Kitchen Katta / Quick Vegetable Pulav

We all love rice. However, if it’s nicely seasoned and if you add veggies in it, obviously it tastes better and also it’s healthy. Vegetable Pulav was one of the two dishes (2nd was simple dal-fry) which I was able to cook before marriage without any help. I was a terrible cook and I’m still trying to be a good cook. LOL. My mom had taught me how to make this simple pulav. So presenting my mom’s recipe of vegetable pulav.

Ingredients:

  1. Basmati rice (uncooked): 2 Cups
  2. Hot Water: 4 ½ - 5 Cups
  3. Onion: 1 Medium (cut in julienne or thinly sliced) 
  4. Green peas: 1/4 Cup
  5. Carrot: 1 Small (cut in julienne or thinly sliced)
  6. Corn kernels: 3-4 Tbsp. (optional)
  7. Green pepper: 1 Medium (cut in julienne or thinly sliced) 
  8. Cauliflower florets: 1 Cup (chopped) 
  9. Bay leaf: 1 Large
  10. Cinnamon stick: 1 Medium
  11. Peppercorns: 5-6
  12. Cloves: 2-3
  13. Star-anise flower: 1
  14. Cumin seeds: 1 Tbsp.
  15. Cumin-coriander powder: 1Tbsp.
  16. Ginger- Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp.
  17. Clarifies Butter: 5-6 Tbsp.
  18. Cashew nuts: ¼ Cup or just a fistful (either cut in halves or chopped in small pieces, as per your preference)
  19. Coriander/ Cilantro leaves: ½ Cup (finely chopped)

Procedure: 

  1. Take a large pan or wok or a pressure cooker and put 3 Tbsp of clarified butter to it.
  2. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, clove and star anise to it. Sauté nicely till the beautiful aroma of this whole Garam masala fills your kitchen. Put cumin seeds and let them splutter.
  3. Now add onion and fry it till crispy golden brown. Do not over fry it to black color.
  4. Once the onion is done, add cashews and little salt.
  5. Start adding other vegetables to it starting with green peas, green peppers, corn kernels, cauliflower and carrots. Saute them well.
  6. Now add ginger-garlic paste. Stir well.
  7. Add remaining spices like cumin-coriander powder more salt.
  8. Once the veggies are cooked, add some cilantro to it and stir well.
  9. Now add rice carefully. Stir it well. Do not stir it vigorously otherwise the rice grains will break and the pulav will lose its beautiful look.
  10. Add hot water. Add remaining clarified butter and put the lid on and let it cook. If you are using a pressure cooker, put the pressure cooker lid and hear one whistle on medium-high heat. Put the gas to lowest setting and switch it off in another minute.
  11. Once the rice is done, take the lid off. Take the rice out in a serving bowl and garnish it with the remaining coriander leaves. You may want to take out the whole garam masala or you may garnish the dish with same whole garam masala.
Presenting to you a very healthy yet yummilicious rice variety. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!!
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