Tips on How to Cook Perfect Rice

Perfectly cooked rice is tasty, light, and fluffy. The grains are distinct and tender but not mushy. Different rice cooks at different parameters; brown rice cooks longer than white, old rice can lose some of its moisture, requiring more water and a longer cooking time. However getting consistently good results is not impossible. Rice can be cooked in one of several ways: boiled and steamed. There is a great variation in personal preference as to the hardness or softness of rice desired. In any event , properly cooked rice should be dry and uniform in texture. Even the softest rice should have all moisture completely absorbed into each grain and not left between the grains. (This does not, of course, apply to congee). The absorption method of cooking long-grain rice described below is the most commonly used.

Basmati Rice Rinse the rice several times until water comes out clear and drain off water. Excess water can make your rice mushy. For fluffier, faster cooking rice, soak it in cold water for about half an hour prior to cooking. You can skip this step and still get good results. If you do soak your rice, be sure to drain it thoroughly.

Add 1 1/2 to 2 cup of clear water (depending on softness desired, soaked rice requires less water) for every cup of rice and boil over big fire while stirring occasionally to prevent sticking that will lead to burning. Stir gently or it could break the rice. Use a pot with a tight-fitting lid that is big enough to provide plenty of room above the rice for steam. A tight lid keeps the steam in. Some cooks add a bit of butter or olive oil at this point to help keep the grains from sticking together. A few drops of lemon juice is used not only to prevent sticky rice, but to retain the "whiteness" of white rice. For some, this is not a good practice because it masks the natural flavor of the rice.

Lower the heat to a simmer when the water has been evaporated and small craters form on the surface. Cover and cook for 12~15 minutes. Note that soaked rice requires shorter cooking time. Also, t he greater the quantity of rice, the longer the heat is retained, and the shorter the cooking time. Avoid lifting the lid when the rice is cooking. For some reasons if you need to, do it very quickly. To test if the rice is cooked, squeezed a grain between the thumb and index finger. If it's cooked it will be soft, if uncooked, there will be a hard particle of starch in the centre of the grain.

At this stage, the top layer of the rice is drier than the bottom, which can be very moist. Gently f luff the rice with a fork or chopstick to avoid breaking the fragile rice below. Then let it stand, covered, for five to 30 minutes. This results in a uniform texture, with the bottom layers as fluffy as the top.

If there is a little liquid remaining once the rice is cooked, remove the cover and raise the heat to evaporate the liquid quickly (make sure that the rice does not stick to the pan) OR dry the rice in the oven at 300ºF for 7 to 15 minutes.

If there is a lot of cooking liquid remaining, drain the rice (the leftover cooking liquid can be used to make soups, sauces, or stews). Place the drained rice in the oven or on the stove briefly to dry it.

If the rice is not fully cooked, add just enough water to create a little steam. Put the lid on and cook the rice on very low heat for another 5 minutes.

If the bottom layer of rice has burned, run cold water over the outside of the pot's bottom to cool it down and retard the burnt flavor from spreading to the rest of the rice. Unload as much rice as you can salvage.

While cooking rice add a few drops of lemon juice. The color of the grains become bright white.

Biryani

INDIAN RECIPE: Biryani


Serves 6
Ingredients for Biryani:

* 2 lbs Spring Lamb (cleaned and cut into medium size pieces)
* 4 ozs Yougurt
* 4 ozs Ghee
* 1 lb Rice (washed)
* 4 ozs Onions (sliced finely)
* 1 oz Ginger & Garlic (equal amounts crushed)
* 1 Lemon
* 1 oz Armonds (ground)
* 2 Cinamon sticks
* 4-6 Cardimons
* 1 oz Milk
* 1/4 tsp Safron
* 2-3 Green Chilies
* 1/2 tsp Black Zeera
* 2-3 Cloves
* 1/2 tsp Garam Masala (equal amounts of Black Zeera, Cardamons & Cinamon sticks, with half amount of cloves)
* Salt to taste
* Coriander and Fried Onions to Garnish

Directions for making Biryani:

