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Dinner with Rukmini
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My Mother’s Cashew Nut Pulao Rice
Introduction from Rukmini Iyer
Once you’ve eaten this pulao, you’re going to be hard-pressed to go back to ordinary white
rice. Using the microwave rice method as we do at home ensures that you get lovely, separate
grains of rice and perfectly crisp buttery spiced cashew nuts. I give the traditional all-in-one
method in a pan in the notes below in case you don’t have a microwave, and it’s still lovely,
although the cashew nuts are a little less crisp from cooking along with the rice.
Ingredients
Method
Put the rice and boiling water in a large Pyrex bowl, cover with a plate and microwave on medium for 14 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. (Or see the note below for the stovetop method.)
Once the rice has cooked and finished standing, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat; when it starts foaming, add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cinnamon scroll, cloves and cashew nuts. Stir-fry gently for 5–6 minutes or so, until the cashew nuts are evenly golden brown.
Spoon the rice into the hot butter and gently stir over a low heat until it’s coated in the butter. Add the ground spices and a big pinch of sea salt and stir-fry for a further 2–3 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt as needed (I like quite a bit, so I haven’t given an exact quantity). Serve hot, with anything or by itself.
NOTE: If you don’t have a microwave, you can do this the traditional way – take a saucepan, do the bit with the butter, whole spices and cashew nuts, then add 300g raw basmati rice and stir-fry it with the ground spices and a pinch of salt for 2–3 minutes. Add 600ml water, bring it to the boil, then lower the heat to the absolute minimum and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let it cook for 15 minutes without taking the lid off. Spread the rice over a couple of plates to dry out for 5 minutes, then serve hot.
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From the book
India Express: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Day
75 recipes inspired by the vibrant flavours of South India and Bengal
Speedy and fuss-free recipes for maximum flavour in return for minimum effort
Trademark traybakes, as well as stir-fries, snacks, weeknight curries, and simple desserts
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