Zafrani Pulao is one of the Awadhi Cuisine. The richness of Awadhi cuisine lies not only in the variety of cuisine but also in the ingredients used like mutton, paneer, and rich spices including cardamom and saffron.
Ingredients:
- Basmati Rice – 2 cup
- Saffron – 1 tsp.
- Nuts (Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios, Walnuts etc.) – 1 cup
- Dried Fruits (Black Raisins, Golden Raisins, cranberries, pineapple, papaya etc.) – 1 cup
- Fresh fruits (Pomegranate, Grapes, Apple ) – 1 cup
- Whole Garam Masala – (1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 cardamom, 3 cloves)
- Black Cumin – 1/2 tsp.
- Fried Onions – 1/2 cup
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp.
- Coriander – handful
- Mint – handful
- Sugar – 1 tbsp.
- Coriander- Cumin Powder – 1 tbsp.
- Milk – 1/4 cup
- Oil – 2 tbsp.
- Ghee – 1 tbsp.
How to make Zafrani Pulao
- Wash and soak the rice for at least 10 minutes.
- Slice the onion lengthwise and fry it. Now, soak the saffron strands in the milk.
- Heat oil in a pan and splutter the cumin seeds and whole garam masala.
- Add the nuts and dried fruits and sauté for a minute on very low flame to prevent them from getting burnt.
- Add the ginger garlic paste, sugar, and coriander-cumin powder.
- (After this you can cook in a rice cooker or stovetop.) Add the above mixture to the rice along with the required water, fried onions, half of the saffron- milk mixture, and finely chopped coriander and mint leaves.
- Let it cook till the rice is done. At this stage add the remaining saffron-milk mixture on top of the rice.
- Add the fresh fruits and mix gently with a fork without breaking the rice.
- Add few drops of ghee on top.
- Garnish with additional nuts, fruits, coriander, and fresh saffron strands.
