PEA AND PEANUT PULAO WITH PICKLED BEET RAITA

Pea and Peanut Pulao with Pickled Beet Raita image

Aarti typically serves pulao as a side dish, but with her pickled beet raita, it becomes a meal!

Provided by Aarti Sequeira

Categories main-dish

Time 1h

Yield 4 servings of pulao, plus about 5 cups of raita

Number Of Ingredients 20

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Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 onion, finely diced
Kosher salt
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts
Handful of minced fresh mint
1 lemon wedge
Pickled Beet Raita, for serving (recipe follows)
1 24-ounce container whole-milk yogurt
8 ounces pickled beets, grated or thinly sliced
1 Persian cucumber, grated
Handful of pomegranate seeds
2 to 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 pinches of ground black lime

Steps:

Put the rice in a strainer and rinse under cool water three or four times, until the water runs clear. Place the strainer in a bowl of water and let the rice soak, about 20 minutes. Drain the rice well.
Meanwhile, warm the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin, cardamom and bay leaf and cook until the spices sizzle and become aromatic, about 1 minute. Then add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the drained rice to the pot. Cook until the water evaporates from the rice grains and you can hear a gentle snap, crackle and pop, 1 to 2 minutes. (The rice will smell ever so slightly nutty.) Pour in 1 3/4 cups hot water and season with a big pinch of salt. Cover the pot, turn down the heat to low and cook 15 minutes. (Don't take the lid off while cooking!)
Meanwhile, pour the peas into a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water and microwave 2 minutes. Set aside. Remove the rice from the heat and fluff with a fork. Place a clean kitchen towel over the top and pop the lid back on. If the rice felt a little wet when you fluffed it, return the pot to the burner for 3 to 5 minutes -t he residual heat will cook off the excess water. If the rice felt pretty good, let the pot sit off the heat, undisturbed, 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and kitchen towel from the rice. Sprinkle with the peas, peanuts and mint. Squeeze the lemon wedge on top and season with a little more salt; stir well with a fork. Serve with the raita.
Combine the yogurt, beets, cucumber, pomegranate seeds and mint in a bowl. Season with a big pinch of salt, the cumin and black lime. Refrigerate until ready to serve.