Welcome to the first post of 2016. Happy NEW YEAR!!
“What do want for dinner?” – Mom
“Anything mom.”
“Something spicy today.”
“Something with rice.”
“You know what, please make the tomato rice of yours, Please.”
“Make it the way you always do, not too mushy and the grains separated.”
“And, make it spicy.”
“Ok.” – Mom. (smiles)
That used to be the conversation a lot growing up. This is hands down one of my favorite dishes of my mom’s. She called it the weekday pulao and made it every week. As a working mom, she definitely had some tricks up her sleeve to satisfy two fancy picky eaters with a lot of demands. Her food was and is loved by all. It’s truly a comfort meal in every sense. My first post of 2016 is an ode to my mom, who taught me how to cook.
HAPPY NEW YEAR MY LOVELY FRIENDS!!
Wishing you all a very spicy, fun-filled, joyful, healthy 2016.
Cheers to more and more delicious exchange of food stories and ideas.
Let’s jump into the New Year.
- 3 cups sona masoori rice(any short grain rice)
- 1 tsp ghee/clarified butter
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves
- 4 cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 large onion cut to ⅓ inch long slices
- 10 garlic cloves cut to halves
- 4-5 green chillies slit in the middle(use accordingly)
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 3 tomatoes diced
- 2 carrots diced to ½ inch slices
- 1 cup peas
- ½ cup cup beans
- 1-2 tsp red chili powder(use accordingly)
- 1 tsp salt( or to taste)
- ⅓ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ cup light coconut milk(optional)
- 3 cups of water( another ½ cup, only if you don't add coconut milk)
- Mint- ½ cup or small bunch finely chopped
- Cilantro/Coriander leaves- ½ bunch finely chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Boiled eggs(optional) to serve with and Yogurt Raita
- Wash and soak the rice for at least 30 minutes.
- In a pressure cooker or a thick bottomed deep dish pan, add the ghee and oil. Keep the flame on medium heat. Once it gets lightly hot, add the cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. After about 30 seconds, add the sliced onions and garlic. Keep sautéing until it is slightly translucent or browned, maybe about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Then add the ginger-garlic paste, cut tomatoes, green chillies, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric and sauté.
- After the tomotoes disintegrate a bit for about 2-3 minutes, add the soaked rice and very gently mix everything. Add the coconut milk and water. Check for salt and spices. If you want to add more chilli powder, you can do that now. Bring it to a boil, add peas, cilantro and mint and juice of half a lemon.
- Cover, reduce the flame to lower medium and cook for 20 minutes or 2 whistles(if in a pressure cooker). After that turn off the heat and let it sit for another 15 minutes without opening.
- Open, top with eggs(optional) ,mix and stir gently and serve with onion Raita, Yogurt mixed with onion and tomatoes.
IF you don't want to bite into a chunk of cardamom or any spice, you could make a bouquet garni. Wrap all spices in a thin cloth and add to the oil. You can remove it once the rice is cooked.
The rice is a bit tricky to be perfect while cooking in a Pressure Cooker. So make sure to add water accordingly.
If you soak for more than 30 minutes, you are going to get mushier pulao.
If you find that your pulao is a bit mushy or the grains are not separate after cooking, put in in a flat serving bowl, let cool completely, it will separate and be perfect.
Serving Ware:
Luv,
Asha
Happy New Year! And this recipe is such a nice ode to your mom. Spicy for me, please. 🙂
What a lovely puloa, Asha! I see why you wanted this every week – so many fragrant spices and herbs and WOW- look at that color! I’m thinking your boys are having the same conversation with you as you did with your mom regarding this dish 🙂
Sona masoori rice is new to me and I am so intrigued by it. This is a beautiful ode to your mom. Hope you are having a lovely week.
xoxo
Happy New Year to you too, Asha! This is a complete meal and sounds absolutely delicious and comforting. Wishing you many blessings in 2016 and always.
