Friday, September 28, 2012

HOW TO COOK JASMINE AND BASMATI RICE & CUMIN SCENTED GREEN PEA PULAO - COMMENT FAIRE CUIRE LE RIZ THAÏ ET BASMATI & PULAO AU CUMIN ET PETITS POIS

Rice Basmati 1 2 bis
Rice is a beautiful food.
It is beautiful when it grows, precision rows of sparkling green stalks shooting up to reach the hot summer sun.
It is beautiful when harvested, autumn gold sheaves piled on diked, patchwork paddies.
It is beautiful when, once threshed, it enters granary bins like a (flood) of tiny seed-pearls.
It is beautiful when cooked by a practiced hand, pure white and sweetly fragrant.
- Shizuo Tsuji

There was a Young Person of Bantry,
Who frequently slept in the pantry;
When disturbed by the mice,
she appeased them with rice
That judicious Young Person of Bantry.
- Edward Lear, English artist and writer (1812-1888)
Rice is such a marvelous staple. What makes it so indispensable and irresistible is its incredible versability, great nutritional value (contains fibers, vitamins and minerals - an important component of a balanced diet),  refined savor and the many varieties in which it comes. One cannot get tired of eating this God-given cereal as not only is it healthy, but it is also a really scrumptious comodity.

Being a big fan of Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines, I am literally addicted to Basmati (
grown in the Himalayas and Pakistan) and Thai jasmine rice (cultivated in Thailand, but farmed in other similarly warm and moist environments too), hence I never fail to include one or the other in my weekly menu plan. Their
uniqueness and wonderfully soft texture as well as an exhalirating fragrance (aromas that are reminiscent of toasted nuts and/or popcorn) are remarkably compelling and irresistible. A real delight for the senses!

Over the course of the years, a handful of friends have asked me asked me to enlighten them on the art of preparing those exotic grains without failing and I've realised that few people know how to obtain light and tender rice which isn't mushy nor cloggy. It seems that a majority of food lovers are still clueless when it comes to cooking Basmati and Thai jasmine rice. So, because I am a generous blogger who enjoys helping others, I thought that it would be a good idea to reveal my no-fail method for steaming and creatively flavoring both rices here today. In addition, I have decided to share a fabulous recipe for Indian pulao (or pilaf) with you in this post
. Hopefully, my tips will prove helpful!


Directions For The Steamed Rice
Recipe by Rosa Mayland, September 2012.


You'll need 2 quantities rice (basmati or jasmine rice) for 3 1/2 quantities water - for ex. 2 scant cups rice & 3 1/2 scant cups water (serves 4). No matter the size of the recipient, always keep a 2 : 31/2 ratio!


1. In a strainer, rince your rice well, until the water runs clear - if you don't, the rice will end up being stodgy and not fluffy at all.
2. Put together the rinced rice and water in a pan (add a little salt when cooking basmati rice).

3. Bring to the boil over high heat while stirring intermittently, then lower the heat to a very low simmer and immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 12 minutes without opening the lid or stiring the rice - this would delay the entire procedure, and affect the actual time required to cook the rice as well as the rice's texture.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for another 12 minutes without opening the lid or stiring the rice.

5. Once the time's up, you can lift the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Although the rice is ready, I recommend you to let it stand for another 15 minutes in the pan (lid on & fluffed) as it'll just be perfect if you give it a few more minutes to "breathe".
Voilà it's ready!


Rice Basmati 3 1 bis
Tips for adding life to your rice:
Now that you have learnt the basic rule for steaming your rice, you can try experimenting with spices (cumin, curcuma, cardamom, black pepper, chilli, zest, rose petals, etc... - add to the cooking water, at step 2 or fry in a bit of oil before adding the rice and water just like in the pulao recipe below) and herbs (bay leaves, tea leaves, curry leaves or kaffir lime leaves - add at the very beginning of the cooking process, at step 2 or fry in a bit of oil before adding the rice and water just like in the pulao recipe below - or fresh herbs such as cilantro - add once the rice has been cooked, at the end of step 5). They'll give this side dish a little oomph and make it even more appealing.

