Gaya's plain pulao is reverentially good. Photos: SAMUEL ONG/The Star
Passage Thru India's culinary head Gayethri Selva shares two additional recipes that never fail to make her Deepavali memorable.
AMMA'S AROMATIC PLAIN PULAO
850g basmati rice, (the best quality you could get your hands on)
5 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
50g cashew nuts
50g raisins
50ml coconut or vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter (preferably unsalted)
Whole spices
2 bay leaves
5 cloves
5 cardamoms
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cumin seeds
For cooking
2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
6 pandan leaves, washed and knotted
8 shallots, sliced
3 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1.15 litres water
2 cups coconut milk
1 chicken stock cube (or substitute with 1/2 tsp salt)
1 tbsp sugar
A little bit of orange food colouring (preferably the powder type)
2 tbsp rose water
Wash rice well but gently (so the gorgeous long grains do not break) 2-3 times. Soak washed rice for 20 minutes. Discard water through a sieve and keep rice aside.
Heat ghee in a big wok over low fire. Fry, first the cashews until they’re lightly golden, remove from ghee and keep aside. Followed by raisins, fry until they puff up and quickly remove them from the ghee and keep with cashews.
Now add in oil and butter, add in spices, allow them to sizzle for 30 seconds.
Add in lemongrass, pandan leaves and shallots. Fry until shallots turn lightly brown around the edges, at this point add in ginger and garlic paste. Stir-fry mixture for 1 minute.
Add prepared basmati rice to wok, gently mix through until each rice grain is well coated. Turn off fire and carefully transfer rice to your rice cooker pot.
Pour in water and coconut milk, followed by chicken stock cube and sugar. Give it a gentle mix and turn on rice cooker.
Once rice has cooked, open lid, dip a toothpick in colouring and poke into different parts of the rice. Sprinkle rose water. Cover with lid again and keep it closed for 5 mins. Open lid again and gently fluff up rice. Serve with your favourite curry and enjoy!
CHICKEN KURMA
2 tbsp oil + 2-3 tbsp ghee
1 whole chicken, cleaned and skinned
Whole spices
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
5 cloves
2 star anise
5 cardamom
2 x 2cm piece cinnamon
For cooking
3 sprigs curry leaves
1-2 big red onion, sliced
3 tbsp ginger and garlic, pounded or grated
8 tbsp kurma powder
3 tbsp chilli powder
1 cup water
2 russet potatoes, skinned and quartered
2 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 cup coconut milk + 3 cups water
salt to taste
4 tbsp kerisik/ toasted and pounded coconut
2 green chilli, slit lengthwise
2 red chilli, slit lengthwise
2 tbsp yogurt
a bunch of fresh coriander leaves
Heat oil and ghee in a big pot over low heat. Add in whole spices and let them sizzle for a minute.
Add in curry leaves, followed by onions. Stir fry until onion turn slight golden brown around the edges. Now add in ginger and garlic paste and fry until fragrant.
Add in kurma and chilli powder along with 1 cup of water. Cook mixture until the oil separates (pecah minyak).
Add in chicken pieces, potatoes and tomatoes, sprinkle in crushed black pepper. Pour in remaining water and coconut milk. Add in salt to taste (about 1.5 tbsp). Give it a good stir, cover partially, stir every now and then and allow to come up to a boil and chicken is cooked through.
Remove lid, add in kerisik, green and red chilli, mix well.
Turn off fire, drop in yogurt in the middle of the curry, sprinkle in fresh coriander and cover back with lid until ready to serve.
Just before serving, give curry a good stir to mix yogurt through. Enjoy this delicious chicken kurma with plain biryani rice or even just white rice.
