Why recepie famous for?
Green pea pulao with paneer koftas is a luxurious Mughlai -style pulao, which is marked not just by the mix-and-match colours of green peas and apricots, but also the splendid paneer koftas that are tossed into the rice! The fragrance of saffron and other spices is really accentuated by the baking procedure.
Ingredients
3 cups cooked long grained rice (basmati rice)
3/4 cup boiled green peas
2 pinches saffron (kesar) strands
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (shahjeera)
50 mm (2") cinnamon (dalchini)
2 cloves (laung / lavang)
2 cardamoms
salt to taste
8 to 10 dried apricots (kummani / jardalu) , soaked in for 1 hour , drained and chopped
For The Paneer Koftas
1 cup crumbled paneer (cottage cheese)
3 tbsp plain flour (maida)
a pinch of baking soda
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
salt to taste
oil for deep-frying
For The Gravy
1 tbsp ghee
3/4 cup fresh curds (dahi) , mixed with 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
To Be Ground Into A Smooth Paste (for The Gravy) , Using A Little Water
1/2 cup roughly onions
3 tbsp grated fresh coconut
4 garlic (lehsun) cloves
2 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
50 mm (2") cinnamon (dalchini)
3 cloves (laung / lavang)
3 cardamoms
2 tsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
7 whole dry kashmiri red chillies , broken into pieces
Other Ingredients
2 tsp ghee for greasing
2 tsp milk
Instructions
Warm the saffron in a small vessel, add the milk and mix well.
Combine the saffron-milk mixture and rice in a bowl and mix well.
Heat the ghee in a broad non-stick pan, add the caraway seeds, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
Add the rice-saffron mixture, green peas and salt and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the apricot pieces and mix well. Keep aside.
For the paneer koftas
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Divide the mixture into 10 equal portions and shape each portion into a small round ball.
Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep-fry, a few koftas at a time, till they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides. Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside.
For the gravy
Heat the ghee in a broad non-stick pan, add the prepared paste and sauté on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the curds-water mixture, sugar and salt, mix well and cook on a slow flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Keep aside.
How to proceed
Combine the green pea pulao and koftas in a bowl and mix lightly.
Divide the green pea pulao-kofta mixture into 2 equal portions and keep aside.
Grease a baking bowl with ghee, put 1 portion of the green pea pulao-kofta and spread it evenly using a back of a spoon.
Add all the gravy and spread it evenly.
Finally add the other half of green pea pulao-koftas mixture and spread it evenly. Pour the milk evenly all over it.
Cover and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180oc (360of) for 15 to 20 minutes or microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes.
Just before serving, turn upside down on a big serving plate and
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