Name: Ghee Rice (Neychoru)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 cup Jeerakasala Rice, or Basmati rice, soaked for 30 mins and completely drained; 2 tbsp Ghee, pure clarified butter, divided; 1 Onion, 1 very thinly sliced for frying, 1 finely chopped for cooking; 8 Cashews, halved; 1 tbsp Raisins, golden raisins; ½ Assorted Whole Spices, bay leaves, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, star anise; 1 Green Chili Pepper, slit; ½ tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste, optional, use very little; 1¾ cup Water, boiling hot; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste; ½ tsp Lemon Juice, keeps the rice white and fluffy

1 hr 5 mintotal

35 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: None

Add to your week

Method

In a heavy pot, heat some of the ghee until it shimmers. Add the very thinly sliced onions and fry them slowly over low heat until they caramelize to a crisp, deep bronze. Lift them out and set aside.
In the same flavoured fat, toast the cashews until golden, then add the golden raisins and toss until they plump up. Lift them out and set them aside with the caramelized onions.
Add the remaining ghee to the main pot. Add the whole spices (bay, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, star anise) and sear them for 10 seconds to release their aroma.
10 sec
Add the finely diced onions and the slit green chillies. Sauté them attentively until they turn translucent, and stop before they take any colour: the finished dish should stay white.
If you like, add a very small amount of ginger-garlic paste and fry it for 60 seconds to cook off the raw edge.
1 min
Pitch the flawlessly drained rice grains directly into the hostile, spiced fat. Employ a devastatingly gentle folding action to roast the grains for 3-4 minutes over minimal heat. This critical step lacquers the grains in an impenetrable lipid armor, guaranteeing absolute separation.
3–4 min
Pour in the measured boiling water. Add the salt and the lemon juice, which keeps the rice bright white.
Bring it to a rolling boil. Cover the pot tightly straight away, turn the heat right down, and simmer for 10-12 minutes without lifting the lid, until all the liquid is absorbed.
10–12 min
Decapitate the heat source entirely. Enforce a ruthless 10-minute stabilization hold without breaking the atmospheric seal.
Uncover and fluff the fragrant grains with a fork. Scatter the reserved crisp onions and toasted nuts and raisins over the top before serving.

How to tell it's done

Brilliant white, separate grains with a rich sheen of clarified butter, set off by the sudden sweetness of plumped raisins and the brittle snap of toasted cashews.

Getting it right

Tip

Ghee rice takes no turmeric, tomato or much chilli. Its flavour comes from ghee, whole spices and fried onions. Toasting the raw rice briefly in ghee is the best way to keep the grains separate.

What to serve it with

The apex predator of Malabar Muslim celebratory banquets. It demands to be flanked exclusively by a devastatingly rich, highly spiced Kerala Chicken Curry or a commanding Mutton Kurma.

Tandoori Soya Chaap Biryani

Tandoori soya chaap biryani grills marinated soy chaap first, then layers it under the rice.

1 hr 40 minvegan

Tawa Pulao

Tawa pulao fries cooked rice on a griddle with pav bhaji masala, a Mumbai street dish.

30 minvegan

Traditional Masala Bhaat

Masala bhaat is a Maharashtrian spiced rice cooked with ivy gourd and goda masala in one pot.

35 minvegetarian

Traditional Raw Mango Rice

Raw mango rice tosses cooked rice with grated green mango and peanuts, made while the fruit is sour.

25 minvegan

Tuver Ni Khichdi

Tuver ni khichdi cooks rice with pigeon peas into a soft Gujarati khichdi finished with ghee.

55 minvegetarian

Vangi Bath (Brinjal Rice)

Vangi bath tosses cooked rice with aubergine and a Karnataka spice blend made for this dish alone.

50 minvegan

Ingredients