Of the many varieties of rice India is home to, basmati rules the roost, with many Indian companies exporting it to various countries. To promote this furthermore, a two-day culinary extravaganza “Basmati for the World” was organised by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India (APEDA) under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India recently along with All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) to promote Indian Basmati rice in the international markets. What hooked many to the fest were the presence of some international, who worked their way to make the best recipes for guests. From Arancini, a Sicilian dish (fried rice balls) by Chef Matt Edmonds from London, UK, Maki roll by Michelin star chef Lionel Levy to basmati ice cream served with caramelised pineapple embellished with saffron, the conclave left foodies asking for more. “The thought behind the chef conclave is to take basmati to the local households in the target markets through main stream cuisines such as Chinese, Mexican, Italian and Thai foods,” said Asit Tripathy, chairman, APEDA.
Garnished with coriander, kaffir leaf and water cress, chef Matthias Mittnacht created magic in his perfect mix of shrimp and rice balls in peanut sauce. Sharing his recipe he tells us, “The idea is to blend prawns and basmati rice with egg and cream, folding gently and the rest follows. To this add chopped ginger, garlic and coriander. Coat with panko, and then shape into balls and fry in oil. Glace nuts with chilli, garlic and curry paste. Add the chicken stock and reduce a little. Add coconut. Stir till the ingredients blend, making a crunchy curry. Season with Thai fish sauce and sugar. Glace pok soy and cherry tomatoes. Garnish with coriander, kaffir leaf and water cress.”
And the rice balls seemed to be doing the magic all through. Another chef from Europe tantalised the tastebuds of guests with his French rice ball fritters. The most interesting ingredient of chef Lionel Levy was the use of crushed garlic with white wine and thyme. And the recipe is simple. “You just need to drain basmati rice and boil it in salted water with clove, bay leaf, crushed garlic, white wine and thyme. Cook it for 20 minutes and drain. Allow it to cool. Mix the crushed basmati rice powder along with cayenne pepper and water. Heat oil in a pan and sauté diced chorizo, onions, peppers. Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix the boiled Basmati rice, rice paste, sautéd onions, peppers and chorizo. Add the roasted pine nuts and mix well, to make a thick paste. Fold yogurt into the mixture and add squid ink for colour. Mix yeast and let it rest for 5 hours in the refrigerator. Make small balls, roughly 5 cm in diameter, and deep fry for 5 min at 180° C. Drain, season with salt and serve with confit tomatoes,” explains chef Levy.
What hooked many was American chef David Felton’s basmati risotto with brussels sprouts and butternut squash and paired the classical butter-poached Maine lobster with basmati rice and Thai curry sauce. The event say a Mexican chef Edgar Navarro creating the tumbada, the traditional seafood rice dish of Veracruz, with basmati rice.