Navratan Pulao نو رتن پلاؤ

Navratan Pulao is a well celebrated vegetarian pulao. It is good in taste and eye appealing with all the benefits of vegetables and nuts.

Navratan Pulao

Ingredients:

• Rice,  basmati silky polished   1/2 kg
• Yoghurt 1 cup
• Onion 2-3 chopped
• Oil 1 cup
• Carrot chopped 1 cup
• Peas  1 cup
• Cauliflower   1 cup
• Potatoes  chopped 1 cup
• Cashew nut 1 tablespoon
• Raisin  1 tablespoon
• Pistachio 1 tablespoon
• Almond soaked  1 tablespoon
• Coconut slices 1 tablespoon
• Cloves 15
• Star anise 2
• Cinnamon sticks 4
• Black pepper whole 2 teaspoon
• Caraway whole 1 teaspoon
• Salt for gravy  to taste
• Salt for boiled rice 2 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Soak rice in enough water for 30 minutes.
• Wash and rinse the soaked rice.
• Then boil in 6 glass water and 2 teaspoons of salt till near to cook or 1 kanni remain.
• Drain and keep aside.
• Now saute onion in oil till soft.
• Add spices and vegetable fry for 1-2 minutes, then add yoghurt and fry for few more minutes.
• Now cook on medium flame till vegetables are well done. You can boil potato and peas before adding in a separate pan.
• At last add boiled rice and nuts and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Delicious Navratan Pulao is ready.
• Mix and serve.

Gajrela (Punjabi Winter Dessert) / گجریلا

Gajrela is a very delicious Winter Dessert from Punjab. It is a very nutritious and energetic dessert. It provided extra energy to fight chilly weather in winter. Almost ever household in Punjab prepare it during cold weather. Children are fond of Gajrela. Only 3-4 table spoon are eaten up in the morning and evening. Here is my mother's recipe of Gajrela.

Gajrela (Carrots in Milk)

Ingredients:

• Full Cream Milk  2 litre
• Carrots grated   1 kg
• Sugar 1 cup
• Desi ghee/ Butter  100 g
• Pistachio chopped 1 tablespoon
• Almond chopped 1 tablespoon
• Rasin  1 tablespoon
• Coconut slices  1 tablespoon

Procedure:

• Place milk and grated carrots in a large pan.
• Continue to cook on low flame with occasional stirring till most of the water is evaporated. It will take 2-3 hours.
• When thick mass is obtained, add sugar,  desi ghee/butter and nuts.
• Then cook on medium to high flame with vigorous stirring to avoid sticking to the bottom and walls of the pan.
• Delicious Gajrela is ready.
• Serve hot/cold.

• Serving:  8

Shireen Pulao / Shirin Plov / Shirin Polo / Shirin Polow / Şirin Plov / شیرین پلو / شیریں پلاؤ

Shireen Pulao is a very very popular dish of Iran and Azerbaijan. Shireen Pulao is made with chicken and sweetened with sugar and nuts and dry fruits. It is a very delicious and eye appealing dish. There is a very small difference between the Irani and Azerbaijani version. In Iran orange zest, grated carrot, are used with sugar syrup and nuts and dry fruits,  while in Azerbaijan dates, dry apricots are used with sugar syrup and nuts and other dry fruits. 

Şirin Plov

Ingredients For Chicken Curry:

• Chicken boneless cubes/breast fillets  1 kg
• Oil 1 cup
• Onion chopped 1
• Ginger paste 1 teaspoon (optional)
• Garlic paste 1 teaspoon (optional)
• Yoghurt 1 cup (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper whole 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon sticks 3-4 pieces
• Cardamom small  6
• Cloves  10

Procedure for Chicken Curry:

• Fry onion in oil till golden brown.
• Add ginger garlic pastes if using.
• Add spices fry for 1 minute then add chicken pieces fry for 3 minutes (Add yoghurt at this stage if using and fry for 5-6 minutes) then lower the flame and cook till chicken is tender.
• Chicken Curry is ready for Shireen Pulao.

