Basmati rice steamed with whole warming spices and garden vegetables, a festive yet satvik one-pot lunch from the north Indian kitchen.
Lunch · 15 min prep · 25 min cook · serves 4 Newly added
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice , rinsed and soaked 20 minutes
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 green cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 1 tbsp ginger , julienned
- 1 carrot , diced
- 8 green bean , cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup green peas
- 1¾ cups water
- to taste rock salt
- ¼ tsp garam masala
Preparation
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Drain the soaked rice. Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot and sizzle the whole spices for 30 seconds until fragrant.
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Add the ginger and vegetables; sauté 3–4 minutes over medium heat.
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Fold in the rice gently, coating every grain with the spiced ghee for a minute.
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Pour in the water with the salt, bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 12–14 minutes.
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Switch off the heat and let it rest, covered, 5 minutes; fork through the garam masala and serve.
In the tradition
Pulao is celebration food in the satvik tradition, temple prasād kitchens across India make exactly this kind of dish: rice, seasonal vegetables and whole spices, cooked in ghee without onion or garlic. The whole spices are intended to be aromatics, not heat; fishing out a clove or cinnamon bark on the plate is part of the experience, and a sign the cook kept the dish gentle.
Sources & further reading
- Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine , David Frawley
- Bhāvaprakāśa Nighaṇṭu (Dhānyavarga, basmati/shāli rice described as sweet, cooling and strengthening)
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.