Basanti pulao or sweet pulao (Misti Pulao) is a subtly sweet, ghee-flavored rice recipe made with fragrant Govinda Bhog rice, cashew nuts, and raisins. It is one of the special dishes for any special Bengali occasion or festival.

This recipe is also very popular in many places outside Bengal. I personally love chicken kosha and it is my favorite side dish with Basanti pulao.

Although there are many other types of pulao made with different types of fruits, nuts, meat, or fish, the Basanti pulao has become the most popular, occupying a special place in the menu cards of authentic Bengali restaurants like Bhojohori Manna.

Old Gobindobhog rice is used for this dish. The elegant yellow color and the sweet fragrance of the rice make it a scrumptious Bengali dish to relish. The best thing about this pulao is that you can easily make it at home with no hassle at all.

Let’s see the list of ingredients and the process to make it.

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Basanti Pulao Recipe Bengali Style

Madhushree Dutta

Recipe to make delicious Basanti Pulao at home. Simple ingredients, instructions, and equipment to cook Bengali style Misti Pulao easily.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Course Main Course

Cuisine Bengali, Indian

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

1 Kadhai
1 Induction Cooktop
1 Mixer Grinder

Ingredients

3 cups Gobindobhog rice
3 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Ginger paste
2-3 Green Chilis
Salt to taste
½ tsp Turmeric powder
4-6 pcs Green Cardamom
3 Cloves
2-3 Bay leaves
2 1-inch Cinnamon sticks
Sugar to taste
10-15 Raisins
10-15 Cashew nuts
6 cups Water

Instructions

Wash the rice

First, wash the rice very well in cold water. Do not rub them vigorously, just wash them gently.
Spread the rice on a large plate or serving tray covered with kitchen tissues. This will dry up the rice in 15-20 minutes.

Marinate the rice

After 20 minutes, add 1 tbsp ghee, turmeric, ginger paste, salt to taste and sugar to taste. (The amount of sugar will be according to preference. However, it is needed a bit more as the pulao is made sweet, but not too overpowering. )
Next, combine all the ingredients nicely. Make sure you handle the rice carefully. Broken rice will not give you a good result.
Keep aside the marinated rice for an hour.

Prepare the ingredients

After 1 hour, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a kadhai.
When the ghee is hot, add the cashew nuts and fry them for about 1 minute. keep the flame on medium.
Remove the cashews from the oil and keep aside. In the meantime, soak the raisins in water.
In the same ghee add the bay leaves, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Stir them until the fragrance is released from the aromatics.

Add the rice

Now add the rice mix to the pan or kadhai. Stir it continuously until the rice gets dry and shows an opaque appearance.

Add boiling water

While the rice is getting fried, boil water in another pot.
Keep the flame on medium and add the boiling water to the opaque rice.

Cook the rice

Stir everything well and turn up the flame to high. Let the rice cook on high flame for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, turn down the flame to medium and cover the kadhai. Let the rice simmer for around 10 minutes.
Next, remove the lid and give everything a stir. Be gentle with the stirring otherwise the rice grains will break.
Check if the rice is tender and take a taste test. Add if anything is needed.
If the rice is not cooked to perfection, cover it again. Keep on checking the rice at an interval of five minutes.

Add the cashews and raisins

Now, add the cashews and soaked raisins (squeeze out the excess water from them).
Scrape from the sides and bottom and give them a final stir.
Add the green chilis by slitting from the middle. Keep the flame on medium and cover the kadhai again for 5 minutes. We want the rice to be fluffy and not mushy.
After 5 minutes, turn off the flame and transfer the Basanti Pulao into a bowl.

Keyword Bengali Recipe, Recipes for Dinner, Recipes for Lunch, Veg Recipes

Thats it! The luxurious Basanti Pulao is ready to be served. This pulao will be perfect with any non-vegetarian dish like Chicken kosha or Chicken Rezala. If you are a vegetarian, you can also have it with Shahi Paneer.

This rice dish goes really well with any spicy side dish. Make and savor it with all the close ones during occasions or maybe even on normal days.

Enjoy!

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Basanti Pulao Recipe | How To Make Misti Pulao At Home