Matar pulao | peas pulao

This matar (peas) pulao is a tasty dish or a quick way to jazz up some plain old rice! I always have some peas in my freezer and I often add them to dishes when I want to add some extra nutrients. This rice dish is perfect to have on its own with boondi raita or cucumber raita or some masala onion salad (masala pyaaz). As a side dish, you can serve it with dal or paneer based dishes! Like with any pulao, the key to making it is to ensure that you have rinsed and soaked the rice really well beforehand - for some more tips see my paneer pulao recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup  / 200g long grain basmati rice 
1 cup / 250ml boiling water 
1 cup peas / 130g frozen or fresh peas 
1 large red onion finely sliced 
Oil or ghee as required 
Salt to taste 
Chopped fresh coriander to garnish

You'll need these spices
1 tsp cumin seeds 
3-4 cardamom pods 
2-3 cloves 
Small piece of whole cinnamon

Method 

• First, prep the rice. Wash & rinse the rice really well. You want the water to be run clear and no excess starch to be present. I rinsed the rice at least 3-4 times. When rinsed, leave to soak for 30 minutes.
  
  
• Whilst the rice is soaking, you can get started on the base of the pulao. Take a kadai or large wide non-stick pan (for which you have a lid) and heat the ghee or oil on medium-low heat. 
  
  
• When the oil or ghee is hot, add the whole spices and saute for a few minutes until they become fragrant and start releasing their amazing aroma. 
  
  
• Next, add the sliced onions. Saute on a medium-low heat until they become soft and golden. The longer the better here, you want to develop a delicious caramelised onion flavour. Mine took around 15 minutes. 
  
  
• When the onions are deliciously soft & golden, add the peas. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or so. 
  
  
• By this time the rice should have finished soaking. Drain and then add the soaked rice to the spice-onion-pea mixture. 
  
  
• Add the 1 cup (250ml) of boiling water. Mix well and let the pulao come to a gentle boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and let the pulao simmer on the lowest heat possible until all the water has been absorbed. Mine took around 15 minutes (yours may take less or longer depending on the quality of the basmati rice)
  
  
• When you see that all the water has been absorbed, check the rice and fluff up with a fork. If there is still a little water/moisture remaining - cook for a few minutes longer with the lid on.
  
  
• When finished, garnish with fresh coriander and serve!

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