All that I have been cooking is quick. I feel warned out after the holidays… and much in need of a break although I’ll barely have it.
Happy New Year, dearest Asha! I love how you dedicated this first post to one of your mom’s classic dishes. So sweet and sounds absolutely delicious. We are big rice eaters in this house so I’m always looking for new variations for my picky family. Do you know if short grain “sushi” rice would work well?
Happy New Year, Asha! What a gorgeous and scrumptious looking spicy rice dish! Just PERFECT for any weeknight dinner any time of year and the kind of comfort food dish that both adults and kids enjoy. I can just imagine this dish was one of the most requested by you for your mom to make. Lovely photography, as always, my friend! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 Wishing you and your family all the very best in 2016! xo
What a wonderful way to start the new year, Ash! I love the story, and that your first recipe of the year is a tribute to your mom. This looks so comforting, and I love the sound of the spice. 🙂 Happy New Year, my friend, and best to all of you in 2016!
Hehe I love how “anything” becomes a specific request. We have the same conversation whenever we talk about what to eat with my family! 😀
Isn’t it amazing the foods we remember growing up, those meals that Mom made that were so homey and comforting.?I can smell the spices here and got such a sense of your love for your Mom and her cooking. It sounds like you have a great relationship. I can sooo relate. Thanks for sharing Asha! xo
Oh yes Emilie. Just thinking about it makes us all fuzz from inside. Aren’t we blessed to have a great relationship with our parents?!
Thanks a lot as always dear.
xx
This recipe is definitely a keeper, sounds absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much. It sure is.
xx
Happy New Year Asha!! Tomato rice is my weakness, that was one good food we (hostel students) used to get from our classmates who used to come from home. They used to pack for us extra.
Haha…hostel food is so crazy. So glad you had day scholars get it for u. Me too, such a sucker for this one.
Hope you are doing well my friend.
Lovely photo as usual. Thanks for the dedication. yes it is a complete meal.
Thanks so much mom. You know, I love this one.
xoxo
Ash, no better way to start a new year than saying thanks to Mom, the person who is totally the reason to what we are now!!
The Tomato Puloa looks a bomb and that coming from Aunty’s kitchen must be quite special. Beautiful colour burst pictures and presentation is outta the world!
The spices going into this recipe must make it so aromatic and hot puloa with raita is a lovely dinner, top it off with a nice hindi movie…..hugs and kisses let the new year begin with all its goodness!
I completely agree my dear. They sure are.
Hindi movie is a much. Hugs my lovely one.
xx
Happy New Year Ash! May all your wishes come true in 2016!
Pulao is another word for Pilaf right?
Well, this is one of the most aromatic rice dishes we’ve ever seen. We both love rice (and Indian spices) so we’ll try it ASAP:)
Thank you so much dear! Lots of hugs!
xoxoxo
Happy New year to the both of you!! Hope you are having a wonderful month so far.
Honestly, pilaf and puloa are a bit similar and I don’t know the exact difference, even if they are. I think a Pilaf is mildly spiced, almost doesn’t have so many flavors. Pulao is a mix with onion tomatoes and coconut milk.
Hope you get to try it out sometime.
xx
This look amazing! My mom would make a rice dish similar to this and it was one of our favorites too. Happy New Year!!
Fallon, thank you so so much for stopping by. Oh wow, how interesting to see different cultures making similar version. I can’t wait to hear about it more and see in your blog.
xx
Love this recipe! I’ll have to try it!
Thank you so so much. Hope you do sometime.
xo
Thank you so much. Hope you get to try it out, you will love it.
xx
I’ve never had Pulao before, but anything spicy with vegetables, tomatoes and rice is speaking my language!! This looks absolutely delicious, Asha and I LOVE that it’s an ode to your mom!! So sweet! You need to thank her for me, for teaching you how to cook, because I love your site and all your posts! (And you of course!) Can’t wait to try this! Cheers, lovely and happy new year! Xo
Aww, you are so kind. My mom is always on my site and seeing all comments and I am sure she read yours. You are the most sweetest person I know. God bless you with everything my dear.
