Mint Pulav/ Mint Pulao / Pudhina Pulav/ Pudina Pulav

Mint Pulav/ Mint Pulao / Pudhina Pulav/ Pudina Pulav

Mint Leaves also called as "Pudina" is one of the oldest medicinal herb grown around the world. Its widely used in many range of dishes in Indian Cuisine and its an essential ingredient in many food items. Looking at its medicinal benefits, mint is the best cleanser for the entire body and blood. Crushed mint leaves whiten the teeth and fight against bad breath. Though we regularly stock atleast a bunch of Mint Leaves in the kitchen, we mostly exhaust the bunch by adding them in all of our regular food items.  This time, I exclusively got 2 additional bunches mainly to make my favorite Mint Pulao, which i had forgotten for a while. Nice Aroma was emanating from the Kitchen while making the Mint Pulao, which in turn triggered the tongue to taste it immediately...Definitely an awesome pick for any gathering, parties..

Photo Courtesy by Wiki

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 3 Cups

Mint Leaves Bunch / Pudina Bunch - 2 Big or 3 Medium

Green Chillies - 5 Big

Oil - 2 tbsp

Melted Butter or Ghee - 3 tsp

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Red Onion shredded - 1/2 cup

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp

Cinnamon Sticks - 2 Big

Lavang/ Cloves - 5 or 6

Marathi Moggu - 1

Bay Leaves - 4 or 5

Cardamom Seeds / Elachi - 4 or 5

Cashew Nuts - 1 Handful

Red Potato / Golden Potato cubes - 1 Cup

Method

1. Wash the Pudina leaves and make a smooth paste of Pudina and green chillies using a mixer grinder and keep them ready. Soak the Basmati Rice in water while starting the process.
2. In the big cooking pan ( I used a big non-stick pan), add ghee and oil first. When its heated, add the cinnamon stick, lavang, marathi moggu, cardamom seeds and fry them for a minute.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste next and fry them till the raw smell goes off. Next add the onions and fry them to golden brown. After that, add the grounded paste of mint leaves and green chillies to the pan and fry them for 2-3 minutes. A nice aroma would start filling the kitchen now...
4. Finally add the cashew nuts, potato cubes, bay leaves to the contents and fry them again for a minute.
5. Add 6 cups of water to the cooking pan / vessel, required amount of salt, 1/2 tsp of sugar and mix them well. Allow them to cook on  a low flame directly. When its completely cooked, the cooked mint rice would nicely come up till the rim of the vessel.
6. Switch off the flame and allow them to settle down for a while.
7. Serve this with a side of any raita and enjoy...A healthy mixed rice treat with excellent aroma for us.!!!

Tips / Variations

If its for a special party, add little more ghee and make it rich. Instead of cooking directly on the vessel, you can transfer the contents to an electric rice cooker and cook them outside too...

Tomato Pulav / Tomato Rice - Type 1

Tomato Pulav / Tomato Rice - Type 1

Tomato Pulav is one of  the easiest option for a quick lunch. It goes well with a simple onion raita. Though there are different versions of Tomato rice, this is the first version of Tomato Rice I am posting...Will post my different versions I tried earlier in due course. When I talk about this tomato rice, I first get into my hostel days..They used to serve a watery white chutney for the tomato rice. Till today, I am unable to find out what ingredients they would have used for making the chutney.But still I remember the taste of the Tomato rice given in the hostel. Though we used to criticize the hostel food a lot during that time, those good memories and the taste still goes through the mind often and fills the heart happily...

Ingredients

Ripe Tomatoes - 2 Big

Green Chillies - 3 Big

Oil - 2 tbsp

Basmati Rice - 1.5 Cup

Salt - To Taste

Fennel Seeds / Sombu - 1 tsp

Cinnamon Sticks - 2

Lavang / Cloves - 4 or 5

Bay Leaves - 3

Garlic Paste or crushed garlic - 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Method

• Cut the tomatoes, green chillies and soak the basmati rice in water. Keep all the ingredients handy.
• In a big non-stick cooking vessel, add oil first. When its heated, add sombu, pattai/cinnamon sticks, lavang followed by garlic paste, green chillies and fry them well till the rawness completely takes off.
• Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder into the vessel and leave it for a minute.
• When its soggy, slightly mash them and add the basmati rice and fry for another minute.
• Add required amount of salt, bay leaves and 3 cups of water into the vessel.
• Allow them to cook on a low flame. When the pulav is done completely, switch off the flame.
• Serve this tomato pulav with a cup of Onion raita / cucumber raita.

Simple Veg Pulav - Type 1

Simple Veg Pulav - Type 1

I guess i would have made this veg pulav more than 100 times. This is the most simplest pulav with no grinding but loaded with vegetables, mixed with good spices and basmati rice.The excellent aroma of this veg pulav always invites you to the dining area. I prefer to make this veg pulav especially for parties and get-together. Also, its kid friendly as its not having any spicy gravy or spicy powder in it. Same way, its not too bland too. Its perfect and suitable for all ages. Even with a simple curd raita, its heavenly.  You can make some spicy kurma or any spicy side dish and enjoy with this Veg Pulav.

