, but in essence you put rice and water in a glass bowl, cover the bowl, microwave it for something like 12 minutes, remove the cover, microwave for a couple of minutes. No soaking.

I have done this a number of times and must say that it works beautifully. The rice grains are consistent and separate and the wonderful perfumes of the basmati are preserved. It's extremely easy to do. But then, my stovetop methods for basmati may be less than optimal, so perhaps this is a bad comparison.

Have other members tried basmati in the microwave? Has anyone seen Sahni's book? I believe it is out of print.

[Suvir Saran]

I do have the book. It died a sad and premature death. I was with someone just early this week that was intimately involved with it. They ascribed its death to the book being too limited in focus for the American market. "When we do not even understand the basics of Indian cooking, why would we want to learn microwave Indian cooking" or something to that effect was said.

I would have thought here in the US we would rush to use a microwave cookbook.

I have never cooked from that book of hers. It does little for me personally. But several such books exist in India. And yes I know several Indian home cooks that are using microwaves to cook most of their foods these days. Some out of convenience and most out of lack of choice. I have some friends of the family that have adopted this in their older age so as to protect themselves and their homes from catching fire due to poor health reasons.

JD- what are the proportions you use? Also this person I mentioned above said something about the book perhapds being dated now as the microwaves have become much more powerful today and most recipes are not working for time anymore. How does that seem to you?

What you mention seems to work very well for rice. I am sure it would be an excellent option for most of us. Do you mind sharing the details?

And how are you cooking rice on the stove top?? What proportions do you use? What recipe?

[BettyK]

Suvir,

Here's the recipe I used.

Biryani

This method is the layering method. It involves 2 stages.

Stage 1

Cooking the meat

Stage 2

Layering the meat with rice

1 onion, peeled and chopped

5 Tbsp ghee or 5 Tbsp salad or olive oil

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

10 oz lean lamb, cut into cubes (I used 12 chicken drumsticks)

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

2/3 cup yogurt

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp saffron

1 Tbsp milk

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

Salad or olive oil for deep frying

2 cups Basmati rice (used long grain)

1 inch cinnmaon stick

6 cloves

1 tsp black cumin seed

1 bay leaf

6 small cardamoms

2 tsp salt

2 sprigs fresh green coriander leaves, chopped

2-3 green chilies, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Fry chopped onion in ghee or oil, in a large pan, until light brown.

Add ginger and garlic pastes and fry for another 1/2 minute.

Add meat and coriander, chili, turmeric and cumin powder.

Add yogurt and salt. Mix well and cook with lid on for 10-15 mins until dry.

Add 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and cook for 8-10 mins, on low heat, until meat

is tender and there is about 1/2 cup gravy left.

For rice

Dissolve saffron in milk. Deep fry sliced onion in oil until crisp and brown,

and drain on kitchen paper. Wash rice in 4-5 changes of water.

Drain and put into a pan. Add plenty of water and the cinnamon,

cloves, black cumin, bay leaf and cardamoms. Add salt and bring to boil.

Cook until rice is nearly done. (The rice should increase in size but still

have a hard center). Drain well, leaving whole spices in the rice; divide

rice in two. Line the saucepan base with half the rice, and top with the

drained cooked meat, saving the sauce. sprinkle with half the fried

onion, half the fresh coriander and chili. Cover with the remaining rice.

Sprinkle with remaining fried onion, chili and coriander. Sprinkle

with lemon juice and saffron milk. Pour the meat gravy all round.

Make a few holes in the rice with the handle of a spoon for steam

to rise. Cover and cook on gentle heat for 4-5 mins. Mix before serving.

Anything wrong with this recipe? Too much water, hey?

My problem with any kind of rice dishes is that I can never get the

proportion of water to rice right. I can only make white rice

successfully using a rice cooker.

Cheers,

Betty

[Suvir Saran]

Betty,

I am not sure why your biryaani is coming out to being like a pudding.

Will pay more attention to it tomorrow and see why it does not seem to work.

I can PM you a recipe for a chicken biryaani. Let me know if you would want that.

It would be a tested recipe, so you can be certain it will work. But you must use Basmati rice.

