Name: Shahi Anda Pulao
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ¾ cup Basmati Rice, soaked and drained; 3 Egg, hard-boiled, peeled and pricked; 1 tbsp Cashews, halved and fried; 1 tbsp Almonds, blanched, peeled and sliced; ¼ cup Brown Onion, crispy fried (Birista); ¼ cup Milk, mixed with water for cooking; ½ pinch Saffron, soaked in warm milk; 2 Green Cardamom; ½ Mace, whole blade; ¼ tsp Garam Masala; 2 tbsp Ghee, divided; ¾ tsp Salt; 1 cup Water

1 hrtotal

45 min hands-on15 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Bring a fraction of the ghee to a shimmering heat within a heavy-gauge culinary pot. Delicately shallow-fry the pricked, hard-boiled eggs until they forge a pristine golden crust. Evacuate and isolate.
Inject the remaining ghee into the active pot. Introduce the green cardamoms and mace blade. Force a brief sizzle to unlock and release their delicate, aromatic essential oils.
Add the soaked and drained basmati to the aromatic fat. Sauté it very gently to coat the grains without breaking them.
Pour the measured water and milk over the rice. Add the salt and garam masala. The milk is what keeps the grains white and gives the pulao its richness.
Drive the liquid to a rolling boil. With surgical care, rest the golden-fried eggs atop the boiling starch foundation.
Instantly throttle the heat to its lowest setting. Establish an impenetrable hermetic seal with a tight-fitting lid and enforce a blind simmer until total moisture assimilation is achieved.
Sever the thermal supply entirely. Drizzle the steeped saffron milk across the apex. Lavishly garnish with the isolated fried cashews, sliced almonds, and shattered brown onions. Mandate an undisturbed resting phase prior to service.

How to tell it's done

Anticipate blindingly white, hyper-elongated rice grains streaked with brilliant saffron, punctuated rhythmically by the snap of premium nuts and the tender yield of spice-lacquered golden eggs.

Getting it right

Tip

The strategic combination of milk and water in the boiling phase is an elite Awadhi technique; it biologically prevents the grains from achieving a brittle state while infusing the pulao with its signature, decadent creaminess.

What to serve it with

Serve it hot, with a robust mutton korma, a cooling burani raita, or just a simple salad.

Bihari Champaran Mutton Pulao

Champaran mutton pulao cooks rice with mutton in mustard oil, in the Bihar handi style.

1 hr 10 minnon vegetarian

Bihari Chana Dal Khichdi

Chana dal khichdi cooks rice with Bengal gram in mustard oil, the Bihari version.

4 hr 30 minvegan

Bisi Bele Bath

Bisi bele bath cooks rice, dal and vegetables together with a Karnataka spice blend into one thick pot.

1 hr 20 minvegetarian

Burnt Garlic Veg Fried Rice

Burnt garlic veg fried rice fries garlic until dark before anything else goes in.

2 hr 25 minvegan

Cabbage Fried Rice

Cabbage fried rice is a quick Indo-Chinese stir-fry of rice with shredded cabbage and carrot.

2 hr 20 minvegan

Cafe Style Garlic Butter Rice

Garlic butter rice tosses cooked rice through garlic softened in butter, a cafe dish rather than a traditional one.

20 minvegetarian

Ingredients