To make Pudina Rice / Mint Rice / Pulav, follow this step-by-step easy to make recipe. This aromatic Vegetable Rice is flavored with mint leaves, pistachios, spice and herbs. Mint leaves have a natural refreshing flavor, which when combined with coconut, other spices and rice make a very appetizing one-pot vegan meal.
I am part of many foodie groups on Facebook where the maximum complain I read is to do with greens. We all like to buy fresh herbs from the grocery store but sadly they come with a shelf live. If you don't preserve them well, they will wilt and you will need to throw it away with a heavy heart. I hate throwing away food in any form. Till I find a permanent solution to this problem, one thing I do buy them in small batches and use them promptly in my recipes. That ways, I ensure minimal wastage and my recipes also turn out great with the addition of these delicious fresh herbs. If at all you have some green herbs just sitting in your refrigerator and you don't know what to do with it, then you can do one of these two things - make fresh chutney or pesto sauce using it. This works even if the quantity of herbs is less.
Mint and coriander leaves are very common in an Indian kitchen. Our Coriander Mint chutney is like oxygen for us. We need this accompaniment with every possible dish. Since these herbs are a regular in my kitchen, I have tons of recipes featuring them. As I like to use them till the last strand, I make sure that I keep them fresh in zip-lock bags and use even the stalks not just the leaves in my recipes. This time, we went to a local Farmer's Market and I picked up 2 big bunch of mint leaves. While I used most of it to prepare chutney, I wanted to create a dish making mint the hero of it and I didn't want it to share the limelight with cilantro this time. Since it was weekend, I decided to make a rice recipe featuring mint. Just last week, I had prepared Vegan Pistachios & Dill flavored Turmeric Brown Rice where we really liked the flavor of pistachios in it.
That is when I conceptualized a green pulav recipe with largely using green ingredients. First step is to prepare the rice for the pulav. Rinse and then soak basmati rice
in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and add fresh water to cook the rice in a rice cooker
. Once cooked, allow it to cool a bit and then spread the rice onto a plate
. Drizzle ghee
over it and mix lightly. This will ensure that the rice grains are separated and grainy. Then dry roast mint leaves
, coconut flakes
, green chillies, garlic and ginger
. Roast till the coconut flakes turn light golden. Take it off the flame and allow it to cool down completely. Then blitz
to make smooth paste. Dry roast pistachios 
in the same pan for 30 seconds. Crush them coarsely with a mortar and pestle
.
Heat ghee
in a wok. Temper mustard seeds
and cumin seeds
, once they splutter, add the crushed pistachios. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the chopped onions. Saute them till they turn translucent. Next add the ground mint paste and continue to fry for a minute or two. Then add all green veggies like green peas, French beans and bell peppers along with salt. Saute till they are cooked. This could take 2-3 minutes if using frozen veggies, else 8-10 minutes for the beans to cook. Next add dry spices like chilly powder
and coriander cumin powder. Mix and saute for 30 seconds and then add the cooked rice and garam masala. Mix it all together so that the masala coats the rice well.
Since the rice is already cooked, you need not cook it for long. Take it off the pan and garnish with some chopped pistachios and mint leaves. Serve this warm with a side of raita and papad
. This recipe is a great way to use leftover mint or leftover rice. We loved it so much that after Cilantro Pot rice (Spinach Infused), this one has become a regular feature in our household. Mint extends a refreshing flavor to this rice dish and the veggies give it the required crunch and the nutrients. Did you know that consuming Mint has health benefits too. It helps alleviate a stomach ache and soothes the digestive system, cleans the stomach and clears up skin disorders such as acne. Wow! Mint also helps in eliminating toxins from the body and acts as a blood cleanser. There, I gave you more reason to try out this delicious Mint & Pistachio Vegetable Rice today! 🙂 Let's pledge together for #nomorewastage in our kitchen to begin with!
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Mint & Pistachio Vegetable Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 bunch mint leaves
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 4 nos green chillies
- 3/4 cup pistachios
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 large onion
- 1.5 cup mixed veggies like green peas, beans, bell pepper
- 1 tsp chilly powder
- 1 tbsp coriander cumin powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- Salt as required
- Handful of pistachios & mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- First step is to prepare the rice for the pulav. Rinse and then soak basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and add fresh water to cook the rice in a rice cooker. Once cooked, allow it to cool a bit and then spread the rice onto a plate. Drizzle a tbsp of ghee over it and mix lightly. This will ensure that the rice grains are separated and grainy. Then dry roast mint leaves, coconut flakes, green chillies, garlic and ginger. Roast till the coconut flakes turn light golden. Take it off the flame and allow it to cool down completely. Then blitz to make smooth paste. Dry roast pistachios in the same pan for 30 seconds. Crush them coarsely with a mortar and pestle. Heat ghee in a wok. Temper cumin seeds, once they splutter, add the crushed pistachios. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the chopped onions. Saute them till they turn translucent. Next add the ground mint paste and continue to fry for a minute or two. Then add all green veggies like green peas, French beans and bell peppers along with salt. Saute till they are cooked. This could take 2-3 minutes if using frozen veggies, else 8-10 minutes for the beans to cook. Next add dry spices like chilly powder and coriander cumin powder. Mix and saute for 30 seconds and then add the cooked rice and garam masala. Mix it all together so that the masala coats the rice well. Since the rice is already cooked, you need not cook it for long. Take it off the pan and garnish with some chopped pistachios and mint leaves. Serve this warm with a side of raita and papad.
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Mint has a very strong flavor and works great in many dishes. Mint Yogurt Dip, Gluten Free Mint Flavored Potato Bajra Pancake, Aloo Pudina Paratha/Potato Mint Stuffed Pancakes, Minty Cucumber raita and Coriander Mint Chutney are some recipes that you can make using fresh mint leaves. Some rice specialties that you can try for brunch are Roasted Peanut Rice, Soya Methi Pulav | Soy Fenugreek Rice, Lebanese Rice With Vermicelli, Eggplant Fried Rice | Vangi Bhaat | Brinjal Rice, Vegetarian Thai Chilly Fried Rice, Pepper Rice With Black Eyed Peas, Traditional Curd Rice, Indian Coconut Rice and Tomato Soy Pilaf Rice.
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