Vegetable Pulao

Pulao, Biryani, and other such variants are flavored rice made from aromatic spices and sauteed vegetables. I have always loved Pulaos/Biryanis. I used to pester my mom to make it, but she being an authentic Tam-Brahm lady, never really liked making spicy dishes that require a dozen or so masala ingredients. Although she has made several milder and tasty versions of the dish, they were never what I was looking for. I finally started experimenting on a formula that suited me, inspired from a host of sources, I have now arrived at an easy to prepare, go-to Pulao. In my early student days in the US, this used to be my signature dish - i.e., a dish that no roommate scoffed at ;).

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium-sized red onion - sliced into long pieces.
2. 1-2 cups of mixed vegetables (neglected veggies in the fridge will do, or use some from a bag of frozen mixed vegetables)
3. 5 cloves
4. 6 cardamom pods (the whole pods with the seeds)
5. 1 cinnamon stick
6. 1 Bay leaf (optional)
7. 3 teaspoons of Sindhi Biryani Powder (I don’t know why, I picked this up a few years back, and I love the flavor of the masala). Or you can use any garam masala, or biryani powder.
8. 2 cups of raw rice (I used plain white rice, not basmati)
9. 4 - 4.5 cups of water
10. Salt to taste
11. A tablespoon of oil
12. Some coriander leaves
13. Two tablespoons of yogurt.

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a skillet.
2. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf and saute on medium heat until the spices turn fragrant (you could also slightly crush the spices in a mortar and pestle to bring out more flavor)
3. Once the spices are fragrant and begin to sizzle, add the chopped onion and saute till it turns translucent.
4. Add the mixed vegetables and saute till they become a little tender.
5. Add the biryani masala, and salt and stir well into the vegetables. You may additionally add chilli powder if you need more spice and heat.
6. Once the masala is well mixed into the vegetables, add raw rice and mix it well with the vegetables and the spice. If raw rice is sauteed in the oil and spices, it doesn’t stick to each other and turns out fluffy when cooked. Usually, Basmati rice is used, and it undoubtedly imparts a lovely, unique flavor. But ordinary white/brown rice should be fine too.
7. Transfer the rice+vegetables into a rice cooker (or pressure cooker).
8. Add 4 cups of water (or 4.5, if you don't like your rice to be al dente).
9. Sprinkle a handful of washed and cut coriander leaves. I add the leaves before cooking the rice, because as the coriander cooks and seeps into the rice, its flavor becomes much richer.
10. Mix two tablespoons of yogurt into the water+rice+coriander. I learnt this from my mother-in-law. The yogurt adds creaminess and a subtle flavor to the rice.
11. Cook the whole thing till the water is fully absorbed.

That’s it! Stir the cooked rice when ready so that it gets fluffed up, and serve with chips, vadaams, or raita.

As a variation, I sometimes add tomato paste to the vegetables. This turns out good too. Some friends of mine add black cardamom and star anise as well. Both are strong, potent spices, so go easy on them - perhaps add one each. Other friends add minced ginger and garlic before adding the onions. Coconut and poppy seeds are favorite spice blends too... but I will dedicate another post to one such exhaustive variation!

Since it is really simple to throw in spices, saute the vegetables and cook the rice, anybody can prepare this flavored rice dish.