Brown Rice (Kaikuttal Arisi) Pulao

A healthy version of regular pulao with brown rice. Taste of pulao is in fact enhanced with brown rice, if you don't mind its fibrous chewy texture. 

Brown rice requires good amount of soaking and extra cooking time. Its not a one to be cooked in a jiffy, but definitely worth the effort and time for its immense health benefits.

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice

1 small sized onion

1 medium sized tomato

1 tbs thick curd

1 cup chopped vegetables (carrot, peas, sweet corn)

1/4 ts turmeric powder

1 ts pav bhaji masala

1 clove, 1 cardamom, 1 small cinnamon stick

2 tbs oil+ 1 tbs ghee

To grind

1 inch ginger piece

4 garlic cloves

3 green chillies

Handful of mint leaves

Preparation

Soak brown rice in HOT WATER for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Grind ginger, garlic, green chillies and mint leaves without any water. 

Add oil and ghee in a pressure cooker. Add clove, cardamom and cinnamon stick to the hot oil. Add the ground paste. Add onions and cook till translucent. Add turmeric powder, chopped tomatoes and pav bhaji masala with needed salt. Cook till tomatoes become mushy. Add thick yoghurt. Mix well and cook for extra 2 minutes until oil leaves the masala mixture. Add the chopped vegetables and give a good mix. Next add the soaked brown rice. Partly cover the cooker lid and cook till the water boils over. Then cover the pressure cooker and cook undisturbed in low to medium flame for 20 min. Then switch off stove and allow 10 minutes resting time for all the pressure to settle down. 

Serve hot with cucumber raita!