Chelow "Traditional Recipe"
日本語
- 2 Servings
- Cooking Time: 45-60 minutes
Ingredients:
- Basmati Rice, 250 grams (1 cup is about 125 grams)
- Cooking Oil, 3 tablespoons
- Butter, 20 grams (optional)
- Salt 2 teaspoons
- Ground Saffron 1/5 of a teaspoon (optional)
Preparation:
- Wash the rice a few times until the water runs clear
- Place the rice in a bowl, add salt and enough water to cover the rice. Stir and let it soak for couple of hours (you can skip this step, but soaking does make a difference)
- Soak the saffron in 5 tablespoons of boiling water. (optional)
Directions:
- Drain the water from the soaked rice.
- Pour approximately 4 cups of water into a large pot and bring it to boil. Add the rice, continue simmering and keep an eye on it until it starts boiling again. Let it cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
- Test (by pressing one of the grains of the rice between two fingers), to see if the rice is ready. The grain of the rice should be firm in the center and soft on the ends, but not mushy.
- Stop the heat, drain the rice in a fine mesh colander and rinse with cool water a few times, (to stop the cooking process and separate the rice grains).
- In the cooking pot, pour 3 tablespoons of oil. Let the oil spread and cover the bottom of the pot. Add the rice, building it into a pyramid shape. In order to release the steam, make 4-5 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. Place a napkin or a towel over the lid and cover the pot. Cook on a medium low heat for about 40 minutes.
- At this point you are steaming the rice. If steaming time is increased (10-15 minutes), a delicious golden crispy layer of rice called Ta-Dig (literally bottom of the pot), will form at the bottom of the pot.
- When it is done, gently stir the rice, preferably without mashing or breaking the rice grains.
- Pour the brewed saffron over the rice and mix.
- Or (as it is done in restaurants), take 1 Cup of the cooked rice, add the saffron and mix well. Add the saffron rice on top when you serve the rice. You can return the saffron rice back on top of the rice in the pot if you are not going to serve right away (optional).
- Add about 10 grams of butter on top of the rice in each dish when you serve (optional).
[Optional (s) are for adding extra tastes, color and aroma].