Corn Pulao

Whenever I go to costco, I love to elaborately browse their produce section for the choices of vegetables & fruits that they have to offer, without compromising on freshness & quality! The only downside though is that it always comes in bulk quantity with an expiry attached! Tomatoes, avocados, oranges, strawberries, spinach, pepper, cucumber, corn, apples, melons... Oh!! You can see me going round & round the produce section just like a kid in a candy store. My hands will start to itch, if I see any veggies/fruits with atleast couple of weeks (or more) of shelf life. 

If I buy corn, I either roast them in the oven (or) microwave with spices to make 'corn in a cup' (or) use them up in mexican recipes (or) add them to salad. One of my recent findings is corn pulao and all of us at home absolutely love this simple & easy pulao.

This is a very simple one-pot rice meal of corn cooked with milk. The taste & flavor of garlic, pepper along with the other spices is truly appetizing. This recipe is on the milder side, but you can add more pepper / green chillies to make it spicy. With some raita on the side, even my little one loves to finish this pulao in no-time.

Basic Info
Recipe Source - Rak's Kitchen
Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 30 mins (includes soaking time)
Cook time - 30 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 1.25 cups
Corn - 1.25 cups (about 2 corns)
Green chilli - 2 nos (slit vertically)
Mint leaves - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Cilantro - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Ghee - 1.5 tbsp

Whole Spices
Bay leaf - 1 no
Cardamom - 2 cloves
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 2 nos

To Grind
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch
Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Cashews - 7-8 nos

Method

Wash and soak basmati rice for atleast 20 mins.

Use a mixer and grind all the ingredients under 'To Grind' into a fine paste. Use 1-2 tsp of water, only if necessary.

In a thick bottomed sauce-pan, heat 1.5 tbsp of oil. When hot, fry all the ingredients under 'Whole Spices' until fragrant. Add green chilli and saute for few seconds. Next, add the ground paste and saute until the raw smell of garlic is gone.

Add corn, salt and cook for 2-3 mins. Add drained rice and saute for another 2 mins.

Add milk, water, mint leaves, cilantro and give it a good mix. Let everything come to a boil on medium heat. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 - 15 mins. Switch off the stove and keep it covered for another 15 mins.

Fluff it up and serve warm with raita.