benazir's blog

Matar Pulao

Actually this is one of my family favorites and this pulao is very delicious for someone like me who really loves peas. In more then 3 weeks from today I will turn 60 Inshallah. I have a lot going on and I am working through these sad feelings in my therapy sessions with my therapist. Hey if you need to go to therapy please go it is not a crime. It is a crime and a travesty if it is ignored.

I have to do whatever I have to do to take care of myself. This includes making sure I take my metformin to control my type 2 diabetes and keep pricking my fingers twice a day to check my levels. I miss my father a lot. Now for sure he can’t call me no more to tell me happy birthday. He is no longer here physically to tell me anymore but when he was here he would deliberately not call me and tell me happy birthday and it really hurt my feelings.

So therapy is a great thing and another thing that is great is this yummy pulao because peas is one of my favorite vegetables. My dad knew how much I love peas. Matar means peas in Urdu. Also Peshawar people love Garam Masala and it is used a lot. It is the all time favorite spice blend. Also maggi is very popular in Pakistan and used to make pulao.

Maggi is very international and so is knorr because it gives these rice dishes its umph which makes it taste so special. I even use jumbo and onga cubes too. These are also very popular with Africans. Hopefully I with this post I get more people in to trying Peshawar area food.

Do not forget I am married in to a Peshawar area family. My mother in law was Pathan aka Pashtun or Pashtoon as some also may spell. She was from the Momand tribe. My father in law was Peshawari and these people are originally from this area. Mr. Riaz and I miss our Appa which was my mother in law and I have her yakhni recipe here as an earlier post.

Do not forget to make garam masala and set this aside and look up to see the link I posted. Here in USA you will find 1 bag of frozen peas but in other places in the world you will have to get some fresh peas already in the pods and it is awesome to sit there and break open the pods at the seams and start shelling peas which is the norm especially if you live in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Take 1 cup of either white or brown basmati rice and rinse until the water becomes clear and set this aside. On high heat add 1/4 cup of either vegetable oil. corn oil, canola oil or peanut oil. Add 2 tbs of butter ghee which gives this great flavor.

Add 1 onion or shallot cut in to half moon slices and let brown. Add 3 cloves of garlic minced and cook until rawness goes away. Add the garam masala in the mortar and pestle. 1 bullion cube or 2 pinches of bullion powder, 3 dashes of maggi or knorr aroma, 2 aloo bukhara, 1 small piece of ginger minced, 1 pinch each of red chili powder, turmeric powder, 1 green chili and 1 tomato chopped. Cook until tomato turns mushy.

Add the peas and stir then the brown or white basmati rice that you have rinsed. Add 5 cups of water and let come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover and let cook for between 15 to 20 minutes while stirring lightly each time you check to see what is going on and when rice has been absorbed by the water and the rice is tender then you can turn off heat and cover and let sit on the dum for 20 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite achar, yogurt and kabab dishes. Also you may have your favorite chutney at this meal too.

Go back