Ingredients For Rice:

• Fine quality Rice 1/2 kg
• Salt 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
• Water  4-5 glass

Procedure For Boiled Rice:

• Boil Rice in water and salt till almost cook.
• Drain and keep aside.

Colouring:

• Saffron 1/4 teaspoon
• Warm milk  1/4 cup
• Add saffron to warm milk, stir and aside.

Nuts and Dry Fruits and Sugar Syrup :

• Pistachio  1 tablespoon
• Almonds 1 tablespoon
• Raisin  1 tablespoon
• Dry dates seedless/pitted  8-10
• Dry Apricot seedless/pitted   8-10
• Dry Plum    6
• Sugar  1 cup
• Carrot grated 1
• Orange zest/peel from orange, fine strips

Procedure:

• Boil orange peels in 1-2 cup water. Darin.
• Now in 1 cup water add sugar, boiled orange zest, grated carrot and all the nuts and dry fruits and cook on medium flame till a thick syrup is obtained.

Now all the materials are ready to cook Shireen Pulao.

 1 tablespoon melted butter will also be needed for garnish.

1. Take a large pan , arrange bottom layer of cooked chicken curry.
2. Spread over it boiled rice.
3. Sprinkle at this rice layer prepared Saffron Colour and melted butter 1 tablespoon.
4. On top layer spread prepared nut and dry fruits sugar syrup.
5. Simmer for  20 minutes.
6. Delicious Shireen Pulao is Ready to Serve.
7. Serve with grilled tomatoes using butter.

Panjeeri پنجیری

Panjeeri is a very nutritional supplement for women  who have delivered a child. It is made in every house of  Punjab when a new baby born to a woman , to give her a nutritional supplement of natural nuts and herbs. It is popular for centuries.
However it is also prepared in winter, without herbs, for everyone, children or old aged ,men or women to keep warm their bodies in cold. It is usually taken at breakfast. I have written herbs under separate heading used for women during nursing.

This recipe I have learnt from my mother, who learnt from her mother. My mother aged 73 living in Karachi , and her Aunt aged 95 living in Faisalabad Punjab, are Alhamdolillah alive. 

Panjeeri

Panjeeri

Ingredients:

• Desi ghee (butter fat) 2 kg
• Suji (semolina) 2 kg
• Sugar 1/2 - 3/4 kg

Nuts (for everyone):

• Almond coarsely chopped  100-200 g
• Pistachio coarsely chopped 100 g
• Coconut chopped 50 g
• Raisin  50-100 g
• Chaar Magaz  50 g
• Poppy seeds  25 g 
• Cardamom small, cracked 20
• Black pepper whole   30-50
• Fennel whole 1 tablespoon
• Ajwain 2 teaspoon
• Sonth powder (dry ginger powder)  1 tablespoon

Nuts and Digestives

Herbal Medicines ( For Child Birth Giving Mothers):

• Pakhra (Gokhru), grinded and sifted,  25 g
• Pathani Lodh, grinded and sifted,  25 g
• Phool Makhana, crushed, 50 g
• Chaar Gund, grinded and sifted,  25 g
• Kamarkas, grinded and sifted,   25 g
• Amaltas  grinded, 25 g

Procedure::

• In half ghee roast suji till golden in colour on low to medium flame.
• Then add remaining ghee and herbal medicines (if using), mix well.
• Then add remaining ingredients , mix and remove immediately from heat.
• Mix well and cool.
• Nutritious Pajeeri is ready.
• Place in an airtight jar.
• Only 50 g/ half cup, reheated panjeeri is used with warm milk in breakfast.

Charmagaz

Pakhra (Gokhru)

Pathani Lodh

Phool Makhana

Chaar Goond

Kamarkas

Amaltas

Note:

Atta (Wheat Flour) can be used instead of Suji. When using atta, only 1kg atta  is required for 2 kg desi ghee. Other ingredients quantity will remian same.