MINT RICE / PUDINA PULAO / MINT PULAO !!!!!!!

I adopted this recipe from the blog FOOD VIVA. Must say yummy & easy recipe.  A nice & healthy recipe for kids lunch box.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Basmati Rice (long grained rice)

1/2 cup Mint Leaves

1/2 cup Coriander Leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1/4 teaspoon Ginger, finely chopped

2-3 Cloves of Garlic

2 tablespoons Fresh Grated Coconut

1 Green Cardamom, optional

2 Cloves (long)

1 Cinnamon Stick, broken into two pieces

1/2 piece of Bay Leaf

1 Green Chilly, finely chopped

1 medium Onion, sliced

1 cup Water

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon Oil or Ghee

Fresh Mint Leaves and Roasted Cashew Nuts, for garnishing METHOD:- 1. Wash rice 2-3 times in water. Soak them in 1-cup water for 15 minutes. Add rice along with soaked water in a pan and bring it to boil over medium flame. 2. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce flame to low and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off flame and let it stand for 5-7 minutes. Remove the lid, transfer rice in a plate and let it cool for 4-5 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, add mint leaves, coriander leaves, lemon juice, ginger, garlic and grated fresh coconut in a small chutney jar of mixer grinder. 4. Crush them to a smooth mint paste. Do not prepare this paste in advance otherwise it turns darker in colour. 5. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan or kadai over medium flame. Add green cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and sauté until cloves start to crackle for approx. 40 seconds. Add finely chopped green chilly and sliced onion; saute until onion turns light brown. 6. Add mint paste (prepared in step-4). 7. Saute it for 2-3 minutes. 8. Add cooked rice and salt. 9. Mix gently until each rice grain is evenly coated with masala. Cook for 2-3 minutes and turn off flame. 10. Transfer mint rice to serving bowl and garnish with fresh mint leaves and roasted cashew nuts.Tips and Variations: You can also use leftover rice in this recipe. You can also cook rice in a 3-litre capacity aluminium or steel pressure cooker over medium flame for 2-whistles instead of cooking in a pan. Amount of water required to cook the rice may vary according to rice type and age of rice. You can get the information required to cook the rice on backside of a rice package. HAPPY COOKING :))))))