Vagharela Chawal {Recipe}

Vagharela Chawal

A Parsi staple , mainly served with Dhanshak…

Ingredients:

1 cup rice, washed (no soaking required)

1 tsp cumin seeds

1-2 bay leaves

2-3 green cardamoms

2 small pieces cinnamon

½ piece of star anise

6-8 peppercorns

1 big or 2 small onions, sliced

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

Heat oil in a small kadhai. To that add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cardamoms, cinnamon, star anise and peppercorns.

When they begin to splutter add the sliced onion n let them brown.When done, remove from fire and set aside.

Take a rice cooker. Add the washed rice, salt to taste n the brown onions mixture. (also add the wee bit oil that’s left in the kadhai)

Add water as u normally would for the rice. Close the cooker n let it cook for a constant 10 minute whistle of the rice cooker. Lower the heat n let it cook for 5 more minutes.

When the cooker cools down a wee bit, open it n separate the rice gently but properly with a fork so that each grain of rice remains separate.

Serve with Dhanshak.

Note:

There is also a sweet variety of this rice that some families make. They acquire the brown color for the rice by caramelizing a wee bit of sugar and adding that to the rice. The sugar adds a sweet taste to the rice which is not something my family likes hence found a solution to their dislike. I brown the rice by adding fried onions.

– Recipe by Kainaaz Writer Bokdawalla