Name: Pudina Pulao (Mint Rice)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ⅔ cup Basmati Rice, soaked for 20 mins and drained; 1 cup Mint Leaves, pudina, tightly packed, washed; ⅓ cup Coriander Leaves, washed; 2 Green Chili Pepper, adjust to heat preference; ⅔ inch Ginger; 2⅔ clove Garlic; ⅔ Onion, thinly sliced; ⅓ cup Green Peas, fresh or frozen; ⅔ Assorted Whole Spices, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms; ⅔ tsp Cumin Seeds; ⅓ tsp Garam Masala; ⅔ tsp Salt, to taste; 1⅓ tbsp Cooking Oil, or ghee, for cooking; 1⅛ cup Water, hot

35 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

Add to your week

Method

Make the green paste: put the packed mint leaves, fresh coriander, green chillies, ginger and garlic cloves in a blender. Blend to a bright, very smooth green paste, adding just enough water to keep the blades turning.
Heat the cooking fat in a heavy pressure cooker or sturdy pot over steady medium heat.
Add the cumin seeds and the whole spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom). Let them sizzle to release their aroma.
Add the sliced onions. Sauté them steadily until they turn a pale, translucent gold.
Fold in the green peas and fry them for 1 minute to keep their pop and colour.
1 min
Add the mint paste to the hot fat. Stir-fry it over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes. Cook out the raw garlic and onion, and watch for the oil starting to separate at the edges.
4–5 min
Temper the aggressive green base by integrating the prescribed garam masala and an exacting measure of salt. Homogenize thoroughly.
Introduce the flawlessly drained basmati rice grains. Employ an ultra-delicate folding technique to comprehensively varnish the grains in the mint masala, executing a micro-roast for exactly 1 minute to fortify their starch structures.
1 min
Pour in the measured boiling water. Bring it straight to a rolling boil.
Cover the pot tightly. Simmer gently on the lowest heat for 12-15 minutes, or cook for 2 whistles under pressure, until all the liquid is absorbed and the grains are dry and separate.
12–15 min
Turn off the heat. Let it rest for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Then fluff the green grains gently with a fork and serve.
10 min

How to tell it's done

The rice should be fluffy and separate, dark green with mint, fresh and lightly hot on the tongue, with soft green peas throughout.

Nutrition

Per serving, from 2 servings.

372kcal

Where the calories come from

Protein8.2 g9%
Carbohydrate62.6 g67%
Fat10.2 g24%

Saturated fat: 1.6 g
Fibre: 6.3 g
Sodium: 794 mg
Potassium: 470 mg
Calcium: 153 mg
Iron: 7 mg

Estimated by calculation from the ingredient list, using USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.

Getting it right

Tip

Professional palate balancing: Integrating a calculated minor ratio of fresh coriander alongside the primary mint load acts to expertly neutralize the aggressive, almost medicinal sharpness of pure spearmint, endowing the pulao with a deeply rounded, sophisticated herbaceous profile.

What to serve it with

Strongly aromatic and fresh on the palate. Serve it with an icy cucumber-onion raita, plain curd, or a papad. It suits a lunchbox too.

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Ingredients