BAKED SAFFRON PULAO

RPulao ,possibly the most sought-after preparation ,whether it is veg or non-veg, pulao lovers want it all the time, and yes! for all of us who have had a hard day at work, a one-pot meal like this, is a boon. No making chapatis, dal, vegetable separately, just add everything in one go ,and there you are done !

Pulao's normally tend to be on the heavier ,greasier side, but here I am baking the pulao, which translates into simply, less toil, less time in the kitchen, all the veggies are intact and it's great for health, plus a touch of saffron for the exotic-loving ,so what are we waiting for, with just simple side-dishes of cucumber-tomato raita , achar and papad, your family will be left asking for more !                                                         Baked saffron rice pulao

Ingredients-

• Onion - 1 medium, sliced
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Capsicum - 1 medium, chopped
• Carrot- 1 chopped
• Garlic- 3-4 cloves, chopped
• Rice- 1 cup, soaked for 15 mins.
• cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Oil- 2 tbsp.
• Bayleaves- 2
• Garam masala- 2 tbsp
• Mint- 1 tbsp.,chopped
• Green chillies,chopped- 2
• Few strands of Saffron ,mixed in 1 tbsp milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method-

Preheat oven .Take a large baking pan,add oil spread onions,tomatoes, capsicum, carrots, cumin, garlic, green chillies and bay leaves, bake for 15 minutes, everything will get lightly browned and will be sizzling, add the rice ,masala and the salt and pepper, add water approximately one inch above the level of the rice ,sprinkle the saffron strands and milk on top, sprinkle mint and bake for approx, half an hour.      

       all the sliced and chopped veggies in the pan- ready for baking

I was very pleased with this pulao when I first made it, since it is absolutely no-fuss, and perfect for all those times you just don't feel like cooking much( and for lazy bones too). Each grain of rice separates perfectly and the veggies retain a light crunch, you can taste the subtle flavor of saffron and and the sharpness of mint as well, all in all highly recommended !                                         

The aroma of this pulao will find it's way to Sunita's event-at  http://sunitabhuyan.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-monthly-event-think-spice-think.html   

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