Everybody knows how to cook rice, but not everyone knows how to turn simple rice into a delicious, nutritious and healthy meal with the use of vegetables and spices. Our Indian style rice recipe is a “one pot recipe” and it is extremely easy to make. We call this dish “Rice and Spice”, but in India it is usually called rice pulao or rice pulav. This meal can include as many vegetables and even herbs as you like, and we are sharing our favourite version. The real secret of flavours though lies in the unique spices mix for rice which we will teach you to make from scratch. This rice might pretty much become your favourite meal now! Don’t be shy to experiment with different types of vegetables and spices, create a new variation of your own and share with us with comments how it came out.
Ingredients:
- rice (basmati rice works best, but you can also use brown rice or any other type of rice of your choice) – 1 cup
- frozen green peas – 1 cup
- frozen green beans – 1 cup
- carrot – 1 large
- red onion – 1 medium-sized
- star anise seed – 2 pieces
- cloves – 1/2 tsp
- cardamom – 1/2 tsp
- black pepper – 1/2 tsp
- cinnamon – 1 stick
- saffron soaked in milk or water – 4-5 strands
- cooking oil and salt to taste
Method:
Step 1. Soak the rice in cold water for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare and cut the vegetables.
Step 2. Grind all the spices together (except for cinnamon and star anise seed).
Step 3. Heat 4-5 tbsp oil in a deep pot and add cinnamon and star anise seed. Add the rest of freshly ground spices, cover with oil and cook for about half a minute while stirring, until the aroma starts coming out.
Step 4. Add carrots and onions and mix everything nicely, make sure that the carrot is covered in oil to retain the color. Add the rest of the vegetables and mix nicely.
Step 5. Add soaked rice, 2 cups of water, mix everything and cook for about 20 minutes, until the rice is just almost ready. When the rice is almost ready, add soaked saffron along with water or milk, switch off the heat and let it settle down for 5 minutes. Your delicious rice with vegetables and spices is ready! Enjoy as a side dish or on its own.
