Siddhi’s rice dishes use rice in three different ways. Some cook raw rice in the pan with the spices, some start from rice that is almost cooked, and some start from fully cooked rice. Knowing which one a recipe needs makes the rest of the method easy to follow.
Every recipe linked in this guide is cooked in Siddhi’s own kitchen before it goes live.
The short answer
Match the rice to the dish:
- Pulao and Mexican rice: cook raw rice in measured water under a lid. For Veg White Pulao, rest it in its own steam for 15 minutes.
- Fried rice: start with rice that is 90% cooked, as in Sweet Corn Fried Rice.
- Coconut, peanut and coriander rice: start with cooked rice and warm it through with the tempering under a lid.
1. Raw rice cooked in the pan
Veg white pulao: rested in its own steam
- Add the strained rice to the pan with the whole spices and raisins and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add a little less than 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Once it boils, add the lemon juice, cook for a few seconds and cover with a lid.
- Cook on a low-medium flame for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the flame but keep the lid on for at least 15 minutes so the rice cooks in its own steam.
- Remove the lid and prick the rice with a fork.
Siddhi calls the butter in this recipe the secret ingredient for danedar (separate-grained) pulao. The full method is in her Veg White Pulao recipe.
Mexican rice: checked and forked
- Cook 1 cup of soaked basmati or long grain rice in oil for 1 to 1½ minutes, then add the vegetables.
- Add the tomato ketchup and water and stir on a full flame. Once it boils, lower the flame, cover and cook for 7 minutes.
- Open the lid and check the rice. If it is not cooked, add some water.
- Once cooked, mix it with a fork so the grains do not break.
The full method is in her Mexican Rice recipe.
2. Rice cooked to 90% for fried rice
Siddhi’s Sweet Corn Fried Rice uses 2 cups of rice cooked to 90%. It goes into the pan after the vegetables, with salt, and cooks for just a minute, then one more minute with the spring onion greens.
3. Cooked rice for flavoured rice
| Recipe | Cooked rice | How it is finished |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut Rice | 2 cups | Mixed with the tempering, covered and cooked for a minute on a low flame, then tossed |
| Peanut Rice | 2 cups | Mixed with the peanut powder, sprinkled with 1 tbsp water if needed, covered for 2 to 3 minutes |
| Coriander Rice | 1½ cups | 2 tbsp water added so it does not stick, then simmered under a lid for 2 minutes |
FAQs
What rice should I use for fried rice?
Siddhi’s sweet corn fried rice uses 2 cups of rice cooked to 90%, which goes into the pan after the vegetables and cooks for only a couple of minutes.
How do you keep pulao grains separate?
For her danedar veg white pulao, Siddhi cooks the rice on a low-medium flame for 10 minutes, then keeps the lid on for at least 15 minutes so it cooks in its own steam, and pricks it with a fork before serving.
Which of Siddhi’s rice recipes start with cooked rice?
Siddhi’s coconut rice, peanut rice and coriander rice all start with cooked rice, which is tossed with a tempering or paste and warmed through under a lid.
How much water does veg white pulao need?
Siddhi uses a little less than 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice in her veg white pulao.