Rainbow Rice or Veg Pulao

R is for Rainbow and rice and this is for BlogchtterA2Z2023. Why am I calling it Rainbow Rice or Veg Pulao? Well, just because it is a blend of so many colours. Food or in fact any dish has to be colourful 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 our tri-coloured national flag. I am patriotic but then I wanted to add the tomatoes to the rice.

Coming home to a locked house after one week of travel. I had to clean up the house and just wanted to order some lunch, but then I am happier eating home-cooked food. My groceries were obviously minimal. I found I had the bare necessities and had to rustle up some lunch with them.

Fresh Colourful Veggies

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 the 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 Veg Pulao

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 you cook them, 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.

Finally, 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 sense. I had it steaming hot with yoghurt, some pickle and a fresh cucumber from my garden. Rainbow Rice or Veg Pulao is a simple meal that is comforting, nutritious and gratifying.