Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Gajar Matar Pulav ( Carrot- Peas Pilaf)



When I first visited Peoria, a small city in Illinois, I had no idea and no wish to call it home. I was happy and content living in Los Angeles, who wouldn't be? Sunshine, palm trees swaying to the breeze, everything close to home, a ton of friends. Life was great, like a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces in their  place. 
The only thing that made me unhappy was that M had to travel  to work and  S and I missed him, a lot. Weekends were full of chores and that was not what I wanted. I wanted us to enjoy the beautiful weather and be together.
Well, I got my wish, almost........... we moved out of sunny LA and plonk, in the middle of cold city which looked and felt strange and with no friends, no smiling faces. Then I met a friendly girl and we  liked one another, but there was a snag, she was  going to India for a 2 month holiday. sigh!
Much as I had wanted this, this wasn't the exact thing I wanted. Make sense?  I felt just as jumbled as the sentence. 
We faced our very first 'snowy' winter, that in itself was not as bad ( huh?!!), the snow was a novelty, but as the snow stopped and we waited for spring, time hung heavily on our hands. S and I would long for fair weather when we could go out for walks. On one such walk I made a new friend. She was playing with her son, who looked my son's age or a tad older. I walked over and we smiled at one another and then things fell into place. Like a jigsaw. 
That day, it felt like spring. Things 'clicked' and  soon, just like my LA days, we formed a group and started meeting everyday. Potlucks, mixed lunches ( bring what you have and let's enjoy types)  became  necessary. Tea and tea time snacks, baking bread and  talking about anything and everything became  order of the day.
Time no longer hung heavily on our hands, the boys play together or at least in the same room without any upheavals and we are happy once again! 
On one such potluck I made this gajar matar pilaf ( Carrot- Peas Pilaf). It is pure simplicity and tastes good. A minimum list of ingredients and comes together quickly and looks colorful. 
I serve this pilaf with kadhi and pickles (or papad) 

You need:
1 Cup long grained Rice- Basmati
2 Tbsp. Ghee
2 Cloves
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Carrots, peeled and cubed
1/2 Cup Green Peas ( fresh or frozen)
Salt to taste

Wash the rice in 3-4 changes of water, top with fresh water and keep aside for at least 20 minutes. Drain completely before using.

In a thick bottomed vessel, heat ghee on a medium high heat, add the cloves and cumin seed

Saute till the seasoning sizzles

Add the vegetables and then the rice and stir briefly to ensure the seasoning coats the vegetables and rice.** 

Add 2 cups water, salt to taste and cover and cook till rice is cooked through and is fluffy ( each grain is cooked and separate)

OR, I usually after ** this stage, transfer all the contents to the rice cooker and let it cook while I start on something else. Totally hassle free! 


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23 comments:

Unknown said...

A simply yet simply delectable pulao :)

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Simple and yummy pulao....

Nandinis food said...

This is very tasty and yummy pulao!

Priya Suresh said...

Delicious pulav, simple and irresistible..

Anonymous said...

It's a delightful, colourful presentation and looks appetising too !

Kulkarni

Padhu Sankar said...

Colorful and yummy

Unknown said...

And all was well in M's Land again...and I miss those days when I had NOTHING to do.. U have no clue HOw J I am rite now.....best time of your life.. when u can ruffle the feathers of your home and tend to each memeber...when they want you to.. and not when u have the time to..see reading your post has me jumbled in the words...but u know WhatI mean... Nice PUlav and now I am hungry!!!!FedEx kar thoda NJ la....Plzzzz

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Delicious! Mouthwatering! Wonderful! Each grain looks so so distinct. Ran out of compliments!

Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi

Swathi said...

Gajar mattar pulao looks awesome. Nice and colorful.

divya said...

Delicious pulav, simple and irresistible..

aipi said...

This dish is always hit in potluck parties n get together- especially when it is made so wonderfully well!
US Masala

Cooking Foodie said...

Lovely clicks... and nice write up... glad u are now at home in Chicago :-)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Manasi
How are you?
I like this recipe and the click .Very nice

Vaishali said...

Love this simple but colorful pilaf. Nice to see you're settling down in your new surroundings.

Unknown said...

First time here...love this colorful and tasty pulav..looks super good

Deeksha said...

yummy pulav... nice clicks !

Linda said...

Hi Manasi, pulav looks delicious and so does that kadhi!! Glad to hear you're happy at last in your new home :)

Suganya said...

Delicious pulav recipe... Looks so colorful and mouthwatering. nice recipe... YUM!

Cynthia said...

Thanks for stopping by to help me feel better.

CinnamonNChillies said...

Hello...thanks for dropping by!! You have a very cute space here :-)

Alia said...

Hi,

I am your follower. I really really like ur blog! Kya baat hai!

Keep up the good work!

Could u visit my blog too at:
http://aliascreativelife.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

heyy heyy u missed yogurt in the pulao!!! it tastes more better with it ! one of my fav pulao .. yummm

Ashish said...

Pulao's are always yummy. I bet you never had like this before at Moti mahal Deluxe Tandoori Trail, Gurgaon.

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