How to Cook Kashmiri Pulao
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Ingredients needed to make Kashmiri Pulao:
- 1 ½ cups Basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
- 4 tbsp sliced onion
- 10-12 golden raisins
- 6-8 cashews
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp saffron strands
- 2-3 whole cloves
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 mace
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Salt to taste
Cooking instructions for Kashmiri Pulao:
- Rinse the basmati rice under running water, drain and place them in a bowl.
- Pour in enough clean water into the bowl, so that the rice is immersed completely and let it soak for 10 mins.
- Soak the saffron strands in a bowl with milk and set aside until the saffron releases its light orangish colour into the latter.
- Add a tbsp of ghee into a small saucepan and heat over moderate heat until it melts.
- Throw in the cashews as well as raisins and sauté them for several minutes, while stirring often, until they turn golden.
- Drain the soaked rice and set the soaking water aside until necessary.
- Add rest of the ghee in a large pressure cooker and heat until it melts completely.
- Throw in the whole spices and sprinkle the sugar over them.
- Stir fry them over moderately low heat for a minute and stir in the drained rice until the spices are evenly distributed evenly throughout the rice.
- Cook the rice, while stirring it gently, so that the rice grains don’t break down.
- Pour in the water and drizzle the saffron milk over the rice.
- Season with a pinch of salt and give it a nice stir until well combined.
- Fasten the lid of pressure cooker to secure and bring the internal pressure to high over moderately high heat.
- Reduce the flame slightly and maintain the pressure for 20 mins.
- Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally.
- Remove the lid, and fluff it gently with a fork so that the flavorings are uniformly mixed.
- Sauté the onion slices in a saucepan over low heat, stirring from time to time, until they turn crispy golden brown.
- Sprinkle them over the cooked rice, followed by the toasted raisins plus cashew nuts on top.
- Stir them into the rice gently and pour it into a large serving bowl.
- Scatter the pomegranate seeds over the rice and serve hot alongside a spicy curry.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
