Vegetable Pulav – I

Pulav or Pulao is a Sunday favorite for many of us. Vegetable Biriyani can be made in many ways from less spicy to very spicy ones. There are so many ways of preparing it too from slow cooking, pressure cooking, cooking in electric cookers, etc. Whatever the method of cooking is, they serve as an easy one-pot meal on a quick and busy day. This version of making a vegetable pulav is easy and not very process intensive. I have made a quick paste of coriander leaves with a secret ingredient- fresh coconut. The tempering from mild spices along with vegetables and freshly grounded paste results in a flavorful pulav that is light on the stomach. I paired it with a quick cucumber salad, Onion raitha, and papadam. Do try out this flavorful, simple pulav for a weekend lunch.  
Servings: 6 yield(s)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Basmati Rice
  • 0.5 cup Frozen Vegetables (( Carrot, Green beans, Peas and Corn) )
  • 0.25 cup Sliced Onions
  • 3 stick Green chilli
  • 0.5 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 0.25 tsp Garam masala powder
  • 1 dash Salt
    • Tempering Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 1 tsp Ghee
  • 2 stick Cardamom
  • 3 stick Cloves
  • 1 stick Cinnamon stick
  • 1 stick Bay leaf
    • For Masala Paste
  • 0.25 cup Grated Coconut
  • 1 stick Ginger
  • 3 stick Garlic
  • 0.5 cup Coriander Leaves
Instructions
  1. In a mixer jar, add grated coconut, coriander leaves, ginger, and garlic. Add water and grind it to a fine paste.
  2. Heat a pan and add oil + ghee to it. Once it is hot, add cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf to it and roast it. Add onion and roast it until the onion caramelises and turn golden color.
  3. Add half a cup of frozen mix vegetables to it and sautee it. Add coriander powder and garam masala powder to it. Sautee for about 2 - 3 mins until the raw smell goes off.
  4. Add the finely grounded coriander masala paste to the vegetables and saute for a min.
  5. To this masala paste, add soaked basmati rice and gently flip the rice grain so the masala coats the rice uniformly.
  6. Add two cups of warm water and required salt to taste. Reduce the flame to a minimum and close the lid. Let this pulav cook for about 10 mins on a slow flame.
  7. After ten mins, open the lid and fluff off the rice gently and serve hot with accompaniments of your choice.
Recipe Notes

  • I have used basmati rice for this rice. You can replace it with any long-grain variety to make this pulav.
  • Frozen mixed vegetables can be replaced with fresh carrots, beans, potato, peas, and cauliflower.
  • The rice has been soaked before cooking and the addition of warm water to it will quicken up the cooking process. Hence, two cups of water and ten mins are sufficient for this. If you are not soaking the rice, increase water quantity, and cook time accordingly.
  • You can also replace coconut milk with water to get a more coco-nutty flavor pulav.