Category Archives: Pulao

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Ilish polau /Hilsha polau

Ilish polau /Hilsha polau

Our very own Ilish polau/ Hilsha polau

Ilish polau recipe has two parts . Cooking Ilish korma and combining it with polau .Ilish polau can be cooked in so many different ways based on different recipes of Ilish korma. MY mom used to cook it in at least three different ways. Some times she used to cook it in coconut milk , sometimes in regular milk and sometimes in yogurt. My version is the improvised version and it came out really great !!!!!!!!!! 😀

My version of Ilish polau:

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Ingredients:

Ilish Korma:

6/7 pieces of Hilsha

1/3 rd cup of Onion paste

1 tbl spoon of Ginger paste

Half table spoon of Ginger juice ( Ada’r rosh)

2 tbl spoon of Sweet yogurt ( mishti doi)

2 tbl spoon of plain yogurt

Half cup of Coconut milk ( you can substitute it for regular milk too , but coconut milk enhances the taste)

Salt to taste

Oil

Green chilies

Ingredients for Polau:

3 cups of ( 750 gram) Kalijeera or any other aromatic rice

Sliced Onion 1 medium

Ginger paste 1 and half teaspoon

Bayleaf , cardamom , cinnamon

Salt to taste

Handful of Green chilies

Ghee+oil

Procedure:

1. Wash the fish well . Beat sweet and plain yogurt together with 1/4 th cup of water so that no lump is there .

2. Heat oil and add the onion paste and ginger paste . Cook them well adding water little by little . Now add the beaten yogurt . Add the fish and salt . Add the ginger juice and cover the lid . When the gravy is reducing add the coconut milk / regular milk . When the gravy comes to desired consistency add some green chilies and keep it on low flame for five minute with the lid on until the oil separates.
Your Ilish korma is ready !!!!!

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3. Separate the fishes from the gravy . The gravy will go directly into the polau . 😀

Now the polau part!!!

4. Heat ghee+oil . Add the sliced onion and whole garam masala ( bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom). When the onions are little brown add the ginger paste, salt and rice . Fry them well . Add the gravy into it . Mix well .It would spread the flavor of Ilish in every grain of polau. Now add 4 and half cup of hot water into the rice ( for every cup of rice , take 1 and half cup of water). Cover the lid and cook it on medium flame.

5. When the water is drying out, add handful of green chilies and reduce the heat a little . When the water dried out and your pulao is ready arrange the fish pieces on the top of the polau , cover the lid and place it on very low flame , which we call to keep on “dom”.

6. Be careful while serving . Take out the fish from the top of the polau . Take a serving dish and arrange polau and fish layer by layer . Take some polau and add few pieces of fish, cover it with layer of polau and place remaining pieces of fish on the top of it . Garnish it with Fried onion/ Bereshta .

Notes:

1. Never fry the fish for Ilish polau .. The taste will be reduced , if you do so.

3. Many put turmeric while cooking the fish !!!!!!!!! It’s a “NO NO” .. The korma for Ilish Polau should be real korma , without turmeric , chili powder .

4. Don’t put cumin in your korma . It may ruin the flavor of Ilish.

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9 Comments

Posted on April 23, 2013 by in Glossary / Notes, Pulao, Rice and Grains

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Shrimp Polau with Coconut Milk

Posted on February 8, 2013 by | 3 comments

Shrimp Polau with Coconut Milk

Shrimp Polau with Coconut Milk

There are two parts of this cooking. The first part is to make Shrimp korma and the second part is to make polau with that.

Ingredients:

For Shrimp preparation:

Shrimp 1 lb
Ginger paste 1 teaspoon
Onion paste 1 tblspoon
garlic paste half teaspoon
Whole garam masala , i.e, cardamom, cinnamon and bayleaf
Coconut milk 1 cup
chili powder 1 teaspoon
salt to taste
oil

Polau:

Aromatic rice ( kalijeera/chinigura/basmati), 2 cups, 500 gram
Sliced Onion 1 medium
Ginger paste 2 teaspoon
Whole garam masala , i.e, cardamom, cinnamon and bayleaf
salt to taste
Green chilies
Ghee/oil

Cooking Method:

1. Shell, de-vein and wash prawns well.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the prawns. Fry a while .That would help to keep the flavor of shrimp intact even after adding spices.Now add the whole garam masala , fry a little while now add the onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, chili powder, salt and little water. Cook well adding water little by little. Now add the coconut milk and cook it until the gravy reduced to half .

