Now that I am at home these days, I try to cook something different each day, especially since BB & GG are having school holidays.

Today, instead of a dal, rice, vegetable combo, I decided to make some pulao. Digging through the freezer, I found some frozen fenugreek or methi as it’s called in Hindi along with frozen sweetcorn and I had the perfect pulao to make! The slight bitterness of the fenugreek pairs perfectly with the slight sweetness of sweetcorn and this dish comes together in no time!

Methi Corn Pulao

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen methi (fenugreek)
• 1.5 cups frozen sweetcorn
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise thinly
• 3 cups basmati rice, soaked in water for a minimum of 20 minutes
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cardamom
• 5 cloves
• 10-12 cashewnuts
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp cumin seed powder
• 1 inch piece ginger, julienned
• 3-4 green chillies, cut into big pieces
• 1 tsp ghee or oil
• salt to taste

Method:

• Defrost the methi and sweetcorn and keep aside.
• Slice the onions lengthwise and keep aside.
• Drain the water from the basmati rice and keep aside.
• In a pan, warm 1 tsp ghee or oil and when the ghee is warm, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
• When the cumin seeds start popping, add the dry masalas – bay leaves, cloves and cardamom one by one and stir for a few seconds.
• Next add the ginger and green chillies and stir them for a few seconds.
• Add the cashewnuts and let it start browning. Make sure you don’t burn the cashewnuts.
• Next add the onions and let it become translucent.
• Once the onions have cooked and become translucent, add the defrosted methi and let it cook for a while. The methi will slightly shivel up.
• At this point, add the sweetcorn and some salt and let it cook. Cook for approximately 5 mins and then add the rice.
• Stir well and let the spices get incorporated well and switch off the gas.
• Pour this mixture into a rice cooker and add the water. Check for salt and add more if needed.
• Depending on your rice cooker, it should take approximately 30-40 minutes to cook. Once it is done, switch off the cooker and let it sit for a while. Then fluff it up using a fork.
• If you don’t have a rice cooker, you can also cook on the stove. At the point when the rice, methi and corn is cooked, add the water and check for salt. Then keep an eye on the dish as the rice cooks. This should take around 15-20 minutes. If you feel the water is not enough, add a bit more to let the rice cook.

Delicious corn methi pulao is ready! I served it with a mixed vegetable in a yoghurt sauce (recipe coming soon)