Name: Maharashtrian Vaal Pulao
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ¾ cup Basmati Rice, soaked and drained; ½ cup Sprouted Field Beans, blanched; ½ Onion, thinly sliced; ¾ tbsp Goda Masala; ½ tsp Mustard Seeds; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder; 1½ Dried Kokum Rinds, soaked in a little water; ½ tsp Jaggery, grated; 1 tbsp Freshly Grated Coconut, for garnish; 1½ tbsp Cooking Oil; ¾ tsp Salt; 1½ cup Water

1 hrtotal

40 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

In a heavy pot, heat the cooking oil until very hot. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop.
Add the thinly sliced onions to the pan. Sauté them steadily until they turn soft, translucent and pale golden.
Plunge the blanched, sprouted field beans (vaal) directly into the breach. Command a delicate medium-heat sear for 3-4 minutes, mechanically reinforcing their exterior structures while slightly toasting the proteins.
3–4 min
Turn the heat down. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the goda masala. Stir well so the spices coat every bean.
Drain the soaked basmati thoroughly. Add the grains to the pan. Fold them through very gently for 2 minutes, toasting them in the spiced beans without breaking them.
2 min
Pour in the measured hot water. Add the kokum along with its soaking liquid, the crushed jaggery and the salt. Bring the whole thing to a rapid, rolling boil.
Instantly throttle the heat to its absolute minimum parameter. Forge an impenetrable hermetic seal over the pot, and enforce a strict 12-15 minute blind simmer until terminal grain doneness and complete liquid assimilation are achieved.
12–15 min
Turn off the heat. Let it stand, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. Before serving, fluff it very gently and scatter plenty of freshly grated coconut over the top.
10 min

How to tell it's done

Light, separate grains of rice mixed through with very tender, buttery beans, carrying a rustic sweet-and-sour aroma that is all its own.

Getting it right

Tip

The dish turns on the contrast between kokum and jaggery. That pairing is what balances the sharp astringency the sprouted beans carry, and gives the pulao its sweet-sour depth.

What to serve it with

A hearty, filling rustic dish. Serve it piping hot with a generous spoonful of pure ghee, and a crisp, cooling cucumber and peanut salad (khamang kakdi) alongside.

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Ingredients