This one-pot flavoured dish made of soft basmati rice, potatoes, spices, and herbs is super easy to make. It is pretty mild and taste great with any spicy curries or raita. It's an excellent option for when you want to whip something quick for dinner, be it for yourself or for guests who have unexpectedly dropped by.
Pulao is a light dish that gets its flavour and nutty colour from the browned onions and meat, especially beef. I prefer beef biryani and chicken pulao. Today, instead of using any meat I just used potatoes sans the peas.
Making Aloo Pulao is similar to any other pulao except for the use of broth. If you have some reserved broth or stock, do use it instead of plain water.
Aloo Pulao is made by sauteing the whole spices with ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, onion and powdered spices. Once the flavours of the spices are released add the potatoes and tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft.
At this point, add the water, bringing it to a boil before adding the rice. Let the rice cook till the water has almost evaporated, and then close the lid for “dum”. The process of “dum” in Pakistani cooking means to cook via steam, and the process requires using a heavy cooking pot with a tight fitting lid so the steam doesn't escape and cooks the ingredients in the pot.
Serve it with your choice of raita.