Cheese & Bell-Pepper Pulao (Rice Pilaf)

Cheese is one such versatile ingredient that adds taste and glamour to any recipe. Just as it did to our week-night dinner recipe of this delicious Bell-pepper & Cheese Rice Pilaf (Pulao) which was beautiful to look at and even more wonderful to eat! Generally, rice pulao needs a dal or curry to go with it, but this Pulao Recipe stands all on its own, and is definitely not a sidekick! Mildly flavored with saffron, turmeric and spices, the bell-peppers lend it texture while the cheese accentuates the taste and color, as well as induces a smoothness in each bite.

Standing on its own, this beautiful yellow-colored Cheese Pulao is also a symbol of strength, hope and life! And this is just what Bri needs at this point in her life.

Brianna is a fellow food-blogger, who was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. But after a mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. She is going through intensive chemotherapy and other treatments, but her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

The team at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR. CLICK, a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi has chosen the theme as: YELLOW for Bri, as an attempt to gather at least 12,000 U.S. dollars. There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. Your donation can be made securely through the Chip-In button below, using credit card or via Paypal and goes directly to Bri’s account. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise. We appreciate your contribution for this cause, and you can support us by making donations, or by sponsoring prizes for Click and spreading the word! This is my entry for the event "Click- For Bri"



And now, for the recipe, which will also go to Astrid, who's hosting this week's WHB, an event started by Kalyn!

Cheese & Bell-Pepper Rice Pilaf

Ingredients
3 cups long-grained rice (Basmati) - washed and cooked
1 medium-sized green bell-pepper - chopped long and thin
1/2 cup yellow cheese - shredded
1/4 cup fresh mozarella or italian cheese - shredded
1/2 onion - finely chopped
2 green chillies or jalapenos - finely chopped
6-8 pieces of cashews - split in half - roasted
2 tbsp fresh cilantro - chopped for garnish
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
3 tbsp oil
salt - to taste
lemon juice - to taste
1/4 tsp saffron strands - dissolved in warm water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala

Method
Wash and cook the rice as you normally do. Using long-grained rice like Basmati helps give it a better texture, but you can use normal rice too, without compromising the taste.

Warm 2 tbsp water and add the saffron strands to it. Let it bleed while you prepare the rice.

Take 1 tbsp oil and roast the cashews in it till they turn light brown in color.

Take a wok, add oil and cumin seeds to it. When the latter start spluttering, add the green chillies and chopped onions and saute till they become soft and glazed.

Now add the chopped green bell-peppers and saute again. Add all the dry spices and salt, and cook covered for 5 mins, till the peppers are tender and cooked through.

Add the roasted cashews to the wok.

Next, add the dissolved saffron along with the water, and add the cooked rice to it. Mix everything together so it gets colored and the spices are evenly distributed. Add the lemon juice and half of the shredded yellow cheese, then allow to cook for another 8-10 mins.

When the rice looks cooked and emanates the aroma of saffron, take it off the stove. Gingerly sprinkle the remaining cheese and chopped cilantro and mix just to combine.

Serve with some Raita or a curry of your choice. This Cheese & Bell-Pepper Rice tasted so good we just gobbled it up as soon as I took it off the stove. It's so good, you'll hardly ahve any leftover remaining. And if you do, try using them to make these delicious Rice & Cheese Cutlets

Similar Recipes:
Lemon & Coconut Rice
Vaghareli Khichdi & Kaddhi
Spinach & Corn Pulao