Basmati Rice Pilaf

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Title: BASMATI RICE PILAF
Categories: Grains, Indian, Usenet
Yield: 4 servings

1 c Basmati rice (from 2 Cloves
-Indian grocery or 4 Black peppercorns
-gourmet shop) 1/4 t Cumin seeds
1 sm Onion 1 T Light vegetable oil
3 md Carrots 2 T Butter
1 Bay leaf 1 T Kosher salt (or to taste)

Wash the rice in cool water, squeezing gently with your fingers, until the
water runs clear. Put the rice in about 2 cups of cool water to soak for
20 minutes. Strain soak water into saucepan and heat. Leave rice to dry in
strainer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

While rice is drying, chop onion finely and set aside. Dice carrots and
set aside. Measure spices.

When rice is dry, heat oil over medium-high flame in heavy, oven-proof
skillet or casserole dish. Add spices. When spices become fragrant, add
butter and onions. Cook until onions are tender and light golden brown. Add
carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring very gently for 5 minutes. Add salt and heated
soak water, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water on top of
rice has boiled off. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees
F. Remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

NOTES:

* Basmati Rice with Carrots -- This is a delicate, fragrant rice dish, one
of our favorites. I got the recipe from an Indian cooking class. It's a bit
of work, but well worth it.

* It is important to handle the rice gently so that the grains are not
broken. It's also important to use whole spices; ground spices would
overpower the rice.

* This dish can be re-heated in the oven.

: Difficulty: easy.
: Time: 30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking and cooling.
: Precision: measure the ingredients.

: Nancy Mintz
: AT&T-Information Systems, UNIX System Development Lab, Summit, NJ
: ihnp4!attunix!nlm

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust

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