A primer for Indian pilaf (pulao)

As with any other dish, you can divide a pulao into three basic components: texture, color and flavor.

Texture: Most recipes for Indian pilafs will employ basmati or a longgrain rice. Once the rice is cooked, you want the grains to be separate and not stick, and they should hold their structure without being blown apart at the ends as is common when they’re overcooked.

Color: OK, so this is one of my favorite parts when it comes to making a pilaf. Just a little splash of color across a seemingly white backdrop of rice can evoke a marvelous response when a pilaf is brought to the table. You’ll often notice this in biryanis and pilafs served on special occasions in Indian homes. All you need is a color source and cooked rice. Red beet juice will impart a deep red-pink color to rice; saffron-infused milk or water will give a deep orange color; and golden beets and turmeric will turn rice yellow. If you want a single color, add a bit of any of these colors to the water while the rice cooks. You can even blend a bunch of fresh herbs — such as mint and cilantro — and add that to the rice as it cooks as is often done in Indian recipes to create brighter green tones.

Flavor: Build on flavoring the rice in your pilaf with different ingredients to add aroma and taste. Spices such as black cardamom, green and white cardamom, black peppercorns, bay leaves, curry leaves, black mustard seeds, dried or fresh chiles, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cumin, cloves and even shredded coconut are just some of the many options that can be added to hot ghee or oil before the rice is added. The spices are usually added in whole form to give a more delicate finish and are left behind in the rice as a garnish (but not eaten). Beyond spices, aromatics such as garlic, ginger and onions can also be sauteed in fat before the rice is added. To add a little heat and color, my mom often flavored rice with the drippings from Goan sausage, which is a hot and spicy pork-based sausage made with chiles, vinegar and a cashew fruit liquor called feni.