Basanti Pulao ( Bengali Misti Pulao)

Today I’m all ‘back to the root’ with some basic ‘carb’. After spending hell lot of days with dieting and running, now I need some energy to recharge by battery just before Durga Puja. Although after leaving India, Pujas and festivals have become a mere memory of mine. I need to bring back the taste-buds alive before I hit the food stalls at puja pandals. So I’m starting my ‘reverse fasting’ with Bengali Holud Mishti Pulao or Sweet Saffron Polau.

I remember my mother used to make this for any special occasion at home. Before the invasion of Chinese food, Dhaba food and Pizza etc, this pulao used to be a must for any parties. I make it often at home, specially for our Sunday lunch, to go with the mutton curry. Mutton curry and Misti Pulao must have been bestowed by the Food God, a pair made in heaven. If you haven't tasted it yet, you are surely missing something.

‘Basanti Pulao’ is a traditional Bengali rice dish. This is also referred as ‘Holud Mishti Pulao’ (Yellow Sweet Pilaf), as both ‘Holud’ and ‘Basanti’ stands for the color yellow.

Like other traditional Bengali dishes I learnt this too from my mother. For me, she makes the best Misti pulao on Earth. This pulao needs some special ingredients, first the rice, it has to be Gobindobhog (a fragrant rice cultivated in West Bengal (India), Bangladesh), and saffron for the unique flavor. The another must thing for this dish is ghee. According to my mother, you can skip the saffron but not the ghee.

Ingredients

• 400 gms Gobindobhog Rice/Basmati Rice
• 3 Bay Leaf
• 3 – 4 Green Cardamom
• 3” Cinnamon Stick
• 3 – 4 Clove
• ¼ cup Ghee/Clarified Butter
• 2 Tbsps Oil
• drops Yellow Saffron Colour – Few
• 2 pinches Saffron – Fat
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg Powder
• ½ cup Cashew Nut & Raisins
• 4 tsps Sugar
• To taste Salt
• 4 cups Warm Water

Method

1. Take the rice and wash under the cold water thoroughly. Let it soak for 30 minutes then strain the excess water completely.
2. Now spread the rice on a large plate or serving tray and let the rice to dry completely, it will take 15-20 minutes. After 15-20 minutes add saffron colour and salt to the dried rice and mix with rice gently. Remember the washed rice is very fragile right now. Leave the marinated rice for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes take a kadai or wok and heat 2 Tbsp of oil in it. When the oil is perfectly hot add the raisins & cashew nuts and fry them till golden brown. Take the fried nuts & raisins out of the wok and keep aside.
4. No in the same oil add ghee. Then add bay leaf and green cardamom, cinnamon and clove for tempering. Add the marinated rice to the wok and fry for 5 minutes.
5. Now add 4 cups of warm water and saffron, simmer the heat, cover the wok with a lid and let it cook till the rice is cooked perfectly. It will take at least 15 minutes.
6. When the rice is cooked perfectly, open the lid, if you wish you may add 1 Tbsp of ghee more now to enrich the pulao and mix in the fried cashew and raisins.
7. Add sugar and nutmeg powder and stand the pulao for 10 minutes with the lid on.
8. Serve with Mutton curry or Chicken Rezala or any other chicken, mutton or fish dishes of your choice.