Peas Pulav/Peas pulao is a quick and flavorful recipe that I make often for vegetarian guests and potlucks. I first had this pulav made by my friend Revathi Prabaharan when we just shifted house. We were tired and hungry, but once she opened her hot box, the flavor from Peas pulav was so appeasing and we had 3 servings of the same and ate heartful. From then, whenever we meet for potlucks, I nudge her to make this pulav for me. Before she moved out of our city, I got the recipe from her and from then I started making this to potlucks. This is a keeper recipe for sure.
Peas Pulav
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 6
Ingredients
To temper:
- Groundnut Oil - 2 tsp
- Ghee - 2 tsp
- Bay leaves - 2
- Cinnamon sticks - 2 (lil finger sized sticks)
- Cloves - 4
- Cardamom - 4
- Marathi Moggu/ kapok buds - 2
- Star Anise - 1 big flower
Other ingredients:
- Onion - 1
- Tomato - 1 + ½
- Salt - 1 heaped tsp or as required
To grind:
- Green chillies - 4 to 6(as per spice level)
- Ginger - 2-inch piece
- Garlic cloves - 6 to 8(as per size of each clove)
- Tomato - ½
- Mint leaves - 20
- Coriander stalk with leaves - 20
Star ingredients:
- Jeeraga samba rice - 2 cups
- Green peas - 1 + ½ cups
- Grated coconut - 1 heaped cup (tightly packed)
Liquid measure:
- Thick Coconut milk - 2 cups
- Thin Coconut milk - 1.5 cups
- Water - ¼ cup
Instructions
Prep-work:
- Take 2 cups(levelled) Jeeraga samba rice and soak for 20 mins. After 20 mins, drain the rice and keep aside.
- Take a heaped cup(tightly packed) of grated coconut. If using frozen coconut, heat in microwave for 1 minute. Add grated coconut along with 1.5 cups water and grind in mixie(in batches, if required) for 1 minute.
- Strain ground coconut through a strainer or muslin cloth. Squeeze the coconut to extract the milk. The collected milk is the first thick coconut milk.
- Add the squeezed coconut again to mixie along with 1 cup of water and again grind for 1 minute.
- Using the same strainer or muslin cloth, strain the coconut milk. Squeeze the coconut to extract more milk. This milk is the second thin coconut milk.
- We need totally 3.75 cups of liquid. So, first measure the coconut milk and then adjust the water quantity accordingly.
Cooking Peas pulav:
- To a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp ghee in medium flame(Knob #4).
- Once ghee melts, add 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms, 2 Marathi Moggu, 1 star anise.
- Add thinly sliced(lengthwise) onions and fry in medium-high flame(Knob #6) until it starts to change color(slight color change, not dark).
- Grind 2-inch ginger, 6 to 8 garlic cloves, ½ tomato, 20 mint leaves, 20 coriander stalk with leaves to a fine paste without adding any water.
- Once onions are fried, add the ground paste and fry till raw smell leaves.
- Add chopped 1 + ½ tomato and just fry for 2 minutes or until mushy.
- Add 1 + ½ cups of green peas and fry for 1 minute.
- Add 2 cups thick, 1.5 cups thin coconut milk and ¼ cup water along with 1 heaped tsp salt.
- Once it comes to rolling boil, add soaked and strained jeeraga samba rice.
- Once it comes to rolling boil again, close the cooker lid and wait for the steam to escape out of whistle hole.
- Once steady steam escapes out of whistle hole, put on the cooker whistle and lower the flame(Knob #1) and cook for 10 minutes in sim.
- Switch off the stove and let the pressure release naturally.
- Open and fluff gently. Again, keep closed for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
1.Jeeraga samba rice can be replaced with basmati rice.
2.You shall add 1 stone flower when adding other whole spices or when grinding the masala paste.
3.Do not skip coconut milk as it is the star ingredient of this recipe.
4.You shall use store-bought coconut milk too.
5.Increase or decrease green chillies as per your spice level.
6.If you want the rice to be spicier, add ½ tsp to 1 tsp plain chilli powder before adding peas.
7.Use fresh or frozen peas.
2.You shall add 1 stone flower when adding other whole spices or when grinding the masala paste.
3.Do not skip coconut milk as it is the star ingredient of this recipe.
4.You shall use store-bought coconut milk too.
5.Increase or decrease green chillies as per your spice level.
6.If you want the rice to be spicier, add ½ tsp to 1 tsp plain chilli powder before adding peas.
7.Use fresh or frozen peas.
Do try this simple and flavorful pulav and be ready to receive more appreciations. This is easier than vegetable biriyani(link) or vegetable pulao as no chopping of veggies involved. When making for large number of guests, you shall opt for store-bought coconut milk. I use Ninja blender to make coconut milk as it can grind large quantity without spilling. Add fried paneer to make it more protein-rich and kids-friendly. Below is a pic from my alphabets lunch box series(link).
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