Sweet Pulao was my favourite as a child and I waited for it to be served at the Mangalorean weddings. At every wedding we had mutton, chicken, pork, sannas, which my mother always cooked at home too, but at the end that sweet pulao with plum chutney was something I always looked forward to and loved it. I still enjoy it and make it occasionally at home.
Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups hot water (boiled separately)
1 big onion
3 tbsp cashew nuts
3 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp sugar
2 small cinnamon sticks
4cardamoms
2 cloves
ghee
salt
Heat ghee in a vessel and fry the finely sliced onions until golden brown for garnishing. Remove and keep aside.
In the same ghee, fry the cashew nuts slightly and then the raisins until they just puff up. Remove and keep aside.
Add little ghee and fry the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for half a minute. Now add the washed and drained rice to it and fry gently for two minutes on medium fire. Add hot water, sugar, salt, mix all together and check the taste, should be sweet and salty. Let it boil on medium flame well, close the lid and continue boiling until most water is absorbed. Put off the fire and let it remain closed for another twenty minutes. Then open it and mix gently with a fork.
Just before serving garnish with fried onions, cashewnuts and raisins.
Lyn's Kitchen 