Indian Cuisine
Tirange Chawal
The orange colored rice Ingredients:
-1 cup basmati rice.
- ½ tsp oil to fry the rice.
- 1 tsp salt.
- ½ tsp oil.
- 3 big carrots, steam cooked.
- 2 tomatoes, chopped.
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder.
- 2 tsp Sāmbhar powder.
The white colored rice Ingredients:
- 1 cup basmati rice.
- ½ tsp oil to fry the rice.
- 1 tsp salt.
- 1 cup thick coconut milk.
- 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted or toasted.
The green colored rice Ingredients:
- 1 cup basmati rice.
- ½ tsp oil to fry the rice.
- 1 tsp salt.
- 2 onions, chopped.
- 1 tsp garlic paste.
- 1 tsp ginger paste.
- 2 tbsp freshly scraped coconut.
- 8 to 10 mint leaves.
- ½ cup chopped coriander leaves.
- 1 or 2 green chilies.
- 1 ½ tsp white poppy seeds.
- 1 ½ tsp oil.
- 1 tsp gram masala.
Directions:
- Cook the rice in a pressure cooker, one cup of rice in each container, in 3 separate containers at the same time.
- It is better to keep the 3 cups of rice separate while cooking, as it will ensure equal quantities of the different colored rice varieties.
- In a pan, put the ½ tsp oil and stir-fry 1 cup of rice on medium heat for about a minute just till the rice starts turning whiter.
- Take it off the heat and put it into the container in which it is to be cooked.
- Repeat with the other 2 cups of rice.
- To the first container, add 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt and stir well. Do the same to the next container of rice.
- To the third container, add the salt, cumin seeds, 1 cup of water and the coconut milk and mix well. This will be the white colored rice.
- Place the 3 containers in the pressure cooker and cook till just done. The grains should be whole and separate.
- When it is done, take the rice out and spread the each container of rice on a separate plate. Use a fork to fluff up the rice a bit, to ensure that the grains separate without breaking.
- Allow the rice to cool a bit. If the rice cools completely, it will be difficult to layer, mold it and have it keep its shape.
- While the rice is cooking make the spice pastes to color and flavor the rice.
- To make the saffron/ orange colored rice, start by puréeing the cooked carrot and tomatoes till smooth.
- Heat 1 ½ tsp oil in a pan and add the turmeric powder and the Sāmbhar powder and stir a couple of times.
- Add the carrot-tomato purée and cook for a couple of minutes till done.
- Pour this cooked paste on one plate of still warm rice and using the fork, mix till the rice is uniformly orange in color.
- Take care to see the rice doesn’t get broken and mushy.
- To make the green colored rice, put the chopped onions, garlic paste, ginger paste, coconut, mint leaves, chopped coriander leaves, green chilies and the poppy seeds in a blender and purée till smooth.
- Heat the oil in a pan, add the gram masala and stir a couple of times and then add the green paste.
- Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes till the raw smell disappears.
- Pour this cooked paste on 1 plate of still warm rice and using the fork, mix till the rice is uniformly orange in color.
- Take care to see the rice doesn’t get broken and mushy.
Layer the 3 colored rice directions:
- Grease a large dish first. Then remember to put the orange rice at the bottom, then the white rice and lastly the green rice.
- Press each layer down well before adding the next.
- Cover the dish with the serving plate, and slowly invert the dish onto it.
- Tap the dish gently and the rice should turn out onto the plate, orange layer on top.
- To make it single serves, grease a ring mold and then place on the serving plate.
- Starting with the green colored rice, firmly pack equal amounts of the 3 different colored rice one after the other into the ring mold.
- Using the back of a spoon, slowly press down the rice while lifting the ring mold off the plate.
- Repeat for as many servings as required.
- Serve the rice with plain yogurt or raita or a mango salsa, Indian style pickles, and pap pads or potato crisps.