Very simple, refreshing flavorful rice perfect for your lunch/dinner! Very tasty and fragrant dish that can be paired with any curry or just plain raita! This recipe is a keeper. One of the best ways to use up bundles of mint and coriander leaves that might be lying in your fridge.
1. Pick the mint and coriander leaves, wash them thoroughly and in a blender, put all the ingredients called for paste and blend it into a fine paste.Add 1-2 tspn water if required while grinding them to fine paste.2. Steam green peas and chopped potatoes. Soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes.3. Fry cashews in ghee on gentle flame. Remove once cashews are golden brown.4. Add oil to the same pan. Fry bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise in oil.5. Add slit green chilies and sliced onions. Cook until onions are pink.6. Cook ginger-garlic paste until raw smell is gone.7. Add red chili powder, coriander powder and salt.8. Add steamed peas and potatoes. Mix well.9. Add mint paste, cook for 5 minutes until oil separates from sides of the pan.10. Drain basmati rice from water and add it to the masala. Cook for few minutes.11. Pour measured water, cook and let it cook.12. Serve hot with raita or any curry of your choice.
Notes
This recipe makes medium spiced mint pulao, if you like spicy rice then increase green chilies.
I recommend basmati rice for the pulao, but if it's hard to get basmati rice then you can use Sona masoori rice, Kolam rice, Ponni rice.
If using basmati rice - always soak rice for about 15-20 minutes. Then rinse well. Rice to water ratio when cooking basmati rice is 1:1.5