It will look like this;
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3. In another vessel heat ghee+oil . Now add the Whole garam masala and onion.Fry until brown. Add the rice(soaked and drained). Add the ginger paste and salt ( don’t use too much salt as we have salt in the shrimp gravy too) .Fry for a while. Now add the shrimp with the gravy.Add 3 cups water ( for 2 cups of rice). Cover the lid. Careful not more than that as we have already used the gravy.Cook on medium flame.Don’t stir while cooking your polau, that would make your polau gooey and sticky.

4.When the water is almost dried out add some green chilies. Now you can stir only once with a very light hand without breaking the rice , so that the bottom must not get burnt..

5. Keep it on very low flame for another 10/15 minutes. What I do I use double-boiler system. I place my Vessel over another vessel filled with water and let it cook on the steam.It works like magic.

Your Shrimp Polau is ready..Bon A Petit!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted in Pulao, Rice and Grains, Shrimp

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Morog Polau/ Chicken Biriyani

Morog Polau/ Chicken Biriyani

Morog Polau/Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:

For Chicken preparation:

1. 1 medium chicken cut in 4 pieces

2. 1/4th cup ( one-fourth cup) of yogurt

3. Ginger paste 2 tblspoon + 1 tbl spoon

4. Garlic 2 teaspoon

5. Onion Paste 1/2 ( half cup)

6. special garam masala powder ( the recipe is given below) 2 teaspoon

7. Whole cardamom, cinnamon , bayleaf

8. food color

9. regular milk 1/4th ( one-fourth) cup

10. oil

11. salt and sugar to taste

12. chili powder 1 teaspoon

13. Corriander powder 1 teaspoon

Special garam masala:

Microwave or you can dry roast cumin seed, whole corriander seed, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg (jaifol), mace ( joyetree/javetri) together. Then crush them into a very fine powder.

For Pulao:

1.Aromatic rice like kalojeera or Basmati 750 gram or 3 cup

2.Ginger paste 2 teaspoon

3.whole garam masala like 2 pods of cardamom ( elachi) , one small cinammon stick and 2 bay leaf.

4. Sliced onion 1/4 th cup

5. Handful of green chilies (whole), atleast 15/20

6. salt to taste

7. Oil+Ghee

Cooking Method:

1. Wash the chicken pieces and marinate them with ginger juice from 1 tbl spoon of ginger paste , salt and food color (optional, you can alwayz omit the food color) for at least 1 hour. You can include potato in your Morog polau. In that case cut the potatos and rub with little food color and salt.

2. heat oil and fry the potatoes and keep aside. Fry the chicken pieces for a while. Add the whole garam masala.

3. Beat yogurt and combine other ingredients except milk and sugar.

4. Add into the chicken and cook adding water little by little.

4. Add water and cook the chicken. When the gravy is reducing add the potatoes. The potatoes should be half done at the end of the cooking. Otherwise after adding it into polau over cooking may break the potato pieces.The same is with the chicken pieces. So you should add that amount of water so that your chicken is done but still remains firm. When the gravy is almost dried out add one fouth cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar. The gravy should be almost dried out. Only a little gravy should remain.

5. In another vessel add oil+ ghee.Put whole garam masala and fry for a while. Add the sliced onion. Fry them until golden brown. Add the ginger paste and salt..Add rice (soaked and drained out)..Fry for a while.

6. Now add the chicken, potatos into it with the little remaining gravy. Add hot water. If you take 3 cups of rice add 4 and half cups of water. For each cup of rice 1 and half cup of hot water.

7 Cook the rice on medium low flame. Don’t stir your polau after adding the water.That would make your polau gooey and sticky.The water will be almost dried out within 15 minutes. You may think, your pulao looks half done. Don’t worry when we are going to place it on “dom” ( cooking on very low heat), it will be fully done.

