Brown Rice Pulao

My husband has found a sudden liking towards brown rice so he bought a packet and asked me to cook with it. I went onto the internet and looked at many blogs to see how to cook brown rice and followed the instructions but it never worked as the water they mentioned and the time taken did not work for me! Then I started making brown rice curd rice and brown rice pongal and brown rice bisibellabath where the amount of water added need not be perfect.

And then I decided to follow the instructions given in the packet and it worked beautifully! It is very important to soak the brown rice for atleast 1 hour and then use the amount of water mentioned on the packet. For the brand of brown rice I had, it required only 2.5 cups of water! My brown rice pulao came out perfect!

BROWN RICE PULAO
Preparation time 15 mins | Cooking time 25 mins | Serves 2

Ingredients

• Brown rice - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups
• Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1 large
• Beans - 12
• Carrot - 2
• Potato - 2
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Mint coriander paste - 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Chopped coriander - 2 tbsp
• Green chilli - 2, chopped
• Salt - to taste

To Temper

• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Cinnamon - 1 
• Clove - 4
• Bay leaf - 1
• Star anise - 1
• Cardamom - 2
• Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp

Similar Recipes

• Peas Pulao
• Beet Root Pulao
• Mushroom Pulao
• Corn and Peas Pulao
• Mixed Vegetable Pulao
• Kuthiraivali Vegetable Pulao

Method

1. Wash the brown rice and soak in water for 1 hour. It's even better if you soak in hot water.

2. Chop all the vegetables and slice onion and set aside. Blend some mint leaves and coriander leaves and set aside.

3. In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the cinnamon stick, clove, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise, fennel seeds. Fry for a few minutes.

4. Add the sliced onion and chopped green chillies. Saute until the onions turn translucent. 

5. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of ginger garlic paste leaves.

6. Add the coriander mint paste and mix well. Cook for about 2 minutes.

7. Add the garam masala and cook for 2 more minutes.

8. Add the chopped veggies and mix in with the masala (I forgot about the veggies and went on merrily to add the coconut milk!!!)

9. Then add the coconut milk and mix well with the veggies. 

10. Add the remaining 2 cups of water, lemon juice and salt. 

11. Drain the rice and add it in. Mix well and check for salt again.

12. Add the chopped coriander leaves and close the pressure cooker.

13. Pressure cook for 1 whistle then simmer and pressure cook for 3 whistles. 

14. Once the pressure releases, open the cooker and fluff it up.

Notes

1. There is no need to use garam masala in a pulao recipe, I just used it for some extra flavor. You can skip it.

2. I used 2.5 cups of water (inclusive of the coconut milk). You can use up to 3 cups for brown rice. Follow the amount of water mentioned in your pack.

3. I used short grain brown rice, you can buy brown rice basmati rice to make pulaos and biryani.
4. Use any veggies of your choice.

Until next time,

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