Rice comes off sidelines, becomes centrepiece
Once you master the basic formula, you can start to experiment
I have a theory about why even experienced cooks are intimidated by plain rice.
Cooking rice is mysterious in the same way as baking a cake. There are proportions you need to stick to religiously, a cooking process that you can’t see, and a rest period during which you can only cross your fingers and hope for the best. It’s all an act of faith where you trust heat, time and a particular ratio of liquid to rice and have no control over the outcome.
But once you nail down a basic rice formula — and you can — you regain control. For me, every new rice dish is a controlled experiment in which I play with variables like flavour and method, and adjust the formula accordingly.
In recent years, for example, my rice has often been migrating to the oven, and cooking in a baking dish rather than a pot. I do this when I want a large surface area, either underneath or on top of the rice, in which I can embed flavours in all sorts of interesting ways.
On one occasion, I braised two heads of garlic and a dozen shallots in lots of olive oil before adding the rice and slowly baking it with curry leaves. Another time, I used the large surface of the baked rice to cover it with thin “tiles” of feta, placed under the grill and then finished off with a sweet and salty garnish of pomegranates, walnuts, olives and herbs.
My inclination to turn rice into a meal in itself, or at least a substantial part of the meal, rather than a side dish, has its origins in my roots in the Middle East. When I was growing up in Jerusalem, a weekend meal in either an Arab or Jewish household could be a pot of rice, slowly cooked with plenty of vegetables and possibly meat pieces strewn through. For a fancier occasion this formula would become a pilaf with saffron, nuts and dried fruit, elevating the plain rice to aristocratic heights.
For my turmeric rice, for example, I added tomatoes to the rice, which meant I needed a little less cooking liquid than I normally use. Then I worked taste by taste, adding spices and other flavours to balance out the intensity of the tomatoes.
Another dish, far more involved, required more fine-tuning. My maqluba — a traditional upside-down rice cake with tomatoes on top — simply wouldn’t cook evenly since it was so large. So, instead, I parboiled the rice, and then just steamed it with a small amount of extra water in the dish to finish off the cooking. (It only took six attempts to get that formula just right!)
In all these dishes, the wise cook will remember that cooking the rice correctly is the most important step; everything else can be adjusted, re-seasoned, or covered with herbs or — if all else fails — melted cheese.
Spiced Maqluba with Tomatoes and Tahini Sauce
Makes 4 main-course servings
Scant 1⁄2 cup brown lentils Salt and black pepper
1 1⁄4 cups basmati rice Finely grated zest of 2 lemons 2 1⁄2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 teaspoons finely minced or pressed garlic
5 cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 loosely packed cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
5 tbsp olive oil, more for greasing
1 1⁄4 pounds onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 1⁄3 pounds total), cut into 1-inch-thick rounds (or use cherry tomatoes, halved) Scant 1⁄2 cup tahini
A handful of crispy shallots, for garnish (optional)
Total time: About 1.5 hours 1. In a medium saucepan, combine lentils with 1 quart cold water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to keep temperature low, then stir in rice. Simmer for another six to eight minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through. (The rice won’t be ready at this stage.)
2. Drain very well. Stir in lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, 1½ teaspoons garlic, cardamom, allspice, turmeric, half of the parsley, plenty of pepper and ¾ teaspoon salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick pan heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add onions, ¾ teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper and cook, stirring, until soft and well browned, eight to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Using olive oil, grease a 10inch-wide saucepan with straight sides and a lid. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper.
5. In a bowl, toss tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper and then arrange them flat on the bottom of the pan. (If using cherry tomatoes, lay the cut sides down.) Layer the cooked onions on top and then spoon the rice mixture over the onions, smoothing it down so the surface is flat. Using a skewer, poke about six holes in the rice and then sprinkle the surface with 2 tablespoons water. Place the pan over high heat for five minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pan with a clean tea towel followed by the lid and then cook for 15 minutes, until rice is barely cooked. (Take care that the towel edges are held safely over the lid so they don’t catch fire!) Check after 10 minutes to make sure the pan is not dry; add a little water if needed.
6. Set pan aside for at least 20 minutes (with the lid and tea towel left on); residual heat will finish the cooking.
7. While rice rests, make tahini sauce: in a bowl, combine tahini with the remaining ½ teaspoon of garlic, remaining 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/3 cup of water. Whisk until smooth and creamy and set aside.
8. When ready to serve, remove the lid and tea towel and then cover the top of the pan with a large platter. With one hand on the pan and the other holding the platter, invert the dish so that the top of the rice is now the base of the maqluba on the platter (like unmolding an upside-down cake). Tap the bottom of the pan a few times to help the tomatoes ease off the bottom. Peel off and discard the paper.
9. Serve hot, with shallots and remaining parsley sprinkled on top. Pass tahini sauce at the table.
Turmeric Rice with Tomatoes
Makes 4 to 6 side servings
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 10 cardamom pods, crushed (keep a few of the pods and all the seeds)
1 1⁄2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lemon, yellow peel shaved into 5 wide strips, and fruit squeezed to get 2 tbsp juice 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 pint cherry tomatoes
Salt and black pepper
1 2⁄3 cups basmati rice
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1⁄4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Total time: 50 minutes
1. In a medium-size deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid, combine garlic, cardamom, thyme, 3 tablespoons oil and the lemon peel strips. Turn heat to medium-low and gently cook for five to six minutes, stirring often, until garlic just begins to soften and turn golden.
2. Add turmeric, tomatoes and 1¼ teaspoons salt and cook three to four minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to blister, taking care not to break them apart. Add rice, stock (or water) and a generous grind of pepper and gently stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover the pan with a clean tea towel and seal with the lid, securing the towel edges well over the lid so they don’t catch fire.
3. Reduce heat to very low and let cook undisturbed 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, leaving the lid on, and let rest five minutes. Remove lid and towel and use a large fork to gently fluff rice and evenly disperse the tomatoes. Gently stir in lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons oil and parsley. Let rest five minutes more before serving.