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Recipe for "basmati-rice-1"

NAME

     BASMATI-RICE-1 - 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.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

     200 g     Basmati rice (from Indian grocery or gourmet shop)
     1         small onion
     3         medium carrots
     1         bay leaf
     1         cinnamon stick, crumbled
     2         cloves
     4         black peppercorns
     1 ml      cumin seeds
     15 ml     light vegetable oil
     30 g      butter
     15 g      kosher salt (or to taste)

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Wash the rice in cool water, squeezing gently with
               your fingers, until the water runs clear.  Put the
               rice in 500 ml  of  cool  water  to  soak  for  20
               minutes.
          (2)  Strain soak water into saucepan and  heat.   Leave
               rice to dry in strainer.  Preheat oven to 175 deg.
               C.
          (3)  While rice is drying, chop onion  finely  and  set
               aside.   Dice  carrots  and  set  aside.   Measure
               spices.
          (4)  When rice is dry, heat oil over medium high  flame
               in  heavy,  oven-proof  skillet or casserole dish.
               Add spices.
          (5)  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.
          (6)  Add rice and cook,  stirring  very  gently  for  5
               minutes.
          (7)  Add salt and heated soak  water,  bring  to  boil.
               Reduce  heat and simmer until water on top of rice
               has boiled off.
          (8)  Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes at 175  deg.
               C.
          (9)  Remove from oven, let rest for  10  minutes,  then
               serve.

NOTES

     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.

RATING

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

CONTRIBUTOR

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