Subconscious has a way of surfacing and desiring for flavors of childhood.
Had a craving for pilau or as I like to call it pualao (Bengali pronunciation), mostly due to discovering I was hording copious amounts of rice. I brought back at least half a suitcase full of kali jeera, a fine short grained rice from Bangladesh on on my last visit some two odd years ago. Alas, it provided a perfect habitat on the back of my pantry for months! So, what better way to use the rice rather than to compost it - make several versions of pilaus and dosas.
Since it was a warm sunny day in Chicago, a perfect opportunity for tasty grilled aquatics, a pocket of potatoes in rosemary butter and fresh asparagus from the CSA to accompany the rice dish.
*Also decided to throw in half boiled egg at the last minute (also fresh from CSA) on the grill.
Pilau v. 1.0 recipe:
Finely chopped onions (1 large, cup or so)
Garlic cloves (half or more)
Anise star (1)
Red Chilles (2 0r so whole) + a pinch or two of the powder kind
Cardamon (3-4 cloves) + 1-2 black ones
Bay leaf (1 large)
Ginger (Thumb size)
Salt (To taste)
Home made garam masala (basically a combination of spices mashed together - A* teaspoon would do)
Sauted all of these ingredients with a wee bit of olive oil and a touch of gee on a pot. After the sounds of sizzling onions browns and the aroma of the spices began to hit the nostril. A cup and a half cups of rice (washed and soaked previously) added to the mixture, stirring to mixture lighting until everything was mixed. Added a cup of warm water and covered!
Shallot (1 whole)
Dates (hand full)
Nuts (cashews + peanuts)
Sauted all of these in a separate pan with gee just enough to lightly brown it.
Safron (a pinch in a milk)
Transferred the content of the pan in the simmering rice pot along with the saffron and gave it a little gentle stir.
Heat lowered and the pot covered - kept my self busy with grilling so as not be tempted into peaking.
Grilled Aquatic Flesh:
Tilapia & pollock marinated with tamarind, ginger, garlic, honey, green chilies, lime & a hefty dash of bourbon (all blended in a food processor). Kept aside the aquatic flesh until the grill was hot and the asparagus / pocket of starchy delights were cooked.
The Process & Result:
All the edible bits were washed down with a glass of bourbon mixed with sage & pomegranate simple syrup!