MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Tahari (Dum Cooked Basmati Rice With Black Spices)
Categories: Indian
Yield: 4 Servings

1/4 c Oil
3/4 c Red onions; thinly sliced
2 Bay leaves
1 Cinnamon stick (2")
2 Black cardamoms;
- cracked open -OR-
5 Green cardamoms;
- cracked open
3/4 c Peas; fresh or frozen
3/4 c Cauliflower florets
1 lg Russet potato;
- peeled, cubed 1/2"
1 c Basmati rice
1/4 ts Nutmeg; fresh grated
1/2 ts Garam masala
Salt; to taste
2 1/2 c Water;
- or as required for
- cooking your rice variety
Cilantro;
- chopped, for garnish

MMMMM-------------------------SPICE MIX------------------------------
2 tb Whole black peppercorns
4 Whole dry red chiles;
- adjust to tolerance
1 ts Whole cumin seeds
1/2 ts Whole coriander seeds
4 Whole cloves
Fresh ginger (2");
- peeled & crushed roughly

Equipment: Kadahai or wok with lid.

Note:

Cut the potato & cauliflower florets such that they cook perfectly in
the time it takes rice to cook.

Soak spice mix in 1/2 cup water for 30 minutes.

Pick & wash rice 2 to 3 times under running water. Set aside. Thaw
the peas if using frozen. Tip the soaked spices above into a blender
jar & churn to make a smooth mix. We dont want a too fine or too
coarse textures here, just ensure that the black pepper seeds are
crushed properly. Transfer to a bowl & set aside.

Heat oil in kadhai or wok on medium. Once the oil is smoking, add the
sliced onions. Cook the onions until they are light brown, about 8
minutes. Next, reduce heat to low & add the bay leaves, cinnamon
stick, black cardamom & the ground spice mix to the pot.

Cook the spices with regular stirring until you see oil separating on
sides of the pot, about 6 to 8 minutes. At this point, add the
vegetables along with washed rice to the pot. Gently combine
everything to mix well. Remove from heat & pour the water required
for cooking the rice into the pot, give everything a stir, add salt
to taste & let the rice soak for 15 minutes.

Once the rice has soaked, transfer the pot to medium heat. Cover the
pot & bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and let cook for
10 to 12 minutes, or the time required for your rice variety to get
95% cooked. Turn off the heat, open the lid, add the grated nutmeg &
garam masala, gently mix with a wooden spoon & leave to steam on its
own over the stove for another 5 to 8 minutes, undisturbed.

While the rice is steaming, heat up a cast iron skillet (enough to
hold the cooking pot). Once the skillet is hot, reduce heat to very
low, transfer the rice pot over the skillet & let the rice cook for
10 minutes more on dum (indirect slow cooking technique). We want the
bottom layer of rice to crisp up, almost burnt.

After 10 minutes, fluff up with a fork, garnish the rice with chopped
cilantro. Serve with plain yogurt & salad.

Recipe by sanjuro

Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/tahari.txt>

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