Vegetable Juice Pulav is a delicious and healthy rice dish which is perfect for a side or as a main dish and needs only 11 ingredients!
I tasted this dish for the first time when my mother in law made it. It tasted so good, and because of its beautiful color, I did realize there are beetroots in it, but I was not sure what all went into it. I learned this rice pilaf recipe from her and now I am sharing it with you all!
What makes Spiced vegetable juice rice pilaf so special?
One thing which I absolutely love about this dish is the flavor. It is mild and yet has its own special flavor. When someone eats it for the first time, it is very difficult for them to guess what all goes in. And of course, it is so simple to make, has all the good stuff from the vegetables!
Vegetable Juice Pulav / Spiced vegetable juice rice pilaf recipe:
Serves 3-4
- Basmati rice – 2 cups (soaked for 15-20 minutes)
- Onions – Sliced – 2 cups
- Bay leaves – 3
- Cinnamon sticks – one inch – 3
- Cloves – 6
- Cardamon – 6
- Thai chilies – slit – 2
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt – 1 tsp (or as required)
- Paprika – 1/2 tsp (or as required)
- Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
- Pistachios – 1 tbsp (optional)
For cooking liquid: (Required 4 cups)
- Beetroot – peeled and roughly chopped – 2 cups
- Carrot – peeled and roughly chopped – 2 cups
- Cucumbers – roughly chopped – 2 cups
- Water – 1 cup
- Coconut beverage or cream – as required (see steps to make below)
Cooking liquid preparation:
- In a blender place the vegetables in the following order – cucumbers, carrots, beetroots and add 1/2 cup of water.*
- Blend it into a smooth paste, add more water if required.
- Place a thin cheesecloth/muslin cloth in a bowl, and put the vegetable paste in it.
- Pull the ends of the cloth together, and squeeze out as much vegetable juice as you can by pressing it well from all sides.
- Discard the pulp in the cheesecloth and measure the juice.
- Top of the juice with coconut beverage until the liquid is 4 cups. Keep it aside.
Cooking rice pilaf/rice pulav:
- First, place a deep cooking pan on a low-medium heat.
- Now add bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and cardamom, fry them for around 30 seconds.
- Next, add slit chilies and onions.
- Later, fry till the onions are translucent.
- After that add vegetable juice, salt, paprika, garam masala.
- Next, stir everything well and bring everything to a boil.
- After that, add soaked basmati rice, stir everything well.
- Next, let the mixture cook until liquid is gone and the rice is soft and fluffy.
- Once cooked let it sit for 10 minutes or so
- Lastly, mix the rice gently and garnish with some pistachios.
- Serve hot with some yogurt or raita.
*The order is a little important as this will let us use very little water and we will get the juice with maximum flavor. If we do it the other way i.e., beetroots or carrots first, it will take a lot more water for the blender to grind, so we’ll get somewhat dilute juice and that will not make the dish as flavorful.
Eat Healthy! Live Happy!
Soumya
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