Any Kashmiri restaurant you pick or Kashmiri menu you look at, there would be an entire section dedicated to meat-based dishes. Not just that, there would be separate columns for kebabs, curries and more. The dessert section would also be a long list of decadent sweets from the Kashmiri fare. You wouldn’t be surprised to know that they have an equally large variety for breads too. Kashmiris love their breads and beverages so much that they enjoy eating them for breakfast too. Rice is another staple of the Kashmiris. Most curries are relished with rice, from Shab deg to rogan josh.
Biryani is an elaborate affair that takes a lot of time to cook. So often, people resort to a simpler pulao. Did you know that it is believed that pulao is a predecessor of biryani. Moreover, it is said that pulao, pilaf and biryani belong to the same family. This is not to take away the uniqueness of any of these dishes but to highlight their similarities and basis of origin. The abundant growth of rice in the region is the reason behind the major dependency of Kashmiris on rice. However, the hard-core foodies, that they are, cannot get away with just any ordinary pulao.
You would be amazed to know that there are innumerable varieties of pulao in the Kashmiri cuisine. All of them are fit for a lazy lunch meal yet have their own USPs. There’s the Kashmiri chicken pulao which is basically chicken biryani, minus the slow-cooking and tons of spices. Then there’s gucchi pulao. Gucchi is an exotic mushroom that is only found in Kashmir. This rare kind of mushroom brings an umami flavour to the plate and lends the dish a distinct air.
Given the fascination of Kashmiris with richness, we found a pulao that is best suited to their tastes. It is the Kashmiri modur pulao. Modur refers to sweet in Kashmiri and this pulao is often known as Kashmiri meetha pulao. For a second, we thought that we’re transported to the Parsi kitchen with their famous berry pulao. However, if you dig deeper you’ll realise that this pulao is much more than that. The long-grained Basmati rice is cooked in surplus ghee, with a nice flavour of cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves. The richness is taken a notch higher when dry fruits and nuts are added to this preparation.
The sweetness of modur pulao makes it hard for you to get away from the kitchen until it is served. The aromatic rice dish is commonly eaten during lunch in Kashmiri households and fills up the heart and appetite to the core. To make this ravishing Modur pulao at home, you need to start by soaking the rice in water and rinsing it well. Next, rice is boiled in water until it is almost cooked. This almost-cooked rice is taken off the flame and saffron-scented water is prepared on the side. Following this, a thick syrup-like texture is attained by adding in peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and cardamom to a pan full of ghee. Once this is done, the boiled rice is added along with sugar and water.
Now is the time to raise the bar by throwing in chopped nuts like almonds, cashews, raisins etc. to the rice. Mix it all together and cook for some more time till it all combines well with occasional stirring. Finally, serve the modur pulao with a side of Kashmiri paneer or dum aloo.
Here’s a detailed recipe for you to try.
