Recipes - Saffron and Spice Basmati Rice & Ghee
The Best Indian Rice Comes Alive with Cumin, Cloves, Ghee, and Lime
Sep 13, 2009
Take a basic basmati rice one step further by infusing the rice with saffron and cooking it with toasted cumin seeds and cloves to add to the depth of flavor and presentation of the rice.
Start with Aged Basmati
Start by making sure that the basmati rice you are using is a high quality aged, long grain rice. The best place to find a really high quality basmati rice is by visiting your local Indian grocery store. Often, a ten pound bag of rice can be purchased for $12 - $17. If there are no local Indian grocer's, rice can even be purchased on Amazon or through other online retailers.
Enhance the Flavor with Ghee
Ghee is an Indian clarified butter. It is called desi ghee when made at home. It can be made at home (desi ghee) or purchased online from retailers (ghee). It has a somewhat pungent odor, but it adds a lot of flavor to Indian dishes. If ghee is unavailable, substitute one part butter and one part olive oil in place of the ghee in the recipe. To make desi ghee, throw some butter into a heavy pan and melt it over low heat. Let the butter simmer until it is completely clear and the bottom of the pot is visible.
Remove the pot from the heat. At that point, add a pinch of salt, just to season the butter and help any floating particles fall to the bottom. Once the ghee has cooled somewhat, pour the ghee into a glass jar. Use a strainer to prevent any particles from entering the jar. If done correctly, it will solidify once it has cooled completely.
Ingredients
- A pinch of saffron, toasted
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
- 3 whole cloves, toasted
- 2 cups aged basmati rice
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons ghee (or 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Begin by separating out the rice and checking for anything that might need to be removed, such as any small stones or unhulled grains.
- Once the rice has been examined, put it into a strainer and run cool water over it to remove the excess starch.
- Place the saffron threads in the bottom of a heavy pot and crush them.
- Add the water and the drained rice to the pot.
- Let the rice soak for at least a half hour. Soaking longer than a half hour is fine and enhances the rice.
- While the rice is soaking, gently toast the cumin seeds and cloves in a small non-stick skillet on medium low heat until fragrant. Reserve until the rice has finished soaking.
- Once the rice has finished soaking, add the lime juice, ghee, seeds, and salt and set the water to boil.
- Once the water is boiling, stir a few times, then cover and lower the heat to low.
- Let the rice steam for 15 minutes. The turn off the heat and let it sit another 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
This recipe should yield roughly eight cups of rice, which is good for biryanis, but can easily be halved for smaller portions.
 |
