TriColor Rice – Recipe For Republic Day

Ingredients

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 4-5 Green Cardamom Pods (Elaichi)
• 4-5 Cloves
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 Carrot  (diced)
• ½ cup Green Beans (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
• ½  cup Green Peas
• 1 Big Onion (finely chopped)
• 10-12 Cashew Nuts (lightly fried)
• ½ cum Paneer Cubes (Indian cottage cheese)
• 1 3/4 Cups Water
• ½ Cup Milk
• Pinch of saffron strands or few drops of  orange food color
• Green chatni  or few drops of green food color
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Oil
• 2 tsp Ghee/clarified butter
• Fresh Coriander leaves to garnish

How To Make Tricolor Rice

• Wash the rice and soak in cold water for about 1/2 an hour.
• Heat little oil in a pan, lightly fry chopped onions until light brown. Then add cashew nuts, paneer cubes, diced carrots, chopped green beans, peas and cook.
• Stir for few minutes and keep aside in a vessel.
• In the same pan, add rest of the oil.
• When hot, add bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves and cumin seeds.
• Wait till dry spices start to crackle.
• Drain the soaked rice and add to the pan. Stir well to mix. Then add measured water and salt.
• Divide the milk in two separate bowls and mix the  food colors.
• Bring it to boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.
• When all water is about to absorb, put the colors with spoon in the holes which you can see in the rice.
• After putting the milk mixed with food colors, cover the pan with the lid on low heat and after 5 minutes switch off the gas.
• After 10 minutes Sprinkle a teaspoon of ghee over the pulao before  transfering the pulao to a serving dish
• Garnish  with the vegetables  fried paneer cubes, fried onions and cashew nuts and the coriander leaves in tiranga (tricolor) pattern.
• Serve hot with plain curd or boondi raita.

Image Credit:vidyascooking.blogspot.com