Gordon Ramsay’s Vegetable Pilau Rice
This is the celeb chef’s version of the classic Indian takeaway favourite, vegetable pilau rice, from the Channel 4 series, Gordon’s Great Escape
Gordon Ramsay's Vegetable Pilau Rice
Ingredients
- 400 g basmati rice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp ghee or melted unsalted butter ghee is not suitable for vegetarians
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods lightly crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 star anise
- 2 onions peeled and finely sliced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- Sea salt
- 50 g mushrooms cleaned and roughly chopped
- 75 g green beans
- 150 g cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 large carrot peeled and finely chopped
- 100 g peas thawed if frozen
- 850 ml water
- 30 g raisins
- 30 g toasted pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Wash the rice in several changes of cold water, then leave to soak in fresh cold water for at least 30 mins. Drain well and set aside.
- Heat the oil and 1tbsp of ghee or butter in a wide, heavy-based pan and add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and star anise.
- Fry for a minute until they begin to crackle and smell fragrant.
- Add the onions and fry for another 6-8 mins, stirring frequently until soft and golden brown. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilli powder and fry the ground spices for another minute.
- Add the remaining ghee or butter, a pinch of salt and all the vegetables to the pan. Sautee for 3-4 mins then tip in the drained rice and stir well.
- Toast the rice over a high heat for a minute then pour in the water and add the raisins. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for about 10 mins until the rice looks dry and the water has been absorbed.
- Turn off the heat and, without removing the lid, leave to steam for another 5 mins. Uncover and fork through the rice and vegetables. Sprinkle with the toasted pistachios and serve.
- This recipe is taken from Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape, published by Harper Collins, priced £25, available from Amazon
- Gordon's Great Escape series starts Monday 18th - 20th January 2010, on Channel 4 at 9pm
Notes
In India, the fragrant rice for a pilau is usually cooked separately from the other ingredients and everything is mixed together at the end, similar to the way in which a biryani is made.
