Rice to the occasion

Khuska Rice

Ingredients

• Rice (as required)
• Oil and ghee
• Cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, black stone flower, green chillies and mint leaves
• Onions
• Tomato, sautéed
• Mint leaves, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt.
• Coconut milk

Method

• In a mixing bowl add rice and water, soak for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker — add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, stone flower and green chillies.
• Add onions and tomatoes, sauté on a low flame for at least five minutes.
• Add mint leaves, sauté for a minute, then add ginger-garlic paste and mix well.
• Add red chilli powder and salt to taste. Sauté well and cook for at least three minutes (until the spices mix well with the onion and tomato mixture). Add strained rice and mix well on a medium flame.
• Add coconut milk and let it cook for about a minute.
• Add water and leave it on a medium high flame until the first whistle of the pressure cooker, then simmer and cook for three minutes.
• Release pressure manually. Once the pressure releases, open cooker and let it cool.
• You can add a tsp of ghee (optional).
• Finally, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with onion raita.

— as told to Aditi Jayakumar