{"id":15106,"date":"2023-04-04T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T13:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tilda.com\/?p=15106"},"modified":"2023-04-04T13:50:01","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T13:50:01","slug":"chetna-makans-rice-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tilda.com\/blog\/campaigns\/chetna-makans-rice-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Chetna Makan’s Rice Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The beauty is how versatile it is\u2019: Bake Off star Chetna Makan\u2019s love letter to rice<\/p>\n

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Rice is intricately woven into Chetna Makan\u2019s memories of childhood and family life. The cookbook author shares everything she knows about rice.<\/b><\/p>\n

-By Rosie<\/strong> Mullender
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To Chetna Makan, rice isn\u2019t just an everyday staple: it\u2019s an integral part of life. The former Great British Bake Off contestant (Makan appeared in series five of the show, reaching the semi-finals) has written five cookbooks on Indian cuisine \u2013 and despite being thrust into the limelight thanks to her fabulous baking skills, rice is at the heart of all her favourite recipes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Jabalpur, which is a small town in central India,\u201d Makan says. \u201cMy mother cooked everything from scratch every single day \u2013 a different meal for lunch and dinner. Everything was fresh, and she even made her own garam masala, so I\u2019ve grown up with very homely, beautiful, full-of-love kind of food \u2013 and rice played a very important part in that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Makan\u2019s memories of childhood are closely tied to food, from the unbroken raw rice offered up during Hindu prayers at Diwali, to the rice dishes her mother used \u2013 whether it\u2019s an everyday dinner, a lavish celebratory feast, or simple food designed to soothe upset stomachs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were unwell, Mum would make us\u00a0<\/span>khichdi<\/span><\/i>, which is a mixture of rice and lentils that\u2019s slightly overcooked, so everything becomes mushy,\u201d Makan says. \u201cYou just cook some rice with lentils, water, salt and turmeric, and that\u2019s it. It\u2019s very popular in India, and it was so comforting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we didn\u2019t want to eat anything complicated, she would make us a sweet dish called\u00a0<\/span>meetha<\/span><\/i>. It\u2019s made exactly like you eat cornflakes, but with rice \u2013 you put some cooked rice in a bowl, then sprinkle on sugar and cover it with cold milk. Thinking about it, I can taste it right now. It was just lovely.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At home, food was always eaten using hands \u2013 something Makan encourages her two children, aged 13 and 15, to try at their home in Broadstairs, Kent. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the Indian culture to eat by hand,\u201d she says. \u201cI would recommend that everyone try eating rice this way, because it tastes completely different to when you use a fork. It connects you to your food in a different way, and simply tastes more delicious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At home, Makan regularly cooks with basmati rice, even though in India it was reserved for feasts and special occasions. \u201cMum would only use basmati rice for biryanis or pilau, because it was so much more expensive,\u201d she says. \u201cIt has this beautiful long grain, and its own flavour and notes. I could eat it with my eyes shut and know it was basmati.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But despite her love of basmati rice \u2013 \u201cespecially in biryanis, which I absolutely love\u201d \u2013 Makan enjoys experimenting, and cooking with a variety of rices to make everything from puddings that satisfy her naturally sweet tooth, to crispy dosas, the traditional Indian pancakes made from soaked, ground rice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe beauty of rice is how versatile it is,\u201d Makan says. \u201cYou can have plain rice and serve it with a dal, a curry, beans or chickpeas, and it\u2019s the perfect base to carry all those flavours. Even if you just add ghee and cumin, it tastes amazing. But you can also use different varieties in different ways. Jasmine rice is floral and fragrant, so if you\u2019re making a pudding it works really well, because it adds more to the flavour. It\u2019s the perfect foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Kheer<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0for example, has a creamy, light and milky base that\u2019s gently flavoured with cardamom, which is my favourite spice. It\u2019s cooked on a low heat for a long time, which makes the milk creamier and the rice fill up and burst. It\u2019s then finished with nuts or dried fruit to add a slight crunch \u2013 I usually choose pistachios \u2013 and tastes amazing either hot or cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love brown rice, too \u2013 I find its earthy, woody flavour really lovely. I\u2019ll cook up some brown rice, and once it\u2019s at room temperature add some chickpeas, coriander leaves and a little bit of chopped-up cucumber and red onion. If you make a simple dressing \u2013 perhaps coriander and mint blitzed with some salt and lemon juice \u2013 and stir everything through the rice, it makes a filling, delicious salad.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI like to use brown rice in soup, as well \u2013 when you\u2019re making a creamy roasted butternut squash and red onion soup, or perhaps leek and potato, putting cooked brown rice in your bowl before adding the soup makes a lovely base. It\u2019s got that graininess and the bite to it, which makes soup super filling, and super delicious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever Makan is making, the quality of the rice she uses is crucial. \u201cYou could make the most amazing food, but if you don\u2019t use good quality rice such as Tilda, all that effort and all those lovely ingredients aren\u2019t going to be able to shine,\u201d she says. \u201cIf the quality isn\u2019t good, you\u2019ll get mushy or undercooked rice \u2013 cooking techniques matter, but quality matters too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For more than 50 years, Tilda has been using only superior grains. Its jasmine packs use the top-tier\u00a0<\/span>hom mali<\/span><\/i>\u00a0grain, sourced from Thailand, while its famed blue basmati packs \u2013 which use the term \u201cpure\u201d to describe the contents \u2013 are filled with rice grown in the foothills of the Himalayas. In order to be pure, the rice must be grown within the Indo-Gangetic plains, where the climate and soil conditions produce the finest grains \u2013 and which are officially recognised as a pure basmati breed within the basmati code of practice. It\u2019s harvested just once a year by Tilda\u2019s team of local farmers and millers, then matured for 18 months before being sorted for consistency. And that same level of care can be found across all its basmati range, including its microwaveable packs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTilda ready-to-heat rice is also a good way of making tasty rice, especially if you\u2019re a student \u2013 or, in fact, my kids and husband when I\u2019m away! The sachets are a lifesaver for a lot of people,\u201d Makan says.<\/span><\/p>\n

