This pilaf is a light and quick dinner from “Chetna's 30 Minute Indian: Quick and Easy Everyday Meals” by Chetna Makan. It doesn’t need a major side with it just some pickles and yoghurt, or perhaps some dhal or potato sabji.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2-3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 4-5 cloves
• 4-5 black peppercorns
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 200g fresh spinach, chopped (~7 oz)
• 250g basmati rice, washed (~1 cup)
• 450ml boiling water (~2 cups)

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and cook onions for 5 minutes until lightly golden.
2. In another pan, lightly toast the spices until they are aromatic and the color has changed slightly just a few seconds.
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Use a pestle and mortar to blend the spices into a coarse powder.
5. Add to the onion pan with salt and chilli powder and mix through.
6. Add spinach and mix.
7. Add rice and mix through to coat in the flavours.
8. Mix the boiling water into the pan and cover and cook for exactly 15 minutes.
9. Once it is cooked, turn the heat off and leave to sit for 12-15 minutes to let the steam fluff up the rice.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of dry wheat berries
• 1 oz of dried, sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1.5 tsp of "Better than Boullion mushroom base
  
  
• 6 oz of wood ear mushrooms
• 2-3 tbsp of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Notes

• Once I get the water amount and timing down right, this should be postable.
• On the second attempt I only used 4.5 cups of water for 2 cups of dry wheat berries.  That actually slowed the cooking time.  Next time around I should use a full 6 cups for 30 minutes, and reserve the broth for later cooking.

This recipe flows much more smoothly if you actually do the mise en place.  No, don’t ask me what that is.  You are a grown-up.  You know how to use the internet.

Ingredients

Cumin rice

• ½ tsp black cardamom seeds (or 2 pods)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of long-grained rice
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp of ghee or oil of choice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 ½ cups of water

Curry-roasted potatoes

• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon course ground pepper
• Juice of 1 small lime

Method

1. Place cardamom and cumin seeds in a tiny bowl.
2. In a separate small bowl place the rice’s ground spices.
3. In a medium-size bowl put the potatoes and olive oil.  Sprinkle in the potatoes’ ground spices.  Toss together.
4. Place the ghee in the Speedi pot on “sear/saute” level Hi5.  
5. When the ghee seems hot, pour the cumin and cardamom in.  Cook them until the cardamom or cumin becomes fragrant, or the cumin starts to brown just a bit, whichever comes first.  I usually keep my eyes open for where the ghee puddles to place the spices, not on the most ghee-less spots.  That way the flavors meld into the ghee.
6. Place the rice’s ground spices into the pot.  Mix and cook for a minute.
7. Pour in the rice and stir until all the rice is covered with ghee.  
8. Add the bay leaves and water.
9. Add the crisper tray try to the upper level.  Pour the potatoes onto the tray in an even layer.
10. Lower the lid and continue to cook at the same setting for 13 minutes.
11. Turn off the Speedi.  Turn it on again.  Set it to “bake/roast” at 390°F for 11 minutes.
12. Turn off and and put in serving dishes.  Squeeze the juice of the lime over the potatoes.

Note

Next time add 1 cup of raisins to the rice while it’s cooking, and use 1 tbsp of curry powder with the potatoes.  Consider also adding half a cup of shredded carrots to the rice.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of long-grain rice
• 2 and 1/2 cups of water
• 2 teaspons of "Better than Bouillon" brand chicken or mushroom base
• 3 medium-size potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil, or, what the heck 2 tablespoons
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Dry chives
• Dry thyme

Method

1. Place rice, water and bouillon base in the pot.
2. In a separate bowl toss together the potatoes, olive oil, and the spices.  I mostly don't measure.  For your first try a teaspon of garlic powder and half a teaspoon of the other spices.  After making this recipe several times, your self-respect will grow and you will mock the precise directions, thinking, "Hah, as if I really needed that beginner advice !
3. Place crisper in upper position.  Place potatoes on crisper.
4. Close the cover and set the Speedi to "saute/sear" for 13 minutes.  Don't bother to warm up.  You will need a separate timer; there is no auto-shutoff for this function.  Start.
5. Set the Speedi to "bake/roast" for 11 minutes at 390°.  Start. 

