Kuska

I ate this Kuska for the first time when I went to a Tamil restaurant.  It tasted awesome.  The cooking method is almost similar to Hyderabadi bagara rice (shall post that recipe very soon) but the only major difference is the use of coconut milk in Kuska. I used basmati rice here, but I hope you can use any kind of rice for this recipe.  

What I used:

Basmati rice : 2 cups
Coconut Milk : 1 cup
Water : 2 1/2 cups
Onion : 1/2 (sliced into thin strips)
Bay leaves : 3 to 4
Cinnamon : 1 inch stick
Cloves :6
Elaichi : 6
Star anise : 3
Shahijeera : 1 tbsp
Pepper corns : 1 tbsp
Green chillies : 6 to 8
Chopped coriander : 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste : 2 tbsp
Salt : as required
Clarified butter / oil : 3 tbsp

How I did:

• Wash and soak rice for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat 2 tbsp of clarified butter in a kadai.  Drain the excess water from the rice and add that to kadai.
• Fry for about 5 to 7 minutes until you smell the aroma of rice fried in clarified butter.
• Transfer to a plate or dish.  In the same kadai heat a tbsp of clarified butter.
• Add all the spices (Bay leaves,Cinnamon,Cloves, Elaichi, Star anise, Shahijeera and Pepper corns).
• When the spices start to crackle, add ginger garlic paste and green chillies.
• Saute for a while and add onion slices.
• Stir in between until onions turn translucent.  Pour in the water and coconut milk.
• At this stage add salt, chopped coriander and bring it to boil.  Add rice and mix once.
• Simmer the stove and cook covered for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir once or twice in between.  Do not over-stir the rice as it may break the rice into small bits.
• Switch off the stove and leave it untouched for another 15 minutes.  This completes the cooking process.
• Serve with any Kurma.