Rice is one of the major staple foods in South India. A typical South Indian Meal consist of Steamed Rice with different gravies and a salad. Ghee Rice is a type of steamed rice which is seasoned with Ghee (Clarified Butter) and few spices. This can be consumed with Dal or any other thick gravies.
There are primarily 2 methods of cooking Ghee Rice:

The first method is to cook the rice separately and season it on a frying pan.
The other method is to cook the rice along with the seasoning.

Both these methods have their own taste. In this Instructable I'll be showing you the second method of cooking Ghee Rice i.e I'll cook the rice along with the seasoning. So let's put on the chef's hat !!

Step 1: Ingredients

Ghee Rice is a pretty simple and quick recipe. For this recipe the ingredients required are :

Rice : 2 cups.
Ghee or Clarified Butter : 3 Table Spoons.
Onion (Medium Sized) - 1 (Optional).
Ginger-Garlic Paste : 1 Table Spoon.
Cinnamon : 1 pc.
Cloves : 4-5.
Bay Leaf: 1.
Dried Kapok Buds - 1.
Rock Salt.
Cooking Oil - 2 Table Spoons.
Grated Mint Leaves (For more flavor- Optional).

These are the ingredients and it will serve two people. If you're cooking for more people Increase the quantity in the same ratio.

Step 2: Prepping the Rice

Before you get started, wash the rice 2 or 3 times in cold water to remove excess starch. Once you've washed the rice, soak it in cold water. Remember, the rice should soak for a minimum of about 15 minutes.

While the rice is being soaked, chop onions if you are planning to add them, and get the remaining ingredients.

Step 3: Heat the Ghee

Since we're gonna cook the rice with the seasoning, the first step is to heat the ghee in a Pressure Cooker. You can use an open pan but pressure cooker is best suited for cooking rice along with it. If you're using an Electric Rice Cooker, then turn it on and heat the ghee directly into the vessel.

Step 4: In Goes the Spices

As soon as the spices get heated up, it's time to add the spices and sauté them. Be cautious while adding the cloves and stirring them because they tend to crackle and it might spill on your hands. Add all the spices and fry them for about 20 seconds.

If you want to add the onions, this is the time to add it. make sure the onions are finely chopped so that they cook faster. After the onion is cooked, add the ginger-garlic paste and stir well.

Step 5: Adding the Rice

Once the aroma of the ginger-garlic paste kicks in, it's time to add the rice. Add the cooking oil and mix it well. Drain the water from the soaked rice and add the rice into the mixture. Fry the rice in the mixture for a couple of minutes.

Step 6: Salt and Cook

Once you've fried the rice well, add water (4 Cups) to the cooker. Typically water is added in quantity double than that of rice. After adding water add required amount of rock salt to it. Mix it well and taste it once to see if the salt is sufficient. With all these in the cooker, close the lid and let it cook for about 2 whistles of the cooker.

Step 7: Serving

After 2 whistles, turn off the flame and let the pressure come down. Once the pressure is set, open the cooker and give the rice a final stir. There you go, it's ready to be served. Garnish it with a few cashew nuts on top before you serve. It is best served with dal tadka.

Bon Apetit .

That's All Folks !! Stay tuned for more !!