8. Add handful of green chilies. Remember the taste of biriyani alwayz depends on the amount of green chilies added in it. they enhances the taste. Since you are adding whole green chilies it won’t make your polau that hot.You may stir your polau now with a very light hand not breaking the rice so that it sould not get burnt at the bottom.

9. Now Cook the polau on medium low heat that we call to keep it on dom. I alwayz use “bain marie” or double boiler system, that works excellent for me. Put your polau vessel over another same size vessel, filled with water. Place it on heat. The steam will make your poalu so moist free.
when done spread some ghee over your Chicken biriyani, it would enhance the flavor. Sprinkle some keora water. Your Morog Polau/ Chicken biriyani is ready. Serve hot with kabab and salad.

Bon A Petit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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24 Comments

Posted on January 26, 2013 by in Biriyani, Pulao, Rice and Grains

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Moti Polau

Posted on January 25, 2013 by | 3 comments

Moti Polau…Are you tired of your regular plain polau ??? this fascinating polau with moti kabab can really make a great difference !!!!!!!!! 😀

Moti Polau

Ingredients:

For Moti kabab:

1. Grounded beef 350 gram ( raw)
2. Ginger-garlic paste 1 teaspoon
3. Soy sauce 1 teaspoon.
3. 1 beaten egg.
4. Cornstarch : enough to be able to shape the kababs
5. salt to taste
6. chopped green chilies, cilantro, mint
7. A pinch of garam masala powder.

Cooking Method:

Combine all the ingredients together and make small ball out of them.Deep fry them on medium low heat and keep aside.

Polau Ingredients:

Aromatic rice like kalojeera/Basmati 2cups or 500 gram
Ginger paste 2 teaspoon
Chopped onion 1 large
Whole Garam Masala ( 4 /5 green cardamoms, 1 stick of Cinnamon, bayleaf, 2 small black cardamoms)
salt to taste
oil/ghee A little more than 1/4 th cup ( one-fourth cup)
Keora Water

Cooking Method:

1. Heat oil/ ghee . Add whole garam masala..Add Chopped onion and fry until light golden brown..Add the ginger paste and fry a little while.

2. Now add the rice, soaked and drained well.Fry a little while. Add salt.

3. Add hot water. If you take 2 Cups of rice add 3 cups of water.

3. Cover the lid and cook on medium low heat. Don’t Stir.

4. After 10/ 15 minutes the water of the polau will be almost dried out. Then add handful of green chilies. Cover the lid. and keep it on very low flame, i’e to keep it on “Dom” as we say in Bangla. For dom , I use double boiler mrthod , which works like magic . See the notes for this method !!
5. Sprinkle some keora water before serving.While serving decorate the polau with the moti kababs. Your Moti Polau is ready…

Cooking Tips:

1. For polau or something this sort, the ratio of rice and water should be 1 cup rice : 1 and Half cup water.So If you take 2 Cups of rice the water should be 3 cups.

2. Always cook the polau on medium low heat.

3. Don’t stir after adding water, that would make your polau gooey and sticky.

4. After the water is almost dried out you can just loose the ends of the polau with a light hand not breaking the rice.

5. For keeping it on dom, you can alwayz use double boiler or bain marie system.It works great for me. Put your Polau vessel over another same size vessel, filled with water. Place it on the stove..Your polau will get the steam and you will be surprised at the beautiful, moisture free texture of polau.

6. Many use garlic in the polau..ewwwwwwwwwwww…Don’t do this..Ginger is sufficient to enhance the aroma and flavor of the aromatic rice.

7. Traditional Polau recipe calls for ghee or clarified butter . But these dayz we are becoming more health conscious..So if you don’t want to compromise the taste yet want a healthy one follow the trick. I often Use only oil for my pulao, but after adding the water just put 1 or 2 teaspoon of ghee. That would make your polau taste like real traditional one..:)

Happy Cooking, enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

3 Comments

Posted in Pulao, Rice and Grains

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