Multicoloured Pilau Rice (Like you get in Indian restaurants)

Love the colourful pilau rice you get in Indian restaurants? Well, now you can make your own! Better still, this easy peasy recipe for Multicoloured Pilau Rice is ready in just 30 minutes, and practically foolproof! The perfect accompaniment to a homemade curry.

Course Side, Side Dish

Cuisine British, Fusion, Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 338kcal

Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

25 g butter (you can use ghee or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, if you prefer)
1 onion diced
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods gently bashed to open
2 cloves
½ teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
300 g basmati rice
600 ml boiling water
Edible coloured powders in yellow, red and green I used THESE ONES

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Melt the butter very gently in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the diced onion, stir and cover with a lid. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes until the onions are soft but not brown, stirring occasionally.
Add the cinnamon stick, bashed cardamom pods, cloves, salt and bay leaves. Fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Add a small splash of water if it gets too dry!)
Add in the basmati rice and stir to coat the rice with the spices.
Pour in 600ml boiling water and bring back to the boil. Cover with a lid and turn the heat right down. Continue cooking for 8 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. (See Note 1.)
Turn the heat off completely (take the saucepan off the burner if you are using electric), but leave the lid on. Allow the rice to steam for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and place 1/8 teaspoon of yellow coloured powder onto a small section of the rice – mix it into the top of that section of rice a little. (See Note 2.)
Repeat for the red and then the green powders. You should end up with 3 little coloured sections on the top of the rice. Take care not to colour too much of the rice or to use too much powder, or it will not give you the desired effect.
Wait 3 minutes, then stir all the rice together so the coloured rice grains are well mixed in, giving you a beautiful multicoloured effect.
Serve with your favourite homemade curry!

Notes

Rice cooking times do vary, so be sure to check packet instructions. I have used these exact timings with both Tesco Basmati Rice and Tilda Basmati Rice, and it comes out perfectly every time. If you find your rice is not sufficiently cooked after following the instructions above, simply add a little more water (if necessary) and cook a little longer. However, take care not to overcook!
Take care to use a REALLY TINY amount of the coloured powders – as tiny amount as is possible. A little goes a REALLY long way! The idea is that you only want to colour a very tiny number of rice grains… so that, once mixed in, it gives you a beautiful multicoloured effect. If you colour too many grains, it won’t look so good! (It will still taste nice, though!)
Suitable for freezing. (Take care to follow food safety guidelines when it comes to freezing, defrosting and reheating cooked rice.)
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition