Peas Pulav | Green Peas Pulao | Matar Pulao Recipe | How to make Matar Pulav

I am not a great fan of green peas - the fresh and the frozen ones :) I can bear them in Biriyani or in dishes where it is not the main ingredient or when it's taste is masked by some other flavour ;) But this peas pulav, I love it. I make it more often with frozen ones and not the fresh ones coz that is what is preferred here..Many like it the best with fresh peas. This is a simple recipe that you can make in under 30 minutes and especially when you have guests you can make this by just spending an extra 5-10 minutes instead of your normal steamed rice. This will definitely take your menu a notch higher :) So let's see how to make this simple yet yummy and flavourful rice.. 

My other recipes with green peas are Peas Patties(Vadai), Aloo Matar Dry, Methi Matar Malai, Vegetable Pulao & Veg Biriyani. And the other similar rice varieties that you may like are Coconut Milk Rice, Jeera Rice, Ghee Rice, Capsicum Rice & Egg Rice.

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

 

Serves : 3 persons

I Used:

Oil/Butter/Ghee	-	2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds/Jeera	-	½ tsp
Cinnamon	-	A 2 inch piece
Cloves	-	2 nos
Cardamom	-	1 no
Bay Leaf	-	1 no
Onion	-	1 medium sized (chopped)
Green Peas (Fresh/Frozen)	-	¾ cup
Basmati Rice	-	1 cup
Water	-	2 cups
Coriander Leaves	-	To Garnish (3-4 stalks)
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the basmati rice 2-3 times in water. Soak them in water for 20-30 minutes. If pressure cooking them then do not soak for more than 20 minutes

2. Keep the frozen peas immersed in water for 10 minutes. If using fresh peas, remove them from the pods and keep ready

3. In a pressure cook/cooking pot, heat oil/butter/ghee. Splutter cumin seeds. Reduce the flame

4. Then add the whole spices - cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and bay leaf. Give a stir

5. Add the chopped onions and some salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Do not make them too brown or saute for a long time. Just for 2-3 minutes is sufficient

6. Then add the green peas and give a stir. If using fresh peas, you can cook them separately till softened (around 5 mins in another pan) and then add to the pulav

7. Now add the soaked basmati rice and water (I use 2 cups for pan cooking and 1.5 cup for pressure cooker cooking) and give a gentle stir

8. Check for salt. Add more if needed. Then cover the pan/cooker and let it cook

9. If using pan it should be done in 10-12 minutes. All the water should evaporate and the rice should get cooked. If then switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves

10. If using pressure cooker, allow for 2 whistles and then switch off flame. Allow the pressure to release by itself. Open after 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve

Notes:

• I used BB Royal Premium Basmati rice for this pulav. Use any aged and good quality long grain basmati rice for making the pulav

• Rice : Water ratio is 1:1.5 for pressure cooking and 1:2 for cooking in pan

• Adding onions is purely optional. You can skip them too. Instead you can fry some onions and then garnish the pulav if you like

• For more flavor you can use thin coconut milk instead of water to cook the pulav

• You can also sprinkle in some garam masala for an enhanced flavor

Cheers,

Chitz

Aloo Matar Recipe | Aloo Matar Dry in Pressure Cooker

So hello folks, I'm back with a recipe post today. It is none other than the Punjabi Aloo Matar recipe :) Generally I am not a fan of green peas a.k.a the fresh or frozen ones. But dried ones I am good :) So usually I mix the peas with something else or use the frozen or fresh peas as a accompanying ingredient in some dish like the biriyani, Methi malai matar, peas pulav and likes :) And this is one such dish. Actually aloo makes everything else good right. Add it to a chicken gravy or fry it or boil it. Make cutlets or just make a simple sabzi.. Aloo makes everything taste good :) And I just can't believe when someone doesn't eat aloo or picks it and keeps it at the side of a plate for discarding :O

So coming back to this recipe, it is simple and takes no time as you use a cooker to make it :) Just chop some onions and tomatoes. Dice some potatoes, and go saute saute. And it's done :) If you do not want to use a cooker, then also fine. Potatoes do not take long to cook :) And this recipe is very much liked by my little one and so it's extra special to me :D Thanks to Hebbar's Kitchen on that :) So off to the recipe :) 

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Recipe source : Here

Serves : 4 persons 

I Used:

