Easy Peasy Spring Pullav

                                                       Makes about 4 cups of rice

 Spring  has finally arrived in our neck of the woods! When I saw the mint growing in the yard, it reminded me of this  delicately seasoned pullav with green peas and mint. Perfect for spring, plus it is super easy to make. The white rice in this recipe can be substituted with brown rice or quinoa -all delicious choices!

I love the fragrance of the Basmati rice and the mint together! This particular pullav goes well with so many main dishes like the Murg Saagwala, the Malvani Chicken,or the Chicken Stew.

Ingredients-

• 1 cup uncooked Basmati rice, washed, and cooked with 2 cups of water or stock (4 cups of cooked rice)
• 1 tablespoon oil plus 1 teaspoon ghee
• 4 to 5 peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 2 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh green peas or frozen green peas, defrosted
• 7 to 8 leaves of fresh mint leaves, chopped (or more, if you like mint)
• Sea salt to taste

To make the Basmati rice-

1. Heat the oil and ghee over medium heat in a pan. Add the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and the bay leaf. Fry for a few seconds (stand back as the spices may sputter) and add the sliced onion. Stir fry until the onion begins to caramelize. Add the green peas and stir until the peas are cooked.
2. Turn the heat down to low, add the fresh, chopped, mint leaves, the cooked rice and sea salt to taste. Toss well until the rice heats through and the flavors mingle, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Serve!

Note–

•  I leave the whole spices in the rice. But if you do not want to, remove them before serving.
• This rice can be made in advance and reheats very well.
• You may cook the rice with chicken or vegetable stock too.

Enjoy the flavors of spring!

Love,

Sandhya