I have two boys. One loves peas, and the other one hates it. I am not kidding. You should watch them eating a dish that has peas. One spends precious eating time picking the green little pebbles and piling them high on the side. The other one hangs halfway over his plate and picks them clean off the pile.
Do you have a vegetable that you simply can’t stand for no good reason? My pea hater says he just doesn’t like them because he just doesn’t. No particular reason. They are perfectly OK taste and texture wise, but he feels the urge to purge them off his plate as soon as he sees them.
Other than my handsome pea hater, everyone else loves them. Peas pulao is an all time favorite. It’s simple to cook, and goes with any side dish. My pea-hater likes it too. Just picks the peas. Refer to para No #1 😀
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 1 tsp olive oil (ghee/clarified butter preferred)
- 1 whole dry red chili
- 1" cinnamom
- 1 black cardamom (optional)
- 2 green cardamoms (optional)
- 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup peas (I use frozen)
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp sugar
- 4 cups water (use the same cup that you use to measure rice)
- Wash the rice and soak it for 10 minutes. Drain water and keep aside.
- Heat oil/ghee
- Season with bay leaf, dry red chili, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves.
- Mix in the peas. If frozen, raise the flame to High and fry for a minute.
- Add the rice.
- Now pour in 4 cups of water, stir in salt and sugar.
- Bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat on low, and cover the pan, but do NOT put on the lid tight. Leave about an inch open on the side to let the steam escape.
- Cook for 10 minutes. Check for doneness (pick up a rice grain, place it between your thumb and index finger, mash it. If is gets mashed, it's cooked.)
- Switch off the flame, cover completely, and let it sit for a minute of two.
- Use a fork to mix the rice evenly with peas. Be gentle and use the fork lightly so that the rice grains do not break .
- Serve hot.
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