Book excerpt: From a Bed for Curries, to Pilaf, Biryani, Khichdi, Idli, Dosa, Savouries and Desserts, No One Cooks Rice as Lovingly as the Indians Do From Prasenjeet Kumar, the #1 bestseller of the “Cooking In A Jiffy” series of books, comes the ultimate rice cookbook that anyone looking for gluten-free food should just grab with both hands. Cataloguing the legendary “love affair” that Indians have with rice....... The book narrates how rice forms an intrinsic part of every Indian’s life from birth till death. Every religious ceremony has to involve rice. Rice is stuck on the red vermillion that is applied to your forehead as akshat. Rice is poured into the holy fire lit during religious ceremonies as an offering to the gods. Rice is sprinkled over guests, worshippers and the newlyweds to bless them, with the incantation: “May your life be full of dhan (wealth) and dhanya (rice).” Rice is “popular” because it is one of the easiest foods to digest. Being totally gluten free, it is the best food for infants when they have to be weaned. For young adults and old people too, who may have wheat allergies or even celiac disease, adopting a rice diet would be what every sensible doctor would prescribe as the first step to adopting a totally gluten free diet. For the same reason, rice is great for relieving digestive disorders like diarrhoea, dysentery, colitis and even morning sickness. This is why 70% of the world, including USA and northern Canada, grows and consumes rice. Rice grows in almost any part of the world which is wet and humid and NOT colder than 21 degree Celsius (70 degree F). There is hardly any type of soil in which rice cannot be grown including alkaline and acidic soils. Rice in India is grown from below sea-level to an elevation of 2000 metres in the Himalayan regions. Indians cook rice with anything and everything; with lentils, veggies, meat, fish, chicken and seafood. In addition, they have plain or spiced rice as a bed for curries and ground rice for making all kinds of pancakes like appams and dosas. Rice flour is also used for crisping savouries called pakoras. Most temples serve as prasadam (blessings) the Indian rice pudding called kheer or payasam. And then in many Himalayan states, from Ladakh to Sikkim, fermented rice is used for making the potent brew called chhang. In this background, this rice cookbook presents a total of 35 mouth-watering rice dishes, including 20 dishes where rice cookers can be used. There are eight plain rice recipes, five for cooking rice with lentils, five each for cooking rice with vegetables and meats, five ways to use rice in snacks and seven as desserts. There is no Chhang recipe, sadly because that is one dish that, as Prasenjeet says, is not made in his house! So What are you waiting for? Scroll up and grab a copy today! Keywords: rice cooker recipes, rice diet, rice cooker cookbook, rice recipes, rice cookbook, gluten free, gluten free cookbook, gluten free food, gluten free diet, gluten free diet cookbook, gluten free recipes, pilaf recipes, pulao recipes, Veg pulao recipes, idli, dosa, kheer, Rice pudding, poha, sweet poha, Khichdi, rice and chicken recipes, rice and vegetables recipes, indian cooking, indian cookbook, quick and easy indian cookbook, hyderabadi chicken biryani, how to make biryani, rice pilaf, how to make rice pudding, basmati rice, curry recipes, vegetarian recipes, indian vegetarian recipes, indian food recipes, lunch recipes, dinner recipes, meal ideas, breakfast recipes and ideas, gluten free grains, gluten free breakfast lunch and dinner, gluten free desserts, indian gluten free cookbook, indian cuisine