Beetroot Vegetable Pulao

Me (shouting from my room) : “Mummy..!!! What’s for dinner today??”

Mummy : “Vegetable pulao. Come and set up the table and call your Dad and Sister….”

Me (in my mind) : “Yipee. Pulao.. “

I come out from my room and starts calling for dad, who is downstairs, watching television. He assures me that he will be upstairs soon. I don’t need to tell my sister as we were in the same room so she also heard mummy.

Then I start setting plates and glasses on the table. Meanwhile, mummy is busy in roasting papadums (papad). I continue to place the cooker  and curd on the table and fill the jug with water.

In about two minutes all four of us are at the table. Mummy opens the cooker and asks everyone to help themselves. Dad takes the first serving followed by me.

I see some carrots and cauliflower florets in the pulao. As usual, I start making faces and say : “Mummy why did you put carrots and cauliflower in the pulao??? You know I like it only with potatoes and peas! Now you have ruined my appetite!!”

Mummy (angrily) : “We will see what you would say when you start cooking yourself. Now eat whatever is made! At Least taste before condemning it.”

Since there wasn’t any other option, and I didn’t want to annoy her further, I quietly finished my dinner without any more ministrations. Well, the pulao indeed was tasty, after all.

We use to have conversations like this in my childhood. But now, we live apart and far, and only telephonic conversations takes place which goes like this –

After the usual chatter about how we are and what we are doing, the topics comes to what I prepared for lunch. And my answer usually is like this.

Me (excitedly) : “I made vegetable pulao and added beetroot to it. It was awesome and delicious Mummy!! Why don’t you also try it? I will share the recipe. “

Mummy : “Good beta!! You were able to eat pulao with something other than potatoes and peas!!! You have changed a lot… This recipe would be worth a try. “

When we are kids, we show so much attitude to our mothers,  forgetting how much effort they put in every meal. She makes sure the food satisfies everyone’s preferences and taste, except usually hers. Very rarely would she make what she cherishes? Now I can understand her daily fight about deciding what to cook. Or the times when she used to get sad and irritated if we don’t like her new experimental recipes. But she never used to give up until becoming an expert in that recipe. That’s who she is. A fighter and my role model.

Well, enough of the chatter. Let’s delve into this week’s recipe of Beetroot Vegetable Pulao. 

Beetroot vegetable pulao is a sight to see. It has a combination of red, orange, yellow and green colors. The beetroots add a slightly sweet taste to the vegetable pulao. Enjoy this delicacy with your family and have fun.. 🙂

Beetroot Vegetable Pulao

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of rice soaked in water for at least an hour
• 1 and 1/2 cups water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 beetroot finely chopped
• 1 potato chopped
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• A very small piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 green cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• Pinch of asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
• 2 tbsp mint leaves finely chopped
• Salt as per taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker. Add asafoetida and cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon. In about a minute, the kitchen would be filled with the sweet aroma of theses spices.
2. Now add cumin. When the cumin seeds start crackling, add ginger and garlic and onions. Saute them till the onions start becoming golden brown
3. Now add in potatoes, peas, and beetroots and saute them for 2 minutes.
4. Now add in coriander leaves, mint leaves, red chili powder, green chili, turmeric, coriander powder and mix well. Saute the spices for another one minute.
5. Then add in water and rice and mix well. Wait till the water starts boiling, then close the lid of the pressure cooker and give it one whistle on high flame.
6. Open the cooker after 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or plain curd.