Why am I calling it Rainbow rice or Pulao or Biryani? Well, just because it is a blend of so many colours. Food or in fact any dish has to be colorful for me. The more the colour, the more appetizing it looks. Actually, if I had not added tomatoes I could have named them Tri-colored rice as they match with our tri-colored national flag. I am patriotic but then I wanted to add the tomatoes to the rice.
I came home to a locked house after one week of travel. I had to clean up the house and just wanted to order for some lunch but then I am happier eating home-cooked food. My groceries were obviously minimal. I found that I had the bare necessities and had to rustle up some lunch with them.
I had onions, tomatoes, frozen peas and American corn. All these naturally had to be a part of a one-pot meal with some rice, and that’s what I did. With the rice, I needed yoghurt and surprisingly the yoghurt that I had left in the fridge was as fresh as ever and pickle is always there.
I like to use the rice cooker or slow cooker for cooking pulao or Biryani. It is hassle free; the rice cooks to perfection and it falls down to keep warm by itself.I have shared step by step pictures to show how easy the recipe is.
Ingredients for Rainbow Rice or Pulao or Biryani
1 cup rice
¼ cup green peas
¼ cup American corn
1 onion chopped long
1 tomato
3 green chillies (optional)
1-star anise
2 cardamoms
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Cow ghee or clarified butter
2 cups water
Method:
Wash and soak the rice. Take a pan and add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. Then add the onions and sauté till pink. Now add the green chillies and peas, stir for a while and add the American corn. Once they are cooked, add the tomatoes. Add the salt and the soaked rice and stir gently.
Transfer the veggies and rice from the pan to the rice cooker. Add the water and switch on the cooker. Once the rice is almost done, the aroma will waft through the air and tickle the nostrils. At this time, drizzle a spoonful of ghee over the rice and wait for the light to come down to keep warm.
When you are single then cooking a one-pot meal makes a lot of sense.I had it steaming hot with yoghurt ,some pickle and a fesh cucumber from my garden. Rainbow rice or Pulao or Biryani is a simple meal that is comforting, nutritious and gratifying.
