Recipe 14 - Pulav & Raita

Oh, it's been so long since I made pulav! It felt so nice still being able to take a decent shot at it, and also experiment with brown rice. I also got to learn some new things about making raita, thanks to Jaya.

Thanks to Dyuti for the idea & the tips.

Ingredients (serves about 6 people):
6 carrots (medium sized)
4 bell peppers (1 red, 1 orange, 2 green)
1/2 onion
3 tiny potatoes
Shajeera (or kala jeera)
Cloves
Elaichi (cardamom)
Bay leaves
Pulav masala or Biryani masala
3.5 cup brown basmati rice

1. Leave the rice in water to soak (soaking time is ~15min)
2. Peel the carrots
3. Cut the vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, some onion if you like) into thin slices about 2" long - you can add somewhat biggish pieces of potato for flavor
4. It would take about 15min by now and it would be time to drain the water from the rice.
5. In a skillet, heat oil on medium flame and once the oil is hot, add cloves, kala jeera, bay leaves and cardamom
6. Add onions and other veggies and lightly fry them
7. Add pulav masala, stir and add the rice to fry the rice gently
8. Add water (about 8 cups) and cook in the rice cooker
(You can actually use your electric rice cooker instead of a skillet.)

Preparation time: 30min, Cooking time: 30min

For Raita --
1. Dice 1/2 onion & 3 tomatoes (remove the tomato seeds)
2. Wash the chopped onion in water to get rid of some pungency
3. Add onions & tomatoes to 2 cups of yogurt and add salt to taste
4. Add tadka/popu/talimpu (basically heat little bit of oil and add mustard seeds and hing or asafoetida)