Monday, June 11, 2012

Kaju Saathe Khichdi Pulao- Parsi Style Coconut & Cashew Rice

After two delicious desserts, I thought I would better post one of my other favourites - a one pot meal or a rice dish. This one is supposed to be Parsi rice dish and is from India's Vegetarian Cooking by Monisha Bharadhwaj. Now, there is either khichdi or pulao, but this is the first time I had heard about the name together.  Normally khichdi tends to be bland and is best served during illnesses,- easy to cook and easy to digest, non spicy but less tasty. Generally the texture of the khichdi is very mushy but there are firmer khichdis as well as per the author atleast. You add vegetables and dry fruits and spices to the conservative khichdi and give it a nice make over -there you get a festive khichdi pulao. 

Ingredients: 
Oil/Ghee/ Combo:  3 tbsp
Onion: 1 medium sliced long and thin or almost 1/2 cup

Peppercorns: 10
Cloves: 3
Green Cardamoms : 3 bruised/lightly crushed
Bay Leaves: 2 or 1 tsp

Basmati Rice: 300 gms or heaped 1 cup

Coconut Milk: 300 ml or 1-1.5 cups as needed
Water: 300ml or 1 cup or  as needed
Salt: as per taste

Green Pepper/Capsicum: 1 deseeded  and sliced
Green Peas : 3 tbsp

Raisins: 2 tbsp
Cashew Nuts: 2 tbsp

Preparation:
Heat 2 tbsp of oil/ghee/combination in a heavy bottomed pan and fry till the onions start browning or golden brown. Add the whole spices(I lightly crushed them) and bayleaves and mix well so that they get coated in oil and start flavouring it. once the raw smell of the spices go add water and bring to boil.

Add rice to the water along with a little salt and half of the coconut milk after reducing the heat. Mix well,bring to boil, again reduce the heat and add the green pepper and peas. Mix well and let it cook till the milk is almost absorbed. Add the rest of the coconut milk or as needed to cook the rice fully as per your taste. Cover the pan and simmer until the rice is cooked through.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of the oil/ghee and fry the raisins and cashew nuts till brown and nicely fat. Saving some for garnish, mix the remaining with rice. 

Serve garnished with the nuts and raisins along with a nice hot stew if needed or even a cool raitha.


The texture of the rice was between firm and mushy with a nice coating of the coconut milk. The taste was awesome. I was in two minds before making, but once daughter gave her thumbs up after tasting, then there was no looking back. Actually the pics were taken a bit hurriedly as I could not wait for my bowl of rice.





3 Comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Omg, just drooling over that irresistible pulao.Super tempting dish,makes me hungry.

lubnakarim06 said...

I love the flavor of coconut in rice....looks yum....

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Delicious rice preparation...

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