Tamarind Rice

I'm perfectly content with plain basmati rice, perhaps moderately adorned with some melted butter and fresh lime juice. I just adore rice that much. Rice lover that I am though, I do enjoy taking a bit more time to create a rice creation that seriously competes for the wow factor of the meal.

And I must recommend this memorable experience of perfect textures and flavours adapted slightly from my trusted copy of Dakshin, a glorious collection of traditional vegetarian South Indian recipes. The steps to prepare the Tamarind Chutney necessary to complete the dish can be found here.

On the menu with Mung Bean and Tamarind Dal.

Tamarind Rice

1 cup of basmati rice
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2/3 cup of dry roasted cashew pieces
4 generous tablespoons of tamarind chutney
garnish powder reserved from the tamarind chutney

For Tempering:

1 tablespoon of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of brown or black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon of yellow split peas or chana dal, rinsed
1 tablespoon of urad dal, rinsed
1 teaspoon of asafoetida powder
handful of dried curry leaves

Rinse the rice well in a fine strainer. Transfer to bowl, cover with water, swish it around a few times, drain and repeat until the water is relatively clear and no longer cloudy. Drain, cover with water and soak the rice for about 20 minutes or longer. Drain and set aside to air dry for 15 minutes or so.

Transfer the rice to heavy sauce pan along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer undisturbed until the liquid is gone, roughly 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, let sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Once the rice is cool, pour 2 tablespoons of sesame oil over the rice. Add the turmeric and salt and mix well.

For the tempering, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a heavy frying pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, asafoetida powder and the curry leaves.

When the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to pop, add the roasted cashew pieces and stir and fry for another few minutes. Stir into the rice.

Now add 4 heaping tablespoons of the tamarind chutney and mix until well combined. Sprinkle each serving with some of the remaining garnish powder.

Serves 4-6.

Other Indian Rice dishes from Lisa's Kitchen:
Lemon Rice with Toasted Cashews
Cracked Black Pepper Rice
Mushroom Pulao Rice
Lime Flavoured Rice with Split Peas