This is my mom's signature veg pulao recipe - a very simple, fresh, and tasty lunch or dinner meal. It is a combination of perfectly cooked fluffy rice and al dente veggies of your choice, fried in some ghee with cumin, salt, lemon & fresh coriander. My mom tops it up with fried raw cashews which adds a crunchy bite to the pulao. Make this for your family or just for yourself along with quick vegetable raita.Enjoy this simple, delicious, and light vegetarian meal to give your system a break!*skip ghee to make it veganI recommend adding chopped raw green chilies on top if you are a spice lover 😊
Servings 1
Ingredients
Make Fluffy Rice
2cupsRice
4cupsWater
1tbspMustard Oil
1tbspCumin seeds
Salt to Taste
Cook the Veggies
2tbspGhee/Clarified Butter or Olive Oil
1tbspCooking oil
1tbspCumin seeds
4Green Chilies
1cupRed Onion thinly sliced
¼cupCarrots thinly sliced
¾cupGreen & Red Pepper thinly sliced
½cupGreen Beans chopped
1cupCauliflower
½cupFrozen Peas
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
2tbspLemon juice
2tbspFresh coriander chopped
½cupKaju/Cashews Fried in ghee
Instructions
Wash 2 cups of rice in plenty of water and put in a strainer to drain the excess water for 15 minutes. Don't skip the draining part.
In a pan, over medium-high heat, add Mustard oil. Let it get hot and add cumin seeds. Followed by drained rice, salt to taste, and 4 cups of water. Stir, switch heat to high, and let it come to a hard boil.
Switch heat to the low setting and stir the rice before covering it. Cook on low heat, it should make steam but should not boil over. Remove from the gas after 10 minutes but keep it covered for another 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before using to separate the grains.
Cook Veggies
Heat ghee and oil over medium-high heat and add Cumin seeds. Followed by Green Chilies, Onion, and all the veggies with 30-second intervals. Mix and sprinkle the salt to taste and cover for 2-3 minutes until cooked but still crunchy.
Taste the veggies and adjust the salt, add black pepper, lemon juice, and fresh coriander. Now you are ready for layering
Spread a layer of rice, followed by veggie layer...repeat until everything is combined. Top with the fried cashews and more fresh coriander. Serve with the fresh veg raita.
For Raita:Beat 300 ml of yogurt/Dahi until smooth and addSpices:1/2 Tsp Roasted Cumin Powder,1 Tsp Red Chili Powder,1/4 Tsp Black Salt,2 Tsp Salt,1/2 Tsp Black Pepper, and1 Tsp SugarChopped Veggies:2 Green Chilies,1/2 Cup Red onion,1/2 Cup Tomatoes,1/2 Cup Cucumber1 Tbsp Fresh Coriander