Mushroom and Spinach Rice (Mushroom Palak Pulao) – Indian Vegan Recipe

Mushroom and Spinach leaves are an amazing culinary power couple. Mushrooms when coated with spices and sautéed are so good, they can be used as a filling for a wrap or as a flavourful snack. In this recipe, they are used to make a Pulao, a simple, healthy and delicious rice dish. If you have a plant based yoghurt, I would recommend serving this dish with a bit of yoghurt on the side and a nice green salad. I hope you enjoy the recipe and if you want to keep up to date with my content, you can follow me on Instagram (thedesivegan1).

COOKING TIME

30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

·      Basmati Rice – 1 ½ cup                      

·      Bay Leaf – 1

·      Garlic Cloves – 4-5

·      Ginger – 1 inch piece

·      Green Chillies – 2-3

·      Onion – 1

·      Cumin Seeds – 1 tablespoon

·      Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon

·      Red Chilli Powder – ½ teaspoon

·      Coriander Powder – ½ teaspoon

·      Cumin Powder – ½ teaspoon

·      Salt to taste

·      Black Pepper – ¼ teaspoon

·      Green/Red/Yellow Pepper – 1

·      Spinach – 3 cups

·      Mushroom – 150 grams

·      Tomato – 1

·      Oil – 3 tablespoons

METHOD

1)    Add the rice to a microwave-proof bowl along with 3 cups of water and cook on full power for 14 minutes. Once cooked, use a fork to mix and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.

2)    Blanch the spinach in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl filled with cold water to prevent the spinach from cooking further. Chop the spinach once cooled.

3)    Add oil in a pan and leave on high heat for around 90 seconds.

4)    Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and reduce the heat. Add the onions to the pan.

5)    Finely chop ginger, garlic and green chillies and add to the pan. You can also use a mortar and pestle for this step.

6)   Add the turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and black pepper. Stir well and add the mushrooms once the onions start to brown.

7)  As the mushrooms cook, they will reduce in size and soften. Once this happens, add a roughly chopped green/red/yellow pepper, the blanched spinach and one tomato.

8)  Add a quarter cup of water and let the mixture cook on a medium flame for 10 minutes.

9)  Switch off the stove, add salt and mix in the cooled rice carefully ensuring the grains do not break. Once mixed well, the dish will take on the green colour from the spinach and can be served.