Hi

When I have rice at Indian restaurants there rice has shades of orange on some of the rice, some are white, some are slightly orange, some are dark orange. Ive tried to do this at home and just cant get it right. I use a rice cooker. Ive tried adding a pinch of tumeric to the cooker but this turns is all yellow. Ive tried adding a pinch of saffron and this just turned it a very very pale yellow. Ive tried adding orange colouring to the cooked rice but it just ends up as a big orange splat in the rice. This method is the closest I can get but it just isnt the same. Any ideas?

Cheers

Steve

Hello Steve

There is no mystry to it. Look at this recipe Lamb Biryani, step 19;

"Dot with a little ghee and a few drops of liquid jalebi (orange) colour here and there (see picture). If dry colour powder is used, dissolve it in a teaspoon of water. These drops of ghee and colour will trickle down into the rice and when you serve, they will give you a nice flavour, as well as a few dark orange coloured rice grains interspersed in the rest of the white rice. This looks very nice when served."

Good luck.

in many Indian restaurants in the UK, they spinkle (in a cross pattern!) orange (and other colours!!)food colouring powder on top of the rice near to the end of cooking, and leave it to colour the rice on standing. Personally, I would use saffron which has been steeped in boiling water for about five minutes, sometimes I use it in milk (for biryanis).

Thanks Mamta and Lapis

Ive made your biryani mamta and I guess the spot of orange colouring is the way to go.

Cheers

Steve

How was the Biryani? I am always looking for improvements.

Mamta