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Pilaf, pulao or pulav was the mainstay of royal kitchens, where the cooks used aromatic spices to flavour the rice. These ‘shahi’ dishes have been around for many many centuries now, but haven’t lost their relevance, due to the simple reason that they are a mass favourite. One of them is the matar pulav - warm and soothing cumin seeds with caramelised onions, cashews, potatoes and peas, all tossed together in rice. It's really making us hungry! Let’s not forget about the aromatic spices that really take matar pulav a notch higher. But as much as we love to attach ourselves to eating matar pulav dish every single day, we just need to start finding new rice dishes to break the monotony. India is a great country teeming with culinary delights. Let’s explore various regional dishes, as well as those that are foreign but commonly eaten besides all those that have recently been invented and really make a strong case to be featured here. Countless people have spoken so highly of these five dishes at several points but they are still under the radar.
1. Puliyogare
A sour flavoured rice where ‘Puli’ means sour, and ‘ogare’ means rice. A specialty dish from the south, puliyogare rice was introduced by the Iyengar community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins. The sourness is derived from tamarind juice. This dish is an example of ‘slow food’, which in turn means that a dish that gets a rich flavour steadily; perhaps a few hours after it is cooked.
2. Sambhar Fried Rice
If you have tried fried rice from an Indo-Chinese restaurant, you cannot forget something this delicious your whole life. For a major twist, consider putting sambhar powder in your fried rice to make an innovative dish. Of course, be careful what you pair it up with. The original fried rice may team up excellently with manchurian and chilli chicken, but sambhar fried rice will need something new to be coupled with!
3. Tehri
Tehri holds its own place in Awadhi cuisine. It is mainly made of assorted vegetables, and the addition of turmeric lends a beautiful yellow colour to the dish. Finally, a spoonful of ghee ties the whole dish together. But the dish has had many interpretations around the country and beyond. A lot of stories are told about tehri that is often viewed as comfort food, birthday sweet dish (in which tehri is sweetened with dry fruits), langar, and prasad by different people. Then other stories are about where its origin lies: in royal kitchens or a common man’s home. It is eaten by Kashmiri muslims, pandits, sindhis, and of course the people of Uttar Pradesh. It is also popular in Bangladesh and Pakistan, where it is cooked differently.
4. Tawa Pulav
I remember the first time I tried this dish at home. One of my family members had made this, without telling me what went into it. So naturally there was a lot of excitement over guessing what I was eating! I was swooning all over it, and once I knew that this dish has Pav bhaji masala, I couldn’t believe it. What a creative invention! I only wished I’d eaten this a lot sooner. A lot of amazing things are first made by street vendors, and then taken up by restaurants. And this creation, also a famous street food in the city, is nothing short of amazing!
5. Achari Shrimp Pulav
I mean, sure why not? I may have a hankering for baked fish for dinner sometimes, but if you told me that I can eat a pickled version of pulav that is also mixed with shrimp, I’d say bring it on! The desi in me would really love this one pot meal over greens and protein for dinner. Making achari shrimp pulav is a great way to relish seafood in aromatic Indian spices. I don’t know if I could enjoy seafood anymore!
We hope that you’ll take inspiration from this list, and make yourself something delicious!
