Mushrooms coco pulao

Servings: 4
Preparation time: 10-12 minutes.
Coconut milk preparation time: 10 minutes.
Frying time: 12 minutes.
Cooking time: 5-7 minutes.
Total time: 41 minutes.

On the occasion of valentine day:

Festivals always mean cooking special recipe in the traditional way. You can slightly twist the version and make the festival further special the day. I prepared “Mushrooms coco pulao”, in which I used the mushroom and coconut milk as basic ingredients.

“Mushrooms Coco Pulao” is one dish that holds a very special place in my heart, not just for its taste but for the memories attached to it. When we were living in Kudankulam, I often used fresh coconuts and mushrooms grown in my own home garden to prepare this flavourful pulao. The creamy richness of coconut milk blending with the earthy mushrooms gave the dish a homely yet exotic taste.

Cooking with ingredients straight from the garden always felt magical in Kudankulam. Plucking fresh mushrooms and breaking open coconuts from our own trees, gave the pulao a freshness that no market produce could match.

That one-pot meal was more than just food; it was a connection to our garden, our home, and the simple joys of coastal living. Even today, whenever I prepare Mushroom Coconut Milk Pulao, it brings back the fragrance of the sea breeze, the greenery of Kudankulam, and the happiness of those beautiful days.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice (preferably long grain): 250 gm (2 Cups)
Mushrooms: 100-150 gm.
Coconut: 1 no. (Medium size) or
Fresh coconut milk: 500 ml (4 cups)
Ramba/kewada leaf (Pandanus odorus): 2 no.
Onion: 1 no. (Medium size)
Tomato: 2 no. (Medium size)
Ginger: 1 tablespoon (grated)
Garlic: 3-4 flakes.
Salt: 2 teaspoon
Clove: 4 no.
Green cardamom: 2 no.
Cinnamon: 2’ stick
Ghee: 2 tablespoon
Refined oil: 1 tablespoon

Preparation:

Clean and chop mushroom to desire shape, keep aside.
Wash the rice and keep aside.
Slice the onion and the tomatoes, keep aside.
Grind ginger and garlic to fine paste, keep aside.

Coconut milk preparation:

Take fresh coconut and break it, Scarp only white portion of coconut with help of coconut scraper.
Take scraped coconut into grinding jar, add 2 cup of water, Grind well as chutney, Strain the chutney with fine strainer, store the