How to make Roasted Rice Powder

Roasted Rice Powder also known as Toasted Ground Rice, is an important ingredient to Laotian and Vietnamese dishes and some Thai and Cambodian recipes too.

Since the amount needed is usually not much, but is crucial, it's wasteful to buy a big packet not knowing when can one finish it. But here in Malaysia, it's not available at all. So... I can only make some by myself.

It's very easy.

Put some raw glutinous rice onto a pan.
Toast it on medium low heat, shaking it every now and then until it turns golden and some of them puff up.
Let it cool down and grind it to your desired texture.

I used the mill that came with my blender set to grind it fine. Takes only a few pulses.

From white glutinous rice to golden rice... and puffy too!

And yes, if you want to ask whether I washed it, nope I didn't. Like how we don't wash peanuts or almonds  before roasting.... 

Lebanese 7 Spice Mix

The middle eastern countries have different favourite spice mix recipes that makes the flavour of similar dishes distinguish from each other.

Read this site to see all the different types of spice mixes in the region. There are a few types of 7 spices, so, don't get confused with the composition.

To make this spice mix, you need

1. Ginger powder
2. Cinnamon powder (not cassia)
3. Fenugreek
4. Cloves
5. Allspice
6. Black  pepper
7. Nutmeg

Mix using equal propotions.

In my case, I had these in powdered form:- ginger, cinnamon and allspice.
The others were whole spices. Take note that whole spices after ground were left with slightly more than half the amount in volume.

Lebanese 7 Spice Mix
1. Measure 1.5 tsp of fenugreek, cloves, black peppercorns and 1 nutmeg (shell removed). (Or any other whole spices that you have)
2. Lightly toast them in the oven at 140C until you can smell them. Let them cool down and grind  them finely in a mill.
3. Measure out 4 tsp (tap the spoon on the counter to compact) of the milled spices, there wasn't much left in the mill, and then mix with 1tsp each of the powdered  cinnamon, ginger and all spice (or any other powdered spices you have).
4. Final amount is around 7tsp.