Title: Basmati Rice Pilaf
Categories: Vegetable Ethnic
Yield: 4 Servings

1	c	Basmati rice (from Indian grocery or gourmet shop)
1	sm	Onion
3	md	Carrots
1		Bay leaf
2		Cloves
4		Black peppercorns
1/4	ts	Cumin seeds
1	tb	Light vegetable oil
2	tb	Butter
1	tb	Kosher salt (or to taste)

Wash the rice in cool water, squeezing gently with your fingers, until the water runs clear. Put the rice in about 2 cups of cool water to soak for 20 minutes. Strain soak water into saucepan and heat. Leave rice to dry in strainer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

While rice is drying, chop onion finely and set aside. Dice carrots and set aside. Measure spices.

When rice is dry, heat oil over medium-high flame in heavy, oven-proof skillet or casserole dish. Add spices. When spices become fragrant, add butter and onions. Cook until onions are tender and light golden brown. Add carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring very gently for 5 minutes. Add salt and heated soak water, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water on top of rice has boiled off. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

NOTES:

* Basmati Rice with Carrots -- This is a delicate, fragrant rice dish, one of our favorites. I got the recipe from an Indian cooking class. It's a bit of work, but well worth it.

* It is important to handle the rice gently so that the grains are not broken. It's also important to use whole spices; ground spices would overpower the rice.

* This dish can be re-heated in the oven.

: Difficulty: easy. : Time: 30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking and cooling. : Precision: measure the ingredients.

: Nancy Mintz : AT&T-Information Systems, UNIX System Development Lab, Summit, NJ : ihnp4!attunix!nlm

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust By fatfree-request@fatfree.com on Jun 16, 1997

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