What you need:
For the meatballs:
1 pound minced meat of your choice
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp minced garlic
Salt to taste
Red chilli pepper flakes to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
1 large green chilli chopped
½ a regular size red onion chopped finely
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 to 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
For the Pilaf:
1 ½ tbsp cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods
3 small or 2 large bay leaves
1 star anise
1 ½ tsp garam masala powder
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
5 or 6 peppercorns
1 black cardamom pod
½ a piece dried mace
2 tsp coriander powder
5 whole pimento/all spice
Oil to taste
2 medium red onions sliced thin
½ tbsp garlic minced
½ tbsp ginger paste
1 large tomato sliced thin
Salt to taste
1 large green chilli sliced
2 ½ cups aged basmati rice, washed and soaked for 40 minutes
Green chillies and cilantro
Some orange food colouring (optional)
How to:
ENJOY!
* How much water should you add? Well that depends on the type of rice you’re using and how soft you like your rice to be. I personally use the “pinky finger rule” especially when cooking rice that has other ingredients in it like meat or chicken. Basically, this means touching the top of the rice with the tip of your pinky finger and the water should come up to the top of your nail bed. Sound ridiculous to stick your finger into hot food but because you will have just added in some room temperature water, it’s fine. If you’re not keen on doing that, just use your judgement or the instructions on the bag of rice
For the meatballs:
1 pound minced meat of your choice
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp minced garlic
Salt to taste
Red chilli pepper flakes to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
1 large green chilli chopped
½ a regular size red onion chopped finely
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 to 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
For the Pilaf:
1 ½ tbsp cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods
3 small or 2 large bay leaves
1 star anise
1 ½ tsp garam masala powder
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
5 or 6 peppercorns
1 black cardamom pod
½ a piece dried mace
2 tsp coriander powder
5 whole pimento/all spice
Oil to taste
2 medium red onions sliced thin
½ tbsp garlic minced
½ tbsp ginger paste
1 large tomato sliced thin
Salt to taste
1 large green chilli sliced
2 ½ cups aged basmati rice, washed and soaked for 40 minutes
Green chillies and cilantro
Some orange food colouring (optional)
How to:
- Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs, cover and refrigerate for ½ an hour
- Fry the whole spices and powders in the oil until they start to pop
- Add the onion, ginger and garlic in
- Once the onions have browned, add the tomato and salt
- Mix well and cook until a sort of paste has formed and the tomato is no longer solid
- Add a little bit of water and cook some more
- Once the mixture has reduced a bit, add in the formed meatballs (of whatever size you want, I prefer to make them a bit smaller than regular meatballs), placing them gently in 1 layer
- Cover and cook on low/medium heat
- Once the meatballs are cooked or almost cooked through, add in the rice, green chilli, and cilantro
- Now add in some water *
- Cover and cook until the rice is cooked, mixing gently in between then turn down the heat down to the lowest possible, keeping the rice covered with a tight lid (add some food colouring at this point if you want to)
- Keep the rice tightly covered and turn the heat off completely after 15 minutes or so and you’re done!
- Serve with some salad, pickle, chutney, and yoghurt
ENJOY!
* How much water should you add? Well that depends on the type of rice you’re using and how soft you like your rice to be. I personally use the “pinky finger rule” especially when cooking rice that has other ingredients in it like meat or chicken. Basically, this means touching the top of the rice with the tip of your pinky finger and the water should come up to the top of your nail bed. Sound ridiculous to stick your finger into hot food but because you will have just added in some room temperature water, it’s fine. If you’re not keen on doing that, just use your judgement or the instructions on the bag of rice
