EastIndian Sweet Safron Rice

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It feels so much festive to eat this. Typically East Indian, this flavoured rice preparation is so called Cullinary Treat straight from Bengal India.

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  • Average
  • 20 mins
  • Average budget

Ingredients

  • Basmati Rice - 250 gm
  • Milk - 1/2 cup
  • Saffron - 4-5 strands
  • Whole Garam Masala (Hot Spice Mix) - ( 2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 2 black peppercorns)
  • Sugar - 3-4 tbsp (can vary if you like the rice more sweet)
  • Ghee - 4 tbsp
  • Raisins (Kismis) - 15-20
  • Cashew - 4-5
  • Coconut - 3 tbsp (chopped in small pieces-optional)
  • Almonds - 3-4
  • Saffron Food colouring - 1 tsp
  • Kewra/vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp(optional)use specially if using regular rice

Preparation

Step 1

Wash the rice and drain the water.
Take the milk in a bowl and drop the saffron strands. Let it stand for a while for the flavour to infuse in the milk.

Chop the almonds, coconut, cashew and almonds in small pieces. Try to make them of uniform size.

Grind the Whole garam Masala coarsely and keep it aside.

Heat 1 cup water and boil the sugar with it to make a uniform dense sugar syrup.. Preserve this for later use.
After the rice has dried, heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a non-stick pan. Once you smell the ghee/butter, toss in the garam masala and raisins.

Step 2

When the garam masala gives out the flavour pour the rice into the pan. Fry for a 2 minutes.

Add the saffron colouring and mix well.
Add Sugar Syrup And/or Vanilla essence and cook for 5 mins

Take the rice out of the flame and put it in the pressure cooker. Add the saffron milk from Step 2. Add enough water on top of it required for cooking the rice.

Pressure cook till the rice cooks well.Keep cooking in open so that excess water boils off.

Take out 2 tbsp of cooked rice in a small bowl and pour 1/2 tsp of saffron colouring. Mix well. These rice will have a darker shade than the rest of it in the pressure cooker.

Take out the rest of the rice in a big serving bowl. Now add the rice and mix well. So now you will have bi-color rice.
Add the fried nuts, coconut and 1/2 tsp of ghee and mix the rice well so that the nuts are spread evenly.

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Eat with East Indian Potato Curry.