Vegetable Pilau
This is one of those dishes that is a real crowd-pleaser at a barbecue.As with meat pilau, it's a bit of a challenge to get the rice done just right,when you have other ingredients that need to be cooked along with the rice.
1 onion, finely chopped1 tomato
2 potatoes, cut into quarters.
Vegetable oil
4-6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
a few cardamom pods
8-10 black peppercorns
1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp chopped ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric
2 c. basmati rice, rinsed and drained 5x and soaked in
water for at least 15 minutes.
½ cup frozen mixed vegetables (or ½ cup green beans, washed and chopped)
Coriander leaves
Soak rice first, as described in the “rice” recipe on this website. Put some water to boil in the kettle to have it ready for later.
Make masala: add enough oil to the pot to cover the bottom. Add the chopped onion along with the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, hot pepper, and cumin seed. Cook all together on medium heat until the onion is only slightly brown at the tips.
Add chopped tomato along with potato, ginger, garlic, salt and turmeric. Fry together for a few minutes, adding water as necessary to prevent sticking. This is a crucial step. You’re trying to give the potatoes a little chance to soak up some water. If you rush this, your potatoes will soak up more water later while the rice is cooking, and the rice will end up with some underdone grains.
Make pilau: Add the vegetables and 2 ½ cups of hot water to the masala and bring to the boil. Now add the rice. This is a crucial step. Keep an eye on all of this, stirring from time to time. If all of the rice grains are submerged, with just a few brave grains able to break through to the surface as the mixture boils, then you have enough water in the pot. If it’s boiling and you see all of the grains, you’re going to need to add a little bit of water; otherwise, there will be underdone grains, which is an absolute abomination. Too much water, and you have mush, which is another travesty. Good luck with that!
Things that help make the rice come out nicely:
Good quality rice
Rinsing and soaking rice
Bringing water and rice to the boil rapidly
Paying attention to it at the crucial stage
The right cooking pot
luck
When you’ve reached the stage of full boil with a grain or two bubbling up, then cover it, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, covered.
Variation: replace some of the water with an equal volume of coconut cream…that product that comes in a can, with a thick cream at the top, and watery liquid at
the bottom. Makes for a richer, more substantial dish.