Most foods we all eat evoke a memory and a lot of Indians would tell you how staple something like rice is has been for generations. Boiled, steamed, pulao, biryanis, breads and even desserts made with rice all very very synonymous with Indian food. It reminds me of days with my parents; when on weekends we would have friends over and my mother would cook up a scrumptious meal with a few curries but the main star of the meal would be a biryani. Everyone loved it for the flavour & taste but using ‘Basmati’ rice never went unnoticed. Yes that’s something I mentioned to everyone last week too; in the 70’s & 80’s in India using top grade rice was the done thing when we had guests. Though now a day’s it is used commonly for everyday cooking as well. But one thing that remains a constant with basmati is the quality and that for generations it has always been the superior grain to any other. Tilda is the Basmati brand in those terms is a brand that I use not just as a chef but also regularly at home for meals and while entertaining guests too.
Last week thanks to Wild Card PR I was invited to the launch of the new range of Tilda Stir Fry launch with Jo Pratt.
The venue was Food at 52 in London, an amazing homely cooking school based in a Georgian house in the heart of Clerkenwell. I think one of the main things about food at 52 is most definitely the interiors with dark wood furniture with moroccan themed lamps, mirrors and book shelves.
Camilla was our host from the Tilda group who gave us additional information on the new range of products, which led to Jo conducting a group demo using the range. Also a chance to cook up a meal using the varieties of rice and sampling each dish. From Thai green and red rice, Kung po rice and Peking rice. The idea is that though the rice is flavoured and packed it’s easy to put together a meal (even with leftovers!) on a week night by just adding additional ingredients to the rice. The flavour in the rice isn’t too strong which is what I thought worked well as it helped the meat, prawns and vegetable added to the dish blend well.
Like with any cooking; it is a fluid medium and using this Tilda range makes it easy and hassle free. It’s all about experimenting & trying out flavours. Adding your choice of meat, sauces and vegetable to it brings out the best flavour. But at least you can guarantee that the rice will offer that extra something to the dish itself. This is most definitely the perfect store cupboard essential and one that’s well worth stocking up on.
