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Navratna Veg Pulao Recipe: The Ultimate Vegetarian Rice Dish

Pulao recipe
This is the ultimate vegetarian pulao recipe. Savour this on those really special occasions.
Ingredients
Long grain rice (Basmati)-2 cups
Cottage Cheese (Paneer) or Tofu-200 grams (7oz) (1 cup)
Peas-1/4 cup
Carrots cut into small pieces-1/4 cup
Cauliflower florets-1/4 cup
Raisins-2 tablespoon
Roasted Cashew nuts-3 tablespoon (The method to roast the cashew nuts: in a small pan, add about a tablespoon of cooking oil. Put the pan on your heat source. When the oil heats up, add the cashew nuts and stir till they turn golden. Immediately remove the cashew nuts to a plate. Remember if you leave the cashew nuts in the pan, the hot oil will keep roasting the cashew nuts and burn them.)
Sliced Onion-1 (Medium)
Chopped Ginger-1 inch piece
Black Cumin seeds (Shahi Jeera)-1/2 teaspoon
Green Cardamom (Chhoti elaichi)-2
Brown Cardamom (Badi elaichi)-1
Cinnamon (Dalchini)-1/2 inch
Cloves (Laung)-4
Star aniseed-1
Mace (Javitri)-One small piece
Bay leaf (Tejpatta)-1
Clarified butter (Ghee)-4 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Sugar-1/2 teaspoon
Few strands of saffron dissolved in ¼ cup milk
Water-4 cups
Method
Wash the rice well (in a vessel 3-4 times, but don’t rub it lest the grains break) and let it naturally “dry”, on an inclined plate, for 15-20 minutes. This helps enhance the aroma.
Roast the cottage cheese (paneer) or tofu on a dry pan and then cut into bite size pieces.
In a pan, add 2 tablespoon of clarified butter and gently roast peas, carrots and cauliflower one by one and keep aside.
If using a pressure cooker:
In a pressure cooker, add the clarified butter and place it on your heat source.
When the butter warms up, add the black cumin seeds along with the green cardamom, brown cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star aniseed, mace and bay leaf.
As soon as these all start giving a nice aroma, in less than a minute, add the onion slices and fry till translucent. Do please make sure that the spices brown and not burn, otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled. 
Add the ginger and stir for a minute.
Now add the rice along with the salt and sugar.
Stir well.
Add the roasted vegetables along with the paneer (cottage cheese) or tofu and again stir well.
Add the water, raisins and the saffron dissolved in milk.
Close the lid of the pressure cooker BUT remove the weight.
When steam starts escaping from the vent (don’t worry, you will hear that typical sound), reduce the heat to minimum. In other words, if cooking on gas, turn the knob to SIM (mer).
Wait for 10 minutes and switch off the gas.
Take out the rice. Your Navratna pulao is ready.
Before serving, sprinkle some roasted cashew nuts on the pulao and enjoy.
If using a thick bottomed pan/vessel:
In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place on fire.
When the butter warms up, add the black cumin seeds along with the green cardamom, brown cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star aniseed, mace and bay leaf.
As soon as these all start giving a nice aroma, in less than a minute, add the onion slices and fry till translucent.
Do please make sure that the spices brown and not burn, otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled. 
Add the ginger and stir for a minute.
Now add the rice along with the salt and sugar.
Stir well.
Add the roasted vegetables along with the paneer (cottage cheese) or tofu and again stir well.
Add the water, raisins and the saffron dissolved in milk.
Cover the pan/vessel with a well-fitting lid.
Reduce the heat to minimum. In other words, if cooking on gas, turn the knob to SIM (mer). Let the rice cook for 20-25 minutes. Please check that the rice has cooked well.
Switch off the heat source and let the rice remain in the vessel for another 5 minutes.
Take out the rice. Your Navratna pulao is ready.
Before serving, sprinkle some roasted cashew nuts on the pulao and enjoy.
If using a rice cooker
In a pan/vessel, add the clarified butter and place on fire.
When the butter warms up, add the black cumin seeds along with the green cardamom, brown cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star aniseed, mace and bay leaf.
As soon as these all start giving a nice aroma, in less than a minute, add the onion slices and fry till translucent.
Do please make sure that the spices brown and not burn, otherwise your dish will be totally spoiled. 
Add the ginger and stir for a minute.
Now add the rice along with the salt and sugar.
Stir well.
Add the roasted vegetables along with the paneer (cottage cheese) or tofu and again stir well.
Add the water, raisins and the saffron dissolved in milk.
Switch off the heat source and put all the ingredients into the rice cooker.
Switch on the rice cooker and the let the rice cook. The rice cooker will switch off on its own when the rice is cooked.
Take out the rice. Your Navratna pulao is ready.
Before serving, sprinkle some roasted cashew nuts on the pulao and enjoy.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes with a pressure cooker; 20-25 minutes with a deep thick bottomed pan; and as indicated in the rice cooker manual
Total time: 32 minutes with a pressure cooker; 40-45 minutes with a deep thick bottomed pan
This is an Excerpt from my book ‘The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Rice the Indian Way’ which is Available on Amazon.

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