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 Cups

Salt - To Taste ( But i use 1.5 tbsp approximately)

Olive Oil - 3 tbsp

Ghee or Butter - 1 tbsp ( optional if you are weight conscious)

Carrots - 1/2 Cup cut into small cubes

Beans - 1 Cup cut into small pieces

Potato - 1/2 Cup cut into small cubes

Green Capsicum - 1/2 cup cut into small pieces

Peas - Handful

Onion - 1 Medium One cut into small pieces

Garlic Pods - 4 or 5 peeled

Tomato - 1 Small One

Ginger garlic Paste - 1 full tbsp

Pudina Leaves/Mint Leaves - 3 tbsp cut into small pieces

Green Chillies - 4 or 5 medium ones

For Tempering

Jeera Seeds - 2 tsp

Fennel Seeds / Sombhu - 2 tsp

Cinnamon Sticks / Pattai - 2 medium sized ones

Lavang / Cloves - 5 or 6

Marati Moggu - 1 or 2 small ones

Bay Leaves - 5

Cardamom / Elachi / Elakkai - 3 or 4

Cashew Nuts - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Take 2 cups of basmati rice, soak it in water for few minutes. Keep it aside.
2. Wash all the vegetables and cut them into desired shapes as mentioned below. Keep them separately in a big plate.
3. Wash and cut the pudina / mint leaves and keep it ready.
4. Cut the onion into small pieces and keep it ready. Peel the skin of 5 garlic pods and keep them ready.
5. On medium heat, in a thick bottomed vessel, add 1 tbsp of ghee or butter and 3 tbsp of Olive Oil. When it gets heated, add the ingredients for tempering as mentioned above in order and fry them little bit.
6. Then, add the onions and fry them for a minute. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry them till the raw smell goes off.
7. Add garlic pods, pudina leaves, tomato, green chillies now to the pulav and fry them for 2-3 minutes.
8. Then add the cut and washed vegetables and fry them in the kadai for 4-5 minutes. During this time, cook the vessel with a lid for about 2 or 3 minutes so that the veggies get cooked little bit with the steam inside.
9. Meantime, wash the basmati rice and drain it completely. Add it to the veggie mix in the kadai and fry them for a minute or two till it gets dried and fried a bit.
10. Then add 3.5 cups of water to the contents in the vessel and add required amount of salt to the mix in the vessel.
11. Add a tsp of garam masala powder and mix them thoroughly.
12. Close the vessel with the lid and let the pulav cooks on a low flame. If you are planning to cook the pulav in an electric cooker, transfer the
13. contents to the electric cooker and start cooking.
14. After 10-15 minutes, open the lid and check. Your veg pulav would have risen up with the layer of cooked veggies and the aroma of the pulav would be great.
15. Its ready to serve now with a cool fresh curd onion raita.

Variations

You can add turmeric powder to this veg pulav if you want it more colourful. Somehow i like this veg pulav in white background with colourful veggies.

You can add 1 cup of fresh coconut milk to this Veg Pulav to make it richer and more tastier with 2.5 cups of water.

You can increase the number of green chillies to make it more spicy for you.

Tips

Don't overcook the veg pulav, it makes it more pasty and spoils the texture of the pulav. Cook it only the required amount of water and that depends on the type of basmati rice also.

Try to take out the green chillies after the pulav is done, before serving which makes the kids happy while enjoying this pulav.

Vegetable Pulao - Type 2

I made a different style of vegetable pulao yesterday. This version requires a grounded paste of  Khus Khus, fresh coconut and little cashew nuts. Though I am not a big fan of using high calorie gravy or paste in my cooking, I made this pulao richer as I made it for my kids.  With limited vegetables, grounded paste and some indian spices, the vegetable pulao came out richer, tastier and flavourful. Just a simple onion raita is enough to finish the plate. May be...we can have few potato chips on its side. ( if you are lucky to have those!!!).

