Caramelized Onion Rice | Bhuga Chawal
Bhuga Chawal is cooked in a stock prepared by sautéing and caramelizing onions along with some basic spices. The caramelization gives a distinctive color and taste to the rice.
Equipment
- Wide pan
- wooden stirring spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice basmati or any long-grained rice.
- 1 Onion medium size, sliced
- 2 -3 nos. Green chilies chopped
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- Salt use as preferred
- 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 2 cups Water adjust as needed
Whole garam masala
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Small piece of cinnamon
- 2 Green cardamoms
- 1 Black cardamom
Tempering
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/4 tsp Garam masala powder
- 1/4 tsp Shah jeera
Instructions
Rinse and Soak Rice
- Rinse Basmati rice and soak for 15 minutes.
Caramelize Onions
- In the meanwhile, slice the onions uniformly.
- Then, in a saucepan or wok heat oil. Splutter bay leaf, green cardamom and cinnamon.
- Now add in the sliced onion. Sauté on medium flame.
- Lightly stir the onions from time to time so that they caramelize uniformly.
- Further, you will notice that onions turn light pink, light brown and then the shades of brown quickly darken.
- A watchful eye on the color! As soon as the onions caramelize to a dark brown color, add 1/4 cup of water.
- Let the onions cook for a minute.
Cook Brown Onion Pulao
- Then add the water. Add as much as required to cook the rice. A general thumb rule ratio for rice to water is 1:2 or 1:2.5 depending on the quality of rice.
- To the stock of caramelized stock, add salt, coriander powder and chopped green chilies. You may add a pinch of turmeric powder or red chili powder.
- When the stock starts to simmer, add in the rice.
- Let the rice cook on medium flame for 3-5 minutes. Check for seasoning.
- Finally, reduce the flame to low, cover the pan and let the rice cook.
Tempering
- Three fourth way through the cooking process, sprinkle garam masala and shahjeera on the rice.
- Heat oil in a tempering pan. Sizzle this oil over the rice. Cover and continue to cook on lowest flame for five to seven minutes more. This is traditionally known as 'dum'
- Finally put off the flame.
- Serve hot.
How to Serve Bhuga Chawal
- Serve Bhuga Chanwar with Sai Bhaji and Vegetable Boondi Raita or Salted Mint Lassi and some fryums or crackers. This pulao also goes well Chhole Masala or Paneer Makhni
Notes
- Use long grained rice.
- Be very vigilant when the onions start browning because in no time the onions change from dark brown to a burnt stage.
- Whether you chop the onions finely or slice them, it should be consistent chopping to ensure that the onions brown evenly.
- Towards the end of cooking the rice, keep it on dum to release maximum flavors.
- You may add red chili powder or a pinch of turmeric powder. It is optional.