Gur Wale Chawal - Rice Cooked in Brown Sugar

This post is seriously late!

 

The awesome picture you see below is what my dear sweet Mami made when I visited Lahore over a year ago. She is used to cooking for much larger crowds so it was very amusing to hear ingredients going into the pot by kilos :-)

 

I am sharing her recipe below... which I downsized to about a cup of rice.

It's really quite simple to put together.. the only set back is that I can't find good quality Gur (a type of brown sugar) anywhere here :-( 

 

 

Several months ago I made a batch.... quite honestly it lacked the wonderful gold color that you see in pictures and the rich flavor... primarily because I ended up using Jaggery that you can commonly find in Indian grocery stores here.

 

I am not entirely sure about this.... but I think that even though they all start as cane juice Gur, Jaggery and Shakar are three very different products. Try and find Gur from Pakistan - which usually looks like large lumps rather than cubes - when you make this. And then send some my way :-)

 

I loved watching this video that shows Gur making in Sargodha. Very relaxing music and the imagery makes me home sick! I am sometimes very ambitious when it comes to cooking stuff the authentic way..... maybe one of these days I'll get a few jugs of freshly squeezed cane juice from Chaat 'n Roll and make some Gur at home :-)

 

Ingredients

You can definitely add lots of dried fruit, nuts and coconut into this. I like it naked with a hint of cardamom.

1 cup Long grain basmati rice (no other rice will work)
2 1/2 cups Water for boiling

3/4 cups Shredded Gur
1/3 tsp Freshly ground cardamom
1/3 cup Ghee (or melted butter)
1/4 cup Persian green raisins (or dried Persian apricots) *optional
1/4 cup Mixed nuts (like pine nuts, pistachios or almonds) *optional
2-3 Tbs Dried unsweetened coconut slivers *optional
1/2 cup Water

Start by boiling 2 1/2 cups of water in a large pot.
Add 1 cup of rice to it and boil until the rice is cooked almost al dente. To check simply rub and smash an individual grain of rice between your thumb and forefinger. The outer surface of the rice should be soft and tender but the middle will feel like it has at least 2 hard dots.

While the rice is boiling... take a separate cooking pot and heat up 1/2 cup of water. Add shredded Gur into the pot.... cook on medium low heat and stir often to prevent burning. When all is melted and combined add cardamom powder and ghee to it. Have this syrup ready and warm.... you will add the drained rice immediately into this.

Drain the rice... shake off the extra water and then add it to the pot that contains the sugar butter syrup.
Mix gently.. turn the heat on low.
Cover the pot airtight with a lid that has been wrapped in a moist kitchen towel... no steam should escape.
Steam for 15 minutes or until the rice is completely tender.
Mix in the coconut, raisins and nuts.
Done :-)
Its best when eaten slightly warm with some un-sweetened un-whipped 40% fat heavy cream on top!

 

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Rava Idli

I love south Indian food! I am new to the flavors and new to cooking it. The other day I woke up craving Idlis. I made the coconut chutney and Idli Podi. The idlis and rasam were from a pre-mix that I got from Mayuri. Maybe next time I'll make those from scratch.

hmmm... the title for this post is a bit misleading, Oh well :-)

P.S.
I don't have idli molds so I steamed the batter in a large round steamer and used a cookie cutter to make the circular shapes.

P.P.S
Happy birthday bug, I love you so very much!

Coconut Chutney

This makes a lot of chutney, close to 3 cups, you can freeze the leftover easily. The ingredient list seems very daunting but all of the things on it are found very easily at any Indian grocery store.

Start with a fresh medium size mature coconut. Remove the water and keep aside. You will need only the white part of the coconut, peel off the brown skin at the back after removing the coconut from the hard shell. Cut the coconut into small chunks. You should have roughly 2 to 2 1/2 cups of coconut chunks.

Ginger 1" piece

Green chilies 2-3 medium size

Jaggery or Brown sugar 1 tsp

Tamarind pulp 2-3 Tbs

Cilantro leaves 1/4 cup

Channa Dal (split chickpeas without seed coat) 2 Tbs 

Urad/Maash Dal (washed black gram) 2 Tbs

Raw cashew nuts 1 Tbs

Raw Peanuts 1 Tbs

Mustard seeds 2 tsp

Cumin seeds 2 tsp

Curry Leaves 3-4 leaves

Water  (Use coconut water and add enough plain water to get 1 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid )

Salt 2 Tsp

For tempering: (these quantities are for 1 cup of chutney)

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Bay leaf 1 large - broken up in large pieces

Dried red chili 1 large - broken up in large pieces

Asafoetida (Hing) 2/3 tsp

Oil 4 Tbs

Method

Most of the ingredients will need to be roasted. Channa dal takes the longest so start with that first.

Pour about 1 Tbs of oil in a frying pan and heat it up.

Add the channa dal and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

Roast the dal for about 10 mins and stir it a few times.

Now add the urad dal and roast for another 5 mins. Stir occasionally.

Add the cashews, peanuts, red chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and roast for another 6-8 mins. Stir after every minute or two.

Allow the roasted ingredients to cool down.

For this step a hand held immersion blender worked better for me than a regular blender.