[Suvir Saran]

SWEET PEPPER BIRYANI

Serves 6 to 8

This is a biyaani I came up with for serving friends that are vegetarian and love good food. While Indian food has many vegetarian options, in the realm of biryanis I have not seen to many options out there in restaurants. For some reasons, restaurant chefs are lazy about breaking from the norm. Every Indian household has many recipes of rice that feed the largely vegetarian populace. Thus, as you will see, we have in this chapter many options. This particular biryani is nice in that it look amazingly colorful and also has great flavor. The sweetness of the pepper works very well with the sourness of the tomatoes and the crushed spice powder. If you have some tomato chutney made and ready, you sould use a couple of tablespoons in this dish, it will give a warmth of flavor that will be sensational on the palate.

SPICE POWDER

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 whole, dried red chili

BIRYANI

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 whole, dried red chilies

1 large white onion, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 bell peppers in various colors (i.e., 2 red, 1 green, 1 yellow and 1 orange) stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tomato, chopped small

2 tablespoons tomato chutney (page 000), optional

2 cups basmati rice

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. For the spice powder, combine all of the spices in a spice grinder and grind to a powder.

2. Heat the oil with the cumin and chilies over in a large wok over high heat until the cumin seeds turn a golden brown color, about 1 minute.

3. Add the onion and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

5. Add the spice powder and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

6. Add the peppers and cook, stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any spices sticking, 1 minute.

7. Add 1/4 cup water and continue cooking, stirring, until the peppers are softened and beginning to stick to the sides of the pan, 6 to 7 minutes.

8. Add the tomato and chutney and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to pick up any spices that are sticking. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Taste for salt.

9. Preheat the oven to 350?F.

10. Spread about 2 cups of rice over the bottom of a 10-cup casserole. Spoon about half of the pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Cover that with about 1 1/2 cups more rice, spreading the rice evenly. Layer the remaining pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cilantro. Spread the remaining rice over the top. Pour the water in a thin stream around the edges of the casserole and over the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and then with a cover, if the casserole has a cover. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and serve hot.

[BettyK]

Suvir,

Would really appreciate if you could PM me your Chicken Biryani.

Will definitely use basmati, promise

Thanks also for sharing the Sweet Pepper Biryani.

BTW, love your website. So, when is your cookbook coming out?

Cheers

Betty

[Suvir Saran]

Will PM you the chicken biryani recipe now.

Just for your eyes...

You will enjoy the sweet pepper biryaani. Try it.

The cook book manuscript it due publisher this fall. The book will be in the stores next fall.

[BettyK]

Suvir,

Many thanks for the recipes. Will report as soon as give it a try. Need to go buy basmati first :-)

Betty

[Jonathan Day]

JD- what are the proportions you use?  Also this person I mentioned above said something about the book perhapds being dated now as the microwaves have become much more powerful today and most recipes are not working for time anymore.  How does that seem to you?

What you mention seems to work very well for rice.  I am sure it would be an excellent option for most of us.  Do you mind sharing the details?

And how are you cooking rice on the stove top??  What proportions do you use?  What recipe?

Suvir, I've evolved the following method. This is for a 950 watt microwave, so it would have to be re-tested for a less (or more) powerful unit. I believe Julie Sahni specifies a longer cooking time than this.

I put 2 cups of basmati rice, unrinsed, and 3 of water into a large glass bowl. This gets microwaved, uncovered, at full power for 9 minutes. Then a glass cover (a pie plate) is slipped on top and it continues at full power for another 3 minutes. Then it comes out of the oven, still covered, and rests for 6 minutes. It is then ready to serve.

Could not be easier and the quality of the product is very good. The clean-up is also easy!

For the stove top I use Julie Sahni's method from Classic Indian Cooking: I wash the rice, soak it for 30 minutes (water:rice = 2:1), simmer it in the water in which it soaked for around 10-15 minutes and then let it steam for 10 minutes. It works well but it takes more care and it's easier for this method to go wrong than with the microwave. If the result were better I would never do it any other way, but the microwave method works very well for me. This is one of the few dishes I cook in a microwave -- for the most part it is used for melting, defrosting, re-heating and the like.

Are there better stove top methods than the one Julie Sahni recommends?

I sometimes use basmati rice to make a Persian "chilau" -- this is that method where you cook the rice until it makes a golden crust. It is delicious, but not the same as Indian basmati rice.