Flavor Burst: Minimalist Pulao

Rice. It is synonymous for food to a lot of us. It is hardly a surprise, given that rice is the most consumed grain in the whole world. History has it that in many parts of the world, eating rice symbolizes prosperity and happiness. Now that’s not hard to fathom, is it? This thought reminds me of the famous saying (famous for me at least) by a “mami” in our neighborhood back in India. In her own choicest words “Rice wonly fulfills stomach!” Right on! J 

The JFI pick for this month is Rice, hosted by wonderful Sharmi of Neivedyam. Now, when you are posed with an ingredient like Rice for JFI, how do you zero in on a dish you would want to showcase?! For me, the choice was simple: to pick a dish that brings out the flavor of rice.

I call this minimalist because of the few ingredients used and the ease with which you can whip this pulao up. And take my word for it – there is nothing minimalist about its flavor. This is a recipe from my Mom, who is an exceptional cook and my inspiration. She calls this “white pulao” or “plain pulao.” My take is that this is one heck of a colorful pulao and it is far from being plain. So, dear reader, I now present to you the Minimalist Pulao!

You’ll need: 

• 2 cups Basmati Rice
• 3 cups of water
• 2 cups of mixed chopped “pulao kind” vegetables (I used carrot, green beans, green peas and yellow bell pepper)
• 1 small yellow/white onion, sliced
• 3 green chilies/jalapenos, slit (adjust to your taste)
• 4 cloves
• 2 inch stick of cinnamon bark
• 4 pods of green cardamom
• 2 small or 1 large dried bay leaf
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp ghee (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method: 

• Wash and soak the rice in water for about 30 minutes
• In the meantime, chop the vegetables and thaw green peas if using frozen
• Heat the oil and ghee in a pot and add the whole spices – cloves, cinnamon, whole cardamoms and bay leaves
• Stir for a few seconds, taking care not to scorch them
• Add the sliced onions and green chilies. Sauté until onion is just transparent. Do not brown them!
• Add the rest of the chopped vegetables, season with salt, stir and cover the pot. Let the vegetables soften just a tad, about 4 minutes on medium heat
• Now turn up the heat to High and add the soaked rice along with the water into the pot. Stir well to combine
• Let this whole mixture come to a rolling boil on high heat. Leave it on for 5 minutes
• When the water seems to have evaporated quite a bit and the rice grains look plump, turn down the heat to low (I set it to 3 on my gas mark), gently mix, cover the pot and let the pulao cook, about 12 minutes or so, until the rice and vegetables are cooked through
• Fluff with a fork and serve with raita or simple dal

Here is another look:

 

A departure from the usual: Alu Gobi Pulao

Pulaos are wonderful rice creations that can stir up your senses with their brilliant aroma and taste, not to mention the sheer variety of ways they can be concocted. They sure are my best friends – easy to cook, blissfully satisfying and a meal in one pot for the most part.  Pulao is probably one of the oldest ways to cook rice, apart from plain steamed rice of course. My mom’s classic vegetable pulao is made with a hint of mint (aah, the rhyme was unintended), mixed with aromatic spices like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves all cooked in with fragrant basmati rice and fresh medley of vegetables.  

The star of today’s show – the Alu-Gobi pulao has a slightly different story however. Several months ago, I received a recipe for this in my inbox from Tarla Dalal’s recipe collection. I neither saved the email nor the recipe, so this is probably miles away from her original version. I recently tried to recreate it and it hit the right spot; the well balanced blend of spices, perfectly cooked potatoes and the pan fried, almost crispy florets of cauliflower added a wonderful flavor to the rice. If you are a ‘I-hate-cauliflower-cooked-the-wrong-way’ groupie, go on and give this one a try. You will be pleasantly surprised with the flavor of cauliflower in a rice dish.

You’ll need:

• 2 cups of long grain basmati rice
• 1 medium sized stick of cinnamon
• 3 cloves, coarsely crushed
• 3 pods of cardamom, peeled and crushed
• ½ tsp of ground turmeric
• 2 small bay leaves (or 1 large)
• 3 cups of water
• 1 heaped tbsp of finely minced ginger-garlic
• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
• 1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
• 2 tsp red chili powder (or according to your tolerance for heat)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp whipped yogurt * (optional)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3-4 sprigs of mint, finely chopped
• 5-6 strands of cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 medium sized potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium or large head of cauliflower, separated into florets, rinsed and drained well
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Cook the rice with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, bay leaves and a little salt like you would normally cook rice (I mixed everything together and plugged in the rice cooker) with 3 cups of water. When the rice is done, discard the bay leaves and spread on a large plate to cool. This will ensure that the grains stay separate
• Heat the oil in a pot, add jeera and saunf. When they turn very slightly brown, add the minced ginger-garlic and sauté for minute
• Add potatoes and cauliflower. Season with salt and let it cook on medium heat. Note that you don’t have to add any water to cook these – they just cook in the oil
• Once the potatoes are tender and florets slightly browned and cooked through, add chili powder, garam masala and yogurt, if using
• Add the cooked, cooled rice and mix well
• Adjust seasonings to your taste and add the finely chopped mint and cilantro. Mix gently
• Enjoy with raita or just plain yogurt

* I added yogurt for some tang in this recipe. If you want to go dairy-free, substitute with a tbsp of lemon juice.