Shahi Pulao | Royal Rice Dish

Shahi Pulao - Royal Rice dish - New and Tasty Recipe :

Ingredients -

Basmati rice - 1½ cup

Ghee (clarified butter) or oil - ½ cup

Cumin seeds or shah jeera - ¾ tsp

Black pepper - ¼ tsp

Cloves - 6-7

Bay leaves - 4

Cinnamon sticks - 2-3

Star anise - 3

Mace (javitri) - 2

Nutmeg - 2

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - ¾ tsp

Black cardamom - 2

Green cardamom - 4

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Chopped or slit green chilli - 6-7

Sliced onion - ¾ cup

Sliced potato - ½ cup

Sliced carrot - ½ cup

Sliced cabbage - ½ cup

Sliced capsicum or bell peppers ( green or red or yellow or mixed combination) - ¼-½ cup

Green peas - ½ cup

Slit mushrooms - ½ cup

Corns - ¼ cup

Small diced paneer (cottage cheese) - ½ cup

Mint leaves - ¼ cup

Cashew nuts - ¼ cup

Sliced almonds - ¼ cup

Kishmish or raisins - ¼ cup

Desiccated coconut or nariyal ka bhura - ¼ cup

Saffron or kesar - ¼ tsp

Mint leaves - ¼ cup

Lemon juice - 1-2 tsp 

Chopped or diced pineapple - to garnish- 2 tsp

Water - 2¼ cup

Salt - to taste

* You could add vegetables that you want  

Method -

1. Wash and soak the basmati rice in water for 15-20 minutes before making the pulao.  Put 3 tsp ghee (clarified butter) or oil. Heat it. Add all the dry fruits. Roast till light brown colour. Then, remove and keep aside.

2. Shallow fry the sliced potatoes in the same ghee (clarified butter) or oil. Roast till light brown colour. Then, put all the other vegetables other than onion. Roast upto light brown colour.

3. Add 1-2 tsp ghee or clarified butter or oil if required. Then, add paneer or cottage cheese cubes. Roast till light brown colour.
Keep aside.

4. Heat all the left ghee (clarified butter) or oil in the cooker. Put cumin seeds or shah jeera and all the whole spices - cinnamon sticks, black pepper corns, bay leaves, etc., Sorte and roast well on low-medium flame for 1-2 min. 

5. Put the ginger and garlic paste, slit green chillies. Stir and roast well until light brown colour. Add onion, roast upto brown colour and garam masala and red chilli powder, roast it. Then, remove the extra water of the soaked basmati rice. Then, add it.

6. Roast for 2-3 minutes on low-medium flame. Add all the roasted vegetables and paneer or cottage cheese cubes. Add 2¼ cup water, 1-2 tsp lemon juice and the soaked saffron strands or kesar warm water. 

7. Place or cover the cooker with a lid and cook on low-medium flame for 1 whistle. After a whistle, cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame. Turn off the flame. Add all the roasted dry fruits, mint leaves. Mix gently and serve.

Garnish with some roasted dry fruits, desiccated coconut or nariyal ka bhura, chopped pineapple, fried onions and mint leaves. Serve the shahi Pulao or royal-rich, exotic rice dish with my mix veg - anar raita or mix veg- pomegranate seeds curd recipe, dal, pickle, chutney or dip and any prepared vegetable like jackfruit or kathal sabji, etc. Enjoy this pulao anytime in festivals like diwali, holi, rakshabandhan, christmas and occassions!