Aloo ke Kofte with Peas Pulao

I wouldn't like to bore you all with the same story again. That I have been busy all these days. Work along with travel :( which has called for an uninformed break from Blogging altogether for a few days. It wouldn't get any better this week or the week after. I'm occasionally opening my dashboard and indeed checking a few fabulous posts from fellow bloggers every now and then. Though I get impressed, I'm unable to leave my comments then and there. I hope they wouldn't be cross at me.

Well, I missed the last round of Blog Hop Wednesdays and this is a sincere attempt to cope up with that. Last Sunday this was our lunch. You got it right. I tried the Aloo ke Kofte from Nisha's Kitchen and Green Peas Masala Rice from Prabha's Samayal. Both are very talented bloggers and indeed I had a really tough time to pick up one recipe from either of their blogs. There were a lot which I wanted to try. But, my idea was to make a lunch and the dishes have to go well with each other. The final outcome was really great and I'm glad about my choices.

Aloo ke Kofte:

The original recipe can be found here.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, except a few changes in the measurements to suit our taste. It was enough to serve two hungry persons.

Peas Pulao:

The original recipe can be found here. Here, I made a few changes and hence providing the recipe as I did.

Preparation Time: 25 - 30 mins
Serves: 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 1/2 cups
Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Mustard/Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon each
Onion - 1, chopped into thin long stripes
Tomato - 1 chopped
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Green chillies - 2, slit lengthwise
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds -1/2 tsp
Water - 4 cups

Whole garam masala - a few cardomom pods, cinnamon, cloves
Pandan leaves (Rambai ilai) - a few chopped (optional)
Coriander leaves - few stalks, chopped
Ghee - 1 Tbsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp

Method:

In a rice cooker, heat some oil and/or ghee and add the whole garam masala one by one. In goes now the mustard seeds, jeera, fennel seeds and chopped pandan leaves. Add the chopped onions and green chillies. Sauté them till the onions get translucent. Now add the ginger garlic paste and turmeric and saute till the raw smell goes.

Add in the peas, tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves and required salt. Sprinkle very little water, cover with the lid and let them cook for 5 minutes.

In the meanwhile, wash the rice and keep it ready. Now, add the rice to the cooker along with required amount of water, give a stir and let it cook.

After the rice is ready, fluff with a fork and garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

Note:

• I prepared the pulao in a rice cooker completely. Alternatively, you can prepare the peas masala separately in a non-stick pan or wok, cook the rice separately and mix both.
• The addition of ghee and pandan leaves gave the pulao a very distinct irresistible aroma. Yet, they are purely optional.
• I ommitted the addition of coconut and blending as mentioned in the original recipe. If you wish some extra flavour, go ahead with coconut. Alternatively, you can replace one cup of water with coconut milk instead of blending.

Verdict:

I added some koftes into the gravy and some were saved to snack upon later. The Kofte and the pulao made an incredibly good combination. It was a hearty and comforting meal that we both enjoyed. The fine aromatic mild spiced pulao along with the spicy gravy was a melt in the mouth. My husband asked me, "Why don't you prepare such a meal everyday for me?". Ha ha haa. If I have the time, I would surely love to cook everyday such meals for him :) This alone shows how well we enjoyed this.

Thanks again Radhika for arranging such a lovely event and making us try new food everytime. Sending this to Tickling Palates' Blog Hop Wednesdays Week 7.