Palak Pulao

Ingredients :-

Basmathi rice : 2 rice cooker cups

Spinach : 1/2 bunch or little less

Tomato : 1 vine ripe tomato

Green chillies :5

Onion : 1 small

Carrot : 1

Potato : 1

Corn kernels and sweet peas : 1/4 cup

Coconut milk :1 rice cooker cup

Raw whole masalas : (cloves :4 , cardamoms :4 , cinnamon : 2 sticks , mace : 2 strands, star anise :2 , bay leaves :2 small , shajeera : 1/4 tspn)

Oil :2 Tbspn

Ginger garlic paste : 1/2 tspn

Garam masala powder : 1/2 tspn

Coriander powder : 1/2tspn

Lemon juice : Juice of 1/2 lemon

Coriander leaves : 5 sprigs

Mint leaves : Leaves of 5 sprigs

Curd :1 tbspn

Preparation :-

• Take 2 rice cooker cups of rice , wash them and pour sufficient water and soak.
• Clean and chop spinach , chop tomato and chop 2 green chillies .
• Take chopped ingredients into blender and blend it fine .
• Chop onions , 3 green chillies , carrot , potato . Put ready corn kernels and sweet peas.
• Heat a pan add oil and when hot add whole garam masalas and fry for a minute.
• Add green chillies and onions . Let onion get fried till golden brown . Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute.
• Add potato , carrot , corn and peas.
• Let the vegetables cook . When veggies are half done add coriander powder and garam masala powder . Give a good mix and let them cook further . (cook covered and add little salt to fasten the cooking process)
• Once veggies are cooked add chopped mint and coriander leaves. Add 1Tbspn of curd and cook for 5 mins.
• For 2 cups of basmathi rice we need 3 cups of water . Instead of adding complete water and to enhance the taste here i am adding 1 rice cooker cup of spinach paste , 1 rice cooker cup of coconut milk and 1 rice cooker cup of water . So totally it makes 3 cups.
• Add 2 tspns of salt and let this boil .
• Once it boils fully add strained rice , squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon and if u wish add little ghee or butter. Cook covered. Put flame in med-high and when rice is formed reduce heat to medium and last 5 minutes cook it on sim or low flame . Cook the whole process covered with lid.
• Once u see rice is formed and no liquid is remained then Put lid and after a minute switch off stove and dont open the lid for next 10-15 mins. As we are adding spinach paste and coconut milk , in the final cooking process rice might get stick to the bottom and get over roasted . So be careful and for this situation there is a simple tip , when rice is formed dont disturb and switchoff stove , u might think that rice is still grainy . Yes rice will be grainy and u can see liquid on top but dont worry simply switchoff and put lid and dont disturb for 10-15 mins . Always remember that basmathi rice gets cooked fully only after switching off stove. U will be surprised after 10-15 mins if u open the lid the rice will be fully cooked . Just mix it from the bottom and put lid again . U can serve after 2 mins. Hope this tip helps u . Plz follow the tip as i said , trust me u will get perfect ,fluffy palak pulav . Plz dont try to cook rice on heat till fully done it just results in over roasting and ruins ur effort.
• Serve this hot hot palak pulao with sherva and raitha and enjoy tasty and nutritious spinach rice casserole.