Gajar Mattar Palao (Carrot and Pea Pilaf)
A quick, easy, but delicious rice dish to complement BBQ meats and most Indian dishes. It goes well with spicy curries.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white basmati rice
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 stick cinnamon (about an inch)
- 2 green cardamon
- ¼ tsp clove powder (or 3-4 cloves)
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ medium onion (finely sliced)
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups water (plus 1 tbsp)
- ¾ cup frozen peas and carrots
Instructions
To prepare:
- Pick rice clean of any grit. Wash 4 times. Cover with enough water and let soak.
- Meanwhile, prep your ingredients.
- When you have all your ingredients ready, rinse the rice, and set it aside.
To cook:
- Heat oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high.Add the bay leaves, whole cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Let sauté 1 minute.
- Add the onions and sauté 4-5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the ginger and garlic and stir for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom so that the ginger does not stick and burn.
- Add the turmeric and give it a stir.
- Add the rice.
- Sauté, gently stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 3 minutes until the grains turn a little opaque.
- Add salt and water. Stir them to mix with rice.
- Bring the pot to a boil on high heat, uncovered. Immediately turn down the boiling water to a low simmer.
- Add the peas and carrots. Stir.
- Cover with a lid, and let cook on medium-low for 15 minutes. Do not uncover the lid or disturb the rice at this point.
- Once the rice puffs out a bit and most of the water has evaporated, turn the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
- Move the pot off the burner and let it sit covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and puff the rice up with a fork.
- Spoon into a serving dish. Break up any rice lumps.
Notes
You can garnish the pilaf with sautéed cashew nuts or fried onions.
You can check to see if the rice is undercooked by rubbing a few grains between your thumb and forefinger. If they feel granular, then add a splash of water. Cover and cook on low for a few more minutes.
If you cook your rice in an oven-safe pot, once most of the water has evaporated, you can finish cooking it in the oven at 180F degrees for 10 minutes.
A manual pressure cooker or the Insta Pot cuts cooking time. Just follow the manual instructions.