As well as cooking the same meals for her family that her mother cooked for her, Makan is passing family traditions down to her own children, particularly when it comes to gathering around the table to eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was growing up, we\u2019d pile around the dining table every evening,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I remember Sundays, when we\u2019d sitting around chatting, eating dal chawal and rice. Those afternoons with my family watching [the Indian TV series] Ramayan have really stuck with me \u2013 they are very fond memories.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Sunday meals have become important for our family as well. It\u2019s the only time we sit around the table and I go all out with my food. I try to make something special, because I want them to remember these meals how I remember meals with my family as a child. For me, those moments are all about love \u2013 love of family, and love of good food.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tilda has been the go-to choice for rice aficionados for more than 50 years. The rice you choose can really elevate your plate, so Tilda ensures that only the best quality grains go into its products. For more information, visit\u00a0<\/span><\/i>tilda.com.<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Recipes for you<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Pure Basmati Rice<\/p>\n

Chicken Biryani<\/p>\n

The perfect Chicken Biryani. Lots of crispy onions, fragrant spices and juicy chicken sandwiched in between perfectly cooked aromatic and fluffy Tilda Pure Basmati rice.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Pure Basmati Rice<\/p>\n

Rice Kheer<\/p>\n

A simple rice pudding. If you make it in summer, garnish with red rose petals from the garden<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Pure Basmati Rice<\/p>\n

Lamb Rogan Josh<\/p>\n

Tilda Pure Basmati rice is the perfect accompaniment to this delicious curry.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Wholegrain Basmati Rice<\/p>\n

Chickpea and Squash Curry<\/p>\n

Enjoy a creamy, Caribbean curry made with healthy chickpeas and butternut squash. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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Photography credit:
\n– By Pal Hansen\/The Guardian<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chetna Makan known for being a former Great British Bake Off semi-finalist, as well as an author of five Indian cuisine cookbooks. Below she shares with us her love for rice, and the role it has played in her life from childhood to adulthood. <\/p>\n

This article was originally published on theguardian.com as part of the Tilda and Guardian Labs ‘It’s the rice that makes it’ campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":15090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChetna Makan's Rice Story - Tilda Rice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chetna Makan known for being a former Great British Bake Off semi-finalist, as well as an author of five Indian cuisine cookbooks. 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