Aren't biryani and pulao the same? Why would we bother with making pulao, if we can make a biryani? Isn't Vegetable Biryani just a veg pulao anyway?
Firstly, especially to the pulao haters out there, they are not the same. The difference, though, if you wish to be technical only lies only in the way you cook the rice. Biryani is a slow process, where the rice drained and cooked (called the draining method), while when cooking pulao, the rice is cooked using the absorption method. All the means is in a biryani you half cook all your components and layer them up in a container which you then seal and cook until it is nice and fragrant. This usually takes hours and quite a lot of your patience. Pulao, on the other hand, is a one pot quick dish. The basis lies in you chucking in your vegetables, your choice of meat if you wish, whole spices, and rice and letting your pressure cooker do the rest. At least and as long as I can remember, this humble pulao was whipped up by my mom after a long day (vegetarian of course). Humble, because it only took her 15 minutes and whatever vegetables were in the fridge for a wonderful smelling dinner. Pair it up with some whipped cucumber raita and some papads and you are all set!
Being the absolute definition of comfort food for me, this dish was one of the first things I made (or had made) during the Great Lockdown of 2020 locked in our apartment of four other girls and no help in Jaipur. It required minimal cleanup, super healthy, and used up all our leftover vegetables in our fridge. Most importantly, though, it satisfied five very different tastebuds.
For those of you who are hardcore Bollywood/ punjabi fans, you may vaguely remember Diljit Dosanjh's stories on instagram during that time, showcasing his skills at cooking basic ghar ka khana. So, while the world was making banana bread and dalgona coffee, we mirrored his style and made a video ourselves. Who knew I would be using it a year to share with you all how to make a dish from my mom's secret stash of recipes.
Here is the recipe and the video. Enjoy!
Servings: 3-4 people | Prep Time: 15 min| Total Time: 20 min
1 tablespoon of Refined Oil or Ghee
Whole Spices: 1 Cinnamon Stick, 2 Star Anise, 5-6 Black Peppercorns (Optional)
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
3 large Potatoes diced
1 Onion sliced
1 Cauliflower cut into florets
1 cup Peas
2 Carrots diced
6-7 French Beans cut into 1 in. shapes (Optional)
10 gm minced ginger
10 gms chopped green chillies (Optional)
400 gm of Rice soaked for half an hour
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon of red chilli powder
1 tablespoon of coriander powder
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon of amchoor powder
Coriander leaves (also known as cilantro) for garnish
Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, and add your cumin seeds and your whole spices if you wish. Once the seeds start crackling, add your ginger and green chillies followed by your sliced onions. Cook for 2 minutes and then add all your vegetables in the cooker. Add all the spices and cook for 2 more minutes, getting a small sear on the vegetables. Add in your rice and equal amount of water as the rice to the cooker. Close your cooker and let it whistle 3 times on a medium low flame. Let the pressure come out naturally, and on opening the cooker, the water should have completely evaporated and the rice should be nice and fluffy. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle some coriander leaves and serve hot!
Variations: Make it non vegetarian by adding some soft boiled eggs on top. Curry cut chicken is also another great addition! Add it during the time you would add your vegetables, and let it get a wonderful sear before you add the rice and close the lid.
Bon Appetit & Happy Cooking!
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