(A vibrant, vegetable rice dish made using beetroot).

This is a brightly colored rice preparation, which is not only delicious but also healthy. It has the goodness of many vegetables along with a spicy, tangy taste. Add some cheese on top and it becomes irresistible. The best part about this pulao is that it gets made in under 30 minutes! With this pulao, a special meal can be conjured up in no time! So let us get to its recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 cups long-grain basmati rice

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tbsp salted butter

• 1 tsp jeera

• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

• 1 onion chopped

• 1 tomato chopped

• 1 small beetroot finely grated

• 1 capsicum chopped

• 2 tbsp french beans finely chopped

• 1/4 cup green peas

• 1/4 cup carrots chunks

• 2 tsp red chili powder

• 1/2 tbsp pav bhaji masala

• 1/2 cup grated cheese

• salt as per taste

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

  For the garnish -

• 1 tbsp coriander leaves

• Cheese grated
  

Method

• Rinse the rice under running tap water 2-3 times. In a pan, bring 6-7 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and add a little salt, lemon juice, and rice to it. Give it a stir, put a lid on the pan, and let the rice cook on low-medium heat. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Keep checking the rice. Stir it gently a few times if needed. Toward the end, taste a little rice to check if it’s done. The rice should be just cooked- nice and firm. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE RICE.

• Set a large strainer over a large vessel and strain the rice properly. DO NOT discard the water after straining. It can be put to good use(refer to NOTES below to see how).

• Fluff up the rice using a spoon/fork gently to let all the steam out. Add 1 tbsp of butter over it, and mix it well with the rice. Set the rice aside for cooling.

• Boil green peas separately, and put them in cold water immediately after they are cooked to retain their color.

• In another pan/kadhai, heat the oil. Once the oil gets hot, add 1 tbsp butter and add chopped onion to it. Saute till the onion gets light golden brown.

• Add the ginger-garlic paste, and saute for a minute on medium flame.

• Add the tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Toss in the carrot chunks, french beans, and grated beetroot. Sprinkle some salt and cover the pan with a lid. Cook till the veggies are cooked. They should not be too soft.

• Add capsicum, and boiled green peas. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

• Fold in the boiled rice gently, and mix everything well. Check for the salt, and add some if required.

• Add half the amount of grated cheese.

• Squeeze some lemon juice on top, and give it a nice stir.

• Garnish with coriander leaves and the other half amount of grated cheese.

  VEG BEETROOT CHEESE PULAO IS READY TO BE SERVED!

  SERVE HOT.

Notes -

• After draining the cooked rice, add little butter/oil to prevent the rice from sticking.

• Collect the drained liquid. Do not discard it. This liquid can be used to make soups or can be reused to cook rice again.

• You can serve this pulao with curd/raita.

• You can use vegetables of your choice. Cabbage, cauliflower, or potato can also be added.

• Add red chili powder as per your liking. You can make it spicy if you like.

• I use Amul cheese cubes to make this recipe. You can use any processed cheese cubes.

• If you are a vegan, skip adding cheese. Use vegan butter instead of normal butter.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rinsing rice many times helps get rid of the starch from it. Starch is responsible for making the rice sticky. So, when you rinse rice properly, the rice grains do not stick to each other. Another trick is to add lemon juice while cooking rice. This also helps in making the rice less sticky and gives it a nice white color. After draining the water from the boiled rice, add some oil/ butter to keep the grains from sticking to each other.