Summertime yields a lot of fresh mint, and where there's a lot of fresh mint, there's also a lot of confusion about what to do with all of it! So, if you are like me and always have tons of fresh mint during this season, you can make this beautiful pudina rice, or pudina pulao, as we call it in South India.
Here are the ingredients you will need:
- 1 1/2 cups medium-grain rice OR basmati *
- 2 1/2 cups water OR 2 3/4 cups for basmati
- 1 cup mint, loosely packed
- 1/2 cup cilantro, loosely packed
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2-3 green chilies (note that I use more in this video because I just love spice)
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 1/4 cup peas & carrots (frozen or fresh)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon hing / asafetida
- 1" piece ginger, peeled
- 2 teaspoons salt, adjust to taste
• In this pudina rice recipe, I used my instant pot because it just makes everything go a lot faster. However, you may use a regular pot. Here is what you will have to do differently:
1. Once you put in all of the ingredients and the water comes to a boil, turn your heat to low.
2. Let it cook for around 12-15 minutes, or until the rice fully absorbs all the water.
3. Fluff with a fork to ensure it's not mushy.
A few notes on the rice:
- I used medium grain rice (sona masoori rice) because it's what I had on hand. However, you may use basmati rice as well, just know that you will need a little bit more water since it's a long-grain rice.
- Do not soak your rice, just wash it and drain it before putting it into the pot with the other ingredients.
TIP: Make raita with my vegan dahi to have with this pudina rice.
To 2 cups of yogurt, add 1/2 thinly diced tomato, 1/4 cup thinly diced red onion, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lemon, and some salt to taste. You may even add a little cucumber in there for some nice crunch. Delicious!
Let me know if you have any questions or comments below!
Happy Summer,
Abhijna