Masoor Pulao – Fragrant Basmati Rice cooked with protein rich lentils and flavored with mild warm spices!
Rice is served at almost every meal in most Asian homes. In Western cuisine, plain white or brown rice is a common side dish. It is a staple worldwide! However plain rice can be bland and get boring. Take plain white rice up a notch with a few simple flavorful additions. Lentils which are a great source of protein, along with fragrant basmati rice cooked in whole warm spices is a comforting one pot meal!
The everyday white rice can become worthy of entertaining with just a few additions. This simple vegetarian lentil rice recipe with a few whole aromatic warm spices to take simple white rice to a whole new level! The addition of whole warm spices like cinnamon, black pepper, cloves and cumin gives a distinct flavor! A plain white rice which was once a side dish can now become a complete one pot meal. In some Indian groups, it is commonly served with Kadhi (soup), but can be eaten by itself with pickles and yogurt. It is very similar to an Arabic dish called Mujadara.
The trick to making rice is the amount of water used depending on the final end consistency desired. In some dishes like Khichri, more water is used to overcook the rich to a mashy stage. While in pulao and biryani, the long separate grains of rice are a sign of a great cook! A little too much water and rice can became a lumpy mush. A grandmothers tip: dip index finger in the pot and the water should be one segment of the finger (approximately 1″) from the rice to the top of water level. While that works for experienced cooks, here I have provided exact water to rice measurement so no guessing is required. Try this recipe and make weeknight dinner special.
Makes 3 servings (when served with other dishes)
Time: 3 hrs to soak, 20 mins to cook
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice (Basmati long grain), wash and soak in water
- 1/2 cup of whole dry Masoor Dal (although it has a brown outer covering, it is sometimes its called red Lentil because inside it has a redish/orange color when uncooked)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4-6 whole black peppercorns
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 pods of green cardamoms, break open. Or can use 1 large black elcho
- 1 tsb of whole cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp of ghee, butter or oil
- 1/2 cup of sliced onion or fried onion (bilisto)
- 1 tbsp diced garlic
- 3/4 tsp salt (Adjust depending on if broth or buillion is salted)
- 1/2 tsp cumin and coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 2 cups water or broth (Vegetarian, chicken, or beef) or a bouillon cube
- Optional: 5-6 mint leaves
- Optional garnish fried onions
Method:
- Wash and rinse the rice 4-5 times till the white cloudy water is gone.
- Soak the lentils and rice in water for 3 hrs
- In a pot on medium heat, add ghee, whole spices, bay leaf till you smell the spices (~1 min)
- Add onion and garlic, stir fry till lightly brown. (~4 mins). Using Bilisto(fried onion) will save time in this step.
- Add all other ingredients, gently stir.
- Lower heat to medium low, cover and cook for 20 mins till the lentils and rice are fully cooked. You can do this step in Instant Pot on rice setting (12 mins) as it will be faster. However do not overcook! You want the lentils to be soft but not mashed. Each lentil should be separate. Avoid stirring in between as it will break the rice grains.
- Optional – Garnish with fried onions
- Serve hot!
Tips:
- You can add a whole fresh green slit in half or diced if you like it spicy.
- Highly recommend using ghee or butter for this recipe, it really adds great flavor to the dish which cannot be achieved with oil.
- To make rice fluffy and each grain separate, you MUST wash and rinse the rice 4-5 times. All the white cloudy water is the starch which makes the rice sticky and mushy. For this dish, we don’t need the starch.
- Using broth instead of plain water is a great trick to bring another level of flavor. You can add 1 bouillon flavor cube (vegetable, chicken or beef) with water or broth whichever is available. Be sure to mix the cube in hot water first till it breaks apart and dissolves before adding to the rice. Be sure to adjust salt if broth or buillion has salt in it.
- If you eat meat, adding 1/4 cup of cooked ground meat is a great addition. Chicken, lamb, beef, goat whichever you like. Add after step 4 stir fry till fully cooked, then proceed with the rest.