Indian Food Bonanza Continues - Indian Style Rice #31 (plus bonus Dal Recipe)

Two things contributed to my decision to cook Indian Style Rice and Madhur Jaffrey's Lentils with Garlic and Onions for dinner: we still had naan that needed to be used and (more importantly) we had all of the other ingredients on hand. So yummy! Trent noted that while the rice was better than plain rice, it wasn't terribly noticeable as we poured the lentils on top. Regardless, I highly recommend both recipes. I also find that the texture of the rice is amazingly fluffy.

Indian Style Rice

2 c. Basmati rice

8 c. water

2 t. salt

2 cloves

2 cardamom pods

one 2-inch piece of cinnamon

3 T. vegetable oil

1/2 t. dark mustard seeds (I used yellow mustard seeds)

1/2 t. cumin seeds

1/4 t. chile flakes

1 medium onion, chopped

3 chopped garlic cloves

1/4 t. turmeric

Rinse rice in a sieve with cool water until the water runs clear. Soak in cool water for 30 minutes. Drain.

Bring 8 c. water and the salt to boil in a large pot. Add rice and stir. Add cloves, cardamom and cinnamon (if you don't have a stick of cinnamon or cardamom pods, you can add a dash of either with the cumin later on) and simmer for 10 minutes. Test to see if rice is done. When finished, drain into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking. Remove spices and discard.

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and the chile flakes. Cook until the mustard seeds start popping, then add onion. Saute until onion begins to brown (5-7ish minutes).

Add garlic and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add rice and mix well. Sprinkle turmeric over the rice and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

Serves 4-6 (Trent said to me, "That's a lot of rice!")

Lentils with Garlic and Onion

4 T. vegetable oil (I never use quite that much)

1/2 t. whole cumin seeds

4 gloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 med. onion, chopped

1 c. lentils, washed and drained

3 c. water

1 t. salt

1/8-1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. When hot, put in cumin seeds. A few seconds later put in garlic. Stir and fry until they turn a medium brown color. Add onion. Stir until onion pieces begin to turn brown around the edges. Put the lentils and the water in. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour or until lentils are tender (I usually use red lentils, which only take 15 minutes, though you can simmer for longer if you really want to). Add salt and cayenne. Stir and simmer gently for another 5 minutes.

Notice that with all the garlic involved, we have nothing to fear from vampires!