Green Leaves and Mixed Vegetables Pulao can be an easy lunch; the best and most tasty way to intake greens that usually don't get picked when served. I have updated with new pics and a few tweaks to the recipe to add more vegetables and avoid green-coloured rice which is hard to sell to my taste tester!
I wanted to post this recipe yesterday, but I couldn't get to the point of what to write. I felt so blank. All day I just read my old posts to get some kind of thought flowing... and this morning I came to the desk and still have the same feeling... somebody told me I was having writer's block! a fancy name indeed but I ain't any writer... So let me get to just sharing life lately here... as for the weather - goodbye winter!
New Pics Updated on 5th December 2017
Last weekend I blurted out "I love Yanbu!" during our aimless long drive because of the sheer beauty of this place. Coming back from the mad rush of Dubai and then having to see the still water of the Red Sea, the quiet roads, the two shaded seas, and the few shopping malls, just made me realize that I prefer to live here than amidst the mad race of big cities. F was quick to respond that I will change that statement soon. 😂
Yanbu's 9th annual flower and garden festival has been happening and we haven't made it yet! This would be our first time and I hope I get to see all of it InshaAllah! Even though I love to go to these festivals, the crowd puts me off.
Coming to today's recipe, I know there are quite a few fenugreek recipes on my blog, 😎but this is my second rice recipe, so I am good right? This methi/arugula or dill leaves pulao recipe was shared by a friend, a very good friend who never fails to inspire and motivate me, always ready to listen to me any time of the day and was my boss for a short period! I made this methi pulao on Friday for lunch and I loved it and was super surprised that it went well with F, the green food hater.
This is flavourful rice with your choice of fresh green leafy vegetables and the ground green chillies with fennel seeds and other usual spices and some more vegetables! I love the aroma of fennel seeds so anything that calls for fennel seeds is sure to win me. And the coconut milk, need I say? As much as I love to cook, making curries is not my thing. I make them anyways but try to avoid it as much as I can.. so here too, I didn't prepare any curry but instead served them with just plain yoghurt and some beef cutlets to please the man.
Update 2017
Can you see? even in these new pics, I didn't make any curry but served it with some frozen Kibbehs and Cucumber raita! F did make a face but the Kibbeh pleased him. The post was called Fenugreek leaves pulao, but because I have tried the same recipe for dill and arugula, I changed the title to Green leaves.
Green Leaves and Mixed Vegetables Pulao
Yields: 5 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 and ½ cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes and then drained completely
2 cups fresh fenugreek or dill or arugula leaves, rinsed thoroughly and drained completely and chopped finely
Grind to Paste:
- 5 green chillies
- ½ inch ginger
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
For Saute:
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon of ghee
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds or cumin seeds
- 1 black cardamom
- 3 green cardamoms
- 4 cloves
- 2-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 big bay leaf
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- ¾ cup chopped mixed vegetables (carrot, green peas, french beans, corn, etc)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 3 cups water (or 2 cups water and 1 cup thin coconut milk)
METHOD
- Heat oil and ghee in a deep pot to prepare rice,
- Add all the wholes spices and saute until fragrant
- Add the chopped onions and sauté until they are translucent
- Add the ground paste and saute until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic fades away
- Now, add the chopped leaves and saute until wilted
- Next, add the chopped vegetables of your choice
- Add all the spice powders and cook until the vegetables are almost done
- Tip in the drained basmati rice and stir to mix everything (don't overdo)
- Pour the water and salt to taste
- Bring the pot to a full boil on high heat and cook open until the rice is on the surface.
- Reduce the heat to the lowest and close the pot with a tight lid and cook for 5 minutes. Open and stir the bottom rice to top and cover and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Switch off and do not open for another 5 minutes until well done. (or if you are comfortable, you can make this entire dish in a pressure cooker)
- Open and fluff with a fork and serve with raitha, pickle, kababs or some non-veg gravy if your folks are pure non-vegetarians!
I prepared the rice first and was sceptical if F will like it. So just to please him, I made beef cutlets and served them along with some plain yoghurt. We had it for lunch and dinner! This recipe is just a guideline, you can spruce it up by adding any choice of greens or veggies or even chicken. The addition of coconut milk is optional but recommended.
Now, if you have your own fail-proof method to cook the rice, please do follow that method as the process of cooking rice to perfection differs in each kitchen 🙂
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