Curried Rice

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make curried rice? Gather your ingredients. You can swap the basmati for a good parboiled long-grain rice. I'm using chicken broth, but vegetable broth works too. Ghee is a great alternative to butter.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the rice several times in cold water, changing the water until it runs clear. This washes the starch off the grains so the cooked rice comes out fluffy. Spread the rice on a clean towel to dry.

3. Step 3:

   

   Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes. Peel the garlic as well and slice it thin. If you'd rather have the garlic stay in the finished dish, grate it on the fine side of a grater instead.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the ginger root and grate it fine, or chop it finely.

5. Step 5:

   

   Melt the butter in a skillet. At this point you can add fresh curry leaves and fry them until translucent and crisp, then lift them out — they'll leave the fat with extra flavor and aroma. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not fully done, about 5 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Sprinkle in the spices: curry powder, ground coriander, pepper, and salt. Fry, stirring often, so the spices bloom and release their aroma. Adjust the amounts up or down to suit your taste.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add the garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. If you sliced the garlic, lift the pieces out now; if you grated it, just stir it in with the onion and ginger.

8. Step 8:

   

   Add the rinsed, dried rice to the pan. Stirring constantly, toast the grains in the fragrant fat for 3–4 minutes.

9. Step 9:

   

   Pour the broth over the rice. Base the amount of liquid on the cooking directions on your rice package. I used a 1:1.5 ratio (1 part rice to 1.5 parts broth). The rice should be fully covered. Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil.

10. Step 10:

    

    Cover the pan and cook the rice over low heat until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15–17 minutes. The rice should turn tender but not mushy.

11. Step 11:

    

    Turn off the heat and let the rice sit, still covered, for another 5 minutes. Gently fluff the finished rice, folding it in from the sides of the pan toward the center.

12. Step 12:

    

    To serve, you can garnish the curried rice with rings of chili pepper, parsley or cilantro, and, if you like, toasted cashews. Enjoy!