Hakka-ish Ghee Rice

Ghee rice is loved in many parts of South India. Works as a great side, or if you're like us, you'll want to dig in to it with nothing else on the plate to distract you. 

Fluffy, buttery basmati rice, tempered with perfumed, spicy flavours. Try our spicy take on this South Indian classic. It's not traditional - but it's an absolute banger.

What is Ghee? A clarified butter commonly & traditionally used in South Asian cooking. Not terribly hard to find, but if you can't, sub with unsalted butter! Its not traditional, but neither is this recipe :)

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 180g basmati rice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter/ghee ( or 2...we wont judge! YOLO)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 3-4 curry leaves
• Small handful of cashews
• 1 tbsp Hakka-ish Chili Crisp

Method:

1. Place the rice in a strainer and rinse in cold water until the water runs clear. Let sit for a few minutes to drain.
2. Place rice in a small pot with the salt, and fill with water until it covers the rice by around 2cm. If you're finding it hard to visualize 2cm think about the distance from the tip of your pinky finger, to the first digit.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook on a med-low heat for 8 minutes.
4. Take off the heat, and leave covered for 8 minutes further. 
5. Uncover, and fluff up the rice with a fork. You want to basically fold the rice over until its fluffy, so the steam can escape. 
6. While it steams, place a small pan over a med-high heat, and add the ghee. When it’s bubbling, add the turmeric and curry leaves, and take off the heat. This is called a tarka or chonk.
7. Place the rice in a bowl/plate, and pour the tarka over it, curry leaves and all. Spoon over the Hakka-ish. 
8. If using leftover rice, just fry it with the tarka to reheat it. 

Make it vegan: Swap out the butter/ghee with a mustard oil, or vegetable oil. 

Notes: We used fresh rice, but this is a great use for leftover rice. This heats up great in the microwave too, so it's great to package and bring to work.