Pearl Pulav

By Super

Ingredients:

For Rice:
1 1/2 cups soaked and drained Basmati rice
2 cardamoms
2 cloves
1 cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 tsp. Salt

For gravy:
1 cup overnight soaked chick peas (Kabuli chana)
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 cup fresh curds
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 chopped potatoes
3 chopped green chilies
3 tbsp. ghee (Clarified butter)/ oil
salt according to taste

For baking:
2 tbsp. chopped coriander
1 tbsp. chopped mint
1 chopped green chili
2 tbsp. fried onions
1/4 cup milk with a dash of saffron

Method For Rice:
Mix the water and milk together.
Add the remaining ingredients to the drained rice along with the water-milk mixture and cook until almost done.

For gravy:
Boil the chickpeas with a little water and drain.
Heat the Oil/Ghee (clarified butter) in a pan, add the ginger -garlic pastes and cook for a while.
Now add the chili powder and the turmeric and cook for a minute.
Add the remaining ingredients, salt & chickpeas and stir for a while.

How to proceed:
To the cooked rice, add the coriander, mint, green chilies and fried onions.
Put a bottom layer of rice in a big bowl and spread a layer of chickpea gravy on the top.
Keep on making alternative layers of rice and gravy in this manner.
Finally, sprinkle the saffron milk on top, cover and bake in a hot oven at 200 degree C (400 degree F) for 30 minutes.
When baked, turn upside down in a serving dish and serve hot.