Kheema Masoor Pulao

I saw this recipe at a Ranveer Brar video, on Facebook. I instantly fell in love with it. I knew right away I had to recreate it. While Ranveer chose to make this with chicken kheema (mince), the hardcore carnivore in me opted for mutton mince. I doubled the quantity so if you are cooking for a family of three or four, I suggest you halve the ingredients. 

As I’d chosen mutton mince, I adjusted the proportion of a few ingredients. I also added an extra twist to this fabulous recipe to enhance it further. Read on to know what I did. 😉

Ingredients:

½ cup sabut masoor (Brown Lentil), wash and soak for 2 hours
2½ cups Basmati rice, wash, and soak for 20 to 30 minutes
500 grams mutton mince
140 grams fried onions
230 grams onions, chopped or sliced
4 green chilies, cut into 1-inch slant pieces
3 heaped tablespoons ginger garlic paste
2 large pinches of saffron (optional but I’d say, go with it)
7 tablespoons/105 grams bland curd (NOT sour), (Important: whisk to a smooth texture)
3 heaped teaspoons Deghi Mirch Powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2½ teaspoons coriander powder
A handful coriander leaves, chopped
A large handful mint leaves, chopped
5 - 6 tablespoons clarified butter (ideally, 6 😉)
2 Bay leaves
4 pieces of 1-inch cinnamon
6 - 8 cloves
12 -16 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste (for kheema marination and rice)

Method:

1. Add fried onions (retain a bit for garnish), raw onions, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste, saffron, curd, Deghi mirch powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and salt to the mutton mince. Marinate well and leave aside for 30 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed vessel or a large non-stick pan. (I used a huge heavy bottomed non-stick pan) 
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds. Allow to splutter. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add the marinated mutton mince and sauté until the clumpy kheema gets to a nice crumbly mince texture. The mince may leave a bit of water at this point: don't worry about it.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Drain the sabut masoor and add to the mutton mince. 
   
   
   
   
   
6. Sauté the mutton mince and sabut masoor for 2 to 3 minutes minutes. 
   
   
   
   
   
7. Drain the rice and add it to the mutton mince-masoor mix. 
   
8. Add 1350 mils of water, salt to taste, and give it one (only one, please) very gentle stir. 
   
   
   
   
   
9. Once the water begins to bubble, turn the flame to low, cover the vessel with a tight lid and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes. (Do NOT keep opening the vessel frequently to check) 
10. After 20-25 minutes on low heat, the water will have been absorbed by the pulao. Open the lid, QUICKLY pick up a few random grains of rice and QUICKLY shut the lid again. 
    
    
    
    
    
11. Check the grains of rice for doneness. If the rice still has a light bite to it continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes on LOW heat, then shut off the stove and keep the vessel covered for 10 minutes and allow the cooked rice to ‘rest’. 
12. Open the lid and gently, with a spatula, toss the rice to separate the grains. Go into the rice from the sides of the vessel and toss the rice in the middle. (Video attached to show how.)
    
    
    
    

This is where Ranveer Brar’s recipe ends. The next step is all me and I urge you to put in a wee bit of effort to take this recipe to greater heights. The recipe by Brar is so perfect, it deserves the honour of a ‘Dhungar’. 😊

Dhungar (Smoking):

Ingredients:

Small aluminium or stainless vati (small bowl)
OR
Double a sheet of aluminium foil and make a small makeshift bowl 
A tiny piece of coal
1 teaspoon pure ghee/clarified butter

Method: 

1. Once you open the lid and gently toss the rice, put a small stainless steel vati in the centre or the rice. If the pulao is filled right to the top of the vessel, create a crater in the centre of the rice and then place the vati in that crater.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Heat a tiny piece of coal on the stove and when it gets to a point wherein it begins to glow red.
   
   
   
   
3. Carefully place it in the vati. 
   
   
   
   
4. Quickly, but carefully, pour the pure ghee/clarified butter over the coal. 
   
   
   
   
5. Immediately shut the lid over the pulao vessel. 
6. Leave covered for 10 to 15 minutes. Open the lid after 10-15 minutes and remove the vati/charcoal.
7. Garnish with the pulao with the remaining fried onions. Inhale that fabulous smoky aroma and… Serve! 
   
