Egg Pulao  
by: Rajashri Madanagopal (madanrajs@aol.com)

Ingredients:

  • Basmati Rice,soaked for half an hour   -   500 gms
  • Onions finely chopped   -   4 Large
  • Garlic cloves   -   4
  • Ginger   -   A little
  • Green chillies   -   9 (depending on the hotness you need)
  • Onion, chopped   -   1 medium sized
  • Coriander leaves   -   1 teaspoon
  • Garam Masala & Chilli powder   -   1 tsp
  • Bay leaves   -   2 made to 4
  • Ghee   -   6 tsp
  • Eggs   -   6 hard boiled
  • Curd   -   1/2 tsp.
  • Cardamom   -   10
  • Grated Coconut   -   1/2 cup
  • Salt   -   According to your taste

Method:

Step - 1 Wash and soak rice for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Step -2 . Blend the ingredients 3 - 7 in a blender until they become a smooth paste. If you have garlic paste, ginger paste, onion paste, green chilli paste and coriander paste take 1 tsp of each paste and mix them well. Step - 3 Shell the boiled eggs and give four long cuts on the white portion of each Egg without seperating it. Cooking:- 1. In a kadai, heat ghee. Fry onions (Ingredient no : 2) until they become golden brown and keep them aside. 2. In the same ghee, add the blended paste and fry a little. Then add chilli powder, salt and eggs and fry till the eggs get coated with the masala. Remove the eggs and keep them aside. 3. To the same masala paste add the drained rice, garam masala , cardamoms and bay leaves and fry till the rice changes its colour. 4. Add sufficient water to come up to 3 cms above the surface of the rice . Bring to rapid boil 5. When the air holes appear on the rice surface,reduce heat to low and then add the curd and cocunut and mix well with rice. 6. Cook till all the water is absorbed and rice is tender. 7. Cut the eggs into halves and garnish with the fried onions. 8. Cover the pulao with a heavy lid and reduce heat to sim and allow to cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Caution:- While doing the final step there are two three things to be very careful. 1. The pulao should not get sticked to the bottom of the vessel. In this case it is better to use a nonstick vessel with a heavy lid. 2. If non stick vessel is not available, you can also do the following a. Lay the bottom part of the vessel with Aluminium Foil (Reynolds) b. Spread Biryani over it c. Close with a heavy lid (preferably glass lid) d. Keep in the stove at warm or sim for 30-45 minutes 3. THis final step will make all the flavours mix well and will give a better taste. Serve hot with Raita, Pickles, Pappad.