Quick Vegetable Pulav (in pressure cooker)

We all love rice. However, if it’s nicely seasoned and if you add veggies in it, obviously it tastes better and also it’s healthy. Vegetable Pulav was one of the two dishes (2^nd was simple dal-fry) which I was able to cook before marriage without any help. I was a terrible cook and I’m still trying to be a good cook. LOL. My mom had taught me how to make this simple pulav. So presenting my mom’s recipe of vegetable pulav.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice (uncooked): 2 Cups
2. Hot Water: 4 ½ - 5 Cups
3. Onion: 1 Medium (cut in julienne or thinly sliced) 
4. Green peas: 1/4 Cup
5. Carrot: 1 Small (cut in julienne or thinly sliced)
6. Corn kernels: 3-4 Tbsp. (optional)
7. Green pepper: 1 Medium (cut in julienne or thinly sliced) 
8. Cauliflower florets: 1 Cup (chopped) 
9. Bay leaf: 1 Large
10. Cinnamon stick: 1 Medium
11. Peppercorns: 5-6
12. Cloves: 2-3
13. Star-anise flower: 1
14. Cumin seeds: 1 Tbsp.
15. Cumin-coriander powder: 1Tbsp.
16. Ginger- Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp.
17. Clarifies Butter: 5-6 Tbsp.
18. Cashew nuts: ¼ Cup or just a fistful (either cut in halves or chopped in small pieces, as per your preference)
19. Coriander/ Cilantro leaves: ½ Cup (finely chopped)

Procedure: 

1. Take a large pan or wok or a pressure cooker and put 3 Tbsp of clarified butter to it.
2. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, clove and star anise to it. Sauté nicely till the beautiful aroma of this whole Garam masala fills your kitchen. Put cumin seeds and let them splutter.
   
3. Now add onion and fry it till crispy golden brown. Do not over fry it to black color.
4. Once the onion is done, add cashews and little salt.
   
5. Start adding other vegetables to it starting with green peas, green peppers, corn kernels, cauliflower and carrots. Saute them well.
   
6. Now add ginger-garlic paste. Stir well.
7. Add remaining spices like cumin-coriander powder more salt.
8. Once the veggies are cooked, add some cilantro to it and stir well.
9. Now add rice carefully. Stir it well. Do not stir it vigorously otherwise the rice grains will break and the pulav will lose its beautiful look.
   
10. Add hot water. Add remaining clarified butter and put the lid on and let it cook. If you are using a pressure cooker, put the pressure cooker lid and hear one whistle on medium-high heat. Put the gas to lowest setting and switch it off in another minute.
11. Once the rice is done, take the lid off. Take the rice out in a serving bowl and garnish it with the remaining coriander leaves. You may want to take out the whole garam masala or you may garnish the dish with same whole garam masala.
    

Presenting to you a very healthy yet yummilicious rice variety. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!! 

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

Note: 

1. You may add or omit veggies according to your choice and availability of the vegetables. Also you may use mixed frozen vegetables. Just wash them thoroughly and keep them in warm water.  
2. Clarified butter gives an authentic aroma and taste to this pulav so as per as possible, please do not substitute in with any other oil or butter.  
3. Please add hot water to the rice so rice will be cooked quickly.

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Sabudana (Sago) Khichadi in Microwave/ साबुदाणा खिचडी/ Sabudana Khichadi Recipes: Traditional way, in Microwave and in Instant Pot/ Tapioca Khichadi

Sabudana (Sago) Khichadi/ साबुदाणा खिचडी

YouTube Link 

As a kid I never used to like the concept of “fasting”. However, loved all the fasting food items. And out of all the yummy fasting food items, Sabudana Khichadi was my most favorite dish. Mouthwatering for sure. Now we don’t fast at all but love to make sabudana Khichadi as a breakfast item. Here is the simplest recipe of this yummilicious recipe of most popular Maharashtrian fasting food item, Sabudana Khichadi.

Ingredients:

Sabudana/ sago: 1 Cups
Danyache kut/ Roasted peanut powder: ½ Cup
Batata/ Potato: 1 (sliced)
Hiravi Mirchi/ Green chilies: 4-5 (Finely chopped and as per your taste buds)
Jeera/ Cumin seeds: 11/2 Tsp.
Sajuk tup/ Ghee/ Clarified butter: 2-3 Tbsp.
Limbu ras/ Lemon juice: 2-3 Tbsp.
Kothimbir/ Cilantro: ¼ Cup (Finely chopped)
Salt: To taste
Sugar: To taste

Procedure:

1.    Take sabudana and wash it under running water. Soak it with very little water (about 1 cup) for about 6-7 hours. Cover it with a lid. Soaking depends on the quality of your sabudana. There are times when you may need to soak it overnight with some water in it to get that beautiful puffed sabudana for this khichadi.

2.    Take a non-stick kadhai or wok. Put ghee in it.

3.    Take the potato slices in a microwave safe bowl, add ½ cup water to it. Microwave it for 2 min on high. However this step is totally optional. If you like your potatoes crisp in the khichadi, just omit this step.

4.    Once the ghee is hot. Temper it with jeera, green chilies.

5.    Add the potatoes now. Stir it well and put a lid for a minute.

6.    Once the potatoes are done, add sabudana and stir it well.

7.    Add roasted peanut powder to this sabudana mixture.

8.    Put salt, sugar and lemon juice to the sabudana mixture. Stir it well and keep the lid on till the sabudana is cooked properly.

Alternatively: Microwave recipe (Refer video)

I sometimes use this microwave method when I’m in a hurry or don’t want to stand in front of the gas to keep an eye on the sabudana. 

Follow 1 to 5 steps as it is and take a large microwave safe bowl and transfer the sabudana, roasted peanut powder, salt, sugar to it. Mix it well. Put little ghee in it and put this bowl in microwave. Put lid very loosely to this microwave safe bowl. The air shouldn’t get trapped otherwise it will burst while the microwave is on. The air should escape from one side of this bowl. Turn on the microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir in between. Take it out carefully and add lemon juice and little cilantro to the mixture. Stir it well. Put it back in the microwave for one more minute. Check, if the sabudana is well puffed. If yes then your khichadi is ready or else put it back in the microwave for another minute or so. Stir it well and add finely chopped cilantro to the khichadi. . I have always noticed that the sabudana is well puffed if I make it in the microwave after tempering.

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9.    Serve it hot with sweet lemon pickle (Maharashtrian goad lonche) or yogurt or peanut chutney.

Don’t forget to enjoy this yummy & authentic Maharashtrian meal item. Happy Cooking!!!! 

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