How do you make different flavoured rice?

[BertieBotts]

Like you get at an Indian takeaway?

Do you mean like pilau rice? What flavour(s) were you thinking of?

I don't know, anything - I don't really know what different flavours you can do, just they always seem to have lots of choices and I always make plain basmati rice, which is nice, but a bit boring.

I don't know if you need a different kind of rice - isn't Pilau just a variety like long grain, basmati etc?

Just throw stick, veg and meat into a wok with rice

I have no idea but that's what I would do

I think you just add the flavours to the water as you boil eg for coconut rice you add coconut cream with water etc.

Fry up a bit of onion and garlic. Mix the dry (basmati) rice through. Add some spices (turmeric, cardamom pods for example), season then add the water and cook as you normally would. Easy!

That sounds fairly easy, disco.

you need spices to make the flavours. Dont know what its like but Delia has a pilau rice recipe here. Dh normally uses saffron to make the rice yellow

pilau rice - another recipe

Egg fried rice is really really easy. Take one egg and scramble it fry it off moving it around until its cooked and in small pieces then add your cold cooked rice mix it all together add soy mix again and cook until hot.

there is a cheats way, i sometimes use Pilau rice seasoning which you add to the rice when it's cooking. It's by Schwartz!

Nigel slater does a tasty one from his Appetite book. Its something like, finely chop an onion and soften, add a couple of handfuls of basmati rice, throw in a cinnamon stick, a chilli and a clove of garlic squashed. Add water to twice the height of the rice bring to the boil then simmer til cooked. Add chopped coriander before serving

Its subtle but really tasty.

Rice cooked and add coriander and butter at the end nice with Thai curry.

Or garlic and lemon and uncooked rice in a small amount of oil and cook for a few mins then add the water and cook as normal.

Now egg fried rice I can do!

Thanks all. Looks like it is just a case of adding things to the rice when it's cooking (although good to know about the onions/garlic first) - and also it seems best to use "whole" spices rather than ground powdered spices?

Just get a few spices, cook them in a little oil or ghee, add the rice and water and cook as normal.

Try replacing some of the water with orange juice, not Indian but goes well with smoked fish.