During GG’s internship, she used to take her lunch when she had to work in the office and this meant I made one pot meals more than usual. When I got bored of making the usual pulaos, I tried this coriander and mint pulao as I had some mint leaves which was getting spoilt. The recipe is different from my usual mint pulao where I grind the mint leaves to a paste and this one had a very subtle smell and taste of mint and coriander and was very tasty. It is a definite keeper and I will be making this again soon.

Coriander Mint Pulao

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice, soaked in water for about 20-30 minutes
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch sticks
• 1 potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch sticks
• ¼ cup green peas
• 1 green chilli, slit
• A one-inch piece of ginger, julienned
• 10-12 pieces of cashew nut
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cloves
• 3 cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• A one-inch piece of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash the basmati rice well and drain keep aside.
• In a pan, heat the ghee and when the ghee heats up, add in the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
• Then add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf and saute for a few seconds.
• Next, add in the green chilli and ginger and saute for a few seconds.
• Now add in the cashew nuts and saute till the cashew nuts turn golden brown.
• At this point, add in the sliced onions and saute till the onions become translucent.
• When the onions are translucent, add in the chopped vegetables and saute for a few minutes.
• Add in the chopped coriander and mint leaves and saute for a few seconds. We don’t need to cook them, just let them wilt.
• Lastly, add in the rice and salt and saute for a minute or two.
• Transfer everything to a rice cooker and add water. I usually add 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, but please use your discretion and the instructions in the packet of rice.
• Cook the rice either in the rice cooker or on the stovetop and once the rice is done, let the pan stand for about 5 minutes before opening it.
• Fluff the rice with a fork before serving. Serve hot with a raita of your choice.