Sprouts Pulao

We have been eating traditional south Indian food for a few days in a row.  Just over the last few days I made adai, milagu kuzhambu, jeera rasam, paruppu thogayal, amaranth keerai, potato curry, and upma to name a few.

Even though my husband never gets tired of this fare, I was ready for a change.  I also wanted to make just one thing for dinner  (something my younger son also will eat).  After a really long day at work, I did not want to stay in front of the stove for too long.   I also did not want to add more food to the stash of leftovers in the fridge.

While browsing some of my favorite food blogs, I came across this recipe for Garlicky Herbed Lentil and Carrot Pilaf.  It seemed really simple to make and looked like a one-pot meal.

I had sprouted some masoor dal for another recipe and had frozen the unused sprouts.  This is something I do often.  If I plan in advance to make something using sprouts, then I make a little extra and freeze it, so that I can add it to pulaos or other dals.  This saves me a lot of time and not only adds a wonderful texture to whatever I am making, but also increases its protein content.

I mostly followed the recipe above, with some very minor modifications.  

Here is what you need:

(for a family of 4)

• 1 ½ cups basmati rice
• 2 tsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. jeera (cumin seeds)
• ½ tsp. saunf (fennel seeds)
• 3 – 4 cloves
• ½ tsp. kalonji (onion seeds/nigella)
• 1 tsp. oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 jalapenos
• 1” piece ginger
• some cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sprouted masoor or sprouted moong dal
• salt to taste

 

Here is how I made it:

1. Wash and rinse the basmati rice in several changes of water.
2. Heat ghee in a pan.  Add jeera, saunf, cloves, and kalonji.
3. When the jeera changes color, add the basmati rice and a little bit of salt.  Fry for a few minutes.
4. Add three cups of water.  Bring this to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, till the rice is done (about 10 – 12 minutes)
5. While the rice is cooking, take the garlic, ginger, and jalapenos in a food chopper or your cutting board.  Mince them to a coarse mixture.
6. In another pan, heat the oil.
7. Add the garlic mixture and cilantro.   Sauté for a few minutes.
8. Add the sliced carrots and sprouted masoor dal.  Add a little bit of salt to taste (remember that the rice already has salt added to it) and mix well.
9. Cook covered, on low heat, till the masoor dal is done – about 10 – 12 minutes.
10. Now, add this mixture to the cooked rice and mix well.
11. Cover this and cook for about five more minutes so that the rice absorbs all the flavors.

Serve hot with a simple dal and raitha.