PEAS AND RICE PILAF

Pilaf/pilau is a rice dish cooked with vegetables, meat, chicken or fish. Many use stocks for extra flavours along the whole spices. I used plain water and a few whole spices with peas. You will see in one of the pictures where The lid is covered with the kitchen cloth, this is a very old Iranian trick to perfectly cook the  rice  and each grain is singled

Serves 2-3

Time: 30 minutes

1 cup rice ( any long grain rice) washed and soaked and drained after 5 to 8 minutes

1/2 cup green peas

1 onion thinly sliced

1 tsp ginger and garlic paste

1 cinnamon stick

2 green cardamoms

1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 big black cardamom ( optional )

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cups water

Salt

2 tbs oil

1 tbs vinegar

1 tbs melted ghee/ butter

Method

Heat the oil in an open pan, add the whole spices. Let it cook till the popping sound starts.

Then, add the onions and cook until lightly golden in colour and then add the ginger and garlic paste. 

 

Pour in the water and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Now add the washed and drained rice. Give it stir and cover it.

As seen in the pic, I use the kitchen towel to cover the rice and then the lid. This helps in evaporating the moisture and maintain the steam inside the pan for the rice to cook perfectly. I use this method even in plain rice or in the rice cooker also.

Check after 10 minutes or so, by this time most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the green peas and fold in. The reason I fold the peas on this stage is to retain the bright colour and the texture of the peas.

Cover the lid again with the same method. Cook for another 10 minutes on very low heat. 

To serve, fluff up the rice grains with a fork and spoon little-melted butter or ghee.