Hairy Bikers Pilau Rice Recipe

Hairy Bikers pilau rice is white basmati simmered in stock with butter, onion, turmeric and lightly pounded whole spices. From Great Curries it feeds 5 to 6, while I count a sixth of the pan at about 280 calories, ready in 40 minutes.

The 5-minute stand at the end is the bit the bikers won’t let you skip, since they say “it makes all the difference”. Then the 75g of butter works twice, with 40g softening the onion and the last 35g dotted over the rice before it stands.

Once the stock boils, the lid goes on tight, with any steam vent plugged by a scrap of softened bread so the steam stays in. Because the pan is sealed, I leave it alone for the full 15 minutes on the lowest heat, not peeking until the butter goes in.

Hairy Bikers Pilau Rice Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British Indian Courses:Side Dish

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 25 minutesRest time: 5 minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings:6 servingsCalories:280 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Si and Dave call basmati “best for the perfect pilau”, so stick with it, and watch for whole cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

Ingredients

For the spices

• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 8 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp black mustard seeds

For the rice

• 75g butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 300g white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 500ml chicken or vegetable stock (fresh or made with 1 stock cube)
• pinch of flaked sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Pound the spices: Pound the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar to a coarse powder. Add the cardamom pods and pound until the husks split and the seeds are lightly crushed. Then add the cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves and pound very lightly for a few seconds.
2. Soften the onion: Then melt 40g of the butter in a non-stick sauté pan or wide-based saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring regularly.
3. Fry the spices: Once soft, sprinkle in the turmeric, mustard seeds and all the pounded spices and bay leaves, then fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring.
4. Add the rice and stock: Next, stir in the rice until it’s coated in the buttery spices, then pour in the stock. Add a pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper, stir well and bring to the boil.
5. Seal and cook: Give a final stir, then cover with a tight-fitting lid, blocking any air vents with a piece of softened bread. Turn the heat to its very lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Butter and fluff: Meanwhile, cut the remaining 35g of butter into small pieces. Lift the lid and dot the butter over the hot rice. Let it melt for a few seconds, then quickly fluff with a fork without breaking the grains.
7. Rest: Then put the lid back on and leave the rice to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

FAQs

How is pilau different from plain boiled basmati?

Their plain basmati in Great Curries is boiled hard for about 10 minutes, drained, then rested under a clean tea towel for 5. Yet this pilau isn’t drained at all, since in my pan the stock has gone by the time I lift the lid.

In Everyday Winners they soak basmati for 30 minutes, though unsoaked rice gets 15 minutes rather than 10, which matches the pilau’s 15. So I rinse but don’t soak mine, just as this recipe asks.

How much stock does the rice need?

This pilau uses 500ml of stock for 300g of basmati, while their chicken pilau in Chicken & Egg takes 800ml for 400g. And the mushroom rice in Great Curries uses 450ml of cold water for 250g, with curry leaves and ginger.

Chicken or vegetable stock both work, as the recipe says, so with vegetable stock this pilau is vegetarian, though not vegan because of the butter.

Is pilau the same as biryani?

No, because pilau cooks raw rice in its stock, while their lamb and chicken biryanis par-boil and drain the rice, then layer it over meat. In Great Curries they trace biryani back to Persia, where it began as a simple dish of rice and meat baked in the oven.

The bread trick is a cousin of the dough seal on their lamb biryani with a dough lid, which bakes in the oven. But their chicken biryani from Chicken & Egg boils its rice for 5 minutes, while the lamb one drains it as it reboils.

Can I turn it into a one-pot meal with chicken or lamb?

Their chicken pilau in Chicken & Egg does exactly that, with yoghurt-marinated thighs and skinned broad beans. And it rests for 10 minutes rather than 5, finished with dill, coriander and parsley.

For lamb, their Turkish lamb pilaf in Meat Feasts simmers diced lamb with saffron and sultanas, then gets toasted pine nuts on top.

What should I serve it with, and how long does it keep?

Si and Dave put pilau on their menu for a casual meal with mates, next to lamb dopiaza and chicken tikka masala. Since they list it twice for 8 to 10 people, I make two batches for a crowd rather than one huge pan. For partners, their Great Curries lamb dopiaza is the obvious one, though I like it just as much with their Mama’s slow-simmered beef curry.

Cooked rice can cause food poisoning if left out, so I cool leftovers within an hour, then fridge them and eat within 24 hours. And, as the NHS advises, I reheat it only once, until it’s piping hot at 70C for 2 minutes.