Another way of flavoring your rice is by substituting some of the cooking water with another liquid (coconut milk, stock, pineapple juice, tea, tamari, rose water, etc...) or by incorporating dried fruits (raisins, apricots, dates, cranberries, barberries, etc...), nuts (almonds, cashews, chestnuts, etc...) or even vegetables (peas, diced peppers, macedoine of carrots, chopped onions, pureed garlic, etc...) to the rice and water at step 2.


Be inspired and let your imagination run wild!


Rice Bug 1 4 bis
Méthode Pour La Cuisson Du Riz
Recette par Rosa Mayland, septembre 2012.

Il vous faut 2 quantités de riz pour 3 1/2 quantités d'eau - par ex. 2 tasses de riz et 3 1/2 tasses d'eau (pour 4 personnes). Les proportions restent les mêmes peu importe la taille du récipient!
1. Dans une passoire, rincer le riz jusqu'à ce que l'eau du lavage soit claire, puis le faire égoutter - si cette étape est négligée, alors votre riz sera collant, lourd et pâteux au lieu d'être léger et moelleux..

2. Réunir le riz avec l'eau dans une casserole (ajouter un peu de sel lors de la cuisson du riz basmati).
3. Porter à ébullition, tout en remuant de temps en temps. Dès que le riz commence à bouillir, immédiatement baisser le feu (très petit bouillons) et couvrir avec un couvercle hérmétique. Faire cuire pendant 12 minutes - sans ouvrir le couvercle ni remuer le riz autrement cela ralentirait la cuisson du riz et aurait une incidence sur le temps réel nécessaire afin qu'il soit prêt ainsi que sur sa texture.
4. Retirer la casserole du feu et laisser reposer pendant 12 minutes sans jamais ouvrir le couvercle ni remuer le riz

5. Une fois que les 12 minutes se sont écoulées, vous pouvez soulever le couvercle et égréner le riz avec une fourchette. Bien que le riz soit prêt, je vous recommande de la laisser encore reposer, dans la casserole fermée, pendant 15 minutes supplémentaires car de cette manière il aura quelques minutes de plus pour "respirer" et sera juste parfait. 
Voilà c'est prêt!


Astuces afin de donner plus de peps à votre riz:

Maintenant que vous avez appris la méthode de base pour cuire votre riz, vous pouvez dès lors essayer d'expérimenter avec des épices (cumin, curcuma, cardamome, poivre noir, piment, le zeste, pétales de rose, etc .. - à ajouter à l'eau de cuisson, au point 2 ou faire revenir dans un peu d'huile avant d'ajouter le riz et l'eau, comme pour le pilaf ci-dessous) et des herbes (feuilles de laurier, de thé, de curry ou de lime kaffir - à ajouter à l'eau de cuisson, au point 2 ou faire revenir dans un peu d'huile avant d'ajouter le riz et l'eau, comme pour le pilaf ci-dessous - ou des herbes fraîches telles que la coriandre laquelle sera ajoutée une fois que le riz aura été cuit,  au point 5) qui arômatiseront merveilleusement votre riz et le rendront plus attrayant.

Une autre façon de parfumer son riz est de remplacer un peu de l'eau de cuisson par un autre liquide (du lait de coco, du bouillon, du jus d'ananas, du thé, du tamari, de l'eau de rose, etc ..) ou d'incorporer des fruits secs (raisins, abricots, dattes, canneberges, épine-vinette/barberries, etc ..), des noix (amandes, noix de cajou, châtaignes, etc ..) ou même des légumes (petits pois, poivrons en dés, carotte coupés en macédoine, oignons hachés, ail en purée, etc ..) à l'eau de cuisson, au point 2.

Soyez inspirés et laissez courir votre imagination!


Rice Bug 2 4

71 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your recipe! It is always good to know a working method for favorite food. I am a fan of asian cuisine too.
    And thanks for sharing these awesome moody pictures, wonderful!
    Happy weekend!
    Hugs, Sandy

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  2. Great tips for beginners. Love love your pictures. Haven't seen rice being photographed this beautiful :)

    have a great week end !

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  3. I cannot live without rice. You have given your readers great tips and your beauitful pictures.

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  5. so nice click
    Great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com

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  6. Wonderful post, Rosa. I love rice, I can eat it almost every day and never get tired of it. Thanks for the great tips and recipes.
    By the way, your photographs are stunning.

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  7. Fragrant and delicious rice is my favorite :).