1. In a large bowl mix the meat, yoghurt, almonds, chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic, salt, and ground garam masala.
2. To the mixture add half a teaspoon each of chilli powder and turmeric. Marinate for at least 4-6 hours in the fridge.
3. Fry the onions in ghee until golden brown and crisp. Drain away any excess ghee and then remove the onions and spread over a large plate. This should keep the onions crispy.
4. Once they have cooled crush the onions with your fingers and add this to the marinated meat mixture.
5. In a large pan half fill with water and add salt, whole garam masala and one green chilli.
6. Bring this to the boil and add the washed rice and cook until the water boils.
7. Once the water has boiled drain the rice in a colander and rinse with a little cold water.
8. Grease the saucepan generously with ghee and transfer the meat mixture.
9. Level the surface and now spread the rice evenly over the meat.
10. Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice over the rice.
11. Warm the milk and crush the safron into it.
12. Pour the milk/safron mixture over the rice. Dot generously with ghee.
13. To garnish spread the fried onions and corriander over the rice.
14. Cover the saucepan tightly. Allow to steam on high heat for about 10 minutes and then lower the heat and cook for another 1 and a half to 2 hours.
15. Before removing the pan from the cookeer ensure that there is no moisture left in the meat. This can be checked by simply listening for a sizling sound. If there is no sizzling then the Biryani is ready.
16. Biryani is traditonally served with Mirch Salan and Yoghurt Chutney.
17. Enjoy your Biryani. Hope you love this Indian recipe.

INDIAN RICE RECIPES

Broccoli and Carrot Pulau, Green Prawn Pulao recipe , Lemon Rice, Saffron Rice recipe , Vegetable Pulao, Puliyogare, Exotic Chicken Biryani recipe

About Indian Food

Indian cuisine is popular all over the world and is one of the most unique and original cuisines of the world. The culinary appeal of Indian cooking has taken the Western culture by storm because those who have tried know how good Indian food can be. There is an ever increasing appreciation of and interest in Indian food around the world. The fact that you can find Indian restaurants in almost every country in the world is a testimony to the popularity, variety and great taste of Indian food.

Indian Cooking RecipesIndian cooking is well known for its sophisticated and subtle use of many spices, herbs and flavorings. Spices form the most important element in enhancing the flavor of a dish and creating unique aromas in Indian cuisines. Spices like chilli pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger, hing and coriander form an integral part of Indian food. Other common items in Indian cuisine are rice or bread (rotis), a variety of lentils (dals), regional vegetables, yoghurt, ghee, paneer (Indian cheese), savory pickles and chutneys. Sweets are essential in Indian cuisine as well. A few popular Indian sweets are gulab jamun, ladoo, halwa and burfi.

A large portion of Indian food is vegetarian due to the fact that about one third of the population of India is vegetarian. However, many traditional Indian dishes also include chicken, lamb, mutton and other meats. The most popular forms of Indian cooking have to be curries and lentil dishes, usually served with rice or breads.

India, home to more than one billion people, is a country with diverse styles of cuisine. Each religion, culture, festival, and caste has left its own influence on Indian food. Indian cooking also varies from region to region. Generally, Indian cuisine can be categorized into four regions: North Indian, South Indian, East Indian, and West Indian.

North Indian cooking, often called Mughal style is one of the world’s popular cuisines. The staple food of most North Indian is a variety of lentils, vegetables, rotis, chappatis parantha, pooris and nan. Curries in North India have a more subtle and mellow flavor. Dairy-based products such as milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter) and yogurt are featured prominently in North Indian curries and gravies. Garam masala is a spice mixture used extensively in northern Indian cooking. Mutton and lamb are popular meats of many Northern Indian recipes. A few famous North Indian food are Samosas, Motichoor Laddo, Tandoori chicken, Kashmiri pulao, Biryani, Daal Makhani, Rasamalai, Kebabs, Butter Chicken, Kheer, Chicken Tikka, Chaat, 'sarson ka sag'…

South Indian food are mostly vegetarian and is more spicy. Rice is the staple grain in South Indian cuisine. Coconut, curry leaves, spices, sambar and rasam are used liberally in South Indian cooking. A few famous Southern Indian snacks are dosa, bonda, vada, idli, bajji and puttu. Appam, Mysore Pak, seafood dishes, upma, vindaloo curry, Hyderabad biryani and basoondi are some popular South Indian dishes.

Both the cooking and consumption of Indian food are great culinary experiences. The reward of cooking Indian food recipes are obvious to anyone who has tasted a well-cooked Chicken Tikka Masala or was sustained by mouthwatering samosas. IndianFood-Recipes.com has a great selection of free and delicious Indian recipes. Happy cooking!