Shankar's Pulao

Friday, July 15, 2011

I guess, most of you reading this would know that it was my Birthday a couple of days ago .. Well, Shankar, surprised me with this Pulao for the Birthday lunch .. Hence, the name of this dish :-)

I was actually quite thrilled with the idea that He'd be cooking something. Since he is a novice, I wanted to give him instructions  lend a helping hand  But I was shooed away from the kitchen The only thing I did was, measure Basmati rice & soak it in water. I really don't know where he got this recipe from, but it was just fabulous ..

Shankar's Pulao


You Will Need:
  • 1 cup Basmati Rice - washed & soaked for about an hour
  • 2 carrots - diced
  • 1 large potato - diced
  • A handful of beans - chopped
  • 1/2 cup - cauliflower florets
  • 1/2 cup green peas
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garam Masala
  • Salt as per taste
  • 2 tsp desi ghee
  • 2 tsp oil
  • fresh coriander for garnish
For the Paste:
  • 2 medium sized onions - roughly chopped
  • 1' cinnamon stick
  • 3 cloves
  • 2 green cardamons
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 4 green chillies
  • 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
  • A handful of fresh mint leaves
How To:
  • Heat oil a small pan, add all the ingredients mentioned in the 'Paste' list & fry until the onions are golden brown. Allow it to cool & grind into a smooth paste using very little water
  • Heat Ghee in a pressure cooker, add ginger-garlic paste. Add all the vegetables one by one. Add the ground paste, chilli poiwer & Garam Masala & mix well. Drain the soaked rice & add into the pressure cooker. Add salt & 1 1/2 cups of water. Add 2 tsp cooking oil. Stir well & check for salt again.
  • Close the lid & allow to to pressure cook for 1 whistle. Set aside to cool
  • Once the pressure is released, open the lid, Add lemon juice & chopped coriander & fluff gently with a fork.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve with any Raita of your choice .. Enjoi !!!

Shankar's Pulao 1

While, Shankar was at it, I was quite unhappy about the fact the he was frying up all the ingredients to make a paste. I told him, it wasn't necessary because the paste will anyways be sauteed before adding rice. Because of this, we actually had a mini fight in between :-)  But the end result was very good .. Frying up the spices before grinding does lend a unique taste .. Do not skip it, if you are going to be trying this ..

Anyways, I did have a Fab Birthday .. All of you, who stopped by to wish me, Thanks so much .. It really made my day :-)

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