Herbed Basmati Rice Food

INA'S HERBED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Combine the rice, 1 3/4 cups water, the salt, and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce the heat to low, stir once, and simmer, covered tightly, for 15 minutes. (pull the pot half off the burner to keep it from boiling over.)
• Turn off the heat, and allow the rice to sit covered for 5 minutes.
• Add the parsley, dill, scallions, and pepper.
• Fluff with a fork, and serve warm.

HERBED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a medium skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
• Add rice and garlic to pan; Saute 2 minutes or until rice is lightly toasted.
• Add water, broth, and salt to pan; bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
• Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.
• Stir in onions, nuts, Parmesan cheese, basil, thyme, and pepper.

HERBED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Combine the rice, 1 3/4 cups water, the salt, and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low, stir once, and simmer, covered tightly, for 15 minutes. (I need to pull the pot half off the burner to keep it from boiling over.) Turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit covered for 5 minutes. Add the parsley, dill, scallions, and pepper. Fluff with a fork, and serve warm.

HERBED RICE WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Cook the rice as the label directs. Spread out on a baking sheet and let cool completely. Soak the raisins in the lemon juice in a cup, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the rice with the chervil, basil, parsley, cilantro and carrot in a large bowl. Chop the pea shoots, reserving some whole for garnish, and add to the bowl. Drain the raisins, straining the lemon juice into a separate bowl. Add the vinegar, lemon zest, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste to the lemon juice. Whisk in the olive oil. Add to the rice mixture along with the raisins and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the reserved pea shoots.
• Photograph by Jonny Valiant

BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Cook the butter and onions over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and toss until all of the grains are coated with the butter. Add the water and salt, cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the scallions and parsley, fluff with a fork, and serve.

CURRIED AND HERBED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Heat medium 3-quart pot over medium-high heat with oil. Add minced garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Don't burn garlic. Lightly brown.
• Add rice. Constantly toss and stir to coat rice with garlic and oil and lightly toast rice.
• Add chicken stock, curry powder and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover on simmer til rice has absorbed liquid (about 20 minutes).
• During last 5 minutes of cooking rice, remove lid, add butter, rosemary and parsley. Stir. Recover.
• If liquid is absorbed, reduce heat to low and keep warm. If rice appears dry, add small amount of olive oil. I recommend doing this anyway, as the Extra Virgin Olive Oil adds wonderful flavor.
• Just before serving, add lemon zest to pot and toss to combine all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

HERBED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Over medium-high heat, melt the butter in a large pot and saute the rice with the onions and garlic until golden. Add the boiling water and stir well.
• Stir in the rosemary, basil, fennel seeds, salt, pepper and cashews. Cover and bake for 18 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

BASMATI RICE WITH SWEET ONIONS AND SUMMER HERBS

Steps:

• Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear; set aside. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice, 2 1/2 cups water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Stir in herbs. Season with pepper and more salt, if desired. Transfer to bowl and serve.

MEDITERRANEAN HERBED RICE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan bring water to a boil; stir in the bouillon. Add the rice and stir several times until it returns to boiling. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and let it simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let the pan stand undisturbed, covered, for 10 minutes. (Do not lift the lid!).
• In the meantime: In a large skillet, saute the onion, celery, mushrooms and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes (or until the celery and onion are tender). Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Add the cooked rice, fresh herbs, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper, and stir just until well combined. Serve while still hot.

SABZI POLO (PERSIAN HERBED RICE)

Steps:

• In a large strainer, rinse the rice until the water runs clear, mixing it with your fingers as you rinse. Put the rinsed rice in a bowl and add 2 cups cold water and a handful of kosher salt (about 1/4 cup). Let sit for at least 1 hour.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine herbs. Process, in batches if necessary, until coarsely chopped. (You should have about 6 cups; set aside 3/4 cup of the chopped herbs to use as garnish.)
• In a large pot bring 12 cups water and another handful salt (about 1/4 cup) to a boil. Drain rice and add to pot. Stir once very gently; return to a boil and cook until the grains are about halfway cooked (tender but with a firm spine), 3 to 5 minutes, skimming off any foam. Drain rice, give it a quick rinse with cold water, and spread it out on a platter or rimmed baking sheet until needed.
• In a medium bowl or pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter; reserve.
• In a large nonstick skillet with a cover, or shallow pot over low heat, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter and add grapeseed oil. Swirl the pan to make sure the melted butter covers the entire surface and sides of your skillet. If not, add more butter.
• Add a small pinch saffron and large pinch salt to the butter and swirl around. Place lavash so it covers the bottom and halfway up the sides of the skillet in a single layer, overlapping only slightly where needed. (You can tear the lavash into pieces.)
• Sprinkle a third of the rice over the lavash. If rice is clumpy, break apart with your fingers. Top with half of the chopped herbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon dried dill over fresh herbs. Repeat with another layer each of rice, herbs and dried dill, mounding layers in a pyramid-like shape. Top with final third of rice, and place spring garlic, if using, around the edges of the skillet.
• Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke several holes in the rice to allow the steam to escape. Pour reserved melted butter and 2 tablespoons hot water over rice. Cover and raise heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, or until steam is visible around the edges of the lid. (Don't go anywhere! The tahdig can burn very quickly.)
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Lift lid and cover skillet with a clean kitchen towel. Return lid to skillet and cook for 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to very low. If you have a heat diffuser, place it under the skillet and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until rice is done and tahdig is golden brown. If you don't have a diffuser, watch the pot carefully so the tahdig doesn't burn. If you smell burning, turn the heat off and let the pot sit off the heat until rice is done.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon saffron and 1 tablespoon hot water. When rice is done, set aside spring garlic; reserve. Gently transfer 1 cup rice to the saffron mixture, toss to color the rice yellow, and set aside.
• Taste rice for doneness. If needed, gently stir in more salt.
• To serve, spoon half of the green herb rice onto a serving platter, taking care to not disturb the tahdig at the bottom of the skillet. Add half the reserved fresh herbs. Repeat the layers of rice and herbs. Top with saffron rice and garnish with spring garlic. Lift out the tahdig, break into pieces and serve on the side.