Keema Pulao / Rice Pilaf with Minced Meat

If there is anything that can make me go down on my knees...it is the Biriyani. The delectable, mouthwatering, tempting and spicy rice dish with juicy and succulent meat is an absolute delish.!! Yummmmm...!!!! But sadly making Biriyani is not an easy task. You need to have a lot of time in hand and in the end although the dish is more than just yummy...it leaves me with a mother load of used up utensils to clean up. Also, since I do not believe in short cuts, the Biriyani making process is too long to wait. It does worth it...but seriously its not possible to go through all these too frequently. So, I found out an alternative. I make Pilaf / Pulao, to have a Biriyani like taste.

I really want to tell you more about my Biriyani stories...but lets just reserve those for a more particular Biriyani post. In my home, Ma made pulao really frequently. It was her way of revamping a simple meal into a delicious one. It took almost the same time, but the end result was full and happy tummies with empty plates. Me and and my sister left none, and ma often joked that the way we licked clean our plates that there was no need to clean them again. Ma always made veg pilaf / pulao, because we always paired that with Kosha Mangso / Spicy Mutton Cuury. But chicken / mutton pilaf / pulao is a wholesome meal, which you can eat as it is. Apart from mutton or chicken minced meat gives pilaf / pulao a nice flavor too. I add in some peanuts and raisins which give the dish a nice crunch and sweetness.

Keema Pulao / Rice Pilaf with Minced Meat
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 cup good quality Basmati Rice
• 500gm minced meat of your choice (I used lamb)
• 1 large onion - sliced
• 1/2 cup yogurt - whisked
• a handful of roasted peanuts (optional)
• a handful of raisins (optional)
• 1 large cinnamon sick
• 3-5 green cardamom
• 3-5 cloves
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp shahi jeera 
• 4-5 fat cloves of garlic - paste
• 1 inch stick of ginger - paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp garam masala powder
• a pinch of nutmeg and mace powder
• salt
• 2 tbsp oil / ghee
• 1 and 1/2 cups of water to cook the rice

Method:

• Wash the rice with water until clean water comes out. Then soak the rice in water for 30-45 minutes.
• Heat oil / ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, where you will cook the rice. A handi / dutch oven will be good.
• Now add the shahi jeera, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, cloves and bay leaf. Sauté for some seconds until the oil / ghee becomes aromatic.
• Now add the sliced onions and sauté until they start to become golden.
• Now add the ginger - garlic paste and sauté till the onions become golden brown. By this time the raw flavor of the garlic will be gone.
• Now add minced meat, salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, nutmeg and mace powder, garam masala powder and whisked yogurt.
• Mix well and cook for 7-10 minutes or until the minced meat is nicely brown. Add little water if required, but be sure to evaporate it before adding the rice.
• Drain the water from the rice and add the rice into the pan.
• Add in the peanuts, raisins and stir to mix everything. Stir continuously so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
• When everything is well coated with the masalas add in 1 and 1/2 cups of water. (The minced meat and yogurt has their own oil and water, so its best to add water less than what is required to keep the rice fluffy.)
• Let the water come to a boil and then put cover. Cook until the rice is fluffy and cooked through.