Ghee Bhat / Mishti Pulao – West Bengal – Rice Varieties Across India

Yay! I am on the last day of the month long Blogging Marathon on Biryani and Pulaos. Today we will visit West Bengal for a delicious treat. Though this is the last to be posted, this is the first one I made for this BM. For the state of West Bengal I decided on this simple yet delicious pulao. Ghee bhat also known as mishti pulao, is made with either Basmati rice or Gobindobhog rice and is very famous all over West Bengal. I saw so many recipes for the pulao. Most of them had veggies in them, but the one I selected was so simple without any veggies. It is supposed to be a fusion of fried rice and pulao. It is also mildly sweet and usually served with non veg or veg gravies.

I made enough rice for Sruti for her lunch one day. This one is pretty easy to make and is loaded with generous amount of nuts and raisins. I made some paneer tikka for the side. Sruti is not so much into gravies for pulaos. She loves it plain or with a dry side or with a simple raitha. I precooked the rice as I wanted that beautiful texture. I usually end up with mushy rice when I add water in the recipe. So I precooked the rice to the desired consistency and added it finally to the dish. She loved this pulao so much. I guess you enjoyed all the biryani and pulao recipes as much as I loved cooking them. Will post a round up of all the recipes in a couple of days.

Recipe Source: Bengal Cuisine

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 1 cup

Ghee – 3 tbs

Cashew Nuts – 3 tbs

Golden Raisins – 3 tbs

Milk – 2 tbs

Saffron – a pinch

Clove – 2

Cinnamon – 1″ piece

Bay Leaf – 1

Cardamom – 2

Salt – to taste

Sugar – 2 tbs

Procedure:

Wash and soak basmati for 30 minutes.

Drain water and take it in a pan.

Add cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and crushed cardamom.

Add enough water to cook the rice and salt to tate.

Boil on low flame and when the rice is 90% cooked, drain it on a sieve and set aside.

Add hot milk and saffron and set it aside.

In a pan heat ghee and roast cashew nuts and raising until crisp.

Remove them and add the rice to the same pan.

Mix well, pour the saffron milk, add sugar and mix, keep flame low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with the roasted nuts and raisins and serve it with some paneer tikka.

Ghee Bhat Recipe

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Course Main Dish

Cuisine Indian, West Bengal

Servings 2 Persons

Ingredients

  

• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Ghee-3 tbs
• Cashew Nuts - 3 tbs
• Golden Raisins - 3 tbs
• Milk – 2 tbs
• Saffron a pinch
• Clove-2
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Cardamom - 2
• Salt - to taste

Instructions

 

• Wash and soak basmati for 30 minutes.
• Drain water and take it in a pan.
• Add cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and crushed cardamom.
• Add enough water to cook the rice and salt to tate.
• Boil on low flame and when the rice is 90% cooked, drain it on a sieve and set aside.
• Add hot milk and saffron and set it aside.
• In a pan heat ghee and roast cashew nuts and raising until crisp.
• Remove them and add the rice to the same pan.
• Mix well, pour the saffron milk, keep flame low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with the roasted nuts and raisins and serve it with some paneer tikka.