How weird is the title? I have a confession to make. This is not my idea. Those who are familiar with the cooking competition in Star Vijay must have heard of this. I haven't seen the program but while I was talking to my sister last month, she told me about this prize winning recipe. I didn't even think of trying it until Kalyani announced the ingredients for Magic Mingle #16. When I read that rice and watermelon has to be paired the first thing that came to my mind was this pulao. I have been asking PK for a watermelon for more than a week and finally he bought it yesterday. Today when he was leaving for office, I told him about this pulao and he said that I have decided to waste the watermelon. I was little skeptic myself in preparing this pulao and PK increased my doubts. But still I made it and ended with this deeply coloured slightly sweet pulao. When paired with potato kurma and curd it tasted very nice. You get a slight hint of water melon but it is not very obvious. With all those fried onion and cashew on top it was wonderful. Even Sruti liked it. For the sixth day of the month long BM, I selected this pulao for the party special theme.
Ingredients:
Basmati Rice-1 1/2 cups
Water Melon Juice-2 cups ( remove seeds of 1/4 of the medium sized water melon and pulse in a mixer)
Salt-to taste
Ghee-2 tbs
Clove-2
cinnamon-a small piece
Star Anise-1
Onion-2
Garlic-1
Green Chilly-4
Ginger-a small piece
Pudina Powder-1 tbs
Turmeric Powder-1/4 tsp
Water-1 cup
For Topping:
Broken Cashew-3-4 tbs
Onion-1
Oil-To Deep Fry
Procedure:
1. Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
2. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan.
3. Add the spices and saute fro a minute.
4. Add onion and saute until golden.
5. Coarsely grind ginger, garlic, green chillies and dried pudina powder.
6. Add it to onion s and saute for 2 minutes.
7. Add the rice and saute for a minute.
8. Now add the watermelon juice, water, salt and turmeric powder.
9. Let it cook until a little water is left.
10. Cover the pan with a foil and then the lid.
11. Reduce flame to low and cook for 5-8 minutes.
12. Meanwhile deep fry cashews and onions until nice brown.
13. When the rice is cooked, garnish it with fried onions and cashew nuts and serve along with a gravy and raitha.
Look at the lovely colour water melon gives the rice...
Labels: Blogging Marathon, RICE, RICE VARIETIES, WATERMELON