Aloo	-	2 medium sized - cubed
Peas (Matar)	-	½ cup
Oil	-	2 tbsp
Cinnamon	-	½ inch piece
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp
Kasuri Methi	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder	-	1 tsp
Coriander Powder	-	½ tsp
Turmeric Powder	-	¼ tsp
Ginger-Garlic paste	-	1 tsp
Onion	-	1 medium sized - finely chopped
Tomato	-	2 medium sized - finely chopped
Coriander leaves		4-5 sprigs - chopped

The Way:

1. In a pressure pan, heat oil. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and crushed kasuri methi

2. When the cumin starts to splutter, reduce the flame to low. Add red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and give a quick saute. Take care not to burn the powders

3. Then add the chopped onions and saute till they become soft. Since we have already added the powders in the beginning, it will be difficult to know if they turn colour. So saute for 4-5 minutes till they turn soft

4. Next add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for another 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes

5. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Saute them. They must turn mushy

6. Once mushy, add the green peas and diced potatoes and give a quick saute. I have used frozen peas here. I soak them in water for 10 minutes before adding to the gravy

7. Then add ½ cup water and give a quick stir. Then close the cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles in high and 2 in simmer or till they are cooked, Take care not to turn the peas too mushy. If you do not want to pressure cook, go ahead and cook them normally. Add a little extra water around 1/4 cup more and cook covered till the potatoes are cooked. Check and stir in between to see that they do not get burnt or stuck in the bottom

8. Once done and the pressure is released, open the cooker. See if any water is left. if then switch on the flame and allow them to evaporate and the dish to become dry. Once done switch off the flame and add the chopped coriahnder leaves and give a quick stir

Serve wit warm phulkas!

Cheers,
Chitz

Methi Matar Malai | Punjabi Methi Mutter Malai Recipe | Restaurant style methi mattar malai recipe

Blame it on the Instagram.. I had been drooling on the pics of the 'Methi Malai Matar' posted by many of the friends and so when I got hold of some fresh methi leaves and fresh green peas, I too set about to make some.. I always have a stock of malai in my fridge coz I make ghee at home from them. And I paired the yummy tasty methi malai matar with some hot phulkas and my lunch was done. Even Dhruv was licking off the gravy and had an extra chapathi that day ;) That's how this dish is.. creamy, sweet and mild even for a toddler. It's full of the fresh flavours of winter and gives you a rich yummy side dish for those soft phulkas and leaves your tummy full and content.. So why don't you too make use of the winter produce an make some of this yummy gravy?

The other methi recipes that might interest you would be Methi Paratha, Aloo Methi & Methi Dal

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 30-40 minutes

Serves : 3

I Used:

Methi/Fenugreek leaves	-	1 cup chopped leaves (refer notes)
Matar/Green peas	-	½ cup
Fresh Cream	-	4 tbsp
Oil/Ghee	-	2 tbsp
Sugar	-	1 tsp (refer notes)
Salt	-	As Needed
Water	-	As Needed

To Saute & Grind:

Oil Cumin seeds	- -	1 tbsp 1 tsp
Onion	-	1 big sized sliced
Ginger - Garlic paste	-	1 tbsp
Green Chilly	-	1 no
Cashews	-	2 tbsp
Khus Khus/Poppy seeds	-	2 tsp

The Way:

1. Pluck the fenugreek leaves and discard the stem. Rinse the leaves in water nicely for 2-3 times so that all the mud and dirt sticking onto the leaves get removed

2. Then soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes to remove the bitterness of methi. This step is optional. You can omit this step if you do not want. After 10 minutes, squeeze the leaves in your palm to remove water. Then chop them finely and keep aside

3. In a pan take the fresh green peas. Add little water and salt and boil them for 10 minutes. If using frozen green peas you can skip this step. If using dried peas, then pressure cook them for 3-4 whistles or till cooked

4. In a pan, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds

5. Add the sliced/chopped onions and green chilly and saute till they turn translucent. Don't brown them much as the gravy will turn deeper in colour

6. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for another 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes away. Now switch off the flame and allow them to cool

7. In a mixer jar, take the sauteed mix, add the cashews and poppy seeds (khus khus) and grind them to a smooth paste. If you are not able to grind, add little water and grind

8. In a non stick pan/kadai heat oil. Add the ground paste and salt and saute. Keep the flame on low and saute for 2-3 minutes

9. Then add the chopped methi leaves and give a nice stir. Add little water (around 1/2 cup) and mix well. Simmer and allow to cook or 3-4 minutes

10. Then add the boiled peas and cream. Mix well. And allow it to cook in low flame for another 5 minutes. I used homemade malai (collected from boiled milk). If using homemade malai, freeze it and then whip it nicely before adding to the gravy. If using store bought cream add it as such without whipping

