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‘Tis the season of peas. While, yes, with the help of technology you have them all year round, but to peel 200 of them while soaking in the winter sun is a bittersweet experience a handful of desis would relate with. Tossing the pods to collect the peas, the process becomes mechanical after a point, but the prospect of delicious delicacies keeps you going anyway. Called matar in India, peas are actually legumes that are a treasure of health, and have been part of Indian preparations since time immemorial. The mild, sweet-tasting matar can give a face-lift to any vegetarian on non-vegetarian curry and side dish. Bored of plain paneer gravy, add some matar. Want to try some loaded kachoris, mince some matar, add it in the dough and you have the best breakfast in front of you. Forget curries, it can even give rice an intense makeover. Matar pulao, the crowd-favourite is just a combination of peas, rice, and a handful of herbs and spices and yet it appeals to you every time, at every buffet, ever.
Pulao is a rice dish that has central Asian roots, it is said to have been brought over to India somewhere in the medieval period, of course, it underwent immense refinement during the time of Mughals. Pulao may be a deviant of Pilaf, but in India, it has almost got a new identity of its own. Vegetables, herbs, meat, what all cannot be tossed in the all-encompassing dish. Matar Pulao is easily one of the most beloved in the Pulao family. It is a fairly simple recipe, yet one wrong step and you would end up with a mushy mess. Here are some tips that will help you ace this classic.
- Make sure you always use Basmati or similar long-grain rice for making pulao, shorter grains have more starch content so they get more sticky upon cooking
- It is a good idea to wash and soak the basmati rice for 15-20 minutes beforehand, if you are using a cup of rice. Do not soak them for too long for then they may disintegrate upon cooking, but also make sure they are well-soaked you don’t want your pulao to be al dente, do you?
- It is a good idea to work with a combination of powdered spices, whole spices and pastes when making pulao. Makes your rice more flavourful.
- It is very easy to make pulao in a cooker, you just have to heat ghee, add whole spices like bay leaf, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom. But only when they begin to sizzle, add slit onions and slit green chillies.
- Follow this up with other vegetables, paneer and of course, matar. Peas comes in late because you do not want to overcook it and turn mushy.
- After this you can add your rice.
- Make sure you pressure cook them on medium flame so that all the veggies and rice is well-cooked even from within. It would be a good idea to cook it for at least 2 whistles.
- Once the steam is blown, check if the rice is done, with the help of a fork.
- Serve it hot.
Take note of these steps, and here’s a detailed recipe of easy matar pulao that you can try at home right away.