   
   
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. Do NOT use sour dahi and please ensure you whisk the dahi to a smooth texture before adding it to the mince.
2. I’d doubled the quantity of ingredients for this recipe hence used quite a generous pinch of saffron. If you chose to use a tiny pinch, or no saffron at all, the colour of your rice will not have that light ‘saffron-yellow’ hue. Saffron is optional but I’d say, go with it. After all it’s a pulao. 😉 
3. For clarification with regard to the water added to the rice, the ratio is 1:2 therefore add 5 cups water (1250 mils) for 2.5 cups rice, and approximately 125/150 mils (10% extra) for the masoor. 
4. When you add salt to the rice, please err on the side of caution as salt was also added to the kheema/mince. 
5. Once you shut the lid, for the rice to cook, remember to turn the flame to LOW and let the water and the heat do its thang (thing 😊). Hold yourself back from wanting to open the lid time and time again and refrain from stirring the rice. If you follow this point as directed, rest assured, the grains of rice will not be a broken mess. 
6. The 10 minute ‘resting time’, after the rice is cooked, is extremely essential. It gives the rice time to hold its shape, ensuring the grains don’t disintegrate when you toss them later, to separate the grains. It ensures you plate a gorgeous pulao. 
7. Tip: Follow this ‘rest the rice’ rule whenever you cook rice. Pssssttt 😉 In case you have a wee bit of rice stuck to the bottom of the vessel, the ‘resting’ time (read: steam) will loosen up the stuck rice. Yeh meri guarantee hai! This, of course, does not apply when you burn the rice, warna bologe, “you had said it would loosen the rice”. 😝 
8. While this pulao does not have huge pieces of meat or chicken adorning it and looks quite unassuming when you plate it, don’t go by its looks. Trust me, it is robust in flavour. Aur Dhunagar ke baad toh kya kehne! 
9. While I know Ranveer Brar is too busy a person to reply, I would like to say… “Thank you ever so much for this fabulous recipe, Ranveer, and I hope, if you ever recreate it, you try giving it a Dhungar. It’ll take your fabulous recipe to new heights. From one food lover to another, I promise!” 
10. As mentioned at the onset, the original recipe belongs Ranveer Brar. This version of the recipe and the photographs, though, belong to my blog, Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
    

Some more photographs:

Hosang Grandpa’s Masala Ni Khichree

There was a time, as a kid, when I believed my paternal grandfather, Hosang, to be a stern man. As I grew older, we went on to be great friends. I realized he was actually a damn cool hombre. We’d play carrom, rummy, and board games. There were times when we’d wear peak caps and watch cricket matches together. We’d place bets for 5 bucks (don’t you dare judge us 😝), and he’d watch me drool over Kapil Dev. He’d tease me, in Gujarati, by saying, ‘Tane su eh datro ne bobro gamech” (Translation: Why in the world do you like this guy with big teeth, who can barely speak right – he meant the line, “Palmolive ka jawab nahi”). Yes, such was my grandpa, and these are a few of the many wonderful memories I hold close to my heart, right to this day.

From the time when I was around 11 or 12, I remember grandpa cooking this Khichree for lunch. This was his once a week affair and I loved the khichree he cooked for us. When I began experimenting in the kitchen, at the age of 13, I learnt to cook this. Those were simple times and food cooked at home was basic but cooked with so much love. Gramps would merely add rice, masalas, and potatoes. Over the years I began adding a few extra ingredients and as of now, this is how I make it. This recipe is, of course,  dedicated to “Gramps”; forever, my partner in crime. ❤️ Oh yes, we'd gang up and were never up to any good. *evil grin*

Ingredients:

1¾ cups basmati rice

4 medium potatoes, cut into large 1 - 1½ inch cubes

2 large carrots, cut into large cubes

200 grams peas (I used a packet of frozen peas)

 2 onions, cut to a small dice

2 chilies, cut fine

4-5 tablespoons clarified butter

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds

2 heaped teaspoons red chili powder (I use MDH Deghi Mirch Powder)

1 teaspoon Parsi Sambhar Masala (optional but would be great if you can procure it)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

2 chicken (or beef) stock cubes, crumbled

Salt to taste

3¾ - 4 cups water

Method:

1.    Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.

2.    Add onions and green chilies and sauté until the onions turn soft and pink and lose their sharpness.

3.    Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté it well.

4.    Add chili powder, turmeric powder, Parsi Sambhar Masala, coriander-cumin powder, garam masala, stock cubes and salt. Sauté well but carefully until masalas lose their rawness. Do not allow the spices to burn.

5.    Add the rice, potatoes, carrots, peas and give the ingredients a mix.

6.    Add 3¾ to 4 cups water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

7.    After two whistles, lower heat, cook for 2 more minutes and then shut off the stove.

8.    Allow the cooker to cool down and release pressure by itself. Open the cooker when cool, empty the khichree into a serving bowl and serve with accompaniments like mango pickle, prawn pickle, chundo and papads. 😉

Chef Notes:

1.    Khichdee or khichree, they’re both the same. Most Parsi’s pronounce it as Khichree.

2.    Use any rice you are comfortable using. You don’t compulsorily have to use basmati. Usually, for other Khichree’s I use Indrayani rice, but I stick to Basmati when I cook this particular khichree.