Combine all the roasted ingredients with the coconut chunks, tamarind pulp, jaggery, ginger, green chilies, cilantro, salt and water (basically everything).

Blend blend blend until you get a smooth and thick chutney (almost as thick as yogurt).

Cool the chutney in the fridge for about 20-30 mins.

Tempering:

The chutney it almost ready. The step should be done right before serving, so if you are going to freeze the chutney then don't do this now. 

Heat 4 tbs of oil in a frying pan.

Add all the spices listed under "For Tempering" except hing, that should be added in the last 5 seconds.

Fry these on high heat for 30 seconds and pour the hot oil over the chutney. You will hear a loud sizzle, that's good a thing.

Your chutney is ready  :-)

Idli podi

(makes about 2/3 cup of powder)

Channa Dal (split chickpeas without seed coat) 1/4 cup

Urad/Maash Dal (washed black gram) 1/4 cup

Mustard seeds 2 tsp

Coriander seeds 2 tsp

Cumin seeds 2 tsp

Pepper corns 2 tsp

Sesame seeds 1 tsp

Curry Leaves 3-4 leaves

Dried Red chilies 2-3 Large
Asafoetida powder (Hing) 2/3 tsp (this is added in the last 5 seconds)
Garlic powder 1 tsp (optional) (this is added in the last 5 seconds)
Dried tamarind or anar dana (dried pomegranate seeds) 2 tsp (optional)
Oil 2 tbs (use about a tsp at a time)
Salt 1 tsp

All these spices are roasted separately and slowly over low heat and then ground into a fine powder.
Pour 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy base frying pan.
Roast channa dal for 10 mins - keep aside.
Add another teaspoon or oil and roast urad dal for 5-6 mins - keep aside.
Add the rest of the oil and roast all of the spices (minus the hing and garlic powder) for about 3-4 minutes add the hing and garlic powder in the last 5 seconds.
Allow everything to cool.
Grind everything together in a coffee grinder.
Done!

You can eat this with some ghee and idlis!

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Murgh Pulao

Another good one from Pakistan! This is a very flavorful way of preparing rice. Basically rice is cooked in a perfectly aromatic and garlicky chicken broth and caramelised onions are added towards the end. You can eat this with some chutney or raita. And since it's not as spicy as Biryani, it's a good choice with all sorts of curries.
A great recipe for biryani here and here is one for a wonderful curry.

FYI my mom makes the best pulao!! No arguing that!
She taught it to my sister and my sis taught it to me :-)
(i tawt a taw a puddy tat)
I don't know where that came from. Maybe because its 3am and I need to sleep except I can't. A mild case of insomnia is the culprit and man these infomercials.
MUST WATCH ALL!
(i did, i did taw a puddy tat!)

Anyhoo... here is how it's made.

(Prep time 30 mins + 2 hours for broth)
(Enough for 3-4 people)
Ingredients

For the broth:
Chicken wings 8
Garlic 1/2 head
Green cardamom 3 whole pods
Black cardamom 3 whole pods
Cilantro/coriander seeds 1 Tbs whole
Cinnamon 1" stick
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Black peppercorn 1 tsp
Water 4 cups

For later:
Basmati rice 3 cups
Red onion slices 1/3 cup
Butter 2 Tbs
Oil for frying onions

Combine all the ingredients under broth in a large pot (don't add the stuff listed under "For later").
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to med high. Continue to boil covered for 2 hours.
Afterwards use a strainer and collect just the broth.
You should have four cups. You can add more water if you don't :-)
Allow the wings to cool down. You can pick the meat from the wings to add back to the rice later if you wish (I do this).
Heat some oil in a frying pan. Brown the onion until they are dark in color. This will be mixed with the rice at the very end.
Bring the broth to a boil and add rice.
Partially cover your pot and cook for 10-12 mins on med heat.
Reduce to low heat and cook completely covered for another 10 mins or until rice is fluffy.
Add the butter, caramelised onions and the meat from the wings.
Toss well. Ready!

:-)
Ta da!

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Mochi Ice cream

The first of this month was one of those days... you know the ones when an old old friend you haven't heard from in ages, fifteen years to be exact, calls you right out of the blues.

What an over whelming feeling it is. Left me smiling all day long :-) Something sweet and decadent today. Here's to life's little indulgences! This one is for you Afshan, a beautiful mom of a precious baby boy. Thanks for totally making my day :-)

Mochi is a rice cake that is eaten in Japan specially around new year. They are stuffed with all sorts fruits and almost always anko (sweet red bean paste) however the ice cream filling is a relatively new concept. Mochi is traditionally made by pounding steamed sweet rice in a large wooden bowl. Here is a neat little video I found on YouTube that shows how its done!

Following is a recipe for basic sweet mochi sometimes coconut milk or green tea is used instead of water. Most recipes that I found used only rice flour. I added a bit of tapioca starch so that it will stay soft longer at room temp and also freeze well.

