Carrots!! Carrots!! Carrots!!! You cannot live without them and You cannot live with them! if your household is anything like mine, fresh carrots are almost always in the fridge but the last to be consumed!! Curries, salads, sambhar, soups to name a few are widely used in most households!
This is a Scrumptious quick and easy recipe which can be prepared in minutes as this dish can be easily multi-tasked!!
The rice and veggies can be cooked simultaneously in a pressure cooker or electric rice cooker with a steamer or rice in a cooker and carrots to be cooked in a microwave oven!
Carrots are rich in fibre and antioxidants – They can be eaten raw as in salads, boiled and cooked as in soups and various dishes including Indian curry dishes.
This rice dish is a great combo of colour, flavour and texture with enhanced spiced carrots folded though cooked flavoured basmati rice !!
Ingredients
1 Cup Basmati or Long Grain Rice
1 ½ Cups Water
2 Medium Sized Carrots (chopped fine and lengthwise about an inch)
1 Medium Sized Onion (chopped lengthwise)
¼ Tsp Turmeric
3 Tbs Oil
1-2 Tsp Salt
To make a masala mix
1 Small Sized Onion (chopped in quarters)
1 Tomato Finely chopped Or
1 Tbs Tomato Paste
1 Pod finely chopped garlic
1 Tsp Garam Masala Powder OR
½ inch Cinamon Stick
Few cloves
1 small green chilli
Carrot Pulao
Preparation
Cook the rice in an electric rice cooker – if you have a steamer, place the chopped carrots to be steamed simultaneously!!
OR pressure cook the rice with a couple of whistles and in the meantime cook the chopped carrots with a tablespoon of water in the microwave on high for 6-7 minutes and keep aside.
Grind the ingredients for the masala into a fine mixture and set aside
While the rice and carrots are being done, heat the oil in a pan and add the turmeric
Add the onions and saute until soft
Add the masala mix – Stir in the cooked carrots to the above mix
Add salt to taste
Fold through the veggie mix into the cooked rice and mix it thoroughly
Garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Note: Any Vegetable can be substituted for the carrots, beans and peas and prepared in a similar manner
You may also cook the rice and veggies in the electric rice cooker enhancing it with a few spices!!! But my preference is to cook it separately and fold it gently…