Try ordering some pulao in an Indian restarant and see if you like it. This one is specially something made in homes, can’t find it out, but so good. I generally use less of rice and more of vegetable, so makes it a little bit healthier.
Hope this week is going well darlin.
xoxo
Great rice dish. I love anything spicy really, my kids, not so much but I always force them to eat it anyways 🙂 Moms are the best. I remember my mom cooking all the time even though she was a single mom working full time. The best memories I have about food is when I was little. So grateful I can pass it on to my kids. Happy New Year my friend. I hope you get everything you want and more…Can’t wait to see what recipes you bring in this New Year.
Haha.. I hear ya. I force these boys too. It used to be hard for my little one at first but now they want spicy food. ;).
Oh wow, you mom is a trooper, sounds like an amazing woman. You definitely have taken everything from her. Yes, Miriam, the best thing about blogging and food, we can share and pass it to our kids.
Thanks and May this year bring all joy and health to you my dear.
xx
absolutely beautiful! this is comfort food at it’s best 🙂 just lovely Asha!
I cannot agree more my dear. Thank you so much.
That looks so good Asha.
Thanks so much Bhavna, it’s one of my go to comfort food and we love it too.
xx
I am a lover of spicy tomato rice. Looks absolutely delicious Asha!
Thanks Uma. We are our spice.
xx
Omg!! I love tomato pulao and now I am all hungry again after eating pizza for dinner! I wish I had this instead!
Thanks Ami. I absolutely am a sucker for rice and even after a huge meal can eat this. ;).
Have a lovely day my friend.
What a great looking pulao! Beautiful clicks, as always!
Thanks so much Angie.
xo
i have been wanting to eat tomato rice for a while now..one of my friend made delicious tomato rice with mint long time ago and i have been a fan ever since however, when i make it, it doesnt taste like hers. i will give yours a try. thank you 🙂
Oh please do give it a try, this might be something you are craving for. Thanks and hope you are doing well D.
xx
asha – this meal is so beautiful, warming, nourishing. elements that evoke my own mother too, and sweet memories in the kitchen. happy new year to you. ♥
Danielle, you are the sweetest to come and visit. Thank you so so much. Memories and the moments we spend with mom are so priceless. hugs to you and your mom.
Enjoy your week my friend.
xx
I am a little jealous you got to eat this every week growing up! I’m starting to think you were a little spoiled. ; )
Honestly, this looks totally amazing. I feel like I am sitting in front to this pulao and all I want to do is pick up a plate and a big spoon, and dig in! Hope the new year is going well for you and your family so far!
Haha, I totally was. I would almost demand mom to make something at 8 a.m, knowing well that she had to leave to work at 8.40:( I feel bad now. As a kid, we can be so selfish, I know I was. I understand now but the nice thing, my boys seems to be very understand and not a bit like me when I was young, Oh well.
Thanks my lovely friend, it’s going wonderful. Hope the kids are settled back in school and you are back in your routine.
xx
I love pulao it’s one of my fave dishes, yet I never make it. I’m definitely going to give your recipe a try.
Have a great day my friend!
Aah, you not made it?!! You have to my friend, you will love it.
xx
I’ll take a big helping (as long as it’s spicy!). GREG
I love that mom is always smiling. This dish is totally seeing eye to eye with me because I love it! All those comforting vegetables makes me want to whip it up in the kitchen tonight!
OMG I can totally see this being a go to dish for me. I love any savory rice dish. My mom makes a good pulao and fried rice that I need to learn. But I feel like this might be a bit easier.
xx Yasmin
http://banglesandbungalows.com
Thanks a lot my dear. I am sure your mom makes an amazing one.
xo
Gorgeous!!! What a stunning meal, and very delicious looking… Gotta try it!
Thanks so much my dear.
xx