Let me tell you all a little story. Once upon a time, there was a pretty little girl who absolutely loved peas. She loved them so much that she would even unquestioningly eat steamed broccoli if it was served with a side of peas. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Nothing, not even serving them with deliciously sweet peas would make her eat broccoli, least of all if it was steamed! She would simply devour all the luscious peas and probably slip the broccoli chunks under her seat when no one was watching. Yes, that’s undoubtedly what she would do. But nonetheless, let’s get back to the story shall we?
So yes, this girl loved her peas. She begged her Mom to add them into anything and everything they could possibly be added to. And if it weren’t for her two evil green pea loathing siblings, her Mom might have even given in to some of her hideously bizzare ideas. But then, like every fairy tale, good things started to happen to her. She grew up, moved out of home away from the evil siblings (okay, they’re not all that evil, but they do bug her some all of the time!), and began to cook for herself. Like the ugly frog who turned into a handsome prince on the very first kiss, her peas lusciously flavoured her food. They graced every dish they were added into and touched it with their sweetness.
On days like today, when the clouds darken the sky, and drops of rain fall helplessly on the ground, all she can think of cooking for dinner is a one pot comforting meal comprising of rice, mushrooms, and oh yes, most definitely, peas. The meal was a breeze to make, and the girl and her peas continue to live happily ever after, much to the chagrin of Hubby Dear. If only there was a law forbidding one to hate peas!
MUSHROOM & PEAS PULAO
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 4Ingredients:
2 cups Basmati rice
2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
5-6 whole cloves
1 tbsp light cooking oil
salt, to taste
fresh coriander leaves, for garnishDirections:
Heat oil in a non-stick deep pan and saute cumin seeds, garlic and onions till tender and fragrant. Add mushrooms, and fry till brown all the moisture evaporates. Stir in salt and spices, and fry for a minute.
Add 3 3/4 cups of water, and once it comes to a boil, stir in rice and peas. Let simmer on a low heat till water evaporates and rice is cooked through. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve warm with a side of raita.
April 4th, 2008
Ah! thats a nice story
ur recipe seems easy. nice pic.
Thanks Anjali, let me know if you try it out!
April 4th, 2008
Sounds like a story about me!
I absolutely love peas. Love Love Love. And Corn. The two ingredients that I could add to ANYtHinG!. Needless to say, I’m gonna make this TODAY! I’m in need of some comfort too - maybe I’ll go the extra mile and add corn as well or substitute corn for the mushrooms. Thats a delicious photograph. Thanks for the recipe!
Corn would be great in this recipe Arundhati, maybe even a handful of chickpeas!
April 4th, 2008
Am bookmarking this..Making it tomo for lunch..That is indeed a beautiful pic with the peas starring like gems..I like ur recipes a lot..thanks for sharing
Do let me know how it goes Divya.
April 5th, 2008
I love that your recipes are all very simple. And the photos make me want to try each and every one of them.
I hope you try them out Chakli, would love to hear your feedback.
April 5th, 2008
I love rice dishes and mushroom and peas are my favorites. And I agree corn may be added for taste and color. Yummy!
I agree too Jasmine, corn would be a wondrful addition to this.
April 6th, 2008
I am definitely *not* that girl as I am not a big fan of peas.. but wouldn’t mind if some pop up in her dish.. the pulao looks delish!
Siri
Don’t let the peas stop you Siri, you can definitely omit them out altogether or substitute them for something else. I’m sure even beans and chickpeas would taste great!
April 7th, 2008
I did make it and it was yummy… thanks!
Glad you liked it Arundhati. It’s definitely one of my quick go-to recipes for a busy weeknight!
April 7th, 2008
I loved the story and the dish sounds wonderful with the peas, rice and combination of spices you used. Stunning photo, too! I will give it a try!
Thanks Cassie, I’m sure you’ll love the flavour combination!
April 7th, 2008
Hi Meena,
I happened to come across your site just a few weeks ago (having recently had my eyes opened to the wonderful world of food blogs!) and have been scouring through all your past posts & recipes. LOVING your photography & style of writing. Will definitely be trying this recipe soon, since I too am an ardent pea admirer!
Thanks so much Muneeba, let me know how it goes.
April 7th, 2008
I tried this recipe, with these substitutions:
1. Chicken breasts (cubed) instead of mushrooms
2. Chicken broth in place of water
It turned out quite well, with the exception that much more water was needed than 1.5 cups of chicken broth. It might have been the rice variety I was using, or perhaps my vessel was too shallow. Next time, I plan to use fewer cloves (2-3), as I found them somewhat overwhelming, and more red pepper and / or paprika.
Thank you! It tasted wonderfully! –Jonathan
Glad you enjoyed it Jonathan, isn’t it amazing ow one recipe can transform into so many different flavours. Love the idea of using broth in place of water, will need to try that next time.
April 7th, 2008
What a lovely recipe. If you changed the story heroine to a hero and made mushrooms the focus you get my husband. I must try this recipe for him.
Ditto for me on the mushrooms to, they come a very close second to peas!
