Bread pulav:

The idea for this dish mainly came from the need to use up the slices of bread left in the refrigerator. When you are bored of the sandwiches, and want to try something different from all the all time famous bread upma, you could try this bread pulav.

This dish is a wholesome medley of flavored rice, spices and vegetables. Adding bread pieces fried in ghee takes it to a whole different level.

Do try this.., you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice- 1 cup pre soaked for an hour or so.
Ghee-1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Bread -4 slices- cut into bite sized pieces and fried in ghee until slightly browned and crisp.
Salt- as needed
Oil/Ghee - as needed
Water- 3 cups (Quantity required will vary depending on the quality of the rice)

Spices for seasoning:

Bay leaf-1 torn to smaller bits
Cloves-3-4 nos
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Fennel seeds-1 tsp
Star Anise- 1 no
Cardamom pods-2 to 3


Vegetables used:

Green beans: finely chopped amounting to 1/4 cup
Carrot- 1/2 to 1 carrot chopped
Potatoes-1 chopped
Cauliflower florets- 1/2 cup thoroughly washed and cleaned.
Onions- julienned amounting to 1/2 a cup
Green chillies- 2 (Use according to
Cilantro- as needed for garnish


Preparation:

In a kadai, heat 2 tsps of ghee. Fry the drained basmati rice until the rice takes on a slightly glassy look. This will just take a couple of minutes. Remove the rice and set aside.

In a kadai, add some ghee, and then add in all the spices. Stir them for a minute, taking care not to burn them. Now add in the onion. Fry for a couple of minutes until the onions appear transclucent. Now add in the ginger garlic paste. Fry until the raw smell leaves. Now add in all the other veggies. Adding salt at this stage will help the veggies cook faster. Cook covered for a couple of minutes. Once the veggies  appear partially cooked, add the  fried basmati rice and the required water.

Reduce the flame and cook covered.

Once the rice is cooked,let it cool down a short while before adding the bread pieces. Garnish with cilantro. Close the lid. This will help the bread pieces absorb the flavour of the pulav.

Serve warm with your choice of raithas or any other mild vegetable gravy. I served this pulav with a mild tomato dal.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

1. Frying the rice in ghee before cooking is totally optional.
2. Adding whole spices lends a unique flavor to this pulav. Alternatively, store bought pulav masala may be used.
3. Adding the bread pieces lends a different texture to this pulav. You could just make the pulav, skipping the bread.

Bread pulav with Tomato Dal