FOOD TALK
Rice sublime
Pushpesh Pant

BREATHES there a man with a palate so dead who doesn't prefer the pulao over the daintiest bread? Can there be a memorable meal without a pulao? No marriage banquet or festive spread is complete without at least a vegetarian version--zeera or peas pulao. The real McCoy is, of course, prepared with succulent cuts of meat providing the seductive aromatic yakhani (stock) that flavours the fine-grained rice. So strong is the hold of pulao on popular imagination that dreaming of a pulao has become synonymous with daydreaming. Kya khayali pulao pakaye ja rahe hain?

Pulao is perhaps the most sublime avatar of rice. There are many other 'one dish rice meal delicacies' that have attained the status of signature dishes--paella in Spain, risotto in Italy, nasi goring in Indonesia and the myriad kinds of Chinese fried rice. Nothing comes close to our pulao in simplicity, variety and subtlety.

Some historians maintained that the aromatic Indian pulao has evolved from the Central Asian pilaf--a dish that continues to be cooked and relished in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia--brought to the subcontinent by the descendents of Timur Lane and Chengiz Khan. Others dispute this and cite ancient Ayurvedic texts like the Bhavaprakash Nighantu to prove that a delicacy called palavwas well-known to Indians in the 5th century AD.

Contrary to popular belief, the pulao does not have to be oily or spicy. Resist the temptation of making the pulao colourful--even a pinch of turmeric can be an overdose and ruin its delicate natural hue.

Yakhni pulao It is believed that the Indian pulao has evolved from the Central Asian pilaf Ingredients: Mutton, cut in small pieces 1/2 kg Onion paste 30 gm Garlic paste 30 gm Ginger paste 15 gm Coriander seeds (coarsely ground) 15gm Bay leaf 1 Cinnamon stick 1 inch Salt to taste Basmati rice 250 gm Ghee 100 gm Cloves 10 Cardamom whole 5 Onions, sliced 30 gm Kewra jal 10 ml Juice of half a lemon Green chillies (slit lengthwise and deseeded) 3 Method: Boil meat in sufficient water for 5 minutes, discard the water and wash the meat. Boil the meat in fresh water with all the spices, including onion and garlic pastes tied in a muslin potley, till the meat is tender. At this stage the remaining liquid- yakhni- should be 3/4 cup. Heat the 60 gm ghee and fry the sliced onions till golden brown and remove. In the same ghee fry the boiled meat along with cardamom powder, ginger strips and salt. Heat 15 gm ghee for baghar in a separate pan, add cloves and cardamoms, when these turn brown add enough water to cook the rice. When the water starts boiling add rice and sprinkle the lemon juice. When the rice is half-cooked, drain the water and layer of rice over fried meat. Pour the yakhni with kewra water. Add the remaining ghee and fried onions and put on dum for half an hour. Garnish with chillies. Serve hot.

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