Recipe | Beef Pulao With Carrots And Peas

When I first started cooking, I never attempted to make Pulao because I assumed it was going to be very complicated. Then one day, I asked my father how he makes pulao. My father is an outstanding cook, and every once in a while he beats my mother in the cooking game. Every weekend, my father cooks something special for us and puts his heart and soul into it. His pulaos especially are so delicious. When he told me how he makes it, I was surprised by how easy it is because it tastes like one of those very complicated to make dishes. Yes, the ingredient list is long but the method is very easy. You can also completely customize it to your liking by adding or removing any spices you prefer. Experiment with it till you find a recipe you love.


Recipe: Beef Pulao with carrots and peas
Serves 2–4

Ingredients

2 cups of basmati rice soaked in water an hour prior to cooking.
½ pound of beef cut to stew meat size
1 medium onion diced
3 cloves of garlic
2 Thai chillies
1 whole fennel chopped
3 medium size tomatoes diced or one small can of tomatoes
1 whole carrot diced
½ cup of peas
1 teaspoon of thyme chopped
½ teaspoon of whole cumin
½ teaspoon of whole coriander
2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
½ teaspoon of your favorite spice mix or curry powder
2 tablespoons of ghee and a small knob of butter
½ cup of water or stock

Method

In a deep pot on medium heat, fry onions in oil until translucent. Add meat and let that fry until brown. Once the meat has browned, add cumin, coriander, garlic, chilies, and fennel. Let this fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, curry powder, and turmeric. Stir, and let the tomatoes cook until dissolved. Then stir in half a cup of water followed by adding thyme, cloves, bay leaf, and carrots to the pot.

Add the rice (drained) and mix. If needed, add more water or stock to just about cover the rice. Add crushed saffron threads and butter. Cover. If not using a heavy bottom pot, you can first place a clean kitchen towel over the top of the pot, and then the cover. Fold the kitchen towel around the cover. This will create a tight seal replicating a heavy bottom pot cover. Let it cook on low or medium-low heat for an hour and a half. Five minutes before serving add peas and stir. I served mine with a yogurt and cucumber sauce. I just grated a cucumber, chopped mint leaves, and beat it together with plain yogurt and salt.