Spicy Vegetable Pulao

Spicy Vegetable Pulao is a wonderful one pot meal which is cooked with a blend of spices and vegetables with flavorful Basmati rice. Pulao can be made in different ways and there are many versions and recipes. This one is a spicy version of pulao cooked in coconut milk which gives it a rich and authentic taste. When I said spicy, I meant the flavorful spices but not the heat. You can serve this pulao with raitha.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Spice level: 3 out of 5

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice – 1 and 1/2 cups
• Vegetables – 3 cups (carrot, beans, potato, cauliflower)
• Green peas (fresh or frozen) – 1/4 cup
• One big onion – thinly sliced
• Tomato -1
• Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
• Ghee or clarified butter – 2 tbsp
• Coconut milk – 1 and 1/2 cups
• Coriander leaves (cilantro) – 1 cup
• Mint leaves – 2 tbsp
• Cashew nut – 4 tbsp (soak 3 tbsp in water)
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Bay leaves – 2
• Cinnamon stick – 2″
• Cardamom – 3
• Cloves – 2

Masala to grind:

• Green chilies – 8 to 10 (adjust to taste)
• Mint leaves – a small bunch
• Coriander leaves – 3/4 cup
• Poppy seeds – 1 tsp
• Ginger – 1/2 an inch
• Garlic – 5
• Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Shredded coconut – 2 tbsp
• Cloves – 2

Method of Preparation:

1. Wash and soak basmati rice for 15 minutes.
2. Heat a tbsp of ghee in a pan. Drain rice and fry it for 2 minutes and keep it aside.
3. Cut the vegetables into 1 inch pieces.
4. Grind the masala ingredients with a little water to a coarse paste.
5. Heat oil and the remaining ghee in a pan and add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
6. After a minute add thinly sliced onions and saute till it becomes translucent.
7. Add ginger garlic paste and vegetables with a little salt.
8. After 3 minutes add ground masala and ground tomato.
9. Let it cook for 5 to 7 minutes and then add coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Allow it to boil.
10. In between grind 1 cup of coriander leaves, 2 tbsp mint leaves and soaked cashew nut to a fine, thin paste.
11. Add half of this paste to the cooking gravy along with rice. Mix well and transfer the contents to a pressure cooker and cook for a whistle.
12. Or transfer the contents to an electric rice cooker and cook until rice is well done.
13. Transfer the pulao to a serving tray, add the rest of the coriander mint cashew paste. Mix gently without breaking the rice.
14. Fry broken cashew nut in a little ghee and add it on top. Serve hot with raitha.