Vegetable Pulao

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas 2016!! We had a good vacation too. This post is a long pending one. I had clicked them when I prepared Carrot Raitha. I usually have a packet of frozen mix veggies in my freezer. There are times when I run out of vegetables and just rely on this backpack and prepare a quick fix, yet satisfying meal. One such was this Vegetable pulao. This is a foolproof recipe that I have been following. It is simple, but, flavorful. You can add coconut milk, roasted cashews, fresh mint, and coriander to enhance its richness. Do try this vegetable pulao and enjoy it!
Servings: 4 yield(s)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Basmati Rice
  • 0.75 cup Frozen veggies (Replace with fresh Carrots, Beans , Sweet Cornand Peas)
  • 1 stick Onion
  • 2 stick Green Chili
  • 0.5 tsp Ginger- Garlic Paste
  • 1 stick Cinnamon Stick
  • 2 stick Cloves
  • 2 stick Cardamom
  • 1 stick Bay Leaf
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Ghee
  • 2 tsp Cooking Oil
Instructions
  1. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 20 mins. Thaw the frozen veggies. Slit the green chilies and cut onion lengthwise.
  2. Heat a pan and drizzle ghee to it. Strain water from the soaked rice and roast the rice for a minute or two. Set it aside.
  3. In the pressure cooker, add the oil. Wait until they turn hot. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Wait until they are roasted.
  4. Add the onion and green chili. Saute' until they turn pink in color. Add a tsp of freshly grounded ginger-garlic paste to it. Fry until the raw smell of it goes off.
  5. To the sauteed onions, add the thawed frozen vegetables to it. Combine together until they are coated with the other ingredients.
  6. To this, add the roasted basmati rice and garam masala powder. Fold ingredients together. Measure 1.5 cups of water to it.
  7. Add salt to taste and mix. Cover the pressure cooker with its lid and put on the weights. Allow it to cook until two whistles and put the stove's flame to sim for five mins.
  8. After five mins, switch off the stove and release the pressure in 5 mins. Fluff it off with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot with kurma or raitha of your choice.
Recipe Notes

  • Instead of just plain water, you can cook this pulao completely in coconut milk or equal portions of coconut milk and water.
  •  Instead of frozen vegetables, you can also use fresh cubed carrots, beans, peas, and cauliflower.
  •  An equal portion of fresh mint and coriander leaves will add much flavor. I didn't have any on the day I prepared this pulao.