An Exotic Turn On Rice

Rice is one of those easy summer dishes,It can be used as a hot dish with sauteed zucchini or as a salad with chopped onions and pepper strips. However, for a real twist use the Indian basmati rice. This is a perfect side and ingredient to any summer meal.

Dave Tanis praised it in his weekly column A City Kitchen in yesterday;s New York Times Dining section. Basmati rice has a sweet flavor and a delicate texture , different from the ordinary boiled in a minute kind.It is also a staple of Indian cooking and offsets the fiery flavors of that cuisine. Basmati rice also goes well with summer corn, which is  popular on the subcontinent.It can grace a pilaf or a puleo, giving it more sweetness and color.Mr. Tanis decided to combine the two into an interesting pilaf.

He makes this as a vegan recipe.It has the saffron and turmeric for color along with coriander and cumin for bite and heat. Since this is meatless , he adds cashews for crunch and protein as well as raisins for sweetness and chewiness.. He serves this withthe side dish  raita.This is a fiery mix of jalapeno and yogurt along with mustard seeds. Vegetable oil and mint are used to give the dip its' smoothness and coolness. As Mr. Tanis did, the two dishes can be served with a plate of fresh from the farm tomatoes. You could add some grilled chicken or even shrimp to the rice if you want it to be more substantial.

Basmati rice is a nice sub for the regular one. Add some farm fresh corn to it for added sweetness along withthe usual  fiery Indian spices.It's an easy summer dish with the taste of the exotic