Bengali pulao or Basanti pulao: A rice dish flavoured by whole spices and raisins
Basanti means spring, and this bright coloured aromatic rice pulao looks the part
| PREP TIME | 01 h |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 30m |
| SERVES | 6 |
500gm basmati rice
1/4 cup raisin
1/4 cup whole cashew nut
1/8 cup green peas
2 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon
3 pieces cardamom
4 pieces cloves
1.5 tsp ginger paste
1.5 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder or saffron (mixed in 1 tbsp warm milk)
125gm vegetable oil
750gm hot water
1. Wash the rice very well and spread it out to dry fully.
2. In a pan set the water to boil.
3. In a deep-bottomed pan add the oil. Once it is warm, add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
4. Now add the dried rice in the pan and mix with the spices and the oil very well.
5. Now add ginger paste turmeric or saffron and sugar. Mix it very well.
6. Then add the raisins, cashew nut and the green peas. Give it a final stir and before the rice grains turn brown, add the hot water.
7. Cover and cook it over a medium flame for 10 minutes.
8. Check for doneness. If the rice grains are still a little hard, cover and let it sit for another 5 minutes on a very low flame.
9. Keep it covered until serving time.
Note:If you want the pulao to be richer in taste use 125 grams of ghee or clarified butter instead of oil.
Serve Bengali Pulao with Cholar Dal, Kosha Mangsho or Paneer curry.
Here is the recipe for cholar dal
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