Mint Cashew Pulao

A plus of cooking only for yourself is the chance it gives you for daring experimentation. Do whatever. Relish it if it turns out brilliant, commit it to memory (and blog) for treating others in future. Shrug it off if it does not; it is only one that suffered through it.

This is a kitchen experiment that worked big time. Sharing my recipe of mint cashew pulao, a fragrant nutty rice dish.

You Need:

• Basmati rice – 3/4 cup
• Ginger – 1/2 inch piece, grated
• Peppercorns – 1 teaspoon
• Mint leaves – 1 bunch, plucked and chopped
• Cashew nuts – 1/2 cup
• Ghee – 2 tablespoons
• Onions – 2, sliced
• Green chilies – 2, chopped
• Salt – To taste
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Paneer – a few small cubes

Flat-bottomed pan for cooking, with lid. I used a pressure cooker without locking the lid on. Don’t pressure cook this!

How To Make Mint Cashew Pulao:

Wash and soak rice for 30 mins before cooking. Drain and keep aside.

In the cooking pan, heat the ghee. Add cumin seeds and pepper corns. When they crackle, add grated ginger and green chilies.

Cashewnuts go in next. Let them just start turning golden, then add the sliced onions. Fry on medium-high till they brown. Keep some onions aside for garnish.

Tip in the drained rice and chopped mint leaves. Fry for a few minutes, taking care that they don’t stick to the pan. Put in a cup of water and salt to taste.

Let the rice simmer on slow heat, with lid on but not locked. It will take around 10mins for the mix to dry and rice to get cooked. At the last stage, lock the lid and let it stand for another ten minutes. This is important to let the flavors blend and the rice to cook fully without getting mushy.

That’s it – mint cashew pulao is ready.

To Serve:

Just before serving, sprinkle the fried onions that you had kept aside and some lightly sautéed paneer cubes.

Dig into the lovely mint cashew pulao and feel close to heaven!

Notes:

1. Long-grained, non-sticky rice like basmati works best with this recipe. The same dish with sona masuri will not taste as lovely.
2. The cooking time will depend on how long you soak the rice. Don’t skip soaking, else your rice will either remain undercooked or become lumpy.
3. Like ghee? Try out other recipes that use this wonderfully fragrant ingredient: savory semolina pancakes cooked in ghee for breakfast, khad ki sabzi for lunch, gur atte ka halwa for dessert.