Bengali Mishti Pulao

I stumbled upon this blog while sifting through the blogosphere. I'm hooked on to it. Be it her recipes, photography, presentation, writing, pottery... Boy! I am impressed!!! As I was checking her posts one after the other, I felt as though I have found a treasure. A key to some Bong dishes especially to impress Abbas and Ma (hard to impress critics). First dish that I wanted to give a go was this Mishti Pulao which is something I never got right. My cook in Kolkata made it once on stove top by measuring rice and water in predefined proportions but the rice grains stuck to each other. I don't have a rice cooker and cooking rice in pressure cooker is like gambling for me. It turns out right once in a bluemoon. When I saw this dish on Pree's blog, I bounced with joy. She had described that with her rice cooked in microwave, they came out like pearls, each grains separate. And I even checked the comment list where readers had vouched for it. Without second thoughts, I made this when I had guests coming over. It undoubtedly turned out exactly the way I wanted. When paired with Kosha Mangsho, the meal was simply out of this world...

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 cups (soaked in water and sieved)
Handful of cashew nuts
Handful of raisins
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp (Original recipe called for grated ginger)
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp (Original recipe called for grated nutmeg)
Cardamoms - 2-3
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Cloves - 2-3
Bay leaves - 2
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste (I used 2 tsp, and worked out for me)
Water - 3 and 3/4 cups

Method:
1. Heat the ghee in a pan, add the cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon.
2. Add cashews and raisins. Let them get lightly browned on slow heat.
3. Add the rice, and mix well with the spices. Add the turmeric, nutmeg, ginger and fry for a few minutes.
4. The rice starts getting aromatic with the nutmeg and ginger.
5. Add the green peas, salt and sugar. Fry for another 5-7 minutes till you see any moisture evaporated and the grains of the Basmati separated.
6. Transfer the rice in a glass / microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 20 minutes in the microwave and let it stand for a few minutes. (Original recipe called for bowl to be covered with a cling film and a few drops of lemon juiceto be drizzled. I omitted these, yet got rice grains like pearls, the way Pree described. Well, this recipe is so forgiving!!)

This goes out to Priya's Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday Event - 1st February 2011 (Volume 27)