Notes

Potatoes and rice were both perfect.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of long-grain rice
• 2 and 1/2 cups of water
• 2 teaspons of "Better than Bouillon" brand mushroom base
• 3 medium-size potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil, or, what the heck 2 tablespoons
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Dry chives
• Dry thyme

Method

1. Place rice, water and mushroom base in the pot.
2. In a separate bowl toss together the potatoes, olive oil, and the spices.  I mostly don't measure.  For your first try a teaspon of garlic powder and half a teaspoon of the other spices.  After making this recipe several times, your self-respect will grow and you will mock the precise directions, thinking, "Hah, as if I really needed that beginner advice !
3. Place crisper in upper position.  
4. Close the cover and set the Speedi to "steam/bake" for 8 minutes.  It'll take probably 20 minutes for it just to go through the "steam" phase.

Notes

I'm cooking this right now, and my house smells like heaven.

This almost turned out right:  the rice was just a bit overcooked on the bottom and didn't come loose as nicely as one would want.  Next time instead of "steam/bake" I'll try 10 minutes on "sear/saute" and then 8 minutes on "bake/roast."

Attempt 2

Changes:

• 2 cups of water
• 10 minutes on "sear/saute" Hi5 with the lid closed
• 8 1/2 minutes on "bake/roast" at 390°

Result

Rice was edible but slightly underdone, and potatoes were slightly underdone.  Next time around I should try 2.5 cups of water, 13 minutes on sear/saute, and then 9 minutes on bake/roast.

Attempt 3

Changes:

• 2.5 cups of water
• 13 minutes on "sear/saute" Hi5 with the lid closed
• 9 minutes on "bake/roast" at 390°

Result

Rice was perfect, and potatoes were slightly underdone.  Next time around I should try 2.5 cups of water, 13 minutes on sear/saute, and then 11 minutes on bake/roast. There is some question in my mind whether I should raise it to 2.75 cups of water.

Attempt 4

Changes:

• 2.5 cups of water
• 13 minutes on "sear/saute" Hi5 with the lid closed
• 11 minutes on "bake/roast" at 390°

Result

Potatoes and rice were both perfect.

Adapted from:  www.vkusnyblog.com

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of dry red wheat berries
• 1 or 2 cubes of vegetable bouillion
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped coursely
• 1 pound of fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2/3 of a cup of half and half or heavy cream
• 10 tbsp of coarsely chopped parsley

Method

1. You will not use the crisper tray for this recipe.
2. Pour 4.5 cups of water in the pot along with a cube or two of your favorite bouillion.  Add dry wheat berries.  Steam for 30 minutes, but check them at 20. If you like their texture already, dump into strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Slice the mushrooms in 2-4 pieces, depending on how big they are.
4. Pour in enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the pot.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Saute/sear on Hi5, stirring every 3-5 minutes until the onions are almost translucent and then add the mushrooms and continue with the lid down until the mushrooms are soft.  
5. Add salt, pepper and garlic.  Cook for about a minute so that the garlic becomes fragrant.
6. Add boiled wheatberries and parsley to the pot, mixing occasionally until they are heated through.
7. Pour in cream and mix.
8. Serve promptly.

Notes

• The wheat berry and water quantities will vary depending on the type of wheat berries you use.  Read the box instructions to get it right, or try my timing first with wheat berries from the bulk bins at Sprouts.  You can also find wheat berries in some Middle Eastern stores and probably among Bob's Red Mill products as well, but I bet they are pricier.
• If you are salt/spice sensitive, reduce the salt and pepper to 1/4 tsp each.
• If you think the pilaf will be in the fridge for more than a day, I might skip the cream.  Milk products go bad faster than milkless grain dishes.  That said, I've had a batch in the fridge for two days, and I see no sign of spoilage.

