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Veg Navratan Pulao Recipe | How to make Veg Pulav at home

Navratan Pulao is a Mughlai cuisine that originated in the kitchen of Emperor Akbar during his rule in India. It is said that the dish was created to honor the nine outstanding people in the Emperor’s court.

The recipe is extraordinary and has an old royal vibe stuck to it. The simple yet delicate flavors come together beautifully creating a masterpiece.

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The name literally means nine different types of vegetables and dry fruits combined with rice to become a hearty and healthy dish. The crunchy nuts along with the veggies, spices, and the fluffy rice, taste divine. Create this delicacy in your kitchen now and indulge in the grandness of it.

Let us look through the list of ingredients and the process to make it.

Veg Navratan Pulao Recipe

Madhushree Dutta
Recipe for making delicious veg Navratna Pulao Recipe at home. Simple ingredients and instructions to cook tasty simple veg navratna pulao.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Basmati Rice long grain
  • 1 cup Paneer cubes 1-inch cubes
  • ½ cup Green Peas
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 cup Cauliflower florets small florets
  • ½ cup Beans
  • 1 Capsicum
  • 3 Green Chilis or according to heat tolerance
  • 2 tsp Ginger finely Chopped; optional
  • 1 2-inch Cinnamon stick
  • 1 Black Cardamom
  • 8-10 Green Cardamom
  • 7-8 Cloves
  • 8-10 Black Peppercorns
  • 2 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 15 Cashew nuts break them from the middle
  • 15 Walnuts
  • 15 Almonds
  • ½ cup Raisins
  • 2 tbsp Pomegranate Arils optional
  • 2 pinch Saffron strands
  • ½ cup Milk
  • 3 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
  • Ghee
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar to taste

Instructions
 

Prepare the rice

  • First, wash the basmati rice and soak it for about 40 minutes.
  • After that, boil water to cook the rice.
  • Boil the rice for about 10 minutes or until cooked to perfection.
  • Keep on checking and make sure not to overcook it.
  • When the rice is done, strain it, spread it on a tissue-covered plate, and let it cool down completely.

Prepare the veggies and nuts

  • Next, wash all the veggies.
  • Dice the carrots, and cut the capsicum and the cauliflower into small florets.
  • Chop the beans, and cut the paneer into cubes.
  • Next, cut the almonds, cashew nuts, and walnuts into half. Keep them aside.
  • Heat the milk until warm and soak in the saffron strand.

Fry the veggies

  • Now, take a kadhai or a cooking pot and add ghee.
  • Heat the ghee until it smokes a little.
  • To this, add the veggies except the green peas.
  • Stir and fry them for about 5 minutes or until cooked. Do not overcook the vegetables.

Fry the paneer

  • When the veggies are done, add the paneer.
  • Fry the paneer until golden brown from all the sides. Keep the flame on medium.
  • Take them out and keep them aside.

Stir fry the nuts

  • In the same ghee add all the nuts and raisins.
  • Fry them for about a minute and keep them aside.

Stir fry the spices

  • Now, add ghee if needed and let it heat.
  • Keep the flame on medium and add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, black peppercorns, cloves, black cardamom, green Cardamoms, and cinnamon stick (break it into a few pieces).
  • Stir and fry them until the aromatics are fragrant.
  • To this, add the finely chopped ginger and green chilis.
  • Stir them nicely until the raw smell is gone.

Add the ingredients

  • Next, add the fried vegetables, nuts, and raisins.
  • Combine them nicely.

Add the rice

  • Now add the rice in small quantities and stir.
  • Combine everything gently and make sure not to break the long grains of the rice.
  • Add salt to taste.
  • Also, add sugar to taste to balance the salt.

Add the milk

  • Stir everything for a minute and then add the saffron-infused milk.
  • Combine well and let them cook for 2 minutes. Cover the kadhai or the cooking pan.

Add the paneer

  • Next, add the green peas and the cubed paneer.
  • Stir them well.
  • Squeeze a bit of lime or lemon juice to balance out all the flavors.
  • Keep the flame on low and cover it again for about 3-4 minutes.
  • Lightly toss the rice to loosen them and then take a taste test.
  • If everything is up to the mark, then transfer it into a bowl.

Garnish

  • Garnish the navratan pulao with finely chopped coriander leaves and pomegranate arils (if using).
Keyword Recipes for Dinner, Recipes for Lunch, Veg Recipes

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And there you go! The fluffy and tasteful Veg Navratan Pulao is ready to be relished.

Serve the dish with chili paneer, Veg Machurian, Chili Chicken, or any other side dish of choice.

The savory yet sweet pulao is ideal for any occasion be it pujas or parties. You can even make it for just yourself and enjoy your day off. Make it with love and do share it with all the close ones.

Eat up!


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