Mmm...Fluffy, white, non-sticky Basmati rice at home? Doable!

If the title of the post got you here, then you are at the right place. Yes, it wasn't just a crowd-pulling or attention grabbing gimmick. Having tried, tested, failed, tried all over again and finally succeeded (Mohammed Ghazni isn't related to me in any way :) ), I can comfortably say that I almost always get my Basmati right. Be it Pulao or Veg Biriyani, the rice I cook nowadays adheres to all the adjectives mentioned above. And getting there isn't a big deal. All you need is a little caution. 

Basmati is a type of long-grain aromatic rice and is primarily grown in India. (Yes there are other varieties too!) It is by nature longer than the usual raw rice and tends to stay separated from the other grains when cooked. However, it is very easy to overcook Basmati and make it mushy. South Indians are used to working with aged raw rice which is very tolerant to the amount of water used.  For example, a cup of well-aged raw rice can take in upto 3 cups of water, tolerate even an extra whistle in the pressure cooker and still stay nice and good. But do the same to Basmati, it is sure to take its revenge. So respect the rice and follow these steps:

• Soak the Basmati for at least 15-20 minutes before cooking. This reduces the cooking time of the rice and also removes some starch.
• The thing that makes rice grains stick together is the starch content. Repeated washing of the rice removes the outer coating of starch (the thing that makes the water white while washing), thereby leaving the rice less prone to stickiness. So make sure you wash your Basmati multiple times, but exercise caution – your over enthusiasm may actually break the grains. 
• Measuring the amount of water that you add to cook your Basmati is of absolute importance. You may be an expert cook, but if you are new to cooking Basmati, I suggest you stick to measuring cups for a while.  You may use your eyes for measuring at a later point in time.
• NEVER cook Basmati in a pressure cooker!!!! The result is almost always pathetic. I recommend the stove top or the electric rice cooker method. In the stove top method, cook every cup of Basmati in 4 to 5 cups of boiling salted water for and drain excess water once cooked. In the rice cooker method, add 1.5 cups of water per cup of Basmati and cook till done. There won’t be any water left to drain in this case. Adding spices like elaichi, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves etc. and a little ghee while cooking makes the end product extremely aromatic and inviting.
• Post-cooking care also plays a significant role in plating up a perfect Basmati recipe. Cooked basmati is extremely fragile, handle with care. Stir it gently with a flat spatula. Never stir too much.
• Now for the Pulao Biriyani segregation – When I make Pulao, I half-cook the harder vegetables like beans, carrots and peas separately with a little salt. Then I sauté the softer veggies like baby corn, mushrooms, cauliflower, soya chunks etc., add the soaked rice and the half cooked veggies and dump them all in the rice cooker. This consistently yields a superb Pulao!
• For Biriyani, I cook the rice as in step 6 and then spread it out on a plate to cool. Then I layer the rice and veggies alternately in a heavy bottomed vessel and cover it with aluminium foil and a plate and then place a weight on top to simulate ‘DHUM’. I put it in a double boiler to prevent burning. The end result is astounding!
• Don’t try making fried rice with Basmati rice. Raw rice works much better. If you are bent on using Basmati, then use cooked and cooled rice. But do so at your own risk!
• Last but definitely not the least important - don't fall for the trap. It is not necessary that you have to buy the costliest variety of Basmati to get the best results. Even the mid range varieties or the 'Everyday Basmati' varieties can give please your eyes and taste buds if cooked correctly.

Phew! Now you see, cooking Basmati isn’t a big deal after all! A little patience is sure to reward you with great results. Now storm you kitchen with a warrior spirit, cook up a plate of jaw-dropping Basmati and let me know!

The billion dollar Pulao – Biriyani – Fried Rice confusion!

The other day, I had been to a Darshini (one of the many standby restaurants in Bangalore) where I happened to order a 'Biriyani'. As we were waiting, the boy at the counter announced “Veg rice ready”. As expected, what came to the table was a blob of yellow rice with some under-cooked beans, tomatoes and carrots. Needless to say, it was miles away from a Biriyani.

In several parts of India, especially South India, the words ‘Veg rice’, ‘Pulav’, ‘Biriyani’, ‘Tomato Rice’ and ‘Brinji’ tend to be used interchangeably. To add to the chaos, there are innumerable posts in the blogosphere that chronicle about the ‘Best Pulao ever made with left over rice’ or ‘Instant cooker biriyani’ and one cannot help but wonder what is what.

I was in such a situation a few years back. However, I wanted to get a clear idea and hence decided to do a bit of research J. Here are my research findings peppered with a bit of history:

• Pulao is derived from the Turkish word Pilaf. It is the Indian answer to the Turkish/Persian rice challenge. Pilaf/Polow is a staple in many middle eastern and Balkan countries. The traditional recipe calls for boiling aromatic long grain rice with vegetables or occasionally, meat. The criteria for the dish to be called a Pulao is that the rice has to be fluffy, long-grained and non-sticky and the flavours mild. Hereafter, you won’t feel stupid and left out when Vicky Ratnani teaches you how to make a great Pilaf on NDTV Goodtimes!

Veg Pulao with Raita

• Biriyani entered India with the Mughals. In fact, it is said to have been invented in their kitchens. For a rice dish to be classified as Biriyani, it has to satisfy the following criteria:    

1. Fluffy, non-sticky long grained rice to be used.
2. Loads of spices to be used.
3. Generally meat based, but can be vegetarian too
4. Most important!!!!!! – HAS TO BE COOKED ON DUM! Rice and veggies cooked separately and then layered and cooked covered in low heat to infuse the flavor into the dish. This holds especially for the non-vegetarian versions.

Veg dum Biriyani, ready to be mixed and plated

•  Fried rice is of Chinese origin. Ha! Don’t we all know that, courtesy, the many ‘Chainese Frid rice, Gopi Manchoori stalls’ all over the place? Fresh cooked rice is too moist to be fried. Hence, the best choice of rice for this dish is left over rice or rice cooked and cooled for a couple of hours.  The second most important and often overlooked need is a hot wok/kadhai/pan.  Thirdly, the sauces play a significant role too - soya, chilli, schezwan etc.  and oh yeah, vinegar shouldn't be forgotten. Just by adding gram masala and ginger garlic paste and frying rice on a hot wok, one cannot expect to have a plate of ‘Fried rice’!

Fried rice served with stir fried Tofu

• Tomato Rice - This is quite popular in South India, especially as a lunchbox favourite. This can be loosely equated to a Pulao having only tomatoes, onions and garlic and devoid of all other vegetables.
• Brinji or Veg rice - These terms are used mostly in Tamilnadu. They are the 'raw rice' equivalents of Pulao, but with fewer spices. Bay leaves and fennel are the commonly used spices.

Henceforth, if you are ordering a plate of biriyani at a restaurant, you will exactly know what to look out for! What’s more, you will know how to protest when someone tries to pass off a plate of pulao for fried rice!

Watch out this space for some delectable Pulao/Biriyani recipes!