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Dinner with Rukmini
Browse all of the recipes in Rukmini Iyer’s cookbooks by ingredient.
Saffron, Almond and Paneer Festival Pulao
Introduction from Rukmini Iyer
This is such a lovely festive rice dish – the saffron and cardamom give it a wonderful, luxe flavour, and the butter-fried almonds and paneer kofta work beautifully with it. While making the homemade paneer kofta takes a little time, the rice itself is an easy 20-minute one-pan dish which you could easily make without the kofta for a simpler weekend meal. This looks really lovely brought to the table in a wide, flat bowl.
Ingredients
Essential kit
You will need: a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
Method
You can make and fry the paneer kofta following the paneer recipe and kofta recipe up to a day ahead. Take them out of the fridge when you start this recipe.
For the rice, heat the butter in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the almonds and cardamom pods and fry for 3–4 minutes over a medium heat until the almonds are golden brown.
Meanwhile, steep the saffron threads in the boiling water.
Add the basmati rice to the butter and almonds and stir-fry the rice for a further 2 minutes. Add the 350ml water, saffron mixture and salt and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, lower the heat right down and cook for 15 minutes without removing the lid. Once cooked, take the lid off and use a fork to fluff through the rice. Let it steam-dry uncovered for 5 minutes, then taste for salt.
To serve, warm the kofta through for 5 minutes at 160°C fan/180°C/gas 4 from room temperature, or for 10 minutes from fridge-cold. Transfer the rice to a warm dish, stir through the kofta and scatter over the fresh coriander before serving hot.
NOTE: Do use the best saffron you can find: I find the Belazu brand consistently good and wonderfully aromatic, but other supermarket brands of saffron less so.
Preview
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From the book
India Express: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Day
75 recipes inspired by the vibrant flavours of South India and Bengal
Speedy and fuss-free recipes for maximum flavour in return for minimum effort
Trademark traybakes, as well as stir-fries, snacks, weeknight curries, and simple desserts
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