Timman Ahmar Red Rice

Basmati rice with tomato paste and grated onion.

Preparation: 10 min · Cooking: 30 min · Total: 40 min · 2 servings

Ingredients

• 240 ml Dry basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• Small onion, finely grated — 0.5
• 2.5 tbsp Tomato paste
• 360 ml Hot water OR same-volume prepared chicken stock
• 1.5 tbsp Ghee
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 0.25 tsp Ground black pepper
• Additional boiling water ONLY if needed; measure additions (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure 240 ml dry rice and rinse until the water runs clear.

   Measure 240 ml dry rice and rinse until the water runs clear. Drain thoroughly before the rice enters hot ghee.

2. Prepare the finely grated onion and measured 2.5 tbsp tomato paste.

   Prepare the finely grated onion and measured 2.5 tbsp tomato paste. Choose water OR prepared chicken stock, not both. Use fully cooked prepared chicken stock, following its package directions.

3. Melt the measured ghee in a suitable pot over medium heat.

   Melt the measured ghee in a suitable pot over medium heat. Keep the pot large enough for the selected batch.

4. Soften grated onion in the ghee from 4 minutes over medium heat.

   Soften grated onion in the ghee from 4 minutes over medium heat. Do not let it burn.

   First check: 240 seconds

5. Stir tomato paste and black pepper over medium heat from 2 minutes until fragrant.

   Stir tomato paste and black pepper over medium heat from 2 minutes until fragrant. Stop before the paste scorches.

   First check: 120 seconds

6. Stir the drained rice gently over medium heat for about 1 minutes to coat the grains.

   Stir the drained rice gently over medium heat for about 1 minutes to coat the grains. Avoid breaking or scorching them.

   First check: 60 seconds

7. Add the salt to the rice.

   Add the salt to the rice. The black pepper was already added with the tomato paste.

8. Lower heat as needed and add the measured 360 ml hot cooking liquid gently.

   Lower heat as needed and add the measured 360 ml hot cooking liquid gently. Do not deliberately splash liquid into hot fat.

9. Bring to a controlled boil over medium-high heat.

   Bring to a controlled boil over medium-high heat. Start checking around 3 minutes, until liquid reaches the rice surface, without boiling the pot dry.

   First check: 180 seconds

10. Cover with a normal close-fitting lid without a kitchen towel.

    Cover with a normal close-fitting lid without a kitchen towel. Reduce heat to the lowest suitable setting; do not seal steam vents or make a pressure vessel. This covered stage starts with a 15-minute check.

11. Steam from 15 minutes until grains are tender without a hard centre.

    Steam from 15 minutes until grains are tender without a hard centre. Add only small measured boiling-water amounts if needed and continue gently.

    First check: 900 seconds

12. Remove from heat and rest covered about 5 minutes.

    Remove from heat and rest covered about 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a clean fork before serving hot.

    First check: 300 seconds

Tips

• Cup = 240 ml; tbsp = 15 ml; tsp = 5 ml. Ingredients scale exactly; instruction amounts describe the base 2 servings. Use the same method at half and fourfold scale, with suitable vessels and manageable batches. Times are first checks, not doneness guarantees.

Common mistakes

• Do not restore old scaffold ingredients or treat conditional additions and recovered broth as extra fixed consumed yield. Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat ingredients.

Substitutions

• Only stated alternatives are included. Check product ingredients and allergens; use pasteurized dairy.

Storage

Cool promptly in shallow portions, ideally refrigerating within 1 hour at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. This selected household limit is not a validated shelf-life study.

Reheating

Reheat only the portion needed, at most once, to 74°C throughout. Rice must have been chilled promptly and used within 24 hours; reheating does not rescue mishandled food.

About this recipe

Timman Ahmar Red Rice is presented as the owner's Iraqi household version. Historical exclusivity, ancient origins and health benefits are not independently authenticated.

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.