Veggie Platter: Pulao Recipes. Rice Dishes

Saturday, April 27, 2019

A - Z Biryani / Khichdi / Pulao Series ~ X for 'Xacuti' Masala Veg Pulao

I wrote down 'xacuti biryani' as my X dish while listing recipes for this marathon without putting much thought into it even if there was no such traditional recipe. I have done enough A - Z marathons based on Indian cooking to know that the only authentic 'X' dish one can find in the cuisine would be a xacuti unless if someone uses prefixes like 'X-mas' or throw in some adjectives before the name of the dish. Xacuti or shagoti is a curry from the Goan cuisine that is said to be originated in the present day Arambol, a traditional fisherman village. The fisherman in the past used to get a fresh catch of fish or local chicken and prepare a gravy made with a paste of local spices and coconut that has now become popular through out the state. The dish of course can easily be converted into a vegetarian version and the spicy xacuti masala can brighten up the vegetarian dishes as shown in my xacuti vegetable curry and the xacuti masala rice.

My husband was away for the week when I made this pulao. I started making a biryani and halfway went through pulao route as I did not think it was worth the effort when cooking for one and it covered my next three meals. There is a unique spice powder involved in the xacuti preparation and I borrowed Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe this time which I have provided below. Another version of xacuti masala can be found at the link I provided above. I replaced the garam masala with the xacuti spice masala here and the strong flavor of the ground spices and coconut is unmistakably prominent. Start with adding half of the spice powder, taste and then add extra if preferred. The whole amount of spice powder for this pulao would make it very potently spicy though not in terms of heat. I replace the meat part in non veg biryani / pulaos with soy chunks blindly as they win over paneer hands down any time in my home. One can use paneer, tofu, mushroom or go with some extra vegetables instead of soychunks in the recipe.

Ingredients for spice powder:
1/4 cup coconut
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 tsp. carom seeds
1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds
1/2 inch piece cinnamon
2 black pepper corns
1 star anise
1 dried red chili
1 clove

Ingredients for pulao: (Yield 3 servings)
1 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. cumin / caraway seeds
2 cloves
1 black cardamom
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp. ginger paste
1 cup soy chunks (Substitute extra vegetables or paneer.)
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and diced
12 beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
Xacuti spice powder as needed
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1.5 tsp. salt or as needed
1/2 cup basmati rice
3/4 cup water
Minced cilantro to garnish

Directions for spice powder:
* Toast coconut on low flame until golden brown. Transfer it onto a plate.
* To the same pan, add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and carom seeds. Continue to toast on medium flame and when coriander seeds start to brown, add poppy seeds, cinnamon, peppercorns, star anise, red chili and clove. Toast until coriander browns and turn off the stove.
* Transfer the contents to the coconut plate and let them cool.
* Grind them together to a fine powder.
* Store it in an airtight container and use as needed.

Directions:
* Soak soy chunks in water if using.
* Heat ghee directly in a small sized pressure cooker. Add cumin / caraway seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and a bay leaf. When the cumin seeds start to brown, add onion and saute until golden brown.
* Add ginger and saute until the raw smell leaves.
* Wash and drain the rice. Add rice, chopped vegetables, xacuti spice powder as needed (don't add the whole amount), turmeric and salt. Saute for a minute.
* Squeeze the water from the soy chunks and add them to the cooker. Finally add water and stir gently.
* Pressure cook the rice mixture for 3 whistles. Wait for few minutes until the valve pressure is gone.
* Fluff the rice gently and garnish with cilantro. I sprinkled some fried onions as well.
* Serve it with plain yogurt / raita.