Shredded Meat & Mixed Veggies Pilau

Ingredients for Shredded Meat & Mixed Veggies Pilau

• 300 gm basmati rice (1 and a half cups), washed 2-3 times then soaked for half an hour.
• 1/2 cup shredded boiled meat (I used lamb)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2  teaspoon cumin/coriander powder
• 1/2  teaspoon freshly ground roasted cumin powder
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 4 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/4  teaspoon garlic paste
• a bit of chopped coriander
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• 3/4 cup half-boiled mixed vegetables (I used a combination of peas, carrots, sweet corn, and capsicum)
• 1 green chilli, chopped finely
• water or stock, warm (for every cup of rice, you will need 1 and quarter cups of water)

Whole Spices for Shredded Meat & Mixed Veggies Pilau

• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole pepper
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom

Instructions for preparing Shredded Meat & Mixed Veggies Pilau

Put a pan on the stove and heat it up. It is imperative to keep in mind that the pilau rice will double in size after it has been cooked. In order to accommodate the rice, meat, vegetables, and potatoes in your pan, it needs to be large enough.

The first thing you need to do is pick a good pan by choosing one that fits your needs, turn on the heat, and add the oil and butter once the pan has been heated.

Once this is done, add the whole spices to the mixture; cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves.

In the oil, once they have begun to splutter, add your chopped onions. You will need to stir them with a wooden spoon while they are being fried until they become translucent. Then you will need to add the turmeric as well as the cumin and coriander powder to the mixture.

The garlic paste, chopped chillies, and potato cubes should be added after the onions have been fried for a few minutes. After frying together for a few minutes, mix in the shredded meat and vegetables and allow the mixture to cook for a minute more. Stir the mixture for a couple of minutes and then pour in some stock or water, along with a little salt if you wish. You should let the stock simmer for a few minutes and then add a pinch of salt and taste

You should be able to feel the saltiness in the food. When the salt feels just right, you probably have too little salt in your food. It is important to remember that the rice will need some salt, so make sure that you salt the rice enough so you can taste it, but not too much so that you ruin it!

When the water starts to boil, drain your rice (which should have been pre-soaked for about half an hour before you drain it) and add it to the stock as soon as the water starts to boil.

Then you can sprinkle a little bit of coriander on this and stir a little bit. It is advisable to let the rice cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking the rice on medium heat while it is covered. As you cook the rice, make sure you stir it every now and then to ensure that it is cooked evenly and perfectly.

As soon as you notice there is very little water left in the rice, turn down the heat to the lowest setting. In order to seal your pan, you can either use a tight lid or wet a kitchen towel and place it over the pan. Then, you can cover it with a lid.

The Shredded Meat & Mixed Veggies Pilau should be left to steam on very low heat for a good ten minutes after it has started to steam. Turn off the stove, serve the Shredded Meat & Mixed Veggies Pilau with the accompaniments of your choice, and enjoy!