Amader Barir Chirer Pulao, Flattened Rice Pulao from a Bengali Home

Apparently some Professor of some University somewhere around the world put up a note in class about how he knows when students are “texting” in class, “because no one looks at their crotch and smiles”, it said.

Now that may have triggered some chuckles in campus, but that’s the reality. And it’s not the teens and tweens who are having endless conversations on their smartphone devices. Its us adults too. In between meals, meetings, coffee breaks, at the dinner table and while out on a date, and even while putting the baby to sleep.

Its wonderful how our two thumbs can do so much talking! Thank god there are no Dronacharyas around in this day and age. Between the husband and me, cell phones and television are banned during meal times. That is something I have learned from my own Mother. We wouldn’t have TV on during lunch or dinner, unless there was some life changing India-Pakistan cricket match happening. Cell phones with texting features did not exist then.

What did exist were plain old black telephones, with their black curly cords. Where people would chat for hours, without the fear of being charged by the minute. The receiver was so heavy, our hands would ache from just holding it. I still remember when as a 10-year-old, we got the first phone at home. It took us three years of wait time to have a phone connection back then in the late 1980s. But then it was another century then. The Nineteen Eighties. That was also the time, I as a budding pre-teen hated taking a lunch box to school. Though, now that I look back, I’d probably say my sister and I had the best lunches in class. Nutritious and interesting food prepared by my Mum every morning.

This Chirer Pulao was a winter favourite of hers. It makes for a sumptuous mid-day snack for growing kids if you pack it with seasonal vegetables and nuts. There were also no nut allergies back then!

The ingredients for Chirer Pulao are:

1 cup chire/chura/flattened rice, choose the thin, long-grain variety
1 potato, remove the skin and cut into small cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
Handful of cauliflower flowerets, cut into small pieces
Few green chillies, finely chopped
Half cup green peas (frozen or fresh)
Handful of broken cashew nuts
Handful of peanuts
Handful of raisins
Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Vegetable oil
Sugar
Salt

Begin by heating oil in a thick pan. Add the cubed potatoes and shallow fry till they turn golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep.

In the remaining oil, add the cauliflower. Shallow fry till lightly browned and keep.

Add the peanuts (first), cashew and raisins in that order and sauté on low heat till the peanuts and cashew are lightly browned.

Add the green peas and cook for a few minutes without parching the peas and making them look all wrinkly. Keep them out with the potato, etc.

In the remaining oil, add the green chillies and onions and sauté till translucent.

Quickly but thoroughly wash the chire and drain in a colander. Add to the cooked onions, etc. Mix.

. Now add the other shallow-fried ingredients – potato, cauliflower, peas, nuts, and raisins. Mix well. Keep moving the wet chire around in the pan till it gets coated with all the other ingredients.

Season with salt and sugar and add the chopped coriander.

Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve the Chirer Pulao warm in little bowls or send some packing for lunch to your kids’ school.

Vegetable Pulav & Cucumber Raita

An all vegetarian meal on a Sunday is a record of sorts in our home. But we did it today. With this vegetable pulao/pulav, cucumber raita and some roasted papad/poppadoms.

For the Vegetable Pulao, I got some color on my potatoes and cauliflower. Stirred in the cup of diced mushrooms I had in my fridge and added some color with carrots and green peas. You can use green beans too which I did not have at home today.

Ingredients for Vegetable Pulao/Pulav are:

1 cup diced cauliflower
1 medium potato, cut in cubes
1 cup button mushrooms, cut in quarters
Quarter cup green peas
Quarter cup diced carrots
1 inch knob of ginger, ground
3-4 green chilies, finely chopped
Little squirt of lemon juice
1 cup Basmati rice
Half teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
2-3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon desi ghee
Pinch of sugar
Salt

Wash and drain the rice and keep it in a sieve for about 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the cauliflower and potatoes separately to get a light color on them. Remove and keep aside. Sauté the mushrooms in the same pan.

Add ghee in the pan and add the whole spices like cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaves. Let it sauté for a minute. Add the rice and mix well. Toss in the sautéed vegetables, carrots, peas, ginger and green chili pieces. Stir well to mix everything. Let the rice and vegetables sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Add salt and a pinch of sugar.

Transfer to a microwaveable bowl, add two cups of water, lemon juice and the grated nutmeg. Give it one last stir. Cover with a cling film. Microwave for 20 minutes or till rice is done. If you see some moisture in the rice after the cook time, turn the microwave oven on for 3-4 minutes more.

Let the pulav stand in the bowl for about 10 minutes before you serve.

I served my Vegetable Pulao/Pulav with this cool Cucumber Raita.

Ingredients for Cucumber Raita are:

1 cucumber, grated
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
Handful of finely chopped cilantro
1 cup Balkan-style plain yogurt
1 teaspoon bhaja moshla
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Black salt

Whisk the yogurt, chill for some time. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and season with black salt. You can use regular salt if you don’t have black salt.

The mixing of the Cucumber Raita should be done only when you are about to serve. Salt will make cucumber release moisture which is not good for the consistency and taste of the raita.

I make my bhaja moshla (dry roasted spice) by roasting some cumin seeds and coriander seeds on low heat. Then I coarsely dry grind them. The bhaja moshla can be stored in a clean jar for a few weeks. It just adds a whole lot of earthy fresh flavor and taste to raita and salads.
An experienced Bengali housewife would also use this bhaja moshla to take a plain potato curry to the next level.