Fragrant & Rich Kashmiri Pulao loaded with Spices, Dry Fruits n Fresh Fruits…A Feast to your Eyes and a Treat to your Taste Buds…!
This dish comes from one of the most beautiful places in India… Kashmir! It is the coldest place in India; neighbors to the Greater Himalayas, land of snowcapped mountains, lakes and green forests. The unexplainable natural beauty of Kashmir gifted the land with the beautiful title, “Paradise on Earth”. Kashmir is not only famous for its beauty, but for its food too. The cusine is known for its non-vegetarian dishes, recipes with lots of dry fruits, rich in spices, especially their saffron flavored dishes.
The Kashmiri Pulao which is one among the most popular Indian dishes, is a saffron flavored rice with spices, mix of dry fruits, and fresh fruits like apples, pineapples and pomegranate. The dish is quite similar to Modur Pulao /Kashmiri Sweet Pulao with the only difference being the omission of sugar from its recipe while cooking the rice.
The traditional preparation of this pulao is with dry fruits and nuts, but you can also add your choice of vegetables like carrots, beans, peas or toasted paneer, along with fresh fruits; which is my favorite part. It’s a mildly sweet dish, so pairing it with a spicy curry makes it a wonderful combo.
This recipe also works wonderfully for your meal prep days. A note though, add fresh fruits to your dish only before serving!
Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!
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- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup milk + 2 tbsp
- A pinch of Saffron
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp ghee / butter / oil
- Salt (as required)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 6-8 cashews
- 4-6 almonds
- 8-10 raisins
- ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
- ¼ cup pineapple chopped
- Cilantro leaves chopped
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Wash the rice and then soak for 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly thereafter and keep aside.
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Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp of warm milk, keep aside.
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To prepare the garnish, heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews, almonds and raisins until golden. Keep aside.
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Into the same pan, fry the sliced onions until it turns brown. Keep aside.
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In a separate pot/pan suitable for cooking rice, add ghee and sauté the cardamom, cinnamon, clove, star anise and bay leaf on a medium flame, until they become fragrant.
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Add the drained rice, salt, water, milk and saffron soaked milk. Close the lid and allow it to boil. Once it boils, reduce the flame to low, cook for 10-12 minutes till the water is completely absorbed. Turn off the flame, fluff the cooked rice using a fork and keep aside to cool.
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Once the rice cools down to a warm, add the fried onions, nuts, raisins, chopped pineapple and pomegranate seeds, toss to mix completely. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
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Serve with spicy curries.
1. You can also add walnuts, pistachios, toasted paneer/tofu, chopped apples, tutti fruit, cranberries or veggies like carrot, beans and peas.
2. Do not add the fruits while the rice is hot, allow it to cool to a warm.
3. If you are adding apples, ensure you add them only before serving, otherwise they would turn brown and the pulao become less appealing.
I ‘m pretty sure this will become one of my favorite recipes! And I think it’s perfect for a festive occasion! 🙂
Oh yeah Makos, this would be a great choice for festivals and parties. Hope you like it!
Love your recipes!! Please keep posting them; your photography is amazing, too.
I’m making your semi-naked chocolate cake for a birthday and can’t wait to see how it comes out 🙂 and I want to try making this Kashmiri pulao now.
All your Indian recipes look really good. Would love to see more of those on your blog!
All the best,
Alex
Thank You Alex for your wonderful feedback! I am so glad to hear that you are trying out my recipes, let me know how they turn out. Hope you guys love both the cake and the pulao…!