Basmati rice is an Indian cereal, which has a special taste and aroma. The grains of this product are thin and long. After collecting, such rice is kept for at least one year. As a result of prolonged drying, the cereal grains become harder. It should be especially noted that during cooking they practically do not lose their shape and increase by about 2.5 times.
Basmati rice grows in northern Punjab, between Pakistan and India. Presented cereal is the most expensive variety in the world.
How to cook basmati rice?
You can cook lunches using such cereals in different ways. But if you only need to boil it, then for this you need to prepare:
- rice groats - 1 faceted glass ;
- table salt - to taste;
- drinking water - 1.5 facets. glasses.
Long grain cereal preparation
You do not know how to cook basmati rice? It should be washed thoroughly in cold water. To do this, pour the required amount of cereal into a large sieve. Next, long-grain rice should be washed carefully, kneading it well with your hands until the water is completely clean.
Heat treatment of Indian cereals
After the Indian basmati rice has been processed, it must be put in a deep bowl and pour 2 cups of ordinary cold water. In this position, it is desirable to leave the croup aside for half an hour. After the specified time, all the liquid needs to be drained, and the rice is kept in the bowl for another 10 minutes. Next, the product must be poured into a saucepan, pour 1.5 cups of cold water, put on a strong fire and wait for boiling. After the liquid in the container begins to boil, the fire must be reduced to a minimum value. Having covered the pan with a lid, the cereal should be cooked for about 20 minutes.
The final step in cooking dinner
Basmati boiled rice , the recipe of which we are considering, is not recommended to stand on fire for longer than the set time. Otherwise, the cereal will be digested and take on a sticky, porridge-like consistency. After the product is fully cooked, it must be thrown into a sieve and rinsed thoroughly in cold water. At the end, boiled basmati rice should be salted to taste, as well as add any spices.
How to serve a meal at the dining table?
Boiled Indian groats will serve as an ideal side dish for meat, poultry or goulash. In addition, this product is often used for cooking meatballs, hedgehogs, lazy cabbage rolls, sushi and so on.
Cooking the most delicious and satisfying pilaf
Basmati rice is an ideal product for cooking such an oriental dish as pilaf. To make it tasty, fragrant and as crumbly as possible, the following components should be prepared in advance:
- Basmati long-grain rice - 1.5 facets. glasses;
- fat of mutton or beef with fatty layers - about 400 g;
- large fresh carrots - 3 pcs.;
- garlic - a large head;
- bitter white bulbs - 2 heads;
- vegetable oil - add at discretion;
- salt and seasoning, specially designed for pilaf - add to taste.
Food processing
Basmati rice for pilaf should be processed in the same way as in the previous recipe. However, it is not necessary to soak it in water. In addition to cereals, for such a dish you should take a small fatty piece of beef or lamb, wash it thoroughly and cut into large cubes. It is also required to peel carrots and onions, and then chop them into half circles and rings.
Heat treatment of part of the ingredients
Before you make such a delicious oriental dish as pilaf, you should first fry pieces of meat and vegetables. To do this, you need to take a thick-walled pan, pour vegetable oil into it and warm it up as much as possible. Next, put the beef or lamb into the dishes and fry over a fast fire until a reddish crust appears. After that, chop the chopped vegetables to the meat pieces and let stand for another 5-8 minutes.
The whole cooking process
Thoroughly frying fatty meat and vegetables, you should start laying out rice. To do this, it is advisable to generously sprinkle the main ingredients with salt and aromatic seasonings, and then evenly distribute along the bottom of the pan. On top of fried meat and vegetables, you need to lay out carefully washed long-grain rice and a large head of garlic. Without stirring the products, they must be poured with boiling water so that it covers the ingredients by 2-2.5 centimeters. This amount of water is quite enough for the cereal to boil well, to increase in size, but it remains friable.
After the products are filled with boiling water, the dishes must be tightly closed and the fire set to a minimum. In this position, pilaf should cook for about 35-40 minutes. After the specified time, the dish should be thoroughly mixed, additionally seasoned with spices (if necessary), then closed again, removed from the stove, wrapped in a thick towel and left aside for half an hour.
Proper serving
Now you know how to cook basmati rice. After 30 minutes, it is recommended to mix the pilaf again with a large spoon, and then distribute it on deep plates and serve with fresh herbs. It should be noted that the oriental dish prepared according to the above recipe turns out to be very tasty, aromatic and satisfying.
What is the peculiarity of this kind of rice?
Basmati rice is used to make light side dishes and loose pilaf because it contains much less starch than a similar, but round-grain grits. That is why such a product is considered dietary and is often used for a healthy diet.
It should also be noted that the Indian rice presented contains a lot of useful substances, namely: folic acid, starch, fiber, iron, amino acids, phosphorus, niacin, thiamine, potassium and riboflavin. By the way, boiled grains of such cereals do not provoke the excitation of secretion of the juice of the stomach, as they envelop and protect its mucous membrane.