rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
-based dish flavored with various types of
spice
In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...
. Spiced rice is common around the world, with one of the most notable dishes being Indian Ghee rice, which uses
ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by ...
butter as a primary ingredient.
Spiced rice is common among the people of Kerala, especially Malabar region of Kerala, Tulunad region of Karnataka and in Tamil Nadu. It is seen in other parts of India and Asia too in some variation. It is called 'neyita nuppu' in Tulunad region (Udupi-Mangalore) and 'neyichoru' in Tamil and Malayalam.
Ghee rice is usually served along with a rich, meat-based
gravy
Gravy is a sauce made from the juices of meats and vegetables that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with thickeners for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a mix of salt and caramel food ...
Typically, this is cooked in a one-pot pan or a pressure cooker. Spices like
cardamom
Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...
(elaichi),
cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...
,
cloves
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or fragrance in consumer products, ...
,
bay leaf
The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used as a herb in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. The flavour that a bay lea ...
, and depending on the preparation style and region, cumin seeds (''jeera''), fennel seeds (''saunf''),
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...
, and
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...
strands (''javithri'') are sauted in cooking oil or ''ghee'' (clarified butter).
Onions, green chillies, mint leaves (''pudina''), and corriander leaves are added, along with a blended paste of ginger and garlic. Some recipes might also incorporate tomato slices and curry leaves.
After sauting briefly, water is added, depending on the quantity of rice used for preparation. Once the water comes to boil, the rice is added into the broth and then, is allowed to be cooked on low to medium flame for about 5-10 minutes (depending on type of fuel, size of the burner, the quality of rice used, and other such factors). After this, the flame is doused off, and the preparation is allowed to sit in 'dum' for at least 10-12 minutes, minimum.
Cashew
Cashew is the common name of a tropical evergreen tree ''Anacardium occidentale'', in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to South America and is the source of the cashew nut and the cashew apple, an accessory fruit. The tree can grow as t ...
slices are added as garnish; sometimes, they are also sauted initially along with the rest of the spices.
Rice usually tends to be either ''
Basmati
Basmati () is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which originates from the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the regions of Nepal, Punjab, Haryana, Sindh and many other states and provinces of India and Pakistan.Pulav or
biryani
Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating in South Asia, made with rice, meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef) or seafood (prawns or fish), and spices. To cater to vegetarians, the meat or seafood can be substituted with vegetables or pane ...
* Chitranna, lemon rice sautéed with ground nuts, turmeric, oil, mustard seeds and dry chilli.
* Pulihora, tamarind rice sautéed with ground nuts, turmeric, oil, mustard seeds and dry chilli.
* Bisi bele bath, rice sautéed with vegetables and chilli powder.
* Jeera rice, rice sautéed with ghee or oil along with cumin seeds.
* Vagharelo bhaat, aromated rice originally from
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...