Bumped into this recipe on master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s website. I was browsing through the website for some simple rice dish which would go with the hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan when I saw this one. I instantly took a liking to this one. This dish is a non spicy one with the original recipe not containing a single green chilli. I added just one for flavour. The accompaniant for the pulao has to be spicy to make up ;).

Ingredients:
100gm Paneer(cottage cheese) cut into 1/2″ cubes
1½ cups Basmati rice
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1-2 green chillies (optional)
2 tsp sugar
4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 bay leaf
1″ piece cinnamon
2-3 green cardamom
4-5 cloves
2¼ cups of water
Salt to taste

Method:
Pick, wash and soak the rice in about 3 cups of water for 20-30 mins. Drain and keep aside to dry. Then add 1 tbsp of ghee and sugar. Mix well and keep aside.

Heat the remaining ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Once the ghee is hot, add the paneer cubes. Fry the paneer on medium-low flame till the cubes turn golden on all sides (at least 2 sides). Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside.

In the same ghee, add the onions and fry them till they turn crispy golden brown. Drain on them on an absorbent paper and keep aside.

Now to the remaining ghee, add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and fry for about 30 seconds. Add in the rice and fry for about 3-4 minutes till you can smell a nice aroma. Now add  the water and bring to a boil. Once the water begins to evaporate and rice comes on top, add the fried paneer. Cover with a tight lid and cook on low flame for 10 minutes. Once done fluff up the rice with a fork and let it stand covered for 5 mins.

Chanar pulao is ready to serve!

Ingredients:
600 gm chicken (with or without bone)
2 cups basmati rice
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp cashewnuts (optional)
2 bay leaves
6-8 cloves
2″ piece cinnamon
6 green cardamoms
2 medium size onion sliced
3-4 medium tomatoes finely chopped
1 tbsp red chilli powder or to taste
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
4 tbsp oil or ghee

For marinating chicken:
1/2 cup thick yogurt
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
Salt to taste

Method:
In a bowl mix yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste and salt to marinate the chicken. Add the chicken pieces to this and make sure the chicken pieces are well coated with the marination. Keep aside for half an hour.

Pick, wash and soak the rice in water for 15-20 mins. Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat a thick bottomed pan with oil or ghee in it. Once the oil or ghee is hot, add cumin seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the cashewnuts. As they begin to turn golden, add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves. Saute for a min. Add in the sliced onions and fry them till they are golden brown.

Now, add the tomatoes, red chilli powder and garam masala to the onions. Stir on high heat for about 3-4 minutes. The tomatoes should form a kind of pulp and should leave the sides of the utensil.

Once that is done, add the marinated chicken along with the leftover marinade. Stir on high heat for 5 mins. Then let the chicken cook on medium heat for about 10-15 mins or till the chicken is almost done.

Add in the rice and mix well. Stir the mixture for about 2 mins. Add salt. Now, add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once the water evaporates and rice comes up lower the heat. Cook covered on sim for about 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it stand for 5 minutes. Then with a fork fluff up the pulao.

Serve hot!! Raita is optional!!

Ingredients:
1½ cups of Basmati Rice
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp cashewnuts (optional)
5-6 cloves
2″ piece cinnamon
2 bay leaves
3-4 green cardamoms
3-4 green chillies or to taste
2 tbsp grated ginger
1½ cups of mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower)
2¼ cups water
salt to taste
3 tbsp oil

Method:
Pick, wash and soak the rice in water for about 15-20 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and saute for 10-15 seconds. Add the cashewnuts, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves. Fry them till the cashews turn a light golden or the cloves puff up.

To this, add the chopped green chillies and ginger. Fry for a minute. Now, add the mixed vegetables and fry them for about 5 minutes.

Add the drained rice and stir. Put in the salt and water. Bring to a boil. Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Turn off the flame after one whistle and let it stand for 20 mins.

Serve hot with raitha or eat it as is!!

Tip: Soak the rice while the vegetables are getting cut. This will save the soaking time and hence the cooking time.

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
1 tsp shahi jeera (black cumin or caraway seeds)
2 tsp sugar
3-4 green chillies
1 heaped tbsp chopped mint leaves
1 heaped tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1½ tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil 
Salt to taste
Fried onion (optional)

Method:
Pick, wash and soak the rice in 4 cups of water. 

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the shahi jeera and saute for half a minute. Add in the sugar. Keep stirring for the sugar to caramelize the shahi jeera and give out a nice brown color. At this point, let the onions go in. The onions will turn brown immediately. Not to worry as this happens because of the sugar added earlier :).

Saute till the onions are fried. Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and fry for a minute. Its time for the coriander and mint to go in. Fry for a minute.

 Now add the rice along with the water to the pan. Soaking the rice makes sure the rice cooks well and evenly so. While the rice is in the water, some of it is absorbed too.

Keep on high flame. Stir once or twice till the water comes to a boil. Once it begins to boil, do not stir as this can break the long grains of rice. Once 90% of the water is absorbed, turn the flame to sim. Cook covered for about 5-8 minutes.

Garnish with fried onion if you like. Serve hot with any curry or raitha!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
½ tsp mustard seeds
8-10 curry leaves
4 red chillies
2 green chillies
2 medium onions chopped
1 tbsp peanuts (optional)
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tbsp coriander  leaves
1 tsp lime juice
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Method:
I have used red chilli for flavor and green chilli for making it hot. You can use either or both depending on your taste.

Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to splutter, add the groundnuts. Let the groundnuts get fried and change color. Now, add the green and red chillies, curry leaves stir for a minute. Add the onions and fry till the onions are translucent. Add turmeric and then the cooked rice. Mix well. Now, add the salt and coriander leaves. Mix well and let it simmer for 5 mins. Once done, turn off the flame and mix the lime juice.

Lemon rice is ready to serve!!

Here it is…. the absolute super combo of egg curry and ghee rice!!! 

Ingredients: 
1 cup basmati rice
1 cardamom
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
½ inch cinnamon
2 finely chopped onions(medium)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp ghee
2 cups hot water
1-2 green chillies
salt to taste

Method
Soak the rice for ½ an hour and drain out the water, keep it aside.

If you like the rice hot, you can add more green chillies. And if you are not calorie conscious and like the flavor of ghee, feel free to use all ghee and no oil :)

Heat oil and ghee and add the spices and chilly. Stir for a minute and then add the onions. Fry till the onion is translucent. Add the rice and fry for a minute. Now add 2 cups of hot water and salt. Cover with lead and cook on low flame for 15 mins. After 15 mins check if the rice is cooked and water has evaporated.

Serve hot with egg curry!!