Ingredients

All of these were available from Uwajimaya.
1 cup glutinous rice flour (Mochiko)
1/2 cup tapioca flour or starch
Potato starch (Katakuri) for dusting purposes. You can use corn starch instead if you want
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup + 2 Tbs of water
Food colors red and green (optional)
Green tea ice cream 1 pint
Adzuki bean ice cream 1 pint

The above amounts would make enough mochi for one pint of ice cream.
I made two batches. The first I colored green for the Adzuki bean ice cream and the second I colored pink for the green tea ice cream.

The first step would be to scoop out the ice cream on a plate in eight equal portions and refreeze. Once they are hard you can round them off with your hands and freeze again.

Now lets make mochi :-)
The mixture will be steamed so use a steel mixing bowl that can fit inside a larger pot.
Fill the larger pot with about 1" of water. Since we are steaming this, it is important that the bottom of the bowl containing the mixture should never touch the water. Therefore place a stand or an inverted cup inside the large pot so that the small bowl can sit on top of it. You should be able to put a lid or a plate and seal the larger pot.
Sounds complicated? :-)
The rest is easier :-)
Combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar and water. Mix really well don't want any lumps. Add food coloring just 2 drops were enough for a pastel shade.
Carefully place this bowl inside the steamer. Cover and steam on med heat for 15-18 mins. That's it.
It will be really really sticky :-)
Take out the dough on a clean surface which is dusted quite liberally with potato starch.
Knead it gently and roll it out in a log. Cut into eight equal parts.
Below is a picture of the frozen ice cream balls next to the mochi. I love the color contrast :-)

When the mochi is cold, roll out each section into a round disc about 5" diameter and roughly 1/4" thick. Place the ice cream ball in the center. Bring the sides up - twist, seal and break off the extra mochi in one sassy move.

Here is a lil video that explains it :-)
Let the mochi ice cream sit out for 5-8 minutes before biting into it!

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Chicken Biryani

Very very aromatic!
Delicious. A staple at all weddings!
Biryani has many variations and you can make it as complex or as simple as you want. This is a chicken biryani from Lahore Pakistan.

(This recipe will serve 6 ppl)
(Prep time: 1 hour)
Marinade for the chicken

The spice and salt content might seem a bit high. But since the chicken gravy will be mixed with rice it will mellow out.

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 1/2 lbs (cut up to approx 2" chunks)
Black pepper 2/3 tsp
Cayenne pepper 1 tsp
Cilantro/coriander powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Black cumin 1/2 tsp
No salt!Salt is added while cooking because adding salt to the marinade will draw out the juices and make the chicken dry. The spices listed above will be enough for a simple basic biryani.

Mix the spices together.
Rub well into the chicken and let it sit on the counter for 30 mins.
The chicken should be at room temperature before cooking.
Heat about 2 Tbs oil in a wide non stick pan.
Use one and a half times the amount of salt you would normally use (I used 1 1/2 tsp for this)
Sprinkle half the amount over the meat and fry quickly for 3-4 mins on high heat (reserve the other half of salt for the gravy)
Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside for now. It will cook fully in the gravy.

For the gravy

Red onions sliced 2 cups
Tomatoes diced 1 1/2 cups
Garlic chopped 1 1/2 tsp
Fresh plain yogurt 1/3 cup
Cooking oil 1/3 cup
Salt (leftover from frying the chicken)
Heat the oil in the same pan used to sear the chicken.
Fry the onions until light golden brown in color.
Add garlic. Fry for 2-3 mins.
Add tomatoes, salt and cover the pan.
Turn the heat to med high and cook until the tomatoes break down. Should take about 5 min or so.
Whip the yogurt with a fork and add it to the pan. Mix well.
Cover and cook for another 10 mins. Use a blender to turn this into a smooth thick gravy.
Now,
Add the chicken and cook on med heat for 20 min or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Cook uncovered so that most of the water evaporates. Use a splatter screen to prevent a mess.
The gravy is ready.

For the rice
Boil 4 1/2 cups of long grain Basmati rice in pot full of boiling salted water, like you would pasta.
Add to the water a stick of cinnamon and a few cloves.
The rice should be half cooked, sort of el dente.
Drain out all the water and discard the cloves and the cinnamon stick.

Final step... Layering the Biryani
You will need,
A large, deep pot with a heavy base like a Dutch oven or something similar.
You will also need 1/2 stick of unsalted butter thats about 4 Tbs.
And some saffron strands about 15-20 soaked in approx 2 Tbs lukewarm milk.

This process doesn't have to be perfect at all. Don't worry about making precise layers. It will all be mixed in towards the end.

Spread 1/3 of the chicken gravy at the bottom of the pan.
Now layer 1/3 of the rice over the gravy.
Drop 1/3 of the butter over the rice.
Repeat.

Your top layer would be rice with a dollop of butter.
Lastly, pour down the saffron milk concoction along one side of the pot. The idea is to have some rice colored bright yellow and ofcourse the addition of the wonderful aroma of saffron.
Sprinkle a little water no more than a Tbs over the rice.
Cover tightly with a lid.
Some people find it useful to wrap a moist kitchen towel around the lid before covering the pot to make it air tight.
Cook over low heat for about 30 mins.
The rice will fully cook in the steam created inside the pot.
Mix well!
Done!
Goes really nice with a cool cucumber or mint raita!

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