PULAO FOR THE PLATE

A PERFECT TREAT

The earliest mention of a dish named Pilaf can be found in the transcripts of the history of Alexander the Great. It is believed that the young Greek conqueror enjoyed the reception he received at the hands of the locals of Bactria. The military forces accompanying Alexander savoured the Bactrian dish of rice and meat, and took the recipe back with them to Greece which remained with them for a good amount of time.

While a lot many foodies get confused with its relation to the concept of biryani, the two are very different in many ways. A Biryani is made using the draining method of cooking which basically means the rice is par-boiled in water and then drained, dried and used to layer up. Pulao is made through the absorption method, so the amount of water or stock is completely absorbed by the rice and vegetables in the dish.

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Pulao is supremely aromatic and its exquisite usage of elegant spices makes it a very sophisticated dish. It’s this very subtle elegance that played a key role in spreading it to the world at large. From ancient Persia, it spread far and wide to the entire Middle East and beyond. The Spanish added a host of seafood to it, infused it with saffron and called it paella, the Turks referred to it as pilaf, and the Latin race from Italy called it their world-famous delicacy today called risotto.

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In India, the Chefs in Lucknow however prided themselves in making the fragrant pulao and maintained that the sophistication of the dish was in its subtlety of flavours, where the gentle fragrance of fennel and coriander seeds enhanced the floral essence of the rice. Although today we look at the scenario of pulao it’s way different across various parts of our country as well and that’s how it keeps us attracted towards it and we indulge in its uniqueness as always. Try some of my simple yet lip-smacking recipes for Pulaos in your kitchens & relish the effervescence of the robust spices & more!

Recipe-1] ZAIKEDAAR MURGH KEEMA PULAO

Recipe-2] PANEER KA CHUTNEY WALA PULAO

Recipe-3] KHUMB KA DUMDAAR PULAO

Recipe-4] GOSHT KA NARAM GARAM PULAO

Recipe-5] SUBZI TARKARI PULAOc

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