I have updated another recipe below using a combination of curry leaves and moringa leaves. Do try that version too!
Jump to Recipe
Many of my days are simple, one-pot dishes for lunch (almost alway which use simple ingredients available right in my pantry/fridge)! My menu for the day is almost always planned with what I already have in my kitchen. Lentils, rice and dal are always in my pantry, so my breakfast is covered; idlis, dosas, adais, paniyarams etc. Lunch or dinner is mostly rummaging through the fridge to use up vegetables and fruits before shopping for more! This is one of those days. My sister-in-law had just brought a huge bunch of curry leaves on her recent visit. I love curry leaves in everything; in chutneys as a seasoning or blended in coconut chutneys, in chutney powders, or in chiwdas or juices!
So, today, for lunch it was going to be curry leaves pulao. With that huge bunch waiting to be used up as soon as possible, I could not think of anything other than making a pulao using it in the paste form! You can add more veggies if you want but I decided to keep it plain and just garnish with lots of peanuts. Who doesn’t love pulaos and stir fried rice which are ready in no time! This dish too comes together in just 30 minutes from start to finish and most of them is resting time for the rice to fluff up after cooking!
BASIC INGREDIENTS THAT FLAVOR THE PULAO:
Being a south Indian, coconut and curry leaves are always in our diet! So why not make a paste of these two with some simple spices like coriander, cumin etc.? Just make sure the leaves are fresh, green and with no blemishes. Wash thoroughly, drain and let dry for a few minutes. I added chana dal too as it gives a nutty aroma and of course how can I forget chilies! Spice it up as much as you like! Roast all of these simple spices with curry leaves and grated coconut; make a fine paste. This is then cooked with rice in a pressure pan (stove top or Instant Pot) for about 10 minutes. For a royal touch, I love to shower my pulaos with nuts and raisins, but curry leaves go so well with peanuts, so I substituted the raisins with peanuts. Lightly roast the nuts with mustard seeds, hing and more curry leaves; gently stir into the pulao. That is it; I promise, you will love it!
With no onions and no garlic, it is the perfect dish to make during any festival. Vegans can enjoy this filling and sumptuous pulao guilt free! Make ahead and serve it at any party, get together or potluck! A salad on the side and a cooling raita (vegan/regular for non vegans) is all you will need.
UPDATED MARCH 18 2020:
Everyone knows how nutritious and a super food moringa leaves or even moringa is! We have a huge tree in our factory/company land and we always have access to moringa leaves and moringa/drumsticks; thrilled to bits about it! For your daily dose of nutrients and minerals, try to add a handful or more of moringa leaves in your diet; apparently it is amazing for your eyes too! I tweaked my curry leaves pulao a bit by adding lots of moringa leaves to it while frying the curry leaves and a dash of corn; used frozen; just wash and add before cooking. I know lots of us do not have access to coconut, so I substituted it with a handful of powdered almonds. Rest of the recipe is the same (I used 1:2 ratio of curry to moringa leaves). Hope you make this soon, with or without moringa leaves!
With some Cluster Beans Stir fry, a salad of cucumbers, carrots, soaked mung bean dal and coconut (recipe here: kosambari) and bowl of yogurt raita, my meal was awesome, delicious and complete! So, the next time you have a huge bunch of these aromatic, healthy and flavorful curry leaves, you know what to make!
Enjoy foodies and Happy Cooking!
If you are like me, I am sure you will love these other one-pot healthy pulaos too which come together so fast, they will all end up in your recipe repertoire to make often!
One-pot Sambar Sadam/Rice (Pressure Cooker and Instant Pot) Pressure Cooker Tomato Pulao One-Pot Methi Carrot Pulao Pressure Cooker Kodo Millet Pongal
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE CURRY LEAVES PULAO:
Wash Basmati rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear, strain and soak in plenty of water for about 20 minutes. Separate curry leaves from the stalks, wash in plenty of water until clean and strain to remove excess water. Keep aside.
TO MAKE THE CURRY LEAVES MASALA:
Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan or kadai and once hot, add the dry spices; jeera, coriander, chana dal and chillies. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly until light brown.
Add curry leaves and continue to fry until it is slightly wilted. Stir in the grated coconut and saute, stirring often until light brown and the curry leaves are crisp; about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, let cool and make a fine paste with a little water in a blender. Keep aside.
TO MAKE THE CURRY LEAVES PULAO:
Heat a pressure pan with oil and once hot, add jeera and cloves. Saute on medium low heat until slightly aromatic; a few seconds. Stir in the washed and drained rice and fry on medium heat, stirring constantly until most of the moisture is gone and each grain of rice glistens.
Stir in the curry leaves masala paste; mix well.
Add 1 ¼ teaspoons salt and 2 to 2 1/2 cups water depending upon the quality of rice; mix well to combine.
Cook on high. After first whistle, lower heat to medium low and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to allow the pressure to drop naturally. Keep aside for 5 to 7 minutes. Open the pressure pan, fluff up the rice gently with a fork, taking care not to break the rice grains.
TO PREPARE THE TEMPERING:
Heat oil in a small saucepan and once hot, add mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop and crackle, add cashew and peanuts and fry on medium heat, stirring often until light golden and crisp. Stir in curry leaves and hing powder and add this seasoning to the pulao.
Mix in the seasoning gently into the pulao, taking care to maintain the long grains of the rice. Serve spicy, healthy, no, onion-no,garlic, curry leaves pulao alongside a cooling raitha (vegans can use coconut yogurt), salad and some poppadums or potato chips.
This can be prepared in an Instant Pot too! Follow the same procedure but pressure cook for 5 minutes, and release pressure after 10 minutes. Enjoy and Happy Cooking Foodies!
PIN or SHARE here:
Join the party at Angie’s FiestaFriday along with Jhuls @thenotsocreativecook. If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page For more such easy and delicious recipes, follow me on: Facebook @ curryandvanilla Pinterest @ curryandvanilla Instagram @ curryandvanilla16 Twitter @ curryandvanilla Google Plus @ Vanitha Bhat Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!!
