Haryana-Style Aloo Chutney Pulao

For the recipe I am going to tell you about today, Haryana-Style Aloo Chutney Pulao, I have to give thanks to the Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge Facebook group that I am part of. Have I told you how much I love this group? Every month, the members of the group form pairs, and every pair exchanges two secret ingredients. Every month, every member has to cook something from one Indian state’s repertoire, using the two ingredients allotted to her. Then comes fun time – everyone posts a picture of their dish in the group, and the other members try to guess the secret ingredients that they have used! Being the passionate traveller that I am, I love the chance that this challenge offers me to explore the food of different parts of India – albeit virtually.

The theme for this month’s Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge is Haryanvi cuisine or food from the state of Haryana. I have never had the chance to visit Haryana but, as always, I was thrilled with this opportunity to get closer to the rich diversity of food that is present in India. Carved out of Punjab in the year 1996, the cuisine of Haryana has a lot of Punjabi influences (but of course!). The people of the state are a good mix of urban and rural, with a strong focus on agriculture. Haryana is a land that is rich in milk, desi ghee and other dairy products, and this reflects in the diet of the Haryanvis as well. The food of this state is robust and hearty, and prepared without much fuss. Apparently, Haryana is called ‘the land of rotis‘, thanks to the Haryanvi’s predilection to consume a variety of flavourful and healthy flatbreads. Bajra Aloo Roti, Besan Ki Roti, Bhura Roti Aur Ghee, Hara Dhania Cholia, Kair Sangri Ki Sabzi, Methi Gajar, Kachri Ki Chutney, Rajma Chawal, Mixed Daal, Bajra Khichdi, Alsi Ki Pinni, Daal Pinni and Atte Ka Halwa are some of the most popular dishes from the state of Haryana.

I was paired with Priya Suresh this month, who allotted me two ingredients – ‘potatoes’ and ‘mint’. A bit of reading online later, I zeroed in on this recipe by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor for Aloo Chutney Pulao. I made the pulao with quite a few variations of my own, and the result was fantabulous! I must say, the Aloo Chutney Pulao turned out absolutely flavourful, and was a huge hit at home. I’m so glad to have discovered this dish that is so very simple to make!

Here is how I made the Haryana-Style Aloo Chutney Pulao.

Ingredients (serves 4):

Major ingredients:

1. 1 cup rice
2. Salt, to taste
3. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
4. 5-6 tablespoons of spicy green chutney, or as needed (See notes)
5. Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste (optional)

Veggies:

1. 2 medium-sized potatoes
2. 1 medium-sized onion
3. 1/4 cup shelled green peas
4. 1 small capsicum
5. 1 small carrot
6. 6-7 beans

For the tempering:

1. 1 teaspoon ghee/oil
2. A 1-inch piece of cinnamon
3. 3-4 green cardamom
4. 3-4 cloves
5. 2 small bay leaves
6. A pinch of asafoetida

Method:

First, we will cook the rice.

1. Wash the rice thoroughly under running water, a couple of times. Drain out all the excess water.
2. Pressure cook the rice with 2.5 cups of water, for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
3. Once the pressure has completely gone down, let the rice cool down entirely, then fluff it up with a spoon. Keep aside.

Then, we will partially cook the veggies required to make the Aloo Chutney Pulao.

1. Peel the potatoes and chop into cubes.
2. Peel the carrot and chop into cubes.
3. Remove strings from the beans. Chop into large-ish pieces.
4. Peel the onion and chop finely.
5. Chop the capsicum into large-ish pieces.
6. Place all the vegetables except the onion – potatoes, carrot, beans, capsicum and green peas – in a large container and add about 2 tablespoons of water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. The vegetables should be cooked, but still retain a bit of their crunchiness. Let the pressure release naturally, and the vegetables cool down entirely.

Now, we will prepare the Aloo Chutney Pulao.

1. Heat the ghee or oil in a pan. Add in the piece of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and asafoetida. Let them stay in for 2 seconds, ensuring they do not burn.
2. Add the chopped onions to the pan. Cook on medium flame till the onions begin to brown.
3. Now, keeping the flame medium, add the cooked vegetables – the potatoes, beans, carrot, capsicum, green peas.
4. Add in the cooked and fluffed-up rice, salt to taste, turmeric powder and the green chutney. Mix well, but gently.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
6. Allow to cook on low-medium flame for 2-3 minutes, stirring intermittently.
7. Switch off gas and mix in the lemon juice (if needed). Serve hot with raita of your choice.

Notes:

1. I have used Sona Masoori rice to prepare this Aloo Chutney Pulao. You can use any variety of rice you prefer.
2. While pressure cooking the rice, adjust the rice:water ratio depending upon how grainy or soft you want the pulao to be. Using the above measurements yielded just the perfect pulao for us.
3. I have used Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe for Aloo Chutney Pulao as the base, but have made several variations of my own. The recipe might not be authentic, but I am glad to have gotten a bit more closer to Haryanvi cuisine than I was earlier! And, hey, we loved it!
4. The way I make spicy green chutney has been outlined in this post.
5. I’m sending this post to Fiesta Friday – 221, co-hosted this week by Jenny @ Dragonfly Home Recipes.

Why don’t you try this Aloo Chutney Pulao recipe out too?

Did you like the post? Do let me know, in your comments!