Next variation

• Next time around I would like to get some additional mushroom flavor, so I might steam the wheat with some type of dried mushroom... maybe ground dried mushrooms.
• I think I'll add a cup of shredded carrots to the onions and mushrooms as they are cooking, as well as a cup of thinly sliced celery.

This approach comes from Sirkristof's suggestion in a Reddit discussion of making rice in the Speedi/Foodi ( source and discussion of variations ), although, truth to tell, it's exactly the same way my mother always used to cook rice on the stovetop.

• Remove tray from Speedi
• Pour 1 cup of long-grain enriched rice in pot
• Pour 2 cups of water in pot
• Put Speedi on steam setting for ten minutes

Obvious variations:

• Add a quarter teaspoon of salt at cooking time; or
• use broth or bouillion instead of water.

And the other obvious stuff:

• If you use a different type of rice, the time and water content may need to be adjusted.
• You may also have to adjust time or water content according to elevation.  I'm cooking at about 1200 feet above sea level.

Wheat berries

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
1 kielbasa, sliced
1 can of cream of mushroom soup.  Then shake the remaining bits out using half a can of water

Set 10 minutes on the steam setting.

2023-08-27:  This time I wanted to try to get the kielbasa browned a bit, so I used the steam and bake setting using 5 minutes at 390° with 2.5 cups of water.  Turned out well.  Next time I'll try either a longer time or a higher temp to see if I can get it more brown.

2023-09-14:  This time I wanted to try to get the kielbasa browned a bit, so I used the steam and bake setting using 6 minutes at 390° with 2.5 cups of water.  

1. Put 2.5 cups of water, 1 cup of rice, a handful of canned jalapeño slices, and one can of cream of mushroom soup in pot.
2. Fill the can half full of water and give it a good shake to get the stuff off the sides.  Pour into pot.
3. Put tray in upper position.  Slice kielbasa into rounds and arrange in a single layer on the tray.
4. Use the steam and bake setting for 6 minutes at 390°. 

Results:  I really liked the browning on the kielbasa.  The rice was pretty sticky on the bottom of the pot, so I scraped it up right away.  The texture of the rice surprised me.  I should try this again next time but add the soup/water at the end to see if I like that better.

2023-09-16:  This time I wanted to try to adding the soup at the end.

1. Put 2.5 cups of water and 1 cup of rice in pot.
2. Put tray in upper position.  Slice kielbasa into rounds and arrange in a single layer on the tray.
3. Use the steam and bake setting for 6 minutes at 390°. 
4. Remove kielbasa to a bowl.
5. Add mushroom soup to rice.  Fill the can half full of water.  Shake to get the rest of the soup loose.  Add to rice.  Mix.

Results:  I like the creamy consistency of the rice better this way, but when you add the soup mix, of course, it cools the rice off.  I should do two more experiments.  1.  Heat the soup and water in the microwave and then add to rice at the end.  2.  Start with rice, 3 cups of water, soup and half a can of water.

Servings:  two cups of uncooked wheat berries yields about 5 cups of boiled wheat berries.

2023-07-07:  I put one cup of red wheat berries in the pot along with four cups of water, and set the Speedi to 10 minutes on the steam setting.  After ten minutes I tried them, and they were at an al dente tenderness that would probably be edible, but I added another three minutes for a bit more softness:  still a bit hard.  Added another 3 minutes: I think this is still a bit hard.  Took forever to chew through my morning bowl of boiled wheat berries.

Next time I should try 20 minutes to start with, one cup of wheat berries and 3 cups of water.  Once I finalize the timing for one cup, I should redo for two cups.

2023-07-08:  This time I'm trying one cup of wheat berries with three cups of water but at 20 minutes on the steam setting.  Still hardish.  Added 5.  Still hardish.  Added five.  Removed, strained, rinsed with cold water.  Next time I should try 30 minutes to begin with.

2023-07-10:  This time I'm trying two cups of wheat berries with six cups of water at 30 minutes on the steam setting.  They came out at a good al dente texture.  Made about just shy of 5 cups of boiled wheat berries.

2023-11-07:  Yup, 30 minutes is spot on.