Spinach or palak pulao with brown rice. Absolutely delicious and flavorful rice made with brown rice and palak or spinach leaves. Sharing the recipe with both brown and white basmati rice. A very easy to make one pot meal.
Whatever rice you are using remember to consume moderately. You can make this in a jiffy, just soak the rice in sufficient water and make a ground paste ready. Use pressure cooker to make the rice in less time. Brown rice take more time than white rice so soaking the rice is required to cook quickly. To get some more Pulao recipes click here. Serve this palak pulao with any raita. Actually you don’t need much side dishes with this flavorful and nutritious rice. Serve the rice with Spinach or palak raita, Beetroot raita, Mint yogurt dip or any raita or Chutney. You can also serve it with Makhana raita from the blog of Poonam Bachhav.
You can also make it white rice. The measurement for white rice are given below the recipe.
Brown rice is fibrous and a whole grain but remember to consume moderately. While white rice and brown rice are high in starch, brown rice contains more fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. When eating white rice, add legumes and vegetables to ensure that you are having a balanced meal. That said, either type of rice can be part of a healthy diet — as evidenced by the long history of white rice in the traditional cuisine of many cultures. Brown rice may have a more favorable nutrition profile, but there’s nothing wrong with having white rice as a part of a balanced diet. Source – Healthline
All rice consists primarily of carbs, with small amounts of protein and practically no fat. However, brown rice is a whole grain. That means it contains all parts of the grain — including the fibrous bran, the nutritious germ, and the carb-rich endosperm. It’s chewy and takes a while to cook due to its tough bran exterior. White rice, on the other hand, has had the bran and germ removed. Because these are the most nutritious parts of the grain, white rice is left with very few essential nutrients. However, white rice is softer and tends to cook quicker Here are some health benefits of brown rice.
.Nutrient rich Positive effects on blood sugar levels
. May reduce heart disease risk Rich in antioxidants.
. Aids weight control
To read more about health benefits of brown and white rice visit Healthline.
As I mentioned above that recipe is very easy to make. Brown rice take more time than white rice so don’t forget to soak the rice for atleast 30-40 minutes. But if you are using white rice 10-15 minutes soaking is sufficient. And white rice can also make without soaking if you are using pressure cooker. Just wash the rice well and drain the water before cooking. Crush the whole spices in a mortar pestle and if you don’t like these spices comes in mouth while eating then you can grind all the whole spices with spinach or use powdered spices.
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Recipe
Basmati brown rice – 1 cup
Spinach leaves or palak – 100 gram
Onion – 2, sliced
Garlic – 3-4 cloves
Green chilli – 3-4
Tomato – 1 small, roughly chopped
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Cilantro or coriander leaves – handful, optional
Green cardamom – 3
Cloves – 4
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Mace or javitri – 2 strands
Star anise – a small piece, optional
Sweet corn – 1/2 cup, optional
Green peas – 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
Bay leaf – 2
Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tablespoon
Water – 2 cup
Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
Method
1. Wash the brown rice 4-5 times. Soak in sufficient water for 30-40 minutes.
2. Wash the spinach leaves or palak well. Grind ginger, garlic, green chilli, tomato and spinach leaves to make a smooth paste. Also grind cilantro or coriander leaves with these spices if using.
3. Crush the green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves in a mortar pestle.
4. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, crushed cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and a small piece of star anise. Crushed whole spices will release more aroma. But you can use the spices without crushing if you want. Just break the cardamom lightly if you don’t like to crush.
5. When cumin seeds starts to splutter add sliced onion and fry till onion becomes light golden brown. Now add ginger, green, green chilli, tomato and spinach paste. Also add cumin powder. Saute till oil leaves the sides and raw smell of garlic and spinach goes away.
6. Drain the water of soaked brown rice. Add rice, green peas, sweet corn and salt. Saute for a minute. Stir the rice gently to avoid breaking the rice.
7. Add water and lemon juice. Mix well and cover the pressure cooker. Cook the brown rice palak pulao for 4 whistle. Switch off the heat.
8. Let the pressure settle down on it’s own. Don’t try to open the pressure cooker immediately. Give some standing time for perfectly cooked rice. When pressure settle down completely open the lid. Fluff the rice gently.
9. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve hot with any raita.
For white rice in pressure cooker
Soak the white basmati rice for 10-15 minutes in sufficient water. Drain the water completely and keep aside. Follow the recipe above as making brown rice palak pulao. Add 1&1/2 cup water and pressure cook for 2 whistle. And if you don’t like soft rice then add 1&1/4 cup water and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Let the pressure settle down on it’s own. Fluff the rice gently before serving.
In pot, pan or wok
Follow the above recipe. Add 2 cup water for 1 cup rice. When it starts to rolling boil cover and reduce the heat. Cook on simmer for 10 minutes. Stir the rice gently and again cook on simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir gently and cover the pan. After 5 minutes fluff the rice gently and serve.
Notes
1. Use green chilli according to your spice tolerance.
2. You can use any vegetable of your choice.
3. You can also use fried cashew nuts or any dry fruits if you want.
4. Use only one small tomato, not more than that to retain the green colour. If you have large tomato then use half of the tomato.
5. Ghee or clarified butter can be used instead of oil.
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