Exotic Kala Jeera Biryani cooked in my kitchen.
Kalaa Jeera, the Prince of Rice, is an ancient, long-grain white rice on a miniature scale – like baby Basmati. It cooks in only ten minutes, producing a delicate aroma, taste, and texture. Grown in Bangladesh, Kala Jeera (also spelled Kalijira) is usually reserved for special holidays and religious festivals. Today, you can enjoy this exotic rice every day or as an alternative to Basmati, especially in making pilaf. We regard it as one of the best tiny, aromatic rices in the world.
Recipe for this aromatic Biryani.
Ingredients:
1) 1cup Kala jeera rice washed (only once) and soaked in 3 cups of water.
2) mixed vegetables diced ( carrot, capsicum and peas)
3) 1tbsp ghee
4) 1tsp ginger garlic paste
5) paste or powder of 5- 6 cashew nuts or almonds
6) 1 or 2 green chillies chopped
7) 1/4 TSP garam masala
8) salt to taste
9) juice of 1/2 lemon
10) mint and corriander leaves to garnish.
Method:
1) cook the rice in the same water as soaked will a pinch of salt.
2) Take a pan, add the ghee and sautee the ginger garlic paste for a few seconds, add the vegetables, green chillies and sautee for a few minutes.
3) Add salt and garam and sautee for a few seconds. Add cashew or almond paste or powder, add water of required and sautee for a 1-2minutes till you get the perfect aroma.
4) when you are about to mix the cooked rice into the vegetable mix, add the lemon juice, corriander and mint leaves. Add the rice, mix the rice and vegetables together gently. Put the lid of the pan tight and cook on sim for a few minutes. Alternatively you can also cook on dum.
The most flavourful rice I have had in recent times.
To know where to buy the rice place check http://www.spiritoftheearth.in. spirit of earth is a NGO and works with the farmers directly.
Special mention to my husband Harsha Raj Subrahmanian who uses his best photography skills to make my dish look the best! Thank you Harsha!
yogitauchil 