Pulao fest! - Recipe added

(At least three people asked for the recipe so here it is. Will post pictures next time I make it and move the recipe there, for now, it is at the bottom of the post)

Yesterday I made Pulao. And I think it was the fine Basmati Rice. It turned up looking, smelling and tasting great. Subhash as usual was effusive in praise and I as usual was on cloud 9 when I heard him :)

Cut to today. I asked him what we should eat for lunch and he said Pongal. I said that is boring, I find I cannot eat Pongal these days, I am bored of it (these are temporary bouts I have, at one point in life I got bored of Idli and couldn't even eat one for the life of me, now I am back to hogging idli phase). So I said next. He said Pulao. I said why, you want to eat Pulao again. He said yes, why not.

Pulao and Biryani, unlike say Pulihara, I don't mind eating consecutive days. Since they are filled with vegetables and add all the nutrition you want to put in. So I made Pulao again today. I was contemplating pre-cooking vegetables in the microwave vs just putting them in the cooker, I decided on the cooker and went about it. I made sure I didn't burn the onions when deep frying them, remembered to add kaju and saffron and thought it was perfect since I filled up the shortcomings of yesterday. When voila, I remembered on opening the cooker, that I forgot to put potatoes!! Wow! In that microwave vs cooker debate I forgot to peel and cut and add potatoes.

Pulao turned good even today but potato-less. I consoled myself saying eating potatoes every day is anyways not such a great idea. I think the perfectly done onions and the raita made it delicious, between yesterday and today I'd probably pick today's as the better one (just for that crisply fried onion!, what a junk eater I am!!). But Subhash didn't wipe his plate clean as fast as he did yesterday so I am assuming he really missed his potatoes (apparently he was going to ask me to add potatoes when he remembered that I added them yesterday and assumed I'd do it today so didn't mention! Whoa, think of your luck, I was not destined to eat potatoes today!)

Maybe I will fry and add-in potatoes when we eat the Pulao at night :) :)


RECIPE:

Its actually pretty simple - Basmati Rice, vegetables (I usually put potatoes, beans, carrot and peas), cloves(6), cardamom (6), Cinnamon (few bits), Kaju (if needed, fry in a little ghee and add), kala jeera, salt to taste, saffron (if you have the mood for it), green chillies (based on how much spice you want), all mixed in and cooked in the pressure cooker. I use 2:2.5 water for good Basmati rice :)

I usually separately deep fry onions and garnish it when serving.

Raita - Good bodied, lightly sour curds mashed/blended  in with finely chopped tomatoes, onions and green chilly, I like to keep my raita simple and cucumber and carrot-free :)