Brown Rice Green Pulao (Brown Rice & Mint Pilaf)

Recipe by Cook's Hideout

I love the nuttiness of Brown Rice and cook with it quite often. I usually make plain brown rice and make side dishes, like Thai Panaeng Curry or Tempeh Rendang. Basically I like to pair brown rice with spicy Asian dishes and rarely with Indian curries. So when I saw this recipe for flavored brown rice recipe on one of the Indian cooking shows that I'm obsessed with, I know I had to make it. The original recipe used cilantro, but I used mint instead. A combination of mint and cilantro would be yummy too. This is a very flavorful...

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 onion (- medium, finely chopped)
• 1 tsp Ginger garlic (+ paste)
• supermarket roast chicken, approximately 200g once shredded
• 1 tomato (- medium, chopped)
• to taste Salt
• 1 cup mint leaves ((can be substituted with cilantro or a mix of mint and cilantro))
• 2 - 3 chilies (Green)
• 6 - 8 Peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon (")
• 3 cloves
• 3 pods Cardamom

Method

1. Wash, rinse and soak brown rice for at least 5-6 hours or overnight. Drain the water from the rice and reserve the drained water.
2. Make the Masala Paste: Grind all the ingredients listed under Masala/ spice paste using little water, if needed.
3. Make the rice: Heat 1tbsp oil in a medium saucepan; add onions and saute until translucent. Then add ginger + garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Next add the green/ masala paste, turmeric and tomatoes. Saute till tomatoes soften and the paste doesn't smell raw anymore.
5. Add brown rice along with 2½-3 cups of reserved water. Bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer covered until all the water is absorbed and the rice is completely cooked, about 30-35 minutes. (Amount of water and the cooking time depend on the type of brown rice used, so use package directions).
6. Let the rice rest for about 5-10 minutes before digging in.

View the recipe instructions at Cook's Hideout