11. Now add sugar (optional) and mix well. Remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot phulkas

Notes:

• To reduce the bitterness of the methi leaves, soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes. But if you can, omit this step as the nutrients will be lost by soaking the leaves in salt water
• You can skip sauteeing the onions if you want. Just grind all the ingredients under 'To Saute & Grind' without sauteeing and then cook the ground paste for about 10-15 minutes till the raw smell and taste of the onions are gone
• If using homemade malai, freeze it and then whip it nicely before adding to the gravy. Using fresh malai from milk or using homemade malai whithout whipping will not give you that creamy texture

Cheers,

Chitz

Easy Veg Pulao | Easy Pressure Cooker Vegetable Pulav

Hello folks, how are you all? Pooja celebrations are done and now you all must be gearing up for Diwali, right? In between this Pooja and Deepavali, we celebrated our DD's first birthday :) :) It was a small cake cutting function followed by dinner with our friends from around. I didn't prepare anything special for him except semiya payasam as he was down with fever and I didn't get the time nor had the mind to :(  I wanted to make muffins, that was in my mind, but maybe sometime later. However, anything fancy I make, he will not be able to relish or enjoy, as he is too small to understand that, right? So I have decided to make them according to his preference for his second birthday. Hopefully, he might be making a list then :) 

So coming to today's recipe, it's a simple veg pulao and can be made in a jiffy, especially if you are craving for some biriyani and do not have the time :) But this is very much subtle compared to biriyani as we do not use red chilly powder or any garam masala powders. The hotness for this one pot meal comes entirely from the ginger and garlic used. You can pair it up with raita and pappad, would taste just right and can be termed as the perfect comfort meal. I had them with oven fried cauli-flower, vinegared onions & pappad. 

Other rice recipes:

Ambur Mutton Biriyani
Capsicum Rice
Coconut Milk Rice | Thengai Paal Sadam
Nei Choru | Ghee Rice
Vegetable Biriyani

  

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Oil+Ghee	-	3+2 tbsp
Cinnamon	-	An inch piece
Cloves	-	2 nos
Bay leaf	-	1 no
Onion	-	3 nos - medium sized -sliced
Carrot	-	1 no - medium sized - chopped
Potato	-	1 no - medium sized - chopped
Green Peas	-	½ cup
Coriander leaves	-	¼ cup - chopped
Mint leaves	-	¼ cup - chopped
Basmati Rice	-	1 cup
Water	-	2.5 cups
Salt	-	As needed

To Grind:

Garlic - 8-9 pods (big sized) Ginger - 2-3 inch piece Fennel / Perunjeerakam/ Sombu - ½ tsp Green Chilly - 2-4 nos

The Way:

1. Grind the ingredients under 'To Grind' by adding a little water to a smooth paste. Preferably grind the green chillies to the end

2. De-skin the vegetables and onion and rinse them well. Then slice & chop them as required. If using frozen peas, keep them immersed in water for 10 minutes & rinse them and keep aside

3. Soak the basmati rice in water for about 10-15 minutes

4. In a pressure cooker, heat oil/ghee. Add the whole spices (cinnamon, cloves & bay leaf)

5. Add the sliced onions and salt. Saute well till they become translucent. It took around 4-5 minutes for me 

6. Add the chopped veggies (carrot & potato) and green peas. Give a nice stir

7. Now add the ground paste and saute well till the raw smell goes. This may take about 3-4 minutes

8. Add the chopped coriander and mint leaves. Give a nice stir

9. To this add the soaked basmati rice and give a stir so that all the grains are coated well with the oil & masala

10. Now add water and stir softly. Check for salt and add if required

11. Pressure cook till the rice is cooked. I kept for 1 whistle in high and 2 in simmer and it was done

Notes:

• You can add any veggies of your choice, can include beans, mushrooms, capsicums etc

• Do not compromise on the onions. If your onions are smaller in size, use more number. They give the pulav the flavour and taste

• While serving you can garnish with caramelised onions & fried cashews as well. They add a rich flavor and aroma to the pulao

• You can add half ghee-half oil or full ghee or full oil. Totally depends on you diet plan :)

• Rice: Water ratio is 1:2 here. I added extra 0.5 cup for the veggies. If you want you can make that 0.25 cup as well. The rice:water ratio works different for different variety of rice. So adjust the quantity of water according to the rice you use

