Matar Pulao

I've become so accustomed to pulao/biryani that plain rice is too bland for me. I like having something (peas, burnt onions) to much on which having my rice. Here's presenting a very simple recipe for making matar pulao.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1.5 cups of rice * (depending on your appetite)
• 1 cup of matar (peas)
• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
• A (tiny) bit of garam masala (the whole stuff, not the powder) - cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

The USP:

• Very simple to make
• Can be done in just 1 pressure cooker in 25 mins tops
• Since everything gets boiled in the end, near-zero chance of going wrong

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in the cooker
• Add the jeera and the garam masala
• Heat till the jeera starts popping
• Add the peas and mix well
• Let this stay for 2-3 mins
• Add the rice and mix well
• Add water equal to twice the amount of rice
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker
• Heat on full ignition till one whistle
• Shut down the stove
• Open the pressure cooker only once the entire pressure inside is gone **

Possible Additions:

• Soaked Rice: Another possibility is to soak the rice for 20 mins before cooking. This will be more useful when you are making onion or tomato - based pulao (below). I suppose it ensures better absorption.

• Onions: I like to have burnt onions in my pulao. They also make the pulao brown in colour. To do that, cut 1-2 onions in whatever size you like them. After adding the jeera and garam masala, when the jeera starts popping, add the onions. Fry them till they start getting burnt (they would have turned brown by now). Then add the peas and continue.

• Tomatoes: Another possible addition is tomatoes. They, obviously, make the pulao red in colour. To do that, make puree out of 1-2 tomatoes and then add to the mix after the jeera starts popping. Cook it for some time till the oil starts separating at the corners. Then add the peas and continue.

----------------------------------

* - wash the rice very well before cooking. My experience is that you need to wash it 2-3 times.

** - you can know this if, on raising the cap of the pressure cooker, no steam is seen