Layered Rice with Nawabi curry

The name looks exotic right?! So is the dish but the process of making it is very easy! As the name suggests, the gravy which is used in the layering has a long list of spices in it and is a rich Nawabi curry. This will not require any side dish, you can just serve it with plain curds or a simple raita. For the rice part, I prepared the jeera pulao recipe that I have already posted. You could use even plain rice or a sweet kashmiri pulao, which will go very well with the spicy gravy.

INGREDIENTS:

• Jeera pulao/ Plain rice - 4 cups
• Ghee - 2 Tbsp
• Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
• Fresh cream - 2 Tbsp
• Salt - as needed
• Oil - for greasing

For the Nawabi curry:

• Onions - 3/4 cup, sliced
• Cashewnuts - 1 Tbsp, broken
• Almonds - 1 Tbsp, chopped
• Coriander seeds - 2 Tsp
• Cumin seeds - 2 Tsp
• Poppy seeds (khus-khus) - 1 Tbsp
• Grated coconut - 2 Tsp
• Ginger - 2 Tsp, chopped
• Green chillis - 1 Tsp, chopped
• Dry Kashmiri red chillis - 4, broken into pieces
• Cardamom - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Curry leaves - 6-8
• Water - 4 Tbsp
• Salt - as needed

METHOD:

1. Make the rice/jeera pulao and keep aside
2. Combine all the ingredients under "For the Nawabi curry" and blend it into a smooth paste
3. Heat ghee in a kadai and add the ground paste and saute on medium flame for 4-5 minutes
4. Add the tomato puree, 1/4 cup of water, salt and mix well and cook on a medium flame for 5 minutes, stirring once in between
5. Add the cream, mix well and keep aside
6. Grease a square shaped baking glass dish with oil and arrange one portion of the pulao evenly in it
7. Spread the Nawabi curry evenly and top it with the remaining pulao
8. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 5 minutes
9. Turn upside down on a serving plate and serve immediately

Jeera Pulao

One pot meals are always my favourite and the best part is they are so easy and can be made in a jiffy! Of all the one pot meals, jeera pulao is the easiest. Enjoy it with any special gravy or a simple dal :)

INGREDIENTS:

• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 Tsp (even shah jeera could be used)
• Cardamom - 1
• Cinnamon - 1 small
• Bay leaf - 1
• Ghee - 1 Tbsp
• Oil - 1 Tbsp
• Salt - as needed

METHOD:

1. Wash and soak rice for half an hour
2. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and ghee. Add cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf and fry for half a minute
3. Add jeera/shah jeera and fry for just a few seconds and immediately add the drained rice and saute for a while **
4. Add water, salt and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Simmer for 5 minutes and switch off the flame (I added 1 and a quarter cup of water for 1 cup of basmathi rice)
5. Fluff it up with a fork and serve it hot with any gravy or dal

I made mixed vegetables in coconut gravy for this pulao :)

NOTE:

** Make sure not to allow the jeera to splutter as it will give a bitter taste to the pulao