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  8. You've just elevated my already sky-high love for rice! Gorgeous photos!!

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  9. Looks absolutely beautiful.. the rice pictures are fantastic... Lovely fragrant rice...yumm

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  10. Beautiful photos of my most fav grain!

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  11. Rice is beautiful, and with your photos, even more so!

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  12. beautiful beautiful photographs of rice. I grew up having rice every day.. well almost and in my home state it is even had for 3 meals a day. Even now I start craving rice if I do not have it for a couple of days. We just take it for granted that one knows how to cook it!! Great post.

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  13. Beautiful photos... you can make simple grains looks so good to eat off screen :)
    By the way...I take my hats off to you, I cant cook my rice without my rice cooker :)

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  14. Letting it breathe a bit after cooking and sitting makes such a big difference. The additions of cumin and peas sounds lovely!

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  15. Gorgeous clicks, Rosa.. And I love your take on cooking rice. It seems simple, but if did it the right way, makes a lot of difference in taste and texture :)

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  16. having the right lid, one that fits nice and snug with some weight to it is a must for perfect rice.
    I noticed a huge difference when I finally broke down and bought an all clad pot.

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  17. Beautiful inspiring photography and wonderful advice Rosa

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  18. Stovetop rice can be such a challenge to cook! :D

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  19. Absolutely gorgeous rice photos! So beautiful... as a person who comes from rice culture, I really appreciate a post like this! Beautiful pearly white rice!

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  20. I'm afraid I've never really mastered fluffy rice, although I have successfully made the deliciously crusty tadigh so loved by the Persians. It has more steps than simple steamed rice, but is deserving of the extra time - it's fabulous!

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  21. Beautiful photos Rosa and clear explanation on how to make rice... ;) Love that beetle pic too although maybe not in my rice...:)

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  22. Rice is definitely the most consumed staple in my household, as expected for a Chinese family of course. You've photographed rice in such a beautiful manner! :D

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  23. My first time on your blog :) such wonderful photos! I'm afraid I'm hooked :)

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  24. Oh, so delicious-looking!

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  25. We buy rice 25lbs at a time. Always Basmati or Jasmine. I love this post! Rice really is pretty amazing.

    PS- Your pictures have always been so lovely but your recent formatting change is oh so lovely!

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  26. Wonderful post. It's so lovely to look at the photos and read along. I like the way it is written with the introduction and the clear instructions for the steamed rice.

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  27. Perfectly cooked rice is a beautiful thing indeed!

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  28. J'ai une recette qui a le même principe mais au curry ! un régal ! j'aime le riz comme il est présenté...simple !
    bonne nuit !

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  29. Beautiful photos! I love rice but haven't seen this beautiful before :)

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  30. Magnifique comme d'habitude Rosa. Bon dimanche

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  31. Gorgeous pictures Rosa! Your new camera is a gem as I can see. ;)

    My favorite rice is basmati as well, we grew up with that rice type, but in goa the main rice is the locally grown brown fat rice. It tastes differently but if u add one leaf of a plants whos name i dont know, you can recreate the basmati rice taste.

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  32. HELENE: Thank you! Well, in fact I haven't bought a new camera... I simply purchased a new lens. ;-P I love those brown rices (I only know the variety fron Sri Lanka, though). The basmati rice I buy is grown in Pakistan... Cheers.

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  33. Great rice cooking tips. Rice does seem to be one of those things that cause problems. I rarely cook basmati or jasmine rice (they have such great flavor I don't know why I don't) but I'll try your method next time I do. Very nice pulao recipe, too. And your pictures are always good, but they're outstanding in this post. Thanks so much.

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  34. il faut que j'essaye ta recette moi qui aime le riz !
    Un petit vote pour ma table stp, sauf si tu l'as déjà fait, le lien est sur mon blog et ma table s'appelle SYLVIE (je suis en 2èm position). Merci par avance et bonne fin de dimanche. Bisous

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  35. Oh...So beautiful!!! The rice looks delightful and your photos are always so inspiring! Loving that first click!

    Hugs <3

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  36. A lot of people find cooking rice stressful so it's wonderful that you are providing tips for cooking the great rice.

