COOKING PULAU

here i am sharing the way i make vegetable pulao at home. i sometimes make pulao in a pressure cooker using this recipe or sometimes my mom’s vegpular when i have time, i cook in a pot and when no time, i use the pressure cooker.

pressure cooking rice can be tricky. different types of rice will cook at different timings. since i stick to the same brand of organic basmati rice, i now know how much time the grains take to cook. what i have learnt from experience is that its better to soak the rice first. the proportion i use for rice to water is 1: 2 or 1:1.5

while cooking, after adding the rice, stir the grains with the rest of the ingredients well, so that the oil coats each rice grain. i usually pressure cook on a high flame for 2-3 whistles. then let the pressure drop on its own, since the rice is cooking when the cooker is hot and the pressure is there inside it. then i gently fluff the rice before serving.

what i have also seen, is that the more oil the more the food tastes better. i don’t know why. the same is with pulaos too. the veg pulao will be oily, but will taste good too. here i have used 3 tbsp ghee to fry onions and cashews. however, 2 tbsp oil or ghee would also be fine to use.

i add the caramelized onions and cashews to the pulao as a garnish. the crisp onion slices and cashews add a lot of flavor and texture to the pulao. on occasions i also add some mint and coriander leaves while making the pulao. you can easily skip this frying part and make the pulao in just 2 tbsp oil or ghee.

the best part i like about vegetable pulaos is that they are healthy as we add a lot of vegetables to this dish. in this recipe, i have added green peas, mushrooms, carrots, french beans, capsicum/bell pepper, potatoes, tomatoes and onions. you can also add your choice of veggies to the pulao.