Pullao Rice with Peas

I was looking for an accompaniment to Cumin and Cashew Chicken, and pulled this from my trusty Curries without Worries cookbook by Sudha Koul. (Out of print, but you can get it used.)  She introduces basic Indian cooking for not so savvy Americans (which I definitely was when I bought it over 20 years ago).  It did call for a lot of spices, many of which I didn’t have on hand. In the interest of speed and the contents of my spice rack, I adapted a number of ingredients to use ground rather than whole spices (cinnamon, cumin, the ginger, etc.)

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps olive
  oil
• 2 tbsps butter or ghee
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp fresh finely chopped ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves or you can use 3 whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp cardamon or 2 cardamon pods, crushed
• 12 ounces peas (I used frozen).  You can also add another cup or so of veggies like cauliflower or potato. They should be crunchy and cut fairly small.  All I had on hand was peas, so that’s all I used this time.
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 cup chicken stock (if you want vegetarian than just use water)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• You can also add a pinch of saffron, soaked in 5 tbsps of water.

Instructions

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan on high for a minute until melted, then add the onion, ginger and turmeric and fry for another minute, stirring constantly.  Add the remaining spices except the salt, stirring them into the mixture for a few seconds. Add your vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the dry rice and stir fry again for a few moments to really mix the spices onto the rice.

Add the stock, water and salt to the mixture and stir until boiling. Reduce the heat to low, add the saffron  if you have it, cover and cook for 15 minutes. The vegetables will start to float but don’t stir unless absolutely necessary as it breaks the rice grains and makes them lumpy. (which is why you want a heavier pot and low heat). Toss with a fork just before serving. Taste and add any additional salt to taste.

I served it with Cumin and Cashew Chicken. Hubby loved it.  Thumbs up.