Veg Pulav
First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I have been a behind everything lately. I’ve been behind my exercise, I have been behind laundry, I’ve been behind folding the clothes and I’ve been behind updating my recipes. I haven’t made anything new for a long time. Most of the time I experiment with different things and usually the end result is often amazingly good. VJ loves most of what I make, especially my rice items. He loves everything that involves rice. He hates pasta and noodles, but he loves rice. I’m the absolute opposite. I looovvvveee Noodles. I love Indo-Chinese Noodles, I love Spaghetti, I love Pad-Thai and did I mention that I love noodles. So I feel really guilty whenever I make pasta or noodles because VJ doesn’t like it that much. So the day after I treat my palate I treat VJ’s palate.
The other day I had this small bunch of mint sitting and I didn’t know what to do. I usually make pani puri but I didn’t have puri’s. So I decided to make a pulav without adding any masala. It was very late and I was very tired, so I wanted the recipe to be as short as possible. It turned out okay, so I decided to perfect it again on New Year’s Day. VJ wanted to make it as I told him the instructions, but Arlo was giving us a hard time, so he decided to take care of him, while I did my magic. I usually chop everything and do everything on the go. I was using my Instapot (Thanks VJ for the birthday gift) to make this so I will include the pressure cooker recipe too. VJ already chopped most of the veggies so half my work was already done.
I was so involved in cooking and taking care of each step that I didn’t realize it was 10 by the time I was done. I get so self-involved when I’m cooking something that I usually forget the time and place. I just want to cook and cook and cook. I love cooking, for me it’s like giving a piece of my love away. When I cook and someone tells me that it’s delicious, I want to do a happy dance. Oh gosh, I miss Hemin. He would give me these soul-satisfying compliments that no one else does. But today I got a ‘it’s yummy’ text from VJ (I was feeding Arlo and VJ was having dinner in the other room hence the text). So here’s the recipe.
Ingredients
Rice – 2 cups (Basmati or Sona Masoori)
Potato – 2 small (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
Carrots – 2 small (Chopped into 2 inches long pieces)
Beans – 2 cups (Chopped into 2 inches long pieces)
Peas – 2 cups
Onions – 2 medium (chopped long and thin)
Green Chilies – 7 or 8 (slit lengthwise)
Mint – leaves from 1 whole bunch
Cilantro – 2 small bunches (chopped)
Fried Onion – 1 cup
Bay leaf – 4
Cloves – 5
Black Peppercorn -8
Cinnamon – 1 inch
Cumin seeds – 1 tablespoon
Oil – 2 tablespoons
Ghee – 2 tablespoons
Salt – As required
Coriander Powder – 1 tablespoon
Water – 3.5 cups
How to Make
Step 1: Put the Instapot in Saute mode and wait until it’s hot. If using the pressure cooker, turn it on and wait for it to become hot. Once hot (Instapot or Cooker), add the oil and ghee and wait for the ghee to melt. Add the bay leaves, cloves, peppercorn, cinnamon and cumin seeds to the oil-ghee mix and fry them a bit until the leaves start to brown.
Step 2: Once the bay leaves start to brown, add the onions and saute until they are translucent. They needn’t turn brown, you just need them to be cooked. Now add the carrots, potatoes, and beans. Give it a mix to prevent the bottom from browning.
Step 3: Add the salt and coriander powder. Mix the entire thing again and now add the peas. Let them cook for a while until the raw smell of the peas goes away.
Step 4: Add the mint leaves, cilantro, and green chilies and give it a mix. Give it a few minutes, as the whole kitchen starts to smell minty. After the leaves have wilted, add half the fried onions now. Mix it up and add the rice.
Step 5: Mix the rice with the veggies. before the bottom starts to brown add the water. Mix it a bit and now add the remaining fried onions. On Instapot Pressure cook it for 5 minutes and in the Pressure cooker, cook it for 1 whistle.
Step 6: Once the cooker (or Instapot) cools down, gently mix the rice. Serve it with some lemon (I used lime) and Raita.
Tips:
- You can skip the fried onions if you want and add an extra onion instead.
- You can use cauliflower, bell pepper, and corn too if you want.
- You can add 1 tomato for tanginess.
- You can add some Garam masala with the coriander powder.
