Thursday, 3 May 2012

SPICY VEGETABLE PULAO | MIXED VEG PULAV(PILAF) / SPICY RICE PULAO

There are times when I am bored &  not in a mood to cook anything complicated or want a break from the regular rice and curry ,chapati bhaji especially when I  am alone. That is when I switch  to making pulao or masala rice which is a one pot meal as well you get to eat different veggies in one go. I keep experimenting with ingredients in my kitchen to add variety to the recipe. Basmati Rice flavored with exotic spices cooked with fresh assorted vegetables is often called pulao or pilaf. They are delicious and nutritious in their own way. The aroma of the spices blended with Basmati rice is so delightful. It is served along side a thick Yogurt Sauce what we call Raita and is often served as a main course.

This is one of my favourite dishes. I have few different recipes for Pulao. I have already posted about mixed vegetable pulao,green rice,green peas pulao,corn paneer pulao,corn methi pulao.This recipe is easy to prepare and very tasty & different that it is a bit spicy!This pulav has a ground masala, something which I avoid due to laziness but the  taste is definitely worth the effort of grinding .





Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
Vegetables like peas, carrots, French beans, potatoes ,corns,capsicum about 1/2 cups

2/3 large Onion chopped into length wise/vertically
2 medium Tomatoes chopped  (grind to puree)
2 tsp Cashew halves
4 tbsp butter/ghee (or equal amount of cooking oil)
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves chopped 2 tbsp
mint leaves 10-12
1/2 cup curd
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp cumin seeds jeera





 

 






Grind to  paste:

½ tsp Fennel/saunf seeds
Garlic cloves 3
Ginger 1”inch
Green chillies 4(you can add more if you want it spicy)
Red chillies 4
Cloves 4
Cardamom pods 2
Cinnamon stick 1” inch
1 tbsp coriander seeds/ dhania
½ tsp cumin seeds/ jeera
1 tomato big




Method:

1. Wash the rice till water runs clear and soak in water for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes drain & keep aside.

2. Make a fine paste of the above mentioned ingredients to be ground in mixie adding little water.

3. Melt the butter in a pan or pressure cooker whichever you intend to use and fry the onions, cashew halves  till golden.

4. Add  jeera & saute .Once jeera crackles add the ground paste. Fry this well on a medium flame till the raw smell fades and also it leaves oil on the sides. Be careful not to burn.

5. Throw in the chopped mint & chopped coriander leaves and fry further till soft and mushy. Add the vegetables and fry for another minute or two.

6. Add rice and fry till the rice becomes transparent. Now add curd & mix well pour in  about 3 cups of water. You can use the same proportion for water depending on the rice you use.Adding little less than equal will be good else the basmati rice can be mushy & also looks over cooked.

7. Add salt, lime juice  and mix well. Cook for 1  whistles if using a pressure cooker & let pressure release by itself.
If cooking in a pan or kadai then cover with lid when rice is cooked 60% & water is almost absorbed.Keep checking periodically so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom and sprinkle water if needed. Cook till the rice is done and make sure the grains are separate and not sticky.

8.  Serve along side with mix veg  raita /cucumber raita & fried papad.



Tips
1.Use any veggies of your choice,you can even add paneer

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