(no subject)

[madbaker]

This week's Resolution Recipe: Yakhni Pulao... For Science!
"Yakhni pulao, a specialty of Kashmir, is a hearty rice pilaf made by cooking rice in yakhni, which is spiced bone broth stock."

Yakhni (stock)
2 lb bone-in lamb stew meat
3 cups water
1 small onion, quartered
1" ginger, quartered
5-6 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
1 Tbsp fennel seeds
3 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 dried bay leaves
2-3 1" pieces cinnamon bark
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
salt, as needed

Place the lamb, water, onion, and spices in the CultPot. Gently stir to combine, then cook on Soup/Broth for 25 minutes at high pressure. Allow to release pressure naturally. Carefully remove the lamb and set aside. Strain the spiced stock and set aside.

Pulao (pilaf)
3 cups uncooked basmati rice (I used brown)
2 Tbsp veg oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
salt as needed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2" fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more. Again.)
2-3 green bird's eye chilies, halved
4-5 baby potatoes, halved
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
fried onions for garnish
fresh cilantro for ditto garnish
raita for ditto ditto garnish (yogurt, cucumber, and cilantro)

Rinse the rice. Saute the onion in oil with salt until golden brown. Add the cumin, garlic, and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Pour into the CultPot and mix with the chilies, potatoes, peas, and yogurt. Stir well. Add the lamb and rice, then top with the lamb stock. Stir to combine. Cook the CultPot on Rice setting at default (should be 12-15 minutes, low pressure). Allow to release naturally.

Garnish as desired.

What worked: This was fine. Not spectacular but not bad. The rice was beautifully fluffy -- the CultPot does that well. I made the lamb stock the day before so this was easy and pretty quick for dinner.

What didn't: Bah. I sneer at your trendy hipster bone broth and use the term I always have: stock. The pilaf didn't have a ton of flavor, although there was plenty of meat present so it wasn't bland.

I should have made a half batch, because this is a ginormous amount (especially for two people). It needed more spice and heat. Also more peas; they completely disappeared in the mix.

Will I make it again? I'm not putting it in the rotation, but I wouldn't mind in a few months. But we're probably only going to eat about half of it and vac-seal/freeze the remainder so we'll be eating this again in a few months anyway...

Comments

[kareina]

Wait--rice cooks in 12-15 minutes in that kind of pot? I haven't timed it, but I am pretty certain my rice cooker (which is more than 12 years old, since David had it already when I moved in with him nearly 12 years ago) takes at least 20, if not 30 minutes.

[madbaker]

The CultPot is a pressure cooker, so it cooks faster. It is actually brilliant at cooking rice but I don't use it much for that, as the minimum quantity is usually more than the two of us want.

[velvetchamber]

A Japanese chef I took a course with taught us to cook rice in the microwave when there aren't rice cookers around. Rinse 2 dl short grain rice, add 3 dl water. Let soak for 30 min. Microwave for 5 min at 600 W, then for 12 min at 300W. Works pretty well if you know you are about to make rice.

[madbaker]

Makes sense. Unfortunately, we do not have counter space for a microwave (or rice cooker.)

[velvetchamber]

If the pressure cooker does the job as you want it to, that's more than sufficient!

[velvetchamber]

I'm hoping to find barberry at some point, because I really want to make Uzbek plov. Lamb and rice are such good companions.