Need a midweek pick me up? How about this one pot dish?

Well, we can all use some inspiration on Wednesdays as it tends to be the time when the working week has taken over and we may lack some ideas and energy in the kitchen

I like one pot dishes – less washing up and honestly feels like less effort overall!

Mint is my go to herb during summer as you may have noticed 😉 I tend to stock a lot of it at home. Fresh herbs are easily available and this is the best time of the year to cook all the recipes that involve them!

This dish, Pulao as we call it in India, stores well for up to 3 days in the fridge, the taste improves over time as the flavors really get into the rice 🙂

Here is how:

Cook Time: 20mins                                                                 Prep Time: 10mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• hand full of fresh coriander leaves
• hand full of fresh mint leaves
• 200 grams of white Basmati rice
• 2-3 green chilies
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 5 grams of fresh ginger
• 6 tablespoons of cooking oil (I’ve used sesame seed oil)
• half a teaspoon of cumin seeds
• quarter a teaspoon of turmeric
• half a teaspoon of red chili powder
• salt to taste
• 2 medium sized onions
• hand full of fresh or frozen peas
• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 cups of water

Whole Spices:

• 4 cloves
• 1 Indian bay leaf
• 5-6 whole peppercorns
• 2 small pieces of cinnamon/ Dalchini
• quarter a teaspoon of fennel seeds

Directions:

Start by rinsing the tomatoes and herbs, then chop the tomatoes into half or quarter as you’ll be putting it into a food processor. Finely chop onions and set aside

Next, put the herbs, garlic, ginger, chili & tomatoes into a food processor and grind to a smooth paste and keep aside

Into a thick base pot add in the oil and heat on medium, to the hot oil add the cumin seeds & whole spices listed above and as they release their earthy aroma, add in the the chopped onions and fry till transparent and slightly brown

To this add the herb paste and fry for 3-5mins, sprinkle a little salt at this stage and add the turmeric & red chili powder

Rinse the rice three times, add the washed rice into the the herb paste and mix well, add in peas & 2 cups of water and close cook on low heat for approx. 10- 15mins

Open lid and mix again gently, add in the remaining salt and taste to check if all flavors are balanced. Check if the rice is cooked through if not add in a little more water and cook for another 5mins. Job Done!

Serve it with a small serving of yogurt on the side, or just on its own!

Enjoy!

Tip: Rinsing rice before cooking will drain all the excess starch out and keep your rice grains separate & fluffy once cooked 🙂 Try it and let me know what you think!

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