Baked Indian Rice Food

OVEN BAKED RICE AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) / 180C/350F (fan / convection).
• Mix Spice Mix in a small bowl.
• Place Rice ingredients in a baking dish (including the carrots), about 23 x 30 cm / 9 x 13". Add 1 1/2 tsp Spice Mix. Stir, cover with foil, bake for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place Roasting Vegetable ingredients in a large bowl, drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Sprinkle over remaining Spice Mix. Mix well - hands are best for this.
• Remove rice from oven.
• Turn oven UP to 220C/430F (standard) / 200C/390F (fan / convection).
• Take off foil. Spread the Roasting Vegetables on top of the rice. Make sure there's a bit of each type of vegetable on the surface. Push corn mostly under.
• Drizzle with more oil (optional), sprinkle with more pepper.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, rest for 5 - 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Push vegetables aside, fluff rice and toss it through the vegetables a bit (rice gets more flavour). Serve!

OVEN BAKED RICE WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a pan set over a medium heat, melt the butter, and add the mushrooms and chopped garlic.
• Cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms release their liquid and become golden.
• Remove them from the pan, and set aside.
• In the same pan, add the oil, chopped onion and half a teaspoon of salt, and fry until the onions are golden.
• Add the grated carrots, chopped peppers, and cooked mushrooms.
• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then add it to the pan of vegetables.
• Pour over the stock, give it a good stir, and transfer everything to an oven-proof dish and place the lid on.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for 35 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed, and the rice is cooked through.
• Use a fork to fluff the rice up, then garnish with spring onions.

INDIAN STYLE BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Place rice into a bowl with enough water to cover. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and cumin seed. Cook and stir for about a minute, then add the onion to the pot. Saute the onion until a rich golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the rice, and stir into the pot. Cook and stir the rice for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. Add salt and water to the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.

SOUTH INDIAN-STYLE YELLOW RICE

Steps:

• Wash the rice in cold water until the water is no longer cloudy, 3 or 4 times, then drain. This step is important as it removes the starch from the rice and prevents it from clumping up.
• Heat the stock or water in a heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the drained rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Do not disturb the rice or take a peek while it's in the middle of cooking. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 5 to 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the ghee or oil in a pan large enough to fit the rice over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and let sizzle until you hear popping sounds, about 30 seconds. Add the nuts and cook until golden brown and crunchy, about 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the urad dal, asafetida, crushed red chiles and curry leaves. Be careful as the curry leaves might sputter. Cook until the urad dal turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Gently mix in the cooked rice.
• Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if needed.

SUPER-QUICK INDIAN RICE

Steps:

• Cook rice following pack instructions.
• Drain rice and return to pan, stir in the garam masala and cook for 1 min over a low heat. Stir in the peas, flaked almonds and seasoning. Cook for 2-3 mins more, then serve.

OVEN BAKED RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
• Pour rice into the prepared baking dish.
• Stir water, butter, salt, and vinegar together in a saucepan; bring to a rolling boil. Pour the water mixture over the rice; stir.
• Bake in preheated oven until the water is absorbed and the rice tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

SPICY INDIAN RICE

Steps:

• Fry the onions in the sunflower oil in a large frying pan for 10-12 minutes until golden.
• Fill a roomy saucepan with water, bring to the boil and tip in a heaped teaspoon of salt - the water will bubble furiously. Add turmeric and the cinnamon stick to the water. Pour in the rice, stir once and return to the boil, then turn the heat down a little so that the water is boiling steadily, but not vigorously. Boil uncovered, without stirring (this makes for sticky rice) for 10 minutes. Lift some out with a slotted spoon and nibble a grain or two. If they're too crunchy, cook for another minute and taste again. They should be tender but with a little bite. Drain the rice into a large sieve and rinse by pouring over a kettle of very hot water
• Stir the crushed seeds of the cardamom pods into the onions with the cumin seeds and fry briefly.
• Toss in a large handful of sultanas and roasted cashew nuts, then the hot drained rice. This is great with curry and will also give an exotic edge to grilled meat or fish.

BASMATI PILAFF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. You will need a medium casserole with a lid. Rinse the rice well in a large bowl of water, then drain.
• Melt two-thirds of the butter in the casserole and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes. Add the rice, stir well, then add the herbs, whole spices and lemon zest and cook for a minute. Now pour in the boiling stock or water and mix into the rice, along with 1½ tsp sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.
• Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fork through the remaining butter until the rice is fluffy and separated.