I find mint too pungent for any recipe. But my mom added this recipe for mint pulao to her repertoire two years back and since then, she has been raving about it and she makes this almost once a week for my choosy (read spoilt) brother's lunch box. My mom adds more mint and less cilantro to make the pesto-like chutney. But for our taste, I add equal quantities of both. This is very refreshing. Cooking the chutney with rice removes the overwhelming woodiness of the mint and also infuses the herbs into the rice. Use ghee or clarified butter to smooth out the herbs.
Make a paste of 1/3 cup each cilantro and mint with 3 green chilies. Mix chutney with enough water in a measuring cup to make 2 cups of liquid. Heat ghee or oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the chutney water and 1.5 tsp of salt. When the water starts boiling, mix in 1 cup of long-grain or basmati or brown rice. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook until rice is done according to your preference. Serve with raita.
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Yum, this dish sounds delicious, and simple in a very pleasant sort of way. I live in Berkeley, CA and there are all sorts of great Indian markets to put to good use. What type of chili do you use, and do you include the seeds?
ReplyDeleteI use serrano chilies. I think Thai bird or even jalapenos may be good.
ReplyDeleteyes, I do leave the seeds in. If you wish you can, remove them. It is the mint that makes the dish. Hope you try it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice, and the nice compliment about my pictures.
ReplyDeleteMint is really an acquired taste, like you I learned to love this herb, you see, my other half loves mint pulao and all things with mint.
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