#handheldfoodbysu

Just like most Asians, I love my rice! It’s one carb that I will never give up nor can go on without for more than 3 days. Though I really love the simplicity of plain white or brown rice which let room for the flavours of the accompanying curries to shine through, there are days when I do crave something a little different and special.

This ghee rice, very similar to my kahabath, is a rice that is very popular in Sri Lanka and is a snap to make. As simple as it is to make, it elevates an ordinary lunch to something a little bit more special with just a few additional ingredients and steps.

This pairs perfectly well with a chicken curry, potato curry, cutlets, moju and a simple salad and can also be used for as the base for a lamprais.

Without further ramblings, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice (I prefer Sri Lankan Samba or Ponni rice)
• 2 Tbsp of Ghee
• 2 large Onions – finely sliced
• Pandan leaves
• 2-3 Cloves and cardamoms
• ½ inch piece of Ceylon cinnamon
• 1 Chicken stock cube or fresh stock
• ~2 cups of Water (or stock if you are not using stock cubes)
• Splash of thin coconut milk
• Roasted cashew
• Sliced spring onions

How to:

• Wash the rice well for about 2-3 times until the water runs clear.
• Heat up ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and once it heats up add in the sliced onions and the pandan leaf and fry until the onions are golden. I personally love using lots of onions, but you may adjust as you wish.
• Add in the cloves, the cardamoms and the Ceylon cinnamon until they release their fragrance (I was not used to adding cinnamon to my ghee rice but my friend’s mom suggested and I really loved the subtle flavour it adds)
• Add in the chicken cube followed by the rice and let it fry along with the rest of the ingredients for a minute.
• Then transfer everything into the rice cooker, add water and a splash of thin coconut milk and cook till rice is done. Again, adding the coconut milk was suggested my friend’s mom it gave the rice a slightly richer taste and aroma.
• Mix well with a fork once done and garnish with cashew nuts and spring onions before serving.

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Special thanks to Niroshanan for the awesome photo and his mom for the recipe tips.