What do you think of when i say "Jungle"? Wild, Green, and beautiful? Well I think these adjectives perfectly describe my Aunt's mint Pulav- it is wild (spicy!), green (mint+coriander leaves!), beautiful to look at and even more tasty to eat. If my friends are reading this, then they know i have made this umpteen number of times through all the parties and get togethers. So much so that i don't get invited to pot lucks anymore :-P
Super Easy Recipe to make, and even simpler to just store the paste away in your freezer to use another time!
Grind the below ingredients to a thick paste using very little water: (for those of you who are OCD about measurements- smaller or bigger fist do not matter- the end result will still be good- i promise you:-)
1 big fist full of mint leaves
1 and a half fist full of coriander leaves
2 garlic cloves
little ginger
1 long cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
4 green or black cardamoms (just the seeds inside)
green chilies ( 5 for spicy )
You can triple this quantity and freeze the paste, or continue making the dish as follows:
In the rice cooker or whistle cooker:
Fry the paste in 4 tablespoons of ghee or olive oil for a few minutes and then add 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies (or cut veggies of your choice- i add carrots, cauliflower, peas, tons of green beans, and little potatoes)
Stir for a few minutes and add 2 teaspoons of salt.
Add 2 cups of raw rice- and 3.5 cups of water and close the cooker with lid. Keep it on med to low flame- let it whistle JUST ONCE- and immediately switch off, or let it cook completely in a rice cooker.
Wait until it has cooled... add salt if required...stir very little if needed as the rice will break. And serve with raitha (1 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup water, chopped onions, 2 slices of tomatoes and black pepper & salt) - YUM!
Don't be dis-heartened meat eaters!! Here is a bonus for you:
If you want to add chicken or any other meat- you can add it along the mixed veggies in the cooker. I marinated the chicken by crushing black peppers with a little bit of chicken powder (I used 1/2 teaspoon chicken tikka masala) & salt- Fry until half cooked and throw in cooker before closing the lid OR fry on the stove until cooked...and then add it in the end when the rice is done!
Now, the point of cooking is to add YOUR own flavor to whatever dish you are trying to make. So a little change is always good! Enjoy your Jungle Pulav folks & let me know if you discovered some new way to make this dish:-) I sure enjoy this pulav even though i have made it 500,000 times ;-) Oh and by the way- i heard from a little birdie that replacing the mint with fenugreek leaves changes the taste and it's super yummy as well!
