Friday, July 22, 2011

Mint N Cilantro Pulao

Cooking is one happy song when the ingredients in hand are your darlings - Mint & Cilantro the two versatile herbs are easily my favourite greens. They add the necessary spunk to any dish and rightly so ! The aromatic & very refreshing mint is a superstar in my hearth as it finds its way in to all n sundry like salad, soups,gravies,beverages, etc . Its invigorating smell just lifts up the spirits and spells fun while the sweet & pungent coriander /cilantro leaves adds flavour to any dish. Also the health & medicinal uses of mint & cilantro are widely documented. Do you need any more reason to join the fan club of these herbs ??


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It is no suprise that this mint & cilantro pulav is my favourite and I dish out different versions of this regularly - my version of this pulav for today's lunch was happily gulped down by kids.The herbs did not overpower the dish but its fragrance wafted all around n taste lingered.For added effect, I shallow fried succulent cubes of cottage cheese & added to the rice. It was a winner all the way ! 


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What's in it :-


For the masala paste :-
  •  Mint & Coriander leaves - a bunch - washed
  • Green chillis-  3 to 4 - to taste
  • garlic Pods - 2 (large)
  • Ginger - a small piece
  • Coconut - few pieces
  • Lemon - one or two  squeeze (helps retain its colour) , optional
Other ingredients :-
  • Raw Rice - 1 cup
  • Onion - 1 large - diced
  • Green Peas - a fistful
  • Baby Corn - 1 - diced
  • Cottage Cheese - 150 gms - cubed in to small pieces
To temper :-
  • Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
  • Whole Spices - cinnamon, bay leaf, aniseed, mace,cardamom- to taste
  • Cashew nuts - a few
How :-


Add little water and grind all the ingredients for the masala in to a paste & set aside.




Wash the rice and keep it aside. In the meanwhile shallow fry the pieces of cottage cheese to be added later.
In a wok , add olive oil and as it warms up tip in the whole spices and let it spread across its buzz. Add the cashewnuts & fry it golden brown. Now add the diced onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the green peas & baby corn and stir fry. Add the ground paste and mix well. Saute this for a few minutes adding little water if the mix gets too dry. 




Season it with salt and add the rice with enough water and let it cook. In case of using  a pressure cooker wait for 2 beeps from it; otherwise close the pan and let it simmer on low-medium flame till done. Finally add the paneer pieces and mix well.
Serve hot with choice accompaniments.


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Enjoy !

39 comments:

  1. Nice n yummy pulav..recently I also posted a version of mint pulav...just love it

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  2. Healthy and green rice..Love the combination of mint and cilantro..

    Gayu
    http://ensamayalarangam.blogspot.com

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  3. that rice preparation looks great yummy :)

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  4. Woww.. Lovely and aromatic pulao.. Looks simply superb and perfect.. love it :)
    Indian Cuisine

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  5. such flavorful pulao always makes my day.

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  6. Yum Yum....Love this one pot meal any day....one of our family favorites....

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  7. Looks super delicious .....yum ...I can like have this any day any time

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  8. Delicious and flavorful pulao..looks yummy!

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  9. Wowww... Lovely and delicious recipe.. Looks gr8 !!

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  10. Very beautiful preparation with nice pictures. Looks delicious, flavourful and tempting.

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  11. Oh that looks so comforting :) I love the lovely fresh color of it :)
    Tes
    http://tesathome.com

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  12. Yummy and flavorful one pot meal...

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  13. Love this refreshing minty pulao ~ loved all the fried cashew in there :D
    US Masala

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  14. Delicious mint rice :) I love mint just like you and would definitely love this rice too :)

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  15. Flavorful and delicious rice,makes me hungry..

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  16. love the addition of paneer with those flavourful n tempting rice!!

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  17. wow love the color and healthy recipe....and nice combo

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  18. Yum, that looks so delicious. Your pictures and explanation is just mouth watering.

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  19. Yummy looking and vibrant pulao Great preparation.

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  20. Perfect lunch ..Would love to dig in anytime

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  21. Green Rice looks great.. Perfect dish for lunch box.. Nice Idea using the greens..

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  22. flavourful and delicious rice, with all the goodness of the greens...

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  23. A very nice recipe indeed! Looks delicious!!

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  24. These herbs are my favorite too. Whenever I buy them I make it a point to smell them first for that nirvana feel :D

    Pulav looks fantastic with these herbs. yumm.

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  25. Looks delicious and tempting. My fav. rice.

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  26. interesting!!!
    am a fan of mint and love to have mint chutney !!!

    this is something very different, never thought mint can be used in pulao....will try out!!

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  27. my mom would make pulao in this style. This dish looks yummy

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  28. Like the addition of coconut in the rice and both coriander and mint wow!!

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  29. Definitely in the fan club of cilantro and mint! This dish looks like something my family would love.

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