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Pudina Vegetable Pulao

vindhyadesai

One of my favourite dishes to cook when I started to experiment in the kitchen as a school girl, was a big pot of vegetable pulao. I used to cook vegetable pulao adorned with cashews, raisins and toasted bread croutons. On Sunday afternoons, no one was allowed inside the kitchen at home, chopping up vegetables, making rice, grinding the masala, I used to like to make everything myself. This is one of my favourite rice dishes to make on a weekend. Fresh mint/pudina leaves along with a few spices are the base flavours to this super flavourful rice. I generally serve it with a simple mixed vegetable raitha. Any other raitha or just plain yogurt will also go well with this pulao.

Pudina Vegetable Pulao
 
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Minty green mixed vegetable pulao served with a cool raitha
Author:
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For Masala Paste:
  • ½ Cup packed fresh pudina/mint leaves
  • ½ Cup packed fresh coriander
  • ¼ Cup packed grated coconut
  • 2 slit green chillies
  • 1" piece ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 Tbsp dhania/coriander seeds
  • ½ Tsp jeera/cumin
  • Few drops of lemon juice
Dry Spices:
  • 2 laung/cloves
  • 7-8 whole black peppercorns
  • 1" broken dalchini/cinnamon
  • 1 whole elaichi/cardamom
Mixed vegetables(mix and match):
  • 1-2 round sliced medium sized carrots
  • 1 diced/cubed small potato
  • ½ Cup 1" chopped green beans
  • ½ Cup green peas
Remaining Ingredients for Pulao:
  • 1 Cup basmati rice
  • 1 Tbsp ghee
  • 1 sliced onion
  • ½ Tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ Tsp turmeric
  • 1 sliced tomato
  • Salt to taste
Method
  1. Rinse basmati rice a few times till water runs clear. Soak in water for 15-20 minutes
  2. Drain rice and add 2 cups of water and cook on a low flame till all water gets absorbed. Keep aside
  3. While rice is cooking, make the masala paste by grinding all ingredients for masala, pudina, coriander, grated coconut, green chillies, ginger, garlic, dhania, jeera, lemon juice with little water into a paste. Keep aside
  4. Heat a pan, add ghee, add sliced onions and saute
  5. Add whole spices, black pepper, elaichi, laung, dalchini and fry till fragrant and onions caramelize a bit
  6. Add ground masala paste and saute well
  7. When masala is cooked and the raw smell disappears, add red chilli powder and turmeric
  8. Mix well and add chopped vegetables
  9. Mix and add green peas. Saute
  10. When vegetables start cooking, add sliced tomatoes and mix all the masala well
  11. Add salt. Mix again. Allow all vegetables to become soft
  12. Add cooked rice. Slowly mix it in with the masala
  13. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. Fluff up the rice
  14. Serve hot with a mixed vegetable raitha
Notes
Mix and match vegetables as you like. I did not have beans this time, if adding them add with other vegetables

Add a pinch of hing/asafoetida and some curry leaves for a more South Indian taste

Add a bay leaf/tej patta along with other spices for more fragrance

Add desiccated coconut if fresh coconut is not available

Soaking basmati rice for 15-20 minutes is an important step. Do not skip it

Pulao can be cooked as a one pot meal in a pressure cooker. Just mix in the soaked and drained rice directly with masala and vegetables and then pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Use ¼ Cup less water. Here I have cooked it in a pan after making rice separately and then mixing with almost cooked vegetables and cooked for a while more

To make the pulao for a special occasion add some golden fried cashews and raisins. Add toasted bread croutons if you like
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 Stepwise:

  1. Rinse basmati rice a few times till water runs clear. Soak in water for 15-20 minutes


  2. Drain rice and add 2 cups of water and cook on a low flame till all water gets absorbed. Keep aside
  

  3. While rice is cooking, make the masala paste by grinding all ingredients for masala, pudina, coriander, grated coconut, green chillies, ginger, garlic, dhania, jeera, lemon juice with little water into a paste. Keep aside
 

  4. Heat a pan, add ghee, add sliced onions and saute
 

  5. Add whole spices, black pepper, elaichi, laung, dalchini and fry till fragrant and onions caramelize a bit
  

  6. Add ground masala paste and saute well



  7. When masala is cooked and the raw smell disappears, add red chilli powder and turmeric
 

  8. Mix well and add chopped vegetables
 

  9. Mix and add green peas. Saute
 

  10. When vegetables start cooking, add sliced tomatoes and mix all the masala well
 

  11. Add salt. Mix again. Allow all vegetables to become soft
 

  12. Add cooked rice. Slowly mix it in with the masala
  

  13. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes


  14. Serve hot with a mixed vegetable raitha
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