Ways of doing your pulao

Veg pulao is my favorite. And it complements very well with any veg or non veg curry.

I wanted to make a quick lunch today as I was in no mood to make elaborate meal. I made veg pulao with chana masala and it was very satisfying.

This is the basic recipe of making your pulao. Pulao may seem much the same like biryani with the exception that you don’t add tomato and mint leaves to it.

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice

1 cup of chopped vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, potato)

1 medium sized onion

1 ts ginger garlic paste

1 medium sized green chilli

1 ts fennel seed

1 ts garam masala or whole spices

Optionals

½ cup  coconut milk/  ½ cup yoghurt/ spoonful of lemon squeeze

Preparation

Add oil in cooker. Add fennel seed. Fry onions until slightly brown. Add ginger, garlic and green chilli. Saute the vegetables. Add washed basmati rice and fry till the rice gets a good aroma. Add garam masala. (Instead of garam masala you may add whole spices like cinnamon, cardomon and cloves before adding onions) Add salt, water and ghee. Close the lid and allow enough whistles for the rice to get done.

Normally I prefer adding 1:3 ratio of coconut milk and water which gives an extra flavor to the pulao. Rice flavored with  bay leaf and coconut milk is called Brinji rice. In Brinji rice, you have the addition of mint leaves.

On days when I don’t have my coconut milk I add a cup of yoghurt after adding the vegetables and keep frying until water from curd has evaporated.

If you don’t like either of the above two ways, after the rice gets done just add spoonful of lemon squeeze to give a lemony hint to the pulao.