Cheers,

Chitz

Vegetable Biriyani

'Biriyani', the mention of this word alone is enough to fill my mouth with water sufficient to sail a ship !!! Back at home this is not a very frequent dish. Mom used to prepare this maybe once in a month or so.. But once you are abroad or living with a group of friends the scene shifts completely rite?? I am not completely certain of the reasons, but this dish will find its way at least once a week or many a times more than that. Can be the lack/shortage of 'Thalapakattu Biriyani kadai' or other wonderful restaurants that serve you this, in every other street of the city where you live. Or the very pride that you feel in front of your friends when you are done with the preparation & the aroma fills your home.. And most importantly, this one 'one pot meal' along with a simple raita is enough for your Sunday menu or when friends come along for a casual weekend get together. So anyways, the reasons are plenty and so is the way in which this awesome food is prepared.

And the version here is one which I learned from Deeps.. My mom makes the biriyani in slightly different styles, maybe I would post that sometimes later. Of all the homemade biriyanis that I have had, I would given Deeps' version the numero uno position. I simply love the correct blend of the spices & masala.. More importantly, the rice doesn't get burnt or stuck to the bottom of the pan nor does it break. You can see the long grains of the rice coated with masala inviting you very dearly.. Ohh my.. I am literally drooling writing this up. And mind you, veg biriyani was never in my list when there is a never ending palette of chicken, mutton, prawn etc etc etc biriyanis. But believe me, I started loving veg biriyani also very much, after I laid my hands on this version.

But there was only one disadvantage.. Every Sunday, I would be his apprentice and clean up chicken or cut vegetables and he would be the chef. And I did not  learn how to make this. That's when the realization stuck me. Then, there was no stopping.. I donned the hat of the chef, learned and made it on my own. Yes, it came out very well and hence it has found it's way onto this space now. Over to the recpie..

Recipe from Deeps:

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 40-45 minutes

I Used:

Basmati Rice             -  3 cups Water                      -  5 ¼ cups (3 * 1 ¾ cups) Onion                       -  3 nos (medium sized) Tomato                    -  1 no (medium sized) Carrot                      -  2 nos (medium sized) Beans                       - 15-20 nos Potato                      -  2 nos (medium sized) Green Peas               -  ½ cup (I used frozen ones) Mint leaves               -  10 sprigs Coriander leaves       -  10 sprigs Green Chilly                    -  2 nos Ginger Garlic paste    -  1 tbsp Lemon juice             -  ½ a lemon's Cinnamon stick         -  1 inch piece Cloves                     -  4 nos Cardamom               -  3 nos Bay leaf                   -  2 leaves Chilly powder           -  1 tsp Coriander powder     -  2 tsp Turmeric powder     -  ½ tsp Biriyani masala          -  1 tsp Garam masala            -  1 tsp Ghee                      -  As needed Salt                        -  As needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the rice and soak it in water
2. Cut the vegetables - onion, tomato, carrot, beans & potato into thin slices
3. Defrost the green peas
4. Separate the mint leaves from the sprigs
5. Chop the coriander leaves & green chillies
6. Heat little ghee in a pan. Add the sliced carrot, beans & potato and fry for a few minutes. This is for the veggies to remain intact & not break when we add rice. Keep this aside
7. Heat ghee in the same pan. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom (remove the pods & add the seeds inside), bay leaves (crush them before adding) and saute
8. When the combined aroma of the spices start coming, add the sliced onions. Saute the onions till they become soft & oil separates from them
9. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off
10. Now add tomatoes & green chillies and saute till the tomatoes become soft
11. Add the ghee tossed vegetables, green peas & half the mint leaves
12. Add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, biriyani masala & salt. Add one cup of water and mix well
13. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are almost done
14. Once the vegetables are soft and cooked, add rice and the remaining 4 ¼ cups of water
15. Add garam masala, lemon juice, coriander leaves & remaining mint leaves and mix well
16. Now taste the mix for salt and hotness. Adjust to your taste buds accordingly
17. Cover the pan and cook in medium fire for 15 minutes
18. After 15 minutes check if the rice is done and water has evaporated completely. Else  reduce the flame further and cook for another 5-10 minutes (It took me 5 extra minutes)
19. You can see that the rice has neither stuck to the bottom of the pan & nor has broken down. Long beautiful grains of basmati rice gives the biriyani a rich look
20. Once the rice is done, off the flame and leave the pan in the heat of the stove till you serve

Notes:

• Rice : Water ratio of 1:1 ¾ works perfectly well for me. I use India Gate basmati rice for making this biriyani

Linking to the event Cook Like a Celebrity Chef event by Food Corner

Cheers,

Chitz