Our fast-paced lifestyle leaves a narrow window for making our own meals. Most of the time we either end up preparing frozen food or having fast food. Ordering food is always an option but not the most economical one. Though a proper full course food takes a fair amount of time, effort and planning, there are numerous recipes for vegans, vegetarians and non-vegetarians that require a fairly short amount of time yet are delicious and, most importantly, high in nutrients.
In this Quick Recipe Series, coming in three parts, I’ll cover my top three picks, one from each category. So the recipe for today is vegan Pulao.
Pulao is a famous and quick to prepare Indian subcontinent dish that is popular among North Indian families as well as among students. In a rice base, vegetables are simmered with low to medium spices providing the perfect juicy vegetable taste.
Ingredients required:
– A cup of rice (Basmati if available)
– Frozen vegetables ( ½ to 1 small cup)
– Black pepper
– Garam Masala ( Indian blend of spices)
– Oil
– Salt
How to make:
1. Start off by pouring 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a pan and keep it in high to medium heat. After oil is heated up, place frozen vegetables into the pan (to make the process faster, thaw the frozen vegetables in hot water).
2. After 2-3 min, add a little bit of salt to caramelize the vegetables and wait for another 2 minutes. After, add Garam Masala and black pepper into the mixture. Mix it well.
3. Meanwhile, wash 1 cup of rice in a bowl and remove the water completely.
4. After this, add the rice into the same pan where we fried the vegetables. Add two cups of water ( make sure the measurement is taken from the same cup, which was used to measure the rice).
5. Add salt according to your taste.
6. Cover the pan and heat up the rice-vegetable mixture in medium heat.
7. After 12-15 min, check if the whole water from the dish is dried out. It can take a few minutes more or less according to the burner setting.
8. Once the water is dried out and the overall dish seems dry enough, mix it again, and it’s ready to serve.
Enjoy!
In the next article, I’ll be covering the vegetarian dish, so stay tuned and don’t miss it!