North Indian staple, with Sindhi flavours

Pushpesh Pant

IT seems that the contest between pulao and biryani can never be settled to anyone’s satisfaction. Gourmets can come to blows discussing if there can be a vegetarian version of these meaty delicacies. However, in the Sindhi cuisine’s repertoire, there is a biryani that combines vegetables and meat with the pickling spices and it also has a sublime pulao that blends sweet-and-sour flavours and swings towards the saffron-hued zarda.

Recently we had a beautifully balanced one-dish meal platter that paired Sindhi biryani-inspired pulao with a raw mango curry with tadka dahi and aam ka chundo, with baked banana chips replacing the papad. This was at Sattvik restaurant’s Shravan food festival in the Capital. We share slightly tweaked recipes with our readers this time. Do try these please, you will not be disappointed.

SINDHI PULAO

Ingredients

Rice 1-1/2 cup

Onions (medium-sized) 3

Garlic 3-4 cloves

Ginger paste 1 tsp

Tomato puree 2 tbsp

Cinnamon stick (2-inch) 1

Bay leaf 1

Cloves 3-4

Black peppercorns 8-10

Green cardamom 2

Black cardamom 1

Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp

Cumin powder 1/2 tsp

Coriander-seed powder 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Star anise 1 flower

Green chillies 2-3

Salt To taste

Dried apricots 50 gm

Rasins 2 tbsp

Ghee 1/3 cup

Method

• Soak rice in water for about 30 minutes. Drain the water and spread the grains on a tray.
• Peel onions and slice finely lengthwise. Peel garlic cloves and chop. Wipe and clean the green chillies and chop finely.
• Chop dried apricots. Soak apricots and raisins in 2 tbsp of rose water or lukewarm plain water.
• Put rice in a pressure cooker, add three cups of water and cook on pressure till one whistle. Switch off the gas and remove the weight to release the pressure. Uncover to avoid over-cooking the rice.
• To make pulao, heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and add all the whole spices. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and then add sliced onion. Stir fry the onions on low-medium flame till these turn reddish brown in colour. Be patient, do not fry the onions on high flame otherwise these will turn brown fast and not get caramelised.
• Add the powdered spices mixed in 1/3 cup water to avoid burning. Stir well, add ginger paste and tomato puree.
• Add the boiled rice at this stage, gently spreading all over the pan to avoid breaking the grains. On the surface, evenly sprinkle the chopped apricots, raisins and green chillies.
• Add 1/4th cup of hot water to the rice mix and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook/simmer for 10 minutes. Put a thick pre-heated tawa on the gas before putting the rice pan on it to simmer. Switch off the gas and uncover just before serving.
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander or sprigs of mint leaves.

MANGO CURRY

Ingredients

Unripe mangoes (small size) 2

Fresh coconut (grated) 1/2 cup

Dried red chillies 4-5

Coriander seeds 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder A large pinch

Black peppercorns 6-8

Garam masala powder (optional) 1/3 tsp

Hing (asafoetida) A pinch

Curry leaves (fresh) 10-12

Cinnamon (2-inch piece) 1

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Cloves 1-2

Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil 1/4 cup

Salt To taste

Method

• Remove the stones from the mangoes, slice lengthwise and chop into small pieces.
• Soak dry red chillies in water for 10-15 minutes. Remove from water, add in a blender with the grated coconut and spices and grind to a smooth paste.
• Reserve some oil for tempering. Heat rest of the oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the coconut-spices paste. Stir well and add ginger-garlic paste. Stir-fry and add the powdered spices, mix well and then add the sliced mangoes, along with a cup of hot water. Bring to boil. Cook on a low-medium flame for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring in between till the desired consistency is obtained.
• Now heat the oil reserved for tempering in a ladle. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves in it. When the seeds crackle and the curry leaves turn colour, pour the tempering over the curry. Stir well and serve hot or at room temperature with Sindhi pulao.