Spiced-Yellow Rice

Very simple and very comforting. This yellow spiced rice adds just the right amount of sunshine to your plate.

P.S. - Ignore the serving suggestion if you're having this with the Sahs.

Ingredients :

Rice (any variety of polished rice will do) - the rule of thumb at my place is an open fistful per 2 people at the dining table and I will be feeding a crowd of 7
Water
Turmeric powder - 1 tspn.
Salt to taste
Cloves - 4
Pepper corns - 5
Cinnamon stick - half  - broken into 4 - 6 pieces
Bay leaf - 1 dry - optional
Star anise - 1 dry - optional

Method :

1. Wash and soak the rice in the vessel you're going to cook it in for about 5 minutes.
2. Drain out the water its been soaking in and add fresh water. Water level shout reach the second ridge of the ring finger while your middle finger touches the submerged rice. (see picture illustration below)
3. Place on medium heat and add the turmeric and whole spices. Partly cover the vessel with a lid until all the water is evaporated / absorbed.
4. Voila! Yellow- spiced rice / Khichri is ready.
   
   Serving suggestion : You can also add a blob of butter, which melts away as you add a freshly cut de-seeded green chilli, some lemon zest and a slight squish of lemon juice and have it warm!!
   
   Let your imagination run wild with this one and the possibilities are endless.... Meanwhile, I'm lusting over the possibilities of  a brunt garlic scented garnish going great with this, hmm.. what are the odds??

Sahs (Parsi Style White Sauce)

Sitting pretty on a bed of yellow spiced rice, this is my home cooked version of the festive Parsi treat, Machi no Sahs, often found on the "Lagan nu Patru". A pale goldeny creamy sauce cooked with prawns.

The Sahs or Sauce in my view is an ode to flavors typically Parsi - a perfect blend of sweet, sour and  pungent, delicate and warm  just right to sit on top of  my list of must have and must cook comfort foods for a lazy Saturday afternoon with the family.



Unlike most white sauces, this Parsi-style sauce is made with either rice or gram flour instead of the regular all purpose flour. I personally prefer to use the gram flour over rice flour (which I use as a back up option) because of its goldeny charm which packs a punch full of character and flavor.

One of the core flavors in this dish is brought in by the use of Sarka i.e. dark sugarcane vinegar. The most commonly found vinegar in Parsi kitchens across Bombay has to be Kolah's - a brand from Navsari. This amber tonic of flavor adds a light blush to this pale yellow gravy. Incase you can't get a hold of this vinegar, apple cider vinegar works just fine.



Now coming to my favorite part of the recipe - although most commonly cooked with pompfrets, this recipe goes great with prawns(what I have used this time - an all in all winning combination!), kingfish fillets, boiled eggs and even lamb or mutton (I'd suggest you prepare the dish in a pressure cooker right from scratch in case you're making the red meat variant). You're a vegetarian ? You can totally skip  any kind of meat.



To "bejewel" this dish is a must according to me, and so I plonk in a pack of fresh cherry tomatoes and it almost looks like ruby-pearls peeping out of the satiny syrup and that consistently puts a smile on my face.

To finish, garnish with a few chopped sprigs of fresh coriander for emerald freckles.

At home this sauce is served with Khichri i.e. Yellow-Spiced Rice



Recipe (Serves 6 - 7 pax)

Ingredients :

Vegetable or sunflower oil - 1 Tbspn.
Onions - 2 large finely chopped
Curry leaves - one small stem
Garlic - 4 cloves, Green chillies - 4 and 1 - 2  tspn. of cumin seeds (Ground to a paste with a little bit of water)
Sugar - 1 Tbspn.
Salt - to taste
Gram / rice flour - 4 - 5 Tblspn.
Fish cut into slices /boneless meat/ lamb into small pieces - 500 gms
Water - 2.5 - 3 cups
Fresh cherry tomatoes - approx 12 - 15
Fresh coriander - few sprigs freshly chopped

Method :

1. In a heavy bottomed vessel add the onions, curry leaves and some oil and place on a medium heat. Allow the onions to cook till slightly pink.
2. Add the green chilli, garlic and cummin seed paste, mix well and cook till its very lightly browned.
3. Add the sugar and cook it its melted due to the heat.
4. Add some water to the flour and make it into paste (just to ensure there are no lumps - I place the four with some water into the same container of my mixer grinder n which i made the garlic chilli and cummin paste). Add this to the onion mixture, cook till the entire mixture thickens a bit and add about 2 cups of water and salt. Bring to a boil.
5. Add the fish and let it cook in this mixture for approx. 3 minutes and turn off the heat. For the meat version add the pieces of meat an pressure cook for about 2 / 3 whistles.
6. Add the cherry tomatoes and chopped fresh coriander. Turn on heat again and bring to the slightest boil. (You don't want those baby tomatoes to pop in the sauce while cooking, they  feel great when they pop in you mouth - believe me!)
7. Serve hot with Yellow Spiced Rice (recipe coming soon!).