Corn Pulao Recipe (Green Corn Rice)

Ingredients

Main ingredients

• 1 cup white rice heaped- 210 grams or use basmati rice or any non-sticky rice
• 1.5 cups sweet corn kernels
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium to large onion, thinly sliced or ½ cup sliced onion
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 cups water or add as required
• salt as required
• 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnish

For the green paste

• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
• 1 inch ginger – chopped or ½ teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 or 2 green chilies – chopped
• 3 to 4 small garlic – chopped
• 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut or fresh coconut
• 1 to 2 tablespoon water for grinding

Whole spices

• 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
• 2 green cardamoms
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small star anise (chakriphool) – optional
• 1 or 2 single strands of mace (javitri)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 to 5 black peppers
• 1 tiny piece of stone flower (patthar ke phool) – optional

Steps

Preparation

1. Rinse the rice well a few times with water, then soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain well and set the rice aside. Ambe mohur (mango blossom rice) was used in this preparation; basmati or regular rice may also be used.
3. While the rice soaks, slice the kernels from the corn and set aside. The reported yield from 1 medium cob was 1.5 cups kernels. Alternatively, use 1 cup frozen corn kernels.

Making green paste

1. Put the ingredients listed for the green paste into a small grinder or chutney grinder.
2. Grind or blend to a smooth paste after adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water. If coconut is unavailable, it may be skipped; in that case, use 1 to 2 teaspoon water while grinding or blending.
3. If not blending, add the chopped coriander and mint directly to the pressure cooker after the onions are browned. Also add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and omit desiccated coconut.

Making corn pulao

1. Heat oil in a stovetop pressure cooker and add everything listed under whole spices. Let the spices crackle.
2. Put in the thinly sliced onions and sauté, stirring often, until they start to turn golden.
3. Mix the ground green paste in well and sauté for a couple of seconds.
4. Put in the corn kernels.
5. Add the ground seasonings: turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
6. Stir very thoroughly, then add the rice and gently stir it together with the other ingredients.
7. Add 1.75 to 2 cups water, adjusting for the rice type and quality. For basmati rice, you can add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water.
8. Organic basmati needs more water to cook, so add 2 cups water for it and stir.
9. Add salt as required and taste the water; it should be slightly salty.
10. Cover and pressure-cook over medium heat for 2 whistles or 9 to 12 minutes. The reported ambe mohur batch was pressure-cooked for 15 minutes because that rice takes longer than basmati.
11. Only open the lid once the pressure has settled by itself, then fluff the rice gently.
12. Finish with a garnish of chopped coriander leaves.
13. Accompany the corn pulao with a vegetable salad, raita, plain yogurt, or your chosen pickle.