Vegetable Pulao

Rice main dishes are one of most popular in South India. There's a sense of comfort associated with varieties of rice creations and there's no denying that when it comes to rice, the possibilities are almost endless! 

One of the most well known is the humble Vegetable Pulao - there's nothing much fancy about it but certainly is most loved by rice lovers all over the Indian subcontinent. Packed with goodness from fresh vegetables and the comfort of spices and rice, it's a beautiful combination.

Here's my quick and easy version of the famous Vegetable Pulao.

 Ingredients: 1 cup cooked basmati rice, 1 cup chopped vegetables (such as carrots, beans, peas), 1 onion sliced thin, handful of curry leaves. For masala - 4 or 5 cloves, 1 small piece of cinnamon stick, 4 or 5 peppercorns, 1 or 2 fresh chillies, 1 spoon chopped ginger, half a bunch of fresh coriander, a few fresh mint leaves, 1 spoon of coconut. For tempering - 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds.

Make: In a wide base non stick pan, temper the cumin seeds and mustard seeds in the olive oil. Once it starts to splatter, add in the sliced onions and curry leaves. Saute then add all the chopped vegetables and let it cook in the open pan. Meanwhile prepare the fresh masala by adding all of the above masala ingredients into a mixer and grind to a paste using as much water as required. Add the masala paste into the pan with cooking vegetables and mix well. Add the cooked rice, salt to taste, mix well and simmer with the lid closed for about 5 minutes. 

Serve hot with raita or yogurt. Enjoy!