Uttar Pradesh
Zafrani Pulao
- Duration: 25 minutes
- Serves: 2-4 people
-
Spice Level: Low
Trivia Tadka
Want a taste of royalty? Cook this Zafrani Pulao! As the names suggests, this dish is made of basmati rice is in a sweet and rich blend of spices. Zafrani Pulao is an Awadhi cuisine which is a fusion of Persian and Indian with Mughlai influence. It was cooked in the imperial kitchens of the Mughals.
Ingredients
- Basmati rice (2 cups)
- Saffron (kesar) (1 tsp)
- Cashew nuts (kaju), chopped (1 tbsp)
- Almond, chopped (2 tbsp)
- Raisin (kismish) (2 tbsp)
- Milk (1/2 cup)
- Onion, thinly sliced (1)
- Sugar (1 tbsp)
- Salt (to taste)
- Clarified butter (ghee) (2 tbsp)
- Cardamom powder (elaichi) (1 tsp)
- Nutmeg powder (jaiphal) (a pinch)
- Mint leaves, chopped (pudina) (1 tbsp)
Method
- Wash basmati rice and keep aside.
- In a bowl, soak kesar in warm milk for 10 minutes and keep aside.
- Heat ghee in a kadhai and sauté basmati rice for about 5 minutes on a medium flame or until it is fragrant.
- Add kesar milk, water and salt to the rice. Stir well, cover and cook for about 15 minutes on a low flame.
- Heat a tbsp ghee in another kadhai and add onions to it. Cook for about 2–3 minutes till the onions turn soft. Add the sugar.
- Allow it to caramelise. Cook on medium flame for 2–3 minutes. As the onions turn dark brown, add chopped dry fruits, including kismish. Stir for about a minute and switch off the flame. Keep aside.
- Now check the rice, if it is completely cooked, add elaichi and jaiphal powder and mix well.
- Next, add the roasted dry fruits and onions.
- Mix lightly. Garnish with chopped mint leaves (optional) and serve hot.
