Kitchen Tantra

Beet Root Pilaf:

Ingredients:

Fresh Beet roots 300 grams
Long grain rice 1 cup
Milk few spoons
Cloves 3
Cinnamon 2 sticks
Black cardamon 3 crushed
Green cardamon 3 crushed
Bay leaves 2-3
Saffron 1 pinch
Sugar 1/2 spoon
Salt as per taste
Onion 1 large chopped finely 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste 1/2 spoon
Almonds 10 silvered/unsilvered sliced lengthwise
Cashewnuts 10 halved
Dark Raisins/Dry grapes 1 fistful
Ghee/butter 1 cup + 1 cup
Fresh Cherry 1 cup for decoration.

Method:

Cook rice with salt and few spoons of ghee in it. Let it cool in a wide open tray.

In a large wok, heat ghee. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, bay leaves to it.

Once they splutter....Add cashewnuts and almonds......fry them till golden color. Then followed by raisins. When the raisins pop.....transfer the whole thing into a small bowl. Set them aside.

In the same pan, heat ghee again. Add onions and fry them till reddish brown.....add sugar and milk while frying onion. It turns color quickly. Then add ginger-garlic paste....fry them till its raw smell leaves.

To this further add saffron and then followed by thinly grated beet root. Fry them real good.....till fragrant. Cover and cook over medium heat....with adding any water. Maybe until beet is tender/cooked.

Once it is done, to this set up....add our bowl full of fried spice and nuts. Mix them real good. Further add rice too. Mix everthing thoroughly. Maybe in medium heat still. Spray or drizzle ghee over it. Let it be in heat for few more minutes.....or untill rice gets well incorporated with spice and nuts.

Decorate with cherry fruits. Serve semi-warm.

Labels: Beet Root, Main Dish - Rice