Misti pulao...Bengali style sweet pulao

Misti Pulao is a traditional Bengali rice dish. The word 'Misti' in Bengali means sweet, so it is essentially a rice preparation that tastes sweet. This is also referred as Holud Pulao or Basanti Pulao, as both holud and basanti stands for the color yellow. So if I need to translate Misti Pulao I would prefer to say yellow-colored, fragrant, mildly sweet signature Bengali rice dish. Huh that's I call 'lost in translation'!!!!

I remember my mother used to make this for any special occasion at home. Before the invasion of Chinese food, Dhaba food and Pizza etc, this pulao used to be a must for any parties. I make it often at home, specially for our Sunday lunch, to go with the mutton curry. Mutton curry and Misti Pulao must have been bestowed by the Food God, a pair made in heaven. If you haven't tasted it yet, you are surely missing something.

Like other traditional Bengali dishes I learnt this too from my mother. For me, she makes the best Misti pulao on Earth. This pulao needs some special ingredients, first the rice, it has to be Gobindobhog (a fragrant rice cultivated in West Bengal (India), Bangladesh), and saffron for the unique flavor. But it is difficult to get Gobindobhog rice outside West Bengal, either you can try Kalazira rice from Bangladeshi store or just go with Basmati rice. I have seen my mother using as little saffron as possible to the dish, as saffron is the most costly spice in the world. Sometimes I have seen her not using any saffron, she used to smear the rice with turmeric powder to get that beautiful yellow color. Mothers know how to make a meal cost-effective. The another must thing for this dish is ghee or clarified butter. The rice needs to be cooked in ghee, or else you won't get that flavor and taste. According to my mother, you can skip the saffron but not the ghee.

The misti pulao goes best with spicy mutton curry. For mutton curry recipes check these links,

Mutton curry 1

Mutton curry 2

And here is how to make Misti Pulao...

Things needed to make Misti Pulao:

• Rice: 1 cup
• Water: 2 cups
• Cashew nuts: 1/4 cup
• Raisins: 1/4 cup
• Ginger (grated): 1 tsp
• Bay leaves: 1-2
• Shahjeera / black cumin: 1 tsp
• Cinnamon: 1 stick
• Green cardamom: 3
• Cloves: 6-7
• Nutmeg powder: 1/8 tsp
• Saffron: a pinch
• Milk: 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Sugar: 2-3 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Ghee /clarified ghee: 4 tbsp
• Turmeric powder

Steps of making Misti Pulao:

1. Soak rice in water for 30 min. Wash and drain. To get a nice yellow color without using any food color smear the rice with turmeric powder. This is one little trick I have learnt from my mother.

2. Soak saffron in lukewarm milk, cover and keep aside.

3. In a deep pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified ghee), fry cashew nuts ans raisins till they turn brown, keep aside. You can use oil along with ghee. But it is preferable to cook this rice with ghee only.

4. In the same pan add more ghee, as the ghee melts, add bay leaves, shahjeera, cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, cook for 1 min. Add soaked rice, grated ginger and gently give a stir. Cook for 3-4 min. the rice needs to fried in ghee. Add milk-soaked saffron and cook over medium heat for 1-2 min. Add hot water to the rice. The water and rice ratio is 2:1. Add salt and sugar, mix gently, cover the pan. As the water starts to boil, keep the lid ajar and cook for 8-9 min. Switch off heat, sprinkle nutmeg powder and little more ghee, cover and let stand for 10-12 min. Serve hot with mutton curry.

Print Recipe

Bengali Misti Pulao
(Serves 3-4)
Ingredients:
Gobindobhog Rice: 1 cup
Water: 2 cups
Cashew nuts: 1/4 cup
Raisins: 1/4 cup
Ginger (grated): 1 tsp
Bay leaves: 1-2
Shahjeera / black cumin: 1 tsp
Cinnamon: 1 stick
Green cardamom: 3
Cloves: 6-7
Nutmeg powder: 1/8 tsp
Saffron: a pinch
Milk: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Sugar: 2-3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Ghee /clarified ghee: 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Procedure:
1. Soak rice for 30min, wash and drain.
2. In a pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and raisins, keep aside.
3. In the same pan, add more ghee, add bay leaves, whole garam masala, shajeera, grated ginger and rice, cook for 3-4min.
4. Add saffron (soaked in milk), salt and sugar, mix well. Add hot water, let it boil. Partially cover the pan cook for 8-9 min. Switch off heat
5. Sprinkle nutmeg powder, and ghee, cover and let stand for 10-12 min. Serve hot.

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Mutton curry

PaNthar Mangsho Bhat..Mutton curry and Rice

In Bengali households Sundays are not complete without paNthar mangsho (goat meat curry) and bhat (cooked rice).  It was a practice in our house too. Ma used to cook an aromatic red mutton curry with some quartered potatoes in that.  Sunday mornings were as usual laid back, one of the most interesting thing to do on Sunday mornings was to accompany Baba to the ‘bajar’(market). We (my elder brother and I) used to love the bajar, the crowds, the noise, the bargain, even that fishy smell in the fish market. But those screaming chickens and hanging goats in the meat shop were a big turn off. At the end we used get a bubble gum or a pack of poppins. Those were the biggest attraction for us. Even right now I’m smiling thinking of those wonderful memories. After the bajar, the other fun thing for me was to sort the veggies in the kitchen. In my Ma’s kitchen there were separate baskets (and still there are) for potatoes, onions, green chilies and other vegetables. I used to sit on the kitchen floor and play with the veggies more than sorting them…..:)

Ok, no more childhood stories, let’s come back to our mutton curry. Ma used to cook the mutton curry in a pressure cooker. Whistling pressure cookers, was the common sound from almost all the kitchens on Sundays in the neighbourhood. Also a reminder to take a bath and be ready for the lunch. See I’m being nostalgic again. So no more stories, straight to the mutton curry.

How to cook Sunday special mutton curry:

Take a pressure cooker, heat some mustard oil. Bengalis cook almost everything in mustard oil. When the oil is hot add quatered potatoes, fry them till nice golden-brown. Keep aside.

In that oil add one inch cinnamon sticks(2 no.), 3-4 green cardamom, 5-6 cloves, 1 blabk cardamom (only the seeds, discard the skin), 1 bay leaf, 1/2tsp shah jira.

Add chopped onion. Add a spoonful sugar, this will bring a nice red color to the curry. Mix well. Cover and cook in medium flame for 4-5 min.

When the onion is soft and transparent add ginger paste and crushed garlic. Mix well and cook for 4-5min.

Add chopped tomato. Mix well. Sprinkle a little salt. Cover and cook for 7-8min.

When the tomatoes are soft and mushy add turmeric powder, red chili powder, kashmiri red chili powder. Mix it well. Cook for 3-4min in low medium heat.

Add the cleaned and washed mutton pieces. Add salt. Mix well. Cover and cook in medium flame for 10min.

The mutton will release a lot of water, now uncover and cook in medium heat. Just take care so the mutton does not stick to the bottom.

Gradually all the water will evaporate and oil will separate from the masala. Add hot water and mix well. The amount of water depends on the amount of gravy one need. Close the pressure cooker, put the weight on. Keep the heat to medium. Wait till 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait till pressure releases. Once the pressure is released check if the mutton is fully cooked or not. It should be thoroughly cooked by this time. Now add the fried potatoes along with a teaspoon full ghee and garam masala powder and again close the pressure cooker, put the weight on. Keep the heat to medium and wait till 1 whistle. Remove from heat. Wait till pressure releases.

Serve hot with rice and green salad.