From Vic's Recipes Adapted from the February 1997 issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine Serves 4 1 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken in two 2 whole green cardamom pods (alternatively use ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder) ¼ cup diced onion 2 whole cloves (this is not a typo - really cloves, not garlic cloves) 1 cup basmati rice 1 teaspoon salt 1½ cups of water (or chicken broth) Small pat of butter (optional) Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat until almost smoking. Add the whole spices and cook, stirring, for one minute. (If using cardomom powder, don't add it at this point.) Add the onions and cook, stirring until translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1½ cups water (or chicken broth) and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. (Add cardamom now if you are using powder.) Stir once, cover tightly, and simmer until all the water has been absorbed, between 13 to 15 minutes. (I generally proceed to the next step after 13 minutes without lifting
the lid because it's been my personal experience that 13 minutes works
well. But this might have some nuance involved - your pot, the level of
your heat, etc. You will figure out what works for you after actually
making the recipe.) Turn off the heat. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. If you're going to add a pat of butter, now is the time. |