Canteen Veg Pulav

Till Grade 10 I carried lunch box as my house was pretty far from school and there was no question of coming back home and relishing hot steaming and yummy food that Amma made and my brother relished just because he was a few minutes away from home. I always wished to go to a near by school. And my dream came true just as I entered 11^th. The college was just a few minutes away from my house and I like my brother would come and enjoy the yummy food my mom made :). The time was not far where I started missing my Lunch Box when I saw bunch of classmates having fun and sharing talks gossips, then I wished go back to my lunch box but couldn’t.

We passed from 12^th and reached the graduation college, the heart started beating as if I was under some pressure test. All this happened because it was a new college and I had no old friends there is what I had thought and suddenly I come to know I have a neighbor friend who was not only in the same class but same batch, then the heart beat rate gradually slowed down and I was relieved.

It was the same routine for lunch as it was in 11^th and 12^th as the graduation college was also not that far. But this time I made sure to get a lunch box once a week just to have the fun time. We enjoyed sharing the lunch box had fun.  

There would be some days when my lunch box would get empty within 11 in the morning just because I opened my box to have a bite of snack(such as aloo bonda, aloo rotti , biscuit rotti or so) the aroma would waft to the back bench boys and soon I was asked to share my tiffin. I would happily do so, and soon think about what I would have for lunch. First thing that would come to my mind would be Canteen Pulav. Yes the canteen pulav it wasn’t that yummy though but somehow I relished it may be because I was hungry or some other reason that I never know till date. They would serve merely 2 tbsps of raita for a plate of Pulav yet it was something that we enjoyed asking for more raitha ;). Those were the days I so very miss it, wish I could live it once again.

Coming to today’s dish, I made some experimental pulav and when hubby and I tasted it we just could feel the Canteen kind of taste in there. Far better than our College canteen though but something near to it. So soon I penned down the recipe to post it here.

The pictures are from Iphone, I wanted to post it as soon as possible with this picture because I am one Bullakkad ;).

Here is what we need for canteen pulav,

Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup (I used Sona Masoori)
Water -2 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Onion – 1
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Carrot -1
Beans – 10
Green peas - 1/3^rd  cup.
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (finely chopped).
Salt to taste.

Seasoning:
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon -1“ piece
Cloves -2
Cardomom - 2
Green chillies 2 (slit)

Spice Powders needed:
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Garam masala - ½  tsp.
turmeric powder – 1/4^th  tsp.


Preparation

• Soak the rice in  water for 30 minutes.

•  Cut the carrot into small cubes, and cut the beans into ½ inch pcs and onions lengthwise.

Method

•  Take a pressure a cooker or a large bottom pan, add Ghee when it is hot add bayleaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and slit green chillies.
• When you get nice aroma from spices, and when green chillies turns pale, add onions and Ginger garlic paste.
• When onions turns slightly brown colour, add chopped carrots, beans and peas.
• Sauté in a medium flame for 5 minutes.
• Add all spice powders (chilli powder, garam masala and turmeric powder) & salt  mix well,  add coriander leaves and sauté for 2 more minutes.
• Add rice with water. Mix well.
• When water starts boiling, cover the cooker lid and put the weight, and cook on low flame for 10-12 minutes or 1 whistle.
• Then switch off the flame, remove the pressure cooker from the stove and give a standing time of 15 minutes, rice gets well cooked with the heat of cooker. Then remove the lid.
• Serve hot with Raitaa of your choice.

Note:

You can use basmati rice if you wish to but as I cook one pot dishes regularly I do not use basmati always.

Happy Cooking,