Peas Pulav

Peas Pulav - Basmathi rice cooked in coconut milk and flavored with spices and cashewnuts

Peas Pulav is one of the easiest and quickest rice dish that anyone would love! It tastes great with Chicken or any spicy vegetable curry. My mom used to make it regularly for my lunch when i was in college and school.. It is always fun to eat a tasty lunch box!!!

Instead of Peas, we can add vegetables of our choice and make it too.. Do try and enjoy!!!


Ingredients: 

For 2 people 

Basmathi rice - 1 cup (presoak for about half n hour in water before cooking)
Onion - 1 (sliced into lengthwise pieces) 
Green chillies - 6 (slit lengthwise, I usually add 2 or 3 more, add less if you prefer it less spicy) 
Peas - 1 cup full (if using vegetables add carrots, beans, cauliflower, brocolli, capsicum, babycorn etc diced into small chunks, 1 cup full)
Cashewnuts - 1 handful (add more for nut lovers!!!)
Cooking oil - 3 tablespoons
Ghee or butter - 5 tablespoons
Jeera - 1tsp
Pattai - 1 small piece (cinnamon stick)
Brinji leaf - 1
Green cardamom - 2 pods
Cloves - 1 or 2 
Mint leaves - 1 tablesppon (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Coconut milk - half a cup (thick milk) (u can substitute with full fresh cream or even milk, but the flavor would be different for each)
Salt - per taste
Lemon - to taste

How to Proceed:

• Add cooking oil in a pressure cooker pan and add Pattai, Brinji leaf, Green cardamom, cloves and Jeera
• Add sliced onions and green chillies and fry till the onions turn glassy (do not let the colour change)
• Add ginger garlic paste and chopped mint leaves and saute well.
• Add the peas and let it mix well, do not let the peas cook! (if your adding vegetables, add them and do not let them cook either!)
• Add the Basmathi rice draining all the water. Mix well
• Add half a cup coconut milk (or fresh cream or plain milk) and add salt and squeeze half a lemon
• Add 1 and half cups water and check for salt (it should be a little salty as rice cooks, it will be perfect)
• Add a tablespoon of Ghee or butter before closing the lid (will make sure the rice doesn't stick)
• Let it cook for only one whistle
• Add ghee or butter in a pan and roast the cashewnuts, add to rice once pressure is released (if your lazy, saute the cashews while you add spices itself, but the cashews will be cooked lightly in the pulav! Its tasty either way)
• voila! your Peas pulav is ready

Notes:

I usually add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmathi rice, so make sure the water to rice ratio is correct, that is count coconut milk also as water (so for 1 cup rice its 1 n half cup water : Half cup coconut milk) 

When your cooking for 2 cups rice, add one cup coconut milk and 3 cups water.
Serve hot with a spicy gravy and plain raitha!