Navratan Pulao

                        

Do you know what Navratan means? Sounds familiar? It literally stands for 9 jewels or gems. There are many stories behind the history of this dish, some say that during the rule of Emperor Akbar, the chef wanted to celebrate all Akbar’s 9 gems from his court and that’s how he came up with this dish. And that’s how Navratan Pulao was born, maybe? 

 To make this dish, you can use any 9 ingredients like a mixture of veggies and dry fruits/nuts or just all veggies.

 Pulao is one such dish that has travelled across both sides of the silk route – it has reached all the way upto China, Mongolia and also the other end upto Spain, Greece. It has different names and different recipes but it all originated in Persia centuries back and was called Pollo/Polo. It is interesting how every country added their own ingredients to it and made it for so local. This holds true for Pulao/Pulav as well. There are so many types of Pulao in India but this one especially is interesting given the royal nature and background of it.

I have a very delicious recipe of Navratan Pulao. Aromatic, colorful yet simple!

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice-1 cup 
2. Desi ghee or refined oil-3tbsp.
3. Green peas-1/2 cup
4. Red Bell pepper or Pomegranate Arils -1/4 cup
5. Almonds-12-15
6. Cashews-12-15
7. Paneer-mashed and shaped as pearls or Jasmine buds (You can skip this)
8. Carrots chopped-2 tbsp.
9. Pistachios-1 tbsp.
10. Raisins- 1tsp.
11. Nutri nuggets or corn-1/4 cup
12. Onion-2 medium size-finely chopped
13. Cloves-2, Black Cardamom-2, Cumin-1 tsp. (Ground)
14. Cinnamon Stick-1/2"
15. Green Cardamom-3
16. Bay leaf-2
17. Salt
18.  Red food color
19. Green food color
20. Water-1 cup 

Procedure:

• Soak rice for 1 hour.
• Soak nutri nuggets in  warm water.
• In 1 tsp. ghee, fry nuts on low heat.
• Heat ghee or oil in a pressure cooker and add bay leaf, cinnamon and green cardamom.
• Now add finely chopped onion.
• When it turns light pink, add ground spiced and salt.
• Add green peas, carrots, nuggets or corn whatever you are using.
• Add soaked rice and 1 tsp. lemon juice.
• Add 1 cup water and close the lid and cook till 1 whistle.
• Let it de-pressurise.
• Divide this in 3 parts.
• In one part, add few drops of red color.
• In second part, few drops of red color. third part will remain as such.
• Assemble and garnish with Sauted red pepper pieces, paneer buds, nuts, pomegranate arils.
• Serve with your choice of gravy sabizis.
• Today I served it with Mirchi ka Salan.