Palak (Spinach) and Corn Pulao


After baking lots of cookies, I have this strong urge to cook a little healthy and low-calorie diet. And when I think healthy, spinach is always at the top of my list. So, rather than the traditional Palak Paneer, I thought I'd use spinach puree in my Rice to make this delcious and pretty-looking Palak and Corn Pulao. It's basically similar to fried rice, but just with indian flavors instead of asian spices. Vegetable Pulao is traditionally cooked with long-grain basmati rice and you can add your choice of vegetables to it. And to get that balance of crunch with a bit of sweetness, I added the corn kernels. It was very wholesome, and you could add a whole lot of other veggies like brocolli or potatoes, carrots or beet to this pulao. The color is very inviting and fresh-looking, and decked up with tomatoes and fresh coriander, you'll actually feel like you are "eating green"!!

Ingredients
3 cups long grain Basmati rice
1 packet of spinach leaves
1/2 medium sized onion - chopped finely
2 green chillies - diced
1 cup kernel corns - frozen or fresh
3 bay leaves
2 tsp cumin seeds
salt - to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp ghee
3 tsp garam masala or biryani masala
2 tsp turmeric powder
chopped coriander - for garnish
thin tomato wedges - for garnish

Method
Wash the basmati rice under running water for a couple of times to remove the starchy content. Take a rice cooker and cook the rice as you normally would. Just make sure you keep stirring them occasionally. If you are using a stove, take a large crockpot, add 1 tbsp ghee, then add the rice and water and cover it with a lid just partly open to allow the steam to escape; stir in between and cook on medium flame or heat.

While the rice cooks, take a large fryikng pan, add 3 tbsp ghee, cumin seeds and the bay leaves. When they start spluttering, add the green chillies and the chopped onions. Saute till they turn a light golden in color.

Meanwhile, wash the spinach leaves and blend them to make a fine puree. Thaw the kernel corns if you are using the frozen ones by microwaving for 10 seconds.

Now add the puree to the onions and mix well. Add the salt, garam masala powder, turmeric and lemon juice. Cover with a lid and cook for 7-10 mins until it starts bubbling a little. finally add the corn kernels and reduce to low-flame.

Once the rice is almost cooked, add it to the gravy mixture and mix well gently with a spatula. Taste for salt and spices and make necessary additions per your choice. Remove from flame and let the spices and spinach blend with the rice.

Transfer the Spinach and Corn Pulao to a serving dish. Take a firm tomato, cut it into thin wedges, removing the pulp. Chop some fresh cilantro and garnish the pulao with these . Serve hot with Gujarati Kaddhi or Gravies (Malai Kofta Curry )

Similar Recipes:
Lemon and Coconut Rice with Sambhar
Vegetable Fried Rice


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19 comments :

Richa said...

dear Mansi, Best Wishes for 2008!
pulao ekdum takatak lagey che, must be yumm with the ghee flavor :)

Anonymous said...

looks yummy! and those corn kernels are a great addition I must say:)

-Jahnvi

Anonymous said...

nicely combined ingredients:) surely healthy and definitely tasty! I am joining the "eat healthy" bandwagon too, at least till I can, so I think I'll try this rice:)

~Amelia

Seena said...

Happy New year, Dear Mansi!
Nice, healthy recipe, thanks for posting..:)

Linda said...

Spinach does indeed lend a beautiful color to the pulao, Mansi -- always one of my fav. veggies :)

Happy New Year to you and your family, and look forward to more delicious ideas from your blog in 2008 :)

amna said...

i love the combo of spinach and corn, but never thought of trying it out in a rice dish. lovely!

Daily Meals said...

Wow! It looks colourful and yummy Mansi!

FH said...

Happy new year to you Mansi, I am back!:D

Yes, Spinach is money for new year, did you know? Read in my blog. Good choice, looks yum.

Anonymous said...

wonderful, just what I need too after all that cookie-eating!!:)

Your blog has gone through a lot of nice changes Mansi, and thanks for making it something we like to visit everyday! Thanks for all the food and the bonus of Fun:)

Good Luck in 2008!

-Prerna

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Mansi. The recipe looks yum. About the dieting, you bet i have been on one for a long time, resisting all the food i am making and distributing them to famiy and friends.
Being a south indian, i like all kinds of mixed rices.
Archana

Raks said...

Looks Lovely Mansi ! I too have a similar looking recipe in my cookbook! Yours looking very tempting!

Anonymous said...

Looks like you are a gujju as well :). I am a south indian, married to a gujju and love gujju food :).
Its has become a favorite of most people who have eaten it from my home ;-).

Archana

Suganya said...

I find adding a bell pepper adds fragrance and flavour to spinach rice/pulao.

Mansi said...

Thanks Richa, Jahnvi and Amelia!

Seena, Linda, Asha, DM, Prerna - happy New year to you guys too, and yes, I too look forward to more delicious cooking on this blog!:)

Nags - there's always a next time:)

Raks - would love to see your version too!

Archana - glad to know we share a lot of similar tastes:) nice to meet you online girl!

Suganya - That's a great tip! I'll do that next time:) thanks!

Kribha said...

I've never tried spinach and corn with rice. Nice combination. Looks great.

Anonymous said...

Can you please share which brand of Biryani masala you are using? By the way, I tried your Dum Aloo recipe and it turned out good.

Mansi said...

Hi there! thanks for the feedback, and I'm glad the recipes turned out well for you:) I use Everest or Shaan brand for all my masalas, including Biryani

Anonymous said...

Hi Mansi,spinach rice is yummy!!May i know the ratio of rice and spinach used.Is it 1:1?

Mansi said...

Hi Radhika, I would say use 3/4 cup Spinach Puree for 3 cups of cooked rice. That's more realistic than measuring spinach leaves:)

also, just make some more cooked rice and keep; after adding the puree and 3 cups rice, if you feel its a bit "liquidy", u can add some more cooked rice to get the perfect pulao-like dish:)

hope this helps!