Mint Pulao / One-Pot Meal

When it comes to herbs , mint and summers go hand in hand for me. Whether it is an iced tea or a refreshing cooler drink , smoothie , dip or salad , mint surely adds in to the flavor and aroma. The sweet and refreshing aftertaste mint imparts to its dishes makes it all the more desirable during summers. Mint rice or mint pulao is one such aromatic and delicious rice dish in which fresh mint leaves are used to flavor the rice. 

Mint pulao is a convenient one-pot meal which can make up for a no-fuss lunch or dinner option during summers or when you are super hungry but lazy to cook an elaborate meal. This pulao also serves as a quick and easy lunch box menu for bachelors and busy working folks. Add veggies in the pulao to make it filling and nutritious , team it with some cool yogurt or home made raita and you are done ! I have served it with Pomegranate Raita and roasted papadam. 

 Fresh mint leaves are crushed with ginger and green chilies to make a flavorful paste. Use of whole spices in this pulao makes it mildly spicy and flavorful. A flavorful and aromatic rice dish ready under 30 minutes. I have cooked this pulao using a pressure cooker. You may cook it in a pot as well , only you have to increase the amount of water to cook rice. 

 Apart from imparting an aromatic and flavorful taste to its dishes , mint has many health benefits which include proper digestion and weight loss, relief from nausea , depression , fatigue and headache , treatment of asthma, memory loss and skin care problems. Source: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-mint.html

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati Rice or any long grain rice
• 1 bunch of fresh Mint or 1//2 cup tightly packed mint leaves
• 1 carrot diced or sliced
• 1 large onion finely sliced
• 1 potato cubed 
• 1/4 cup green peas fresh or frozen
• 2 green chilies
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 piece of cinnamon stick
• 2 clove
• 2 black pepper corn
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoon oil or ghee
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse one cup rice in water thoroughly . Soak it in 2 cup water for 10-15 minutes . 

  2. Mean while chop the veggies  and keep ready. Also make a paste of mint leaves with green chilies and ginger. 

  3. Drain the rice after soaking time and keep aside.

  4. Heat oil or ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Once the seeds crackle , add the cinnamon stick , pepper corn and clove. 

  5. Stir fry the whole spices for few seconds. Now add the sliced onions and saute well. Add carrot and potatoes and stir fry for about a minute followed by the addition of green peas.

 6. Now add the mint chilly paste to the veggies and stir fry very well on low flame. Add turmeric powder. 

  7. Add soaked and drained rice to the veggies and stir fry for about a minute.

  8. Add 2 1/2 cups of hot water to the rice . Add salt and give a quick stir.

  9. Cook the rice for 1 whistle and then simmer for 5 minutes.Put off the flame. Open the cooker once all the pressure has been released. Fluff the rice with a fork.

  10. Serve the delicious mint pulao with raita and salad and enjoy !

  Notes:

• If cooking the rice in a pot instead of pressure cooker , increase the amount of water used to cook the rice by 1/2 -1 cup . Keep stirring the rice in between.
• While making the mint paste , you may add fresh coconut chunks and coriander leaves too.
• You can make this pulao using left over rice, by simply stir frying the rice in the veggies sauteed in mint paste.

For more rice recipes, do check my posts on

• Coriander Rice
• Mushroom Pulao
• Vegetarian Broccoli Rice
• Soybean chunk fried rice
• Pineapple Fried Rice
• Vegetarian Nasi Lemak
• Schezwan Fried Rice
• Masale Bhat
• Jeera Rice
• Sweet Coconut Rice
• South Indian Tamarind Rice Recipe
• Curd Rice