Ingredients
Carrots - 1 Medium
Potato - 1 medium
Fresh Peas - 1 Handful
Green Capsicum - 1\2 cup finely cut
Tomato - 1 Medium
Onion - 1 Small
Mint Leaves \ Pudina Leaves - 1 Handful shredded
Green Chillies - 2 Big Ones
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Kala Jeera - 1 tsp
Lavang \ Cloves - 5 or 6
Cinnamon Sticks \ Pattai - 3 Medium
Marathi Moggu - 1
Cardamom \ Elachi - 3 
Bay leaves - 3
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Basmati Rice - 1.5 Cups
Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp
Dry Red chilli powder - 1\2 tsp
Garam masala Powder - 1\2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Coriander Leaves - To Garnish

For Grinding
Fresh Coconut - 1\4 Cup
Khas Khas - 1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Wash and cut the vegetables into small cubes and keep it ready. Cut the onion, tomato and slit the green chillies in the middle and keep it ready too.
2. Wash and finely cut the mint leaves and keep it aside.
3. Prepare the paste by adding all the ingredients in a mixer grinder with some water.. Make a rich, smoothy paste and keep it ready too.
4. Soak the basmati rice in water for few minutes.
5. On a thick non stick kadai \ vessel, add olive oil first. When its heated, add jeera, kala jeera, lavang \ cloves, cinnamon sticks \pattai, elachi, marathi moggu, bay leaves in order and fry them for a minute.
6. Add the finely cut onion, green chillies, ginger garlic paste into the kadai and fry them nicely till the raw smell goes off completely from the kadai.
7. Next add the green capsicum pieces, pudina\mint leaves and fry them well with a pinch of salt.
8. Add the chopped tomato into the kadai and fry them well till it becomes mashy.
9. Add all the finely cut vegetables into the kadai and fry them in the kadai for 2 minutes.
10. Add the turmeric powder, dry red chilli powder, garam masala powder, a pinch of sugar and mix everything in the kadai thoroughly so that the vegetables get coated with the powders nicely.
11. Now add the grounded paste into the kadai and fry the contents well for 2 minutes.
12. Add the drained basmati rice into the kadai and fry them well for a minute.
13. Now add water ( about 2.5 cups of water for 1.5 cups of Adora basmati rice ) to the kadai directly and add required amount of salt to the contents and mix them well.
14. On a low heat, allow the contents in the kadai to cook for nearly 15 - 20 minutes. After 15-20 minutes, the vegetable pulao would have risen till the edge of the kadai with a wonderful flavour.
15. Open the lid and carefully turn the pulao upside down and close the lid again. Allow them to stand on low heat for another 2 minutes.
16. Then, switch off the heat if the vegetable pulao is completely cooked to your satisfaction.
17. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with a side of onion raita and Potato chips.!!

Variations

You can cook the basmati rice separately and add the rice slowly to the cooked vegetable spicy mix and complete the vegetable pulao. In this way,  the basmati rice does not break and the look of the pulao is great. I generally stick on to this method if I make this pulao for more people.

You can add more vegetables of your choice in this vegetable Pulao.

Tips

Before starting the actual cooking process, keep all the required ingredients ready on its side. This will definitely fasten the process of cooking.

Amount of water required for cooking the pulao may differ with different basmati rice varieties. So, add water accordingly.

Coriander Pulav / Kothamalli Pulav / Kothimeera Pulav / Coriander Pulao

Freshness of coriander leaves always add taste and flavour to any food we make. This herb is not only used  for garnishing and its widely used in Indian cuisine for making different varieties of food like coriander chutney, coriander rice / pulav, coriander based gravy in many side dishes, etc., Whenever I go for vegetable shopping, I invariably pick up more coriander bunches than I require for the week. This time, I tried to make coriander pulav / kothamalli pulav for lunch. Without any side dish, we can have this tasty coriander pulav and its an ideal choice for kids too as they like this green colour pulav. Adding few potato pieces and peas to the pulav make the rice more captivating and make it more healthier too..

Ingredients

Fresh Coriander Leaves - 3 or 4 Big bunches.

Tomato - 1 medium

Green Chillies - 3 or 4

Basmati Rice - 1.5 cup

Sugar - 1 pinch

Salt - To Taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

Butter / Ghee - 2 tsp

Onion - 1 Medium

Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp

Cinnamon Sticks - 2 big

Lavang - 5 or 6

Cardamom Seeds / Elachi - 4 or 5

Marathi Moggu - 1 big

Garlic Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Potato - 1 medium

Peas - 1 Handful

Method

• Wash the Basmati Rice and soak the rice for sometime.
• Grind the washed coriander leaves, one red tomato, green chillies in a mixer grinder and keep it ready.
• n a non-stick vessel or a flat bottomed thick vessel, add ghee or butter first. Then add oil to the pan and when the oil gets heated, add the spices to the oil. Fry them for a minute.
• Add ginger garlic paste to the vessel next. Fry them for a minute till the raw smell goes off.
• Add onions and the grounded paste and fry them for few minutes. Add the potato pieces and peas while frying. Also add the basmati rice to the oil and fry everything for a minute.
• Add water, enough salt, a pinch of sugar to the rice mix and cook them on a low flame.
• For 1 cup of rice , add 1 3/4 th of water. But it depends on the Basmati Rice type too..So, add water according to the variety you use.
• After its completely cooked, switch off the flame. Turn it upside down and garnish with few cashew nuts and coriander leaves before serving.
• This coriander pulav can be eaten with raita or any side dish of your choice.