Coconut Veg Pulao | Coconut Pulav - Pressure cooker method

 Anyone who follows my blog regularly will for sure know my love for pulaos and the many variations I have tried and posted on my blog .

You all may laugh if I say , I prefer pulao over biryani . I feel pulao is mildly spiced and does not have over powering spices and flavors as is the case with Biryani. I always prefer mild seasoning and spices as part of my meal and that is what suits my palate too .

Today's coconut veg pulao was my mom's speciality and she would make it quite frequently at home . The addition of coconut paste with corriander, mint and few other spices adds a natural creamy and sweet taste to the pulao.  Adding veggies and corn makes it a full meal and can be easily packed for lunch or pot lucks . 

This coconut veg pulao comes handy and is sumptuous to make a full meal by itself on  days when  you are pressed for time and unable to prepare a full fledged meal . I normally pair it with some Ginger Raita or Boondi Raita and some chips for the crunchy element.  

This coconut veg pulao is saatvik which means Onion and Garlic are not used in the recipe ,hence this can be prepared and served on festive days too .

This month we are exploring varities of Biryanis and Pulaos suggested by Swaty in our food group "Shhh cooking secretly challenge" . Swaty has an amazing collection of Pulaos on her blog and this Jodhpuri Pulao in particular has drawn my attention to bookmarking it to make it soon.

I was paired with the talented and super cool Shobha aunty of Shoba's food Maaza for this month theme and we exchanged our secret ingredients and came up with exotic recipes. My secret ingredients to aunty were green chillies and Biryani Masala while she gave me fresh coconut and ghee.

Aunty has prepared a yummy Chole Pulao from Sindhi Cuisine which is so  very inviting and I am waiting to try it soon.

Some more Pulao varieties on my blog for you all to try 

Moti Pulao

Masala Peas Pulao

Chutney Pulao

Aloo Mutter Pulao 

Rajma Pulao

Channa Pulao

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Complexity - Medium
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients

Assorted Vegetables chopped in to small cubes ( beans , carrot, fresh corn, peas )
2 cups rice
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ghee
fresh corriander for garnish
handful of cashewnuts
salt as needed
pinch of sugar

2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp biryani / pulao masala

whole spices  

small stick Cinnamon,

2 cardamoms

1 tsp jeera 

3 cloves

2 bay leaves

To grind

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
2 green chillies
few mint leaves
handful fresh corriander
small piece of ginger
1/4 tsp saunf/fennel seeds

** skip carrot and ginger for Jain version

**skip ghee for vegan version

Method

• Wash the rice and soak it for 10 mins in water and then drain it through a colander and keep aside.
• Take all the ingredients mentioned under the To Grind section and grind to a fine paste with sufficient water.
• In a pressure pan or pressure cooker, heat the oil and ghee and splutter all the whole spices one by one on very low flame until you get a fragrant aroma.
• Saute all the chopped veggies with a little salt , turmeric and then add the ground coconut paste with 1/2 cup water along with the biryani masala and let the masala cook for 3 to 4 mins.
• Depending on the variety of rice you have taken add the water ( If basmati then for 1 cup rice add 1.5 cups water) . I used 4.5 cups water for the quantity of rice I took . I used thin grained Sona Masuri rice for making the Pulao.
• Let the water boil nicely , adjust salt and spices at this stage. Add the drained rice to this boiling water with pinch of sugar and 2 tsp lime juice ,mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium flame.
• Let the pressure release naturally . Open the lid and fluff the rice with fork taking care not to break the rice .
• Garnish with fresh corriander and roasted cashew nuts just before serving.