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Welcome to the Rice and Spice Guide! Introduction At Tilda, we’re proud to offer our signature Pure Original Basmati, in addition to a wide range of other rice varieties, making it easier to create mouth-watering dishes at home. Like fine wine, each of these varieties offer a distinctive flavour tone and texture that can be matched perfectly with dishes and spices from across the globe.
Dhruv Baker Ma terChef Winner 2010 S
That’s why we’ve teamed up with MasterChef winner Dhruv Baker, known for his complex layering of flavours and spices, to develop the first ever Tilda Rice & Spice Pairing Guide. Dhruv has been working with experts at Tilda to become a 'Rice Sommelier', to help uncover the secrets behind identifying the perfect rice for each dish to create delicious mealtime pairings. We’ve also included top tips from Dhruv, to give you an insight into understanding and appreciating the complexities of a truly excellent rice dish. Discover why a nutty Wholegrain Basmati will enhance your Chilli Con Carne beyond belief, how a Fragrant Jasmine rice balances perfectly with fiery ginger and why Pure Basmati, often referred to as the ‘Prince of Rice’, is the ideal accompaniment to a perfect curry. Keep reading to learn more about getting the very best from your rice dishes!
Contents: Pure Ba S mati - - - - - - - - - 2 Wholegrain BaS mati - - - - - - 3 Fragrant JaS mine - - - - - - - 4 Ea y Cook Ba mati - - - - - - 5 Giant Wild - - - - - - - - - - - 6 Ba mati and Wild - - - - - - - 7 1
Pure BaS mati Truly the jewel in the crown of our rice range, a gorgeously aromatic and delicate, light grain which needs to be served with a dish that will work with its flavour profile without overpowering. The Perfect Chicken Curry is an excellent example of such a dish delivering layer upon layer of flavour.
Dhruv's
Perfect Chicken Curry Serves 4 • Prep Time 15 mins • Cook Time 45 mins
Ingredients 75g desiccated coconut
½ tsp cinnamon powder
2 cinnamon sticks
5 tbsp vegetable oil
500g boneless chicken thighs (skin removed)
2 star anise
3 red onions, finely chopped
200ml water or chicken stock
1 tsp black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
A squeeze of lemon
3 tsp coriander powder
6 tbsp fresh curry leaves
½ tsp chilli powder
8 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp salt
1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional if you like it hot!)
3 whole dried red chillies This unique grain is renowned for its tantalising flavour, magical aroma and delicate fluffy texture. Basmati also has the highest amino acid and nutritional content of all rices, and it’s gluten free too.
Spice Match:
Method 1. Toast the coconut in a pan over a low heat, stirring until it turns golden brown. 2. Remove the coconut to a plate and into the same pan add the cinnamon sticks, dried chillies, peppercorns, star anise and fennel seeds. Roast in the pan for 3-4 minutes then add the ground coriander and chilli powder and stir for a minute. Add 100ml of water to form a paste and cook for 2 minutes. 3. Remove the cinnamon sticks, star anise and whole chillies and keep for later. Add the toasted coconut, turmeric and salt to the pan for 2 mins. Add everything to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a smooth paste.
Star AniS e Star anise is shaped like an eight-pointed star and contains seeds with an aniseed flavour. It is used widely in Indian and Chinese cooking and is one of the five spices in Chinese fivespice powder. Try infusing your Basmati with this aromatic spice whilst cooking.
4. Heat the oil in the same pan and slowly cook the onions until they are soft – this will take about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple of minutes then turn up the heat and add the curry leaves and stir for a minute. 5. Add the tomatoes and the spice paste, return the cinnamon stick, star anise and chilli to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until you end up with a smooth paste and the oil starts to separate out. 6. Remove half the mixture and freeze or place in an airtight container which will keep in the fridge for a week or so.
Rice Fact
7. Add the chicken and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Add 200ml chicken stock remove the lid and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Basmati can only be grown in the foothills of the Himalayas.
8. Remove the star anise, cinnamon and chilli, stir through the lemon juice and green chilli (if using) and scatter with the fresh coriander.
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Wholegrain BaS mati Wholegrain Basmati has a contrasting taste and texture to Pure Basmati. The firmer grains have a nuttier aroma and taste, creating an ideal match to this delicious, rich chilli con carne.
