BM# 71: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: One Pot Dishes
Dish: Achari Vegetable Pulao
We are starting a new month of Blogging Marathon today and my theme for this week is ‘One Pot Dishes‘. Who doesn’t like one pot meals, they are easy to make, very convenient and only 1 dish to clean. For the first day I made this spicy and delicious Achari Vegetable Pulao. 
Being a south Indian many of my one pot dishes revolve around ‘rice’. So when I saw this Achari Chana pulao recipe on Tarla Dalal’s site, I knew I had to give it a try. This pulao is interesting in that it has ‘achar’ or spicy Indian pickle added right into the dish. Usually pickles are served with a dish and not in a dish, so that makes this dish spicy and very flavorful.
The addition of pickling spices like nigella, fenugreek, mustard and fennel seeds emphasizes the achari flavor in the dish. Original Tarla Dalal’s recipe had only chickpeas, but I added some mixed vegetables to make it more substantial and a filling one pot meal. Chickpeas can be replaced with paneer or tofu.
I used a pressure cooker to make this pulao, but it can also be made in an open pot. This is quick and easy enough to make on a weeknight but tasty enough to make for guests.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 71.
Achari Vegetable Pulao Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Basmati Rice, soaked for at least 15 minutes
- ½ cup Chickpeas, boiled
- 1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Mixed vegetables (chopped carrots, green beans, cauliflower etc)
- 2 tbsp Achar/ Pickle (I used some homemade tomato pickle, but any other achar would also work)
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp Nigella seeds
- 2 Cardamom pods
- ½ tsp Asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- To taste salt
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker, heat ghee and add fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, cardamom, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Cook till the seeds start to splutter.
- Add the onions and ginger-garlic paste; cook till they turn lightly browned around the edges, about 3~4 minutes.
- Add the mixed vegetables, chickpeas, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, salt and the achar/ pickle. Cook for 2~3 minutes.
- Add the rice and mix well. Cook on medium flame for 1~2 minutes.
- Add 3cups of hot water, mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
- Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Srivalli
The pulao has surely such a lovely texture and feel..making it so filling with veggies and chickpea sounds so interesting..
Suma Gandlur
This flavorful pulao looks so inviting with that perfectly made rice where each grain is standing apart.
Priya Suresh
Omg, this achari vegetable pulao is just inviting me, alluring one pot meal.
Ruxana
Perfect and a yummy pulao
srividhya
interesting. I have tons of lemon pickle. I should try this with that. great share.
Vaishali Sabnani
I like all the ingredients going into this pulao..it must be really delicious. Perfect Sunday lunch.
sapana
This pulao looks very delicious with all those yummy ingredients going in.
Harini
Super idea to use a pickle in this rice.