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  37. Once again you have inspired, Rosa. You do it so well. I will miss these visits but most of all I will miss seeing the world through your eyes. You have taught me so much these past five years and I thank you...Louise

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  38. Joli billet Rosa, tu as raison, le riz est un aliment merveilleux et merite bien d'etre mis en valeur.

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  39. I'm saving this. I wax poetical about rice but my results are not always perfection.

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  40. I love simple rice dishes and this looks wonderful - thanks for sharing it!

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  41. Beautiful rice Rosa. I am a great fan of Indian Simmer blog too. Prerna is a great gal. This rice is fluffy and perfect!

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  42. Rosa, great post. I've been cooking rice for so long it never occurs to me that others may not know how to do it properly. Perfect instructions!

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  43. Perfect directions Rosa. I go on auto pilot when I cook rice so never stop to think about it but I know many would love to intellectually break it dow, as you did here, n in order to get it right! :)

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  44. Lindas fotos para un arroz maravilloso y delicioso,bien difícil encontrar aquí,lo consigo por internet,abrazos hugs,hugs.

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  45. I'm usually ok at cooking rice, but I made some the other night that was horrible! I need to remember your ratios!

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  46. Next time I am going to add cumin to the rice too. So much more flavourful!

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  47. such a lovely dish! your rice looks so fluffy and perfect and i can just imagine how wonderful it smells!

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  48. Great tips Rosa...I will confess I buy frozen stuff...you can laugh atme..go ahead

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  49. Jasmine and Basmati rice are the best in the world. Period. This is a fantastic post Rosa. I often cook both but can always use the tips. Your photos are gorgeous!

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  50. I'm convinced only YOU could make rice look this good!

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  51. I love the fragrance of rice cooking. There's something so appealing about it.

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  52. Rice is such a comforting food, love this recipe, Rosa. Gorgeous shots!

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  53. Basmati is my favorite rice. I like to add spices when I'm cooking it. Delicious pictures!

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  54. J'aime beaucoup la présentation de ce riz aux influences indiennes très subtiles :)

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  55. Even if I come from Couscous culture we still enjoy eating rice from time to time in my family. When I cook rice, I always choose Basmati or Jasmine variety, they never let me down. Thanks for this lovely post.
    Have a nice evening Rosa.
    Cheers
    Mamat

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  56. I'm so picky about my rice - especially Jasmine and Basmati! I love your version and you really get down to the knickety knack of it. I can't wait to try it..love peas and love cumin!

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  57. rice is a magical ingredient, for sure! thanks for the informative and tasty post, rosa!

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  58. Hi Rosa,
    I love rice and this suggestion is superb and your rice looks so fluffy and tempting that I just want to grab a fork and dive in straight away...
    Cheers,
    Lia.

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  59. I love Basmati rice and we eat it often and mine never comes out as fluffy as I would like. I can't wait to give this a try. I have a question though. Do you have to alter the cooking time or technique if you are cooking Brown Basmati Rice? We only use brown rice and I know it takes longer to cook than white. Do you have any tips for making it as lovely as your white rice? Thanks so much for you wonderful post. I never knew that rice could be so beautiful!

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  60. Thanks for the great tips, I can't wait to try them. My Basmati rice is never as fluffy and nice as I would like. I was wondering, since we only use Brown Basmati rice do I have to alter the times listed about or use a different technique? I know that brown rice usually takes longer to cook than white and I would really like my rice to be fluffy and light instead of clumpy. Thanks so much for the great advice.

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  61. This is such a simple yet vital post Rosa. As an Indian perfect rice for the curries is eesential and you have described the method perfectly here as I learnt it from my mum! I've linked to it in my latest curry post :o)

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  62. Rice with peas is one of my favorite dishes! So easy and delicious. I'll have to try your recipe next time. Oh, and that beetle is super cool!

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  63. Beautiful shots - and I love that gold beetle! I think his cousins infest my rosemary bush each summer ;)

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  64. Bonjour, je m'appelle Nafissa, 16 ans et passionnée de cuisine! Je vous invite à venir visiter mon blog gourmand: Les delices de Nafissa qui comporte plusieurs rubriques mises à votre disposition ;). Je vous informe qu'il est aussi possible de s'inscrire à ma newsletter en entrant votre e-mail sur la colonne de droite! Merci & à bientôt!

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  65. They are so beautiful Rosa

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