Here’s a simple but fragrant rice which goes great with rich, flavorful dishes while still boasting a presence of its own. Shallots, ginger and garlic are sauteed in ghee along with cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom to release a wonderful aroma that will uplift your kitchen. Raisins and cashew nuts provide a juicy and crunchy texture. You will love it! This is a family recipe and another one of those dishes that make me think of home.
I usually cook this in a rice cooker. I’ve never understood why people painstakingly cook rice over the stove. I’ve done it with risotto and it was torture. You don’t have to baby sit it, your arm won’t fall off with the constant stirring and the bottom doesn’t burn in the rice cooker. If you are serious about delving into Asian cuisine, do yourself a favor and go buy one of these. You can thank me later. This wikihow article explains the basics of how to cook rice with one, so you’re good to go.
I grew up using the finger method of measuring the rice to water ratio after my mom taught me somewhere around the age of 10. Since then, it’s become second nature to me and I have never had to think about actual measurements until now. Shake a rice pot filled with rice and water gently from side to side to even and level out the rice. Stick a finger vertically into the pot and measure the height of rice from the bottom of the pot to the top of the rice. Mark it with your thumb. Now move your finger (with the thumb still marking the spot) and rest it on top of the leveled rice and measure the height from the top of the rice to the top of the water. The water level should be equal to or 1/2 inch more to the measurements from the bottom of the pot to the top of the rice. Easy right? Who needs a measuring cup?
Ghee rice goes well with Cucumber Pickled Salad (Acar Timun) and Minangkabau Beef. The tender, spiced beef with coconut undertones meld with the fresh cucumber and sweet pineapple juices from the salad on a base of fragrant rice. What’s not to love? The combined aroma of these three in the kitchen always brings back the nostalgia of home. What food scents remind you of home?
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Ghee Rice (Nasi Minyak)
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of long grain rice
- 3 tablespoons raisins
- 4 tablespoons cashew nuts
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 2 1/2 cups of cold water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the rice and drain. Repeat two or three times until the water comes out clear
- Over medium high heat, saute shallots, ginger and garlic in ghee until fragrant
- Add cinnamon stick, cardamoms and cloves
- Continue to saute until the spices become aromatic
- Transfer everything to a rice cooker
- Add rice, cold water and cashew nuts, stirring evenly to mix
- Cover and cook normally
- Once the rice is cooked, let it sit uncovered for 15 minutes to settle
- Stir in raisins, mixing thoroughly
- Dish and serve hot
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