Mint aka Pudina Rice

Growing up I did not have any of the fancy rice except the occasional misti pulao or the common fried rice that my Maa used to cook. Never did she cook biriyani or any thing like it at home. I remember, much later she learned about jeera rice from our neighbor. But that again was a very rare event. We were always fed with plain white rice (with side dishes, of course).

After I moved to Hyderabad few months back, I had this pudina rice twice, first time at a friend's house. I really liked the minty flavour of the rice. Next time when I had it, I was hooked to it.

But I was little skeptical at first to make it because I was not sure if my very bengali husband will like it or not. I am glad that I gave it a try and it was so good in taste. Lil A also loved it. We had this rice only with plain raita and it made for a simple yet delicious dinner. Lil A kept asking for more and more raita on her rice.

Trust me, this is a very simple recipe yet the food is packed with nutrition and flavour. (And your house smells good too).

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large, chopped
Peanuts - 1 fistful
Green peas - 1 fistful
Mint Leaves - 1/2 cup (You can use 1 cup if you want more strong mint flavour)
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cardamom - 3-4
Cloves - 3-4
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Salt - to taste

Wash the rice and keep aside.

Chop the onions and mint leaves separately in fine pieces.

Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, then add cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a minute to let the nice flavour come out.

Add the onions to the pan, saute for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the peas to it, mix well. Then add the peanuts and mix for 2-3 minutes.

Add the chopped mint leaves, mix well for another 3 minutes. 

Add the washed rice to it and give it a good mix. Add salt and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Transfer it into a pot, add water to it. Make sure the water level is about one inch higher than the rice.

Cook for 10-12 minutes or until cooked. Be careful not to overcook the rice. You can always drain the small amount of excess water.

This is a super easy recipe and can be made even for a weekday dinner. I actually made it on a weekday to perk me up after a bad work day.

We had this rice with raita. You can serve it with any dal, paneer curry or vegetable dish.

Notes:

You can puree the onions and mint leaves together in a mixture and add it to the oil and saute it (my friend does it this way).

Also, you can add 1 tablespoon of urad or chhana dal to it along with the peas and peanuts if you like.
Also, after you mix everything in pan, you can transfer it to a microwave safe bowl and microwave it.