Sunday, September 21, 2008

Neichoru – Fragrant ghee rice….


The simplest festive dish where the divine ghee along with an exotic set of Indian spices dress up the fragrant basmati rice with caramelized onions and ghee fried golden raisins and nuts into a beautiful dish………

Ingredients: Serves 3 Adults

For Rice:

  • 2 cups Basmati Rice
  • 4 ¼ cups Water
  • 1 small size golden yellow big onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 6 cloves
  • 5-7 small ½ inch long cinnamon sticks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 whole mace/javinthri
  • 4 tbsp Ghee/clarified butter
  • Salt to taste
For garnish:
  • 1 small size, golden yellow big onion thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup halved cashew nuts
  • A pinch of sugar
  • 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) + more ghee/oil for frying onions
Directions:
  • Wash and drain the rice on a paper towel. When it is medium dry, heat 4 tbsp ghee in a large pan and splutter cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, mace and bay leaf; add thinly sliced onion to this and sauté till it turns golden and edges begin to brown. At this stage add rice stir continuously for 2minutes in very low heat.
  • Cook Rice: Microwave Method: Pour the fried rice along with onions and spices into a microwave safe bowl and add 4 ¼ cups of water, flavour with salt and pop it in the microwave and cook for 23-25 minutes or until rice is done. Stove-top Method: Boil water in a heavy bottom cooking vessel, and when it comes to boil, add all the ingredients and bring it to a boil again and then reduce the flame and cook covered in low-medium heat, until rice is fully cooked and water is absorbed.
  • While rice is cooking, heat 3 tbsp ghee and fry the raisins, stirring continuously until they turn plump or look like golden grapes and keep them aside; fry the cashew nuts in the same oil, till they turn golden in colour and keep it aside. Add more ghee or oil to the same pan and start frying thinly sliced onion; when they turn translucent, add a pinch of sugar to speed up the process (also adds a nice taste) and fry until they reach a caramel or brown color.
  • Once rice is done, using a fork, gently separate/fluff the rice, so as not to get sticky and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then add ghee fried raisins, nuts and caramelized onion to the rice, keeping a handful of all these three ingredients for garnishing later and gently mix well. Garnish with rest of the fried onions, nuts and raisins.
  • Serve hot with Mutton curry, Raitha- (Coarsely chopped onions and cucumber mixed in yogurt with a dash of salt and pepper), Pappadam and date pickles. That’s a tasty divine family!
Related Posts:

Fried Rice Vegetable Ghee rice Chicken Biriyani Egg Biriyani Chemmeen Biriyani

On a different note, last week I had to deal with a handful of content theft issues ……..I would like to thank some of my readers and blogger buddies, especially Meeta, Silverine,Maria, Nikhil, Mathew, Pooja, Liz & Rashmi for bringing it to my attention as well as helping me with guidance and tips. Though in most cases helplessness has chained me down, I just wanted to let you all know that I am truly honored and moved by the care and support you show for this little space and the person behind it and it has only boosted up my spirits to keep this page more active!!


Thanks!
Shn
No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

34 comments:

  1. my fave combo with spicy chicken curry!

    ReplyDelete
  2. There you go. Flight plagarism with more yummy recipes and lovely stories. Lets join together and make sure that people who steal the content from other sites will never run out of things to plagarize. Missed ur lovely story behind this recipe. Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hmm.yummy mish.Neichor used to be a regular guest at our home when i was a kid.We had many muslim neighbours who love to send whatever exotics they cook.Such big hosts i havent seen in life.
    btw,my version of tea cake turned out well here.Without blueberries and sugar.(i used calorie free)As i am terribly on with a new project at work,the only other things iam dealing with are these blogs and some cooking at times.I think i have to make it again when i am free.(yes,blueberries are availabe at where I am staying now)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Do you need to use more than double water to cook basmati?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Shn,

    What an elegant plate of rice that is :-)

    Yes, plagiarism sucks! But don't let a handful of thieves keep you away from this lovely space :-)

    Hugs,
    sunita.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love ghee rice..esp with mutton curry..its often our saturday lunch :-)

    This one as usual looks great...and glad that you are in a postive frame of mind after all the frustration...

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can smell the aroma from here. Seriously. And those frizzled onions. : }

    Hope you are well, Shn. I'm back in the groove (sort of) after a bit of a break.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Simply elegant recipe Mishmash. Very beautiful presentation too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Neichoru the name itself tells how it tastes..i always loves it...yours looks yummy

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ah.... that favourite. This is one rice where all the flavours really come through. Though I'd go for a vegetarina curry.:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. beautifully clicked...luved ur pic and recipe ofcourse is a hit always at my home.....

    ReplyDelete
  12. mmmm....this must have a heavenly fragrance!!!

    Plagiarism....i don't get it!!! Why can't people be creative...why post something that you did not even take any efforts on ?!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey thats Sheer coincidence..I made this the day before..Love the aroma... a lovely way to cook rice ..

    ReplyDelete
  14. Shn, you got to tell me how you end up taking such beautiful pictures...:)...it looks so yummy you know...

    Its irritating when you find your hard work copied and reproduced without permission!..we should have some rules to take care of them...

    ReplyDelete
  15. though not keen on cooking, ur blog does interests me & encourages to be brave & attempt some........good work.

    ReplyDelete
  16. we used to get this in our college canteen...though very greasy and not the best..i still loved it...i then got to have the authentic one at one of my friend's place and it made fall in love wiht this all over again!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. love the new look!!! and the neichoru.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nags. that combo is more frequent at our place since mutton is too fatty !

    Pooja, hmm...i found this post very borng too...but it was one of those days i really didn't have any clue as to what to write...thought it is better to leave it this way than sounding forced !It was nice talking to u that day ...

    Ann, take it easy....relax..:) i didnt know that u re in Swiss...i was under the impression that u are in India and that why i was wondering if blueberry is available there :)

    Happy Cook, me too :)

    Jyothsna, 1:2 is the right proportion....but sometimes, for neichoru, i like mine a bit on the plumb side....

    Sunita, yeah i am staying positive...thanks dear :)

    Mathew, oh yeah you get fresh meat near your home....lucky you....here, our sardarji at the indian store sells frozen mutton with no packaged date or expiry date! so very rarely we get to eat mutton.

    Susan, hey nice to see you back, Susan....:) this is your kinda food...am sure you would love this :)

    Aparna, thanks :)

    Anitha, thank you :)

    Mrs. Kannan, how cute is your profile pic :)

    Aparna, yeah ...i know...will make a kurma for you :)

    Sangeeth, thank you very much :)

    Tee, convenience is the answer to your question!!!

    Swati, hmm...this is everyone's easy resort to jazz up a meal...especially on weekends :)

    Srivalli, aww..thank you :) no professional secrets to give as i use a tiny point and shoot camera....take photos in natural light with a tripod and some attention to plating as well...that is how it works for me:) yeah I wish blogging community is also given due respect like other media!

    Lipstic, am happy to know that I could inspire someone.....:)

    Usha, than you :)

    Superchef, canteen people will not be using ghee for ghee rice...they might put dalda too and kill the simplicity and purity of the dish!

    Bee, thank you :)

    Shn

    ReplyDelete
  19. this looks great and nice presentation..

    ReplyDelete
  20. It seems you love well cooked rice! :)
    S,could u remove your pics from other blogs?

    ReplyDelete
  21. how white it looks... symbol of purity :) i love ghee rice but its been ages since i made. thanks for the reminder mishy. got to make it pretty soon.
    sorry to know abt content theft issue. its a pretty nasty thing to go through.

    ReplyDelete
  22. sending u huge hug mishy :) hope it makes u feel better;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Pretty!Love those caramelized onions on top..

    ReplyDelete
  24. Mish,
    Ayyo! Ithu valiya mention aanallo :-)

    I am sure, this pic will be seen in a Malabar Food festival poster somewhere. :D Kidding!
    (Kandaal ariyikkam :) )

    -Nikhil

    ReplyDelete
  25. Suma, thank you:)

    Seena, hmm...choru nannayi vevanam..:)) that tastyland guy removed the sadya pic alone but all the others pics are still there....and from the recent set, the person who put up the slideshow also removed the album....

    Sia, you re so sweet...yes that hug did make me feel good :)) this goes will your paneer dishes too :)

    Divya, thank you :)

    Nikhil, hahhaha....enne pedippikalle.:)) as u all said, i am beginning to take it as a credit...vere vazhi elley..:))

    Shn

    ReplyDelete
  26. hey Shn, So many delicious recipes. confused on which one to drool on:)) I and my dad are enjoying the pics. will try the ghee rice sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hello Shn,

    Need a suggestion actually. Whenever I neichor, the rice tends to break into small, though it tastes good. I use 1:2 propotion of rice and water. Any sugegstions?

    Prathibha

    ReplyDelete
  28. hey mishmash! i made this neichoru today! do check my photo blog there is a picture of it.
    http://vidyasviewfinder.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  29. Prathibha, it could be either coz ur rice is a bit old or coz u re soaking the rice in water for long....or it could be coz u re frying the rice for lil too long....I cant think of any other reason...try changing one of these and see ...

    ReplyDelete
  30. I like RICE in all possible combination!! AND I like the idea of Your recepie!!

    I will try it one day!!!

    Thanks!!!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.