Chinjabi Pulao

When I decided to upload one of our many fusion dishes, I thought I should look up fusion cuisine and well, this gives a simple explanation of what it is and how fusion cuisine is boosting the culinary business around the world.

Source Wikipedia: Fusion food is a general term for the combination of various forms of cookery and comes in several forms. Regional fusion combines diffrent cuisines of a region or sub-region into a single eating experience. Foods based on one culture, but prepared using ingredients and flavours inherent to another culture, are also considered forms of fusion cuisine.

For instance pizza made with cheddar and pepperjack cheese, salsa, refried beans or other common taco ingredients is often marketed as "Taco Pizza." This particular dish is a combination of Italian and Mexican cuisines.

Asian fusion restaurants, which combine the various cuisines of different Asian countries have become popular in the US and UK. Often featured are East-Asian, SE Asian, and South Asian dishes along side one another and offering dishes that are inspired combinations of such cuisines.

Similar approaches have been used for fusion-sushi, such as rolling maki with different types of rice, and ingredients such as curry and basmati rice, cheese and salsa with Spanish rice, or spiced ground lamb with capers rolled with Greek style rice and grape leaves....


 In Punjab, a northern state in India, one generally gets Chinese fare that can be termed 'Chinjabi." A combination of Punjabi+Chinese!

When I am in hurry but want to make a Chinese fried rice, and don't have leftover rice nor the time to even boil rice separately,  I simply make a pulao with some typical Chinese ingredients and vegetables stir fried the Chinese way! And voila, I have a pulao that I christened: Chinjabi Pulao. This can be eaten with addition of sauces, or a side dish like sweet-sour egg masala, and honey-chilli potatoes. If you have more time, someting with chicken would be absolutely divine. Quick, easy and delicious food that is a visual delight too.


Ingredients

Basmati rice..............................2 cups (standard measuring cup)
Water........................................4 cups
Chicken/vegetable stock cube......2 (I use Maggi)
Light Soy...................................abt 3-4 tbsps. If you are using Dark Soy reduce quatity
Garlic.......................................4 big cloves, crushed fine or minced
Ginger......................................2 tsps, ground fine
Onion.......................................1, sliced (white onion)
Spring onion.............................2, both green and white parts chopped
Beans.......................................as required, sliced diagonally into 1" pcs
Peas.........................................just a small handful, not too much
Carrot......................................1 big one, julienned
Red bell pepper.........................as req, julienned
Green bell pepper.....................as req, julienned
Purple cabbage (optional).........cut in short, thin strips, a handful. I had some & decided to make my pulao gorgeous!!
Sesame oil/peanut oil/any refined oil
Salt to taste


Wash and soak the rice for about 15-20 minutes.
Before you start on the rice, put some salted water on to boil. Then add the beans and peas to the boiling water. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and drain immediately. Keep aside.
Now heat about 3 tbsps oil in a non-stick pan. Drop in the garlic, ginger. Stir for a few seconds.
Now add the sliced onions. Reduce to medium heat. Cook until the onions become translucent and the garlic is just beginning to brown. Do not brown the onions.
Drain water from the rice and add to the onions. Mix with a lift and turn movement.
Pour in the light soy. Give it another stir.
Pour in the water. The ratio is 1:2 (1 rice: 2 water) Give it a gentle stir.
Now crush the stock cubes and add it to the rice. Gently stir to dissolve.
Check for salt and soy flavour. Add more of both accordingly. If you are going to add more soy, bear in mind it has salt in it.
Cover the rice and cook on high until it starts to boil and steam escapes from under the cover.
Reduce flame to low and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until it is cooked.
While the rice cooks, heat some oil in a non-stick pan and add the carrot strips. Stir briskly, cooking on high flame.
After a minute or so, add the par boiled beans and peas. Continue stirring. Cook for another minute.
Now add the bell peppers, spring onions. Stir around making sure the veggies don't burn. You can reduce the heat now.
Add the purple cabbage, stir briskly. Raise the heat to high again. The cabbage should not be cooked too much. Not raw but cooked and retaining a mild crunchiness.
Now add a little bit of salt. It should be delicately salted. Remember the rice has enough salt.
Add vegetables to the rice.

Your pulao is a sight to behold! Tempting too! If you've got the time for Eggs In A Sweet-Hot sauce and Honey-Chilli Potatoes, check out the recipe here. Just search for #Honeychillipotato, #fusionfood, #eggrecipes, #homerecipes, on this page.

These are the links: http://chef-on-the-run.blogspot.com/2014/08/eggs-in-sweet-hot-sauce-chinjabicuisine.html 
http://chef-on-the-run.blogspot.com/2014/08/honey-chilli-potatoes.html
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