Kashmiri Pulao
This very fancy Kashmiri pulao, or Kashmiri Pallao, is from the Northern Indian state of Kashmir. Although it is a frozen region high in the Himalayas, Kashmir lies along the ancient overland trade routes between India and Central Asia, and the cuisine is famous for using a huge assortment of nuts and dried fruits from all over Central and Western Asia.
Total Time
40 minutes
Servings
4
3 tablespoons ghee or butter
5 cloves
4 pods green cardamom
1 cinnamon tree leaf (or substitute 2 bay leaves)
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 ½ teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
2 green chillies, split lengthwise
1 pinch of salt
3–4 strands saffron
1 tablespoon milk
½ kilogram basmati or other long-grained rice, cooked and drained
100 grams dried dates, pitted and sliced thin
50 grams white raisins
50 grams cashew nuts
50 grams pistachio nuts
50 grams almonds, blanched and diced
Heat ghee or butter in a large wide pan or wok.
Add the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon tree leaf.
Add the chopped onion, and fry until it just begins to turn brown.
Add ginger-garlic paste and chillies and fry for about 1 minute before tossing in all of the dried fruits and nuts.
1 minute
Add salt to taste.
Turn the flame down to low.
Soak the strands of saffron in milk, mixing until the milk turns orange.
Pour the cooked rice into the pan and sprinkle the saffron-milk on top.
Stir very carefully so as not to break or mash up the rice grains, mixing the flavourings and saffron colour in uniformly and heating the rice.
Mix in dried fruits and nuts.
Add more ghee according to your preference.
Serve with a gravy such as the basic tomato gravy.
- •Try adding paneer fried in ghee to the pulao.