3.    You can use clarified butter or oil or a combination of the two but, of course, ghee goes best with Khichree.

4.    If you are a vegetarian, do use vegetarian stock cubes. It does impart a lovely flavour to the rice.

5.    IMPORTANT: Stock cubes are always salty so please add salt with utmost caution or you’ll be left holding a salty Khichree. I truly cannot stress this point enough.

6.    If you don’t want the khichree too soft, I’d suggest you use 3¾ cups of water. If you prefer the khichree soft go ahead and add 4 cups. Also, do remember this is a Khichree, it’s not a pulao so the the rice need not be separate. Khichdee rice is always a tad soft.

7.    There are times when I add a cinnamon stick, a few black peppercorns, a cardamom and 3-4 cloves when I fry the onions. You could do that too.

8.    Add or subtract veggies as you please. This is one adjusting baby (read: Khichree). It will not judge you for going berserk on it. 😉

9.    Ensure you cut the veggies into large cubes as this khichree is pressure cooked. You don’t want the veggies turning to mush and that is precisely what’ll happen if you chop them small.

10. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Sticky Mango Rice – Khao Neow Mamuang Lat Kati

I have been meaning to make this for ever so long and I finally got around to whipping it up this mango season. This recipe is a combination of Kay Plunkett-Hogge and Marion Grasby’s recipe for Sticky Mango Rice. I used Jasmine Rice for this recipe but if you can lay your paws on Sticky (Glutinous) Rice go with that. I cannot help but emphasize, as have the authors of the recipe, please make it with ripe mangoes of very good quality or it isn’t worth the effort.

Ingredients:

125 grams raw Sticky rice (or Jasmine rice)

250 – 300 mils coconut milk (I use Kara or Dabur cartons)

60 grams (1/3^rd cup) palm sugar or castor sugar or regular sugar

A big pinch of salt

2 – 3 ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped into pieces or sliced

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

For Use:

A steamer or a steamer basket or a makeshift vessel colander steamer

A 15-inch by 15-inch muslin cloth (or cheesecloth)

Method:

1.    Soak the Jasmine rice in water for 3 hours.

2.    After 3 hours, drain and rinse the rice in fresh water.

3.    Bring water to boil in the base of a steamer/vessel. When the water gets to a roaring boil, lower heat, put the top colander-like section over it.

4.    Put the muslin cloth on the colander section and spread out the rice in an even layer. Fold the cloth over the rice, cover with a lid.

5.    Increase the flame to high and steam the rice for 20 minutes.

6.    Check the rice at the 20-minute mark and if it isn’t cooked to sticky texture, continue cooking (covered) for 8 to 10 minutes more, or until desired texture is achieved.

7.    While the rice is cooking, toast the sesame seeds on low flame. When the colour of the sesame seeds get to a light toasty colour and a nutty aroma reaches your olfactory senses, remove the sesame seeds into a plate. Keep aside and allow to cool.

8.    On very low heat, stirring all the time, heat coconut milk, sugar and salt in a stainless-steel vessel or a non-stick pan. When the sugar melts and the milk is heated through, remove from fire, and keep aside.

9.    Remove the warm cooked rice from the muslin cloth, retain approximately 50 mil of the coconut milk mixture and pour the rest into the rice.

10. Give it a stir to ensure the coconut milk is well incorporated into the rice. Cover and keep aside giving the rice time to absorb the coconut milk completely.  

To Serve:

Divide the rice into four or five equal portions, top (or serve alongside) with chopped/sliced mangoes. Drizzle the remaining coconut milk over each portion and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. Serve!

Chef Notes:

1.    While I do have a steamer at home, it is a huge one hence did not bother with it. I chose to use a makeshift steamer with a vessel below with a colander above it. QED! 😉

2.    125 grams of raw rice will usually yield 250 grams of cooked rice which is an ideal quantity for dessert, for 4 (or max 5) people.

3.    The number of mangoes you choose to serve, with the rice, is entirely up to you. We used 3 Kesar mangoes because we were greedy, ideally 2 would have sufficed. *giggles*

4.    I did not have palm or castor sugar which is why I opted for regular sugar and it worked beautifully so don’t get too hassled if you don’t have palm or castor sugar in your pantry.

5.    I also know friends who cook this recipe with Maharashtrian Ambemohar Rice. The aroma of mango blossoms that emits from this rice and its flexibility to be cooked to sticky texture, make it a perfect substitute for Sticky Rice. If you choose to use Ambemohar, cook the rice as you would normally do but to a sticky texture. Follow the rest of recipe as written. Btw, I also have friends who swear Indrayani rice works as well. I haven’t tried it tough.

6.    You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some more photographs: