Title: Pillao (Spiced Rice)
Categories: Indian
Yield: 1 Batch
1 lb Basmati rice
6 oz Ghee or cooking oil
1 md Onion
1 cl Garlic
10 Cloves
1 Cinnamon stick (3")
10 Cardamoms
1 ts Salt
4 oz Sultanas
2 oz Blanced almonds
Pillao rice is a dish that was especially developed by the chefs of
the Mogul emperors. The emperors needed a dish that would serve great
multitudes on feast days and special days of celebration. Clearly, to
feed so many people required a dish that was not going to be too
expensive but at the same time had an air of the exotic about it. So,
Pillao rice was born and there are as many different recipes for
Pillao rices of various sorts as there are Indian chefs.
The one point to be made is that Pillao rice is not fried rice,
although a certain amount of frying of the rice does occur at the
very beginning of the recipe. Fried rice itself is something
restricted almost exclusively to the Chinese and in this case the
rice is fried once it has already been boiled. The one thing
especially advantageous about Pillao rice is that unliked boiled rice
it is far less prone to sticking together. The oil keeps each grain
separate. For this recipe it is important to use a heavy saucepan
with a tight-fitting lid.
Heat the ghee or cooking oil. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Fry the
onion in the oil until soft. Peel and thingly slice the garlic, and
fry that together with the onion for a further 2 minutes. Now add the
cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. Fry for a further minute over a
gentle heat and add the rice. It is important that the rice is washed
as well for this dish as you would for ordinary boiled rice. Attempt
to drain as much water as possible from it.
Keep the heat low and continue to fry so that each grain of rice is
coated with oil. Add the salt and cover the rice with boiling water.
Bring back to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Cover the
pan tightly and check every 5 minutes until the water has been
absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender.
As soon as the rice is ready for eating, fry the sultanas and almonds
in a little oil and mix into the rice. Traditionally, Pillaos are
served with a decoration of finely beaten silver. But, you may omit
this if you can't bear to see the family silver go under the hammer!
