AI-generated image
Mashkool
Rice with fried onion
Mashkool (مشخول): Gulf white rice cooked with golden fried onion and whole spices
Mashkool is the plain-looking rice that every Kuwaiti and Eastern Province kitchen relies on: long-grain basmati cooked with deep-golden fried onion and a few whole spices, fragrant and fluffy, made to sit beside fried fish, saloona or a pot of dal. In Dammam and Kuwait City it is often on the table several times a week. The onion is the whole point, so it must be fried slowly until truly brown and sweet; pale onion gives a flat, watery rice. Rinse the rice until the water is clear, or it turns sticky. Serve with fish, a squeeze of lemon and daqqus. Chef's tip: keep back a spoonful of the crisp fried onion to scatter over the top just before serving.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz basmati rice
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onionthinly sliced
- 3 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups boiling water
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Wash 14 oz basmati rice in several changes of cold water until it runs clear, then soak for 15 minutes and drain.
15 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 1 large onion, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Lift out a spoonful and set aside for the top.
15 minStep 3: Add 4 green cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 bay leaf to the pot and fry for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add the rice and stir gently for 1–2 minutes until the grains turn translucent at the edges.
2 minStep 5: Pour in 3 cups boiling water with 1 ½ tsp salt, bring to the boil and cook uncovered until the water drops to the level of the rice and small holes appear on the surface, 5 minutes.
5 minStep 6: Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then rest off the heat for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and scatter with the reserved onion.
17 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mashkool take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of large onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Masala ugaliSpiced maize meal porridge
Ugali, East Africa's staple of maize meal cooked into a stiff porridge, given a lift with toasted cumin, butter, fresh coriander and green chilli. Stir it hard and keep it soft. Serve hot with sukumawiki or any stew.