With the bran later intact, Wholegrain Basmati has a distinctive nutty flavour. It is rich in nutrients and natural fibre due in large part to the bran, which is an excellent source of fibre, oils, B vitamins, and important minerals.
Spice Match:
Lamb Chilli Con Carne Serves 4 • Prep Time 15 mins • Cook Time 30 mins
Ingredients 240g Tilda Wholegrain Basmati Rice 1 tbsp olive oil 2 springs of rosemary, chopped 1 large white onion, chopped ½ red pepper, diced
½ orange pepper, diced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 level tbsp if you only have mild) 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp smoked paprika
500g lean lamb mince 400g can chopped tomatoes 400g can red kidney beans Soured cream & guacamole, to serve Jalapeños (as desired)
Method
Smoked Paprika In Spain farmers harvest and dry the chillies over wood fires, creating smoked paprika. Smoked paprika is traditionally used in paella, and highly flavoured dishes where you need to create a multi-layered depth of flavour and heat.
Rice Fact In Vietnam, people eat an average of 214kg a year, compared with just 6kg in the UK.
1. Heat oil in pan and add the chopped onions followed by chopped rosemary until the rosemary releases its oils about 2-3 mins. 2. Add the garlic peppers and followed by the mince lamb. Cook the meat out until its separate approx. 10 mins. 3. Then add the red kidney beans followed by the tomatoes, cumin, chilli powder and cook for 15 mins until bubbling. 4. For the rice cook 240g of Tilda Wholegrain Basmati as per pack instructions. 5. Serve with sour cream, guacamole & jalapeños.
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Fragrant JaS mine Fragrant Jasmine rice has a stickier texture than Basmati and long-grain rices, so it needs a dish with plenty of flavour but without being too heavy. This dish matches ginger perfectly with the light soy turkey. Add in the crunch and colour from the fresh vegetables, and it’s easy to see why this is such a great pairing.
This perfumed and floral rice is renowned across South East Asia and no Thai curry would be complete without a side of steamed sticky rice. It is also an excellent base for traditional Thai, Malay and Indonesian stir fries, and teams perfectly with ginger, lemongrass, galangal, lime, green chilli and kaffir lime leaves.
Spice Match: Ginger
Jasmine Rice With Ginger Soy Turkey Serves 4 • Prep Time 15 mins • Cook Time 25 mins
Ingredients 250g Tilda Fragrant Jasmine Rice
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
500g diced turkey
50g mangetout, sliced diagonally
½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp lemon juice 1 tbsp sunflower oil
150ml stock blended with 1 tsp cornflour
1 small red pepper, sliced
Sea salt and pepper
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
Fresh coriander or parsley
Method Fresh ginger has a sweet and pungent taste and a perfume-like scent that makes it suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes. Ginger is popular in cuisines throughout Asia and is especially favoured in stir-fries, curries and fried-rice dishes.
Rice Fact It takes between three and six months for a rice plant to reach maturity.
1. Cook rice according to covered pan method on pack. Keep warm, mounded, on serving plate. 2. Fry diced turkey in oil for 3 minutes, stirring, then add red pepper, ginger and onions. Cook for 5 minutes. 3. Add mangetout, soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar. Cook for 2 minutes then mix in stock and cook to thicken. 4. Check seasoning and spoon on top of rice. Garnish with herbs and serve hot.
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EaS y Cook BaSmati Easy Cook Basmati pairs ideally with the cumin, saffron and cinnamon which complement the sweet raisins. The firm texture of this grain stands up to the lamb, resulting in a delicious one-pot dish.
Qabili Pilau Serves 6 • Prep Time 10 mins • Cook Time 2hrs 10mins
Ingredients
Easy Cook Basmati rice is parboiled with the husk on within days of the harvest. This results in the grain appearing slightly golden in colour until it is cooked when it turns white. This firmer grain is also perfect for one pot dishes.
Spice Match:
360g Tilda Easy Cook Basmati
1 tsp cumin
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 medium onion chopped
½ tsp of pepper
600g lamb, diced
1 tsp sugar
200ml water
¼ tsp saffron
2 large carrots
1 litre of water
100g black seedless raisins
Salt and pepper
Method 1. Heat a large pan with the 2 tbsp oil and add the onions and sauté until brown. 2. Add the lamb and brown lightly. 3. Add the ½ tsp cinnamon, 1tsp cumin pepper with the water and cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 ½ hours. 4. Remove meat from the juice and set juice aside. 5. Cut 2 carrots into match stick size pieces. Sauté carrots and 1tsp sugar in 1tbsp of oil.
Cinnamon Cinnamon is the dried bark of the cassia tree, and it is a central spice in traditional garam masala where its warmth, citrus notes and woody pungency make it a perfect addition to a host of curries, biryanis and pulaos.
Rice Fact Scientists believe there are 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice, but no one knows the exact number.
6. Remove from oil Add 1 cup of raisins to the oil and cook until they soften up. 7. Simmer the leftover meat juices until it thickens into a sauce. 8. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the Tilda Easy Cook Basmati, cook for 8 mins and then drain off the excess water. 9. Add the rice back to the pan with 5 tsp of the meat sauce and the saffron. Mix the meat, carrots, raisins and rice together. Add salt and pepper to taste. 10. Place in a large oven-proof dish and cover well to keep the steam inside. Bake for 30 mins at 200 degrees. 11. Serve on a large platter and enjoy with the leftover meat sauce.
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Giant Wild The nuttiness and texture from the Giant Wild rice needs something with similar properties from the spice world - and that something has to be mustard seeds. Their rounded almost bitter flavour is ideal with the rice, and offers a gorgeous contrast to the smooth mellowness of the lentils.
Wild Rice is not actually a rice. It’s an aquatic cereal grain that grows in isolated lakes and watercourses across North America. The grains are long, slender and black, with a distinctive earthy, nutty flavour.
Spice Match:
Giant Wild Rice Medley Serves 4 • Prep Time 10 mins • Cook Time 45 mins
Ingredients
Mustard SeedS The nutty pungency of mustards such as wholegrain and wholegrain dijon work beautifully with the nutty grains of wild rice. The grain also combines well with dry fried brown and black mustard seeds used in traditional Bengali and South Indian cookery.
125g Tilda Giant Wild Rice
Handful of chopped parsley
4 sea bass fillets 100g split yellow peas
2 tsp wholegrain mustard (or Dijon should you prefer)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove crushed garlic
6 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
Method 1. In a pan of boiling water add the yellow split peas and the wild rice and cook at a simmer for 40 mins then drain the excess water off. 2. In separate bowl add olive oil and the lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and whisk to make a dressing then add the rice and lentils. 3. Add the parsley and mix well. Garnish with a lemon slice if desired. 4. Pan fry the sea bass for approx. 10 minutes, then season to taste.
Rice Fact In Indian tradition rice is the first meal that a wife serves to her husband after their marriage.
5. Serve piping hot.
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BaSmati and Wild This dish is delicious, easy and quick to prepare and its visual appeal makes it a real crowd pleaser. The addition of asparagus lifts the dish adding its unique flavour but also a textural contrast to the robust, satisfying bite of the wild rice. Here the spice match is actually a contrast - the paprika adding a smoky heat to this otherwise creamy and delicate dish.
The nutty, wholesome taste of the wild rice matches perfectly with the Basmati grain, adding a visual twist to any dish.
Spice Match:
Salmon & Asparagus Stroganoff Serves 4 • Prep Time 10 mins • Cook Time 25 mins
Ingredients 240g Tilda Basmati & Wild Rice
200g button mushrooms
100ml semi skimmed milk
1 tbsp olive oil
125g asparagus tips, cut into 3cm pieces
½ tsp smoked paprika
500g salmon fillet, cubed
200g low fat cream cheese
½ 20g pack chives, chopped
Paprika
Method
While the smoked version adds a little more heat, plain Paprika offers a depth of flavour and a natural way to add colour and intensity to dishes. It is used in a range of dishes across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
1. Cook the rice in boiling water for 25 minutes, drain. 2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the salmon and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. 3. Stir in the asparagus, cream cheese, milk and paprika and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste. 4. Mix the chives into the rice and serve with the salmon stroganoff.
Rice Fact From the deserts of the Middle East to the tropical jungles of Africa, rice grows on every continent... except Antarctica.
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