April 8th, 2008
a great recipe with both rice and peas. I enjoy them both but I’ll pass on the mushrooms. Thank you very much. My parents didn’t grow up with the little things so my mom never made them. The husband didn’t grow up eating them either so I rarely cook with them. That leaves mushrooms in one of the last spots on the shopping list. unfortunately.
You can definitely substitute the mushrooms for other veggies LF, so I do hope you try this out.
April 8th, 2008
I love your site! Very good photos as well as design. What a yummy recipe!
April 12th, 2008
this looks good! n so easy to make! thanks
April 12th, 2008
I made this yesterday, and it was FABULOUS! Thanks. One Q though…I seemed to need a lot more water. I didn’t pre-soak the rice, so maybe that was it. Or maybe just bad luck, but I needed to add almost another cup of water to it (bit by bit - I think it ended up being around 2.5 cups in the end). With 1-3/4 cups, it was still crunchy, yet with all water absorbed. What happened? Ideas? In any case, with the added water it turned out lovely. I ate it with a raita made with herbs from my garden.
It may just be the kind of rice you used Diane, as even different brands of Basmati may differ slightly with cooking times. Next time, just add a little bit more water before it all dries up if you think you’ll need it or cover the rice and allow it to cook further in the steam. Hope that helps!
April 14th, 2008
Deeeeeeed! I made this! It was yummmmm… Can you imagine.. me? PEAS? but i kinda like peas now.. I put it in everything!!!
Hehe, now I can make Matar Pulao whenever you come over! Yipeeee!!!
April 16th, 2008
Hi Meena,
I tried this recipe and turned out so good. Your food photos and writing are very attractive.
Everything on the whole is presented in a very neat manner.
One small question for you:
I read most of our posts and I liked potato parcels, but not sure where to get the “spring roll wrappers” from. Can you please suggest? Thanks!
Hi Malar, thanks for your lovely words on my work. Spring roll wrappers are usually easily available at local grocery stores, mainly in the fridge/freezer section and can ve easily substituted with wonton wrappers. If you still have no luch finding it, you may want to try viisiting an ethnic Asian market.
April 16th, 2008
Nice story! Great recipe!
April 17th, 2008
Hi Meena,
I am positively in love with your recipes. I have tried out quite a few of them, and they always come out perfect, just like your pictures :). Have been checking back for the past couple of days for your latest offering, and have been more than a tad disappointed. Please add a new one soon!
April 25th, 2008
Hi Meena
I prepared you mushroom and peas pulao with closed cup mushrooms and also added some sweetcorn, it came out very well. Your recipes never fail me, I am so happy.. Thank you very much!!!!
May 3rd, 2008
I love ant kind of rice and your mushroom and pea dish looks tasty. Great photo!
May 3rd, 2008
I’ve never loved peas to THAT extent, but they are one of the very few (read: about three) vegetables that my little sister will accept in my cooking, so that’s enough to make them heroes in our house ^__^. Looks great!
Thanks Indigo, let me know if you ever try it out!
June 25th, 2008
i haven’t had pulao in such a long time…may make one with sour cherries tonight.
June 29th, 2008
Thank you for the nice story. I am going to try this recipe. Sounds good!
Do let me know how it turns out for you Shankari, rould love to hear your thoughts!
July 19th, 2008
Like others have remarked, 1-3/4 cups water for 2 cups rice, even basmati rice, seems much too little. I usually think about a 1:2 ratio for rice:water, with adjustments for the kind and amount of rice. (E.g., if I’m cooking 1/3 cup rice, then I might use 3/4 cup water, a bit more than 2/3 cup. On the other hand, if I’m cooking 2 cups rice, I might use 3-1/2 cups water rather than 4;with basmati, maybe 3-1/4 cups.)
For two people, I used only 1 cup rice with a what ended up being a full complement of the other ingredients (the package of shiitakes I bought ending up about 2 cups sliced), and I fried the cumin seeds briefly before I added the onion and garlic. Following the recipe, I added 7/8 cup water, but this was clearly not enough. I added another slog, making maybe 1-1/8 cups altogether, and the rice grains on top were still quite crunchy when the rest were done. (I stirred them in and let the pot sit, covered and off the fire, for about 10 minutes.) At any rate, the pea people in this household enjoyed it very much! Thanks for another Keeper recipe, Meena!
Thanks for the heads up Kaye, there was actually an error on my part on the amount of water used which I have now corrected. Glad you like it!
October 24th, 2008
Hi Meena,
This is my first visit to ur blog, and i must say i am bowled over!The photographs are so inviting!I am glad i found out ur webpage..And will slowly start trying out all your recipes one by one.
Regards
April 6th, 2009
Hi Meena,
This is the first time I am writing to any blog.. Your recipe looks yummy. I am going to try it today and see how it turns out. I am sure its going to be great.. just a quick note, it would be great if you can post some raita recipes that go well with this mushroom rice.
Thanks,
Parinda
June 19th, 2009
Hello Meena, it is my first time here. Mushroom and peas pulao looks very yummy. I love quick and easy rice dishes for work nights. Thanks a bunch for sharing.
January 18th, 2011
Hi Meenakshi,
I tried this today and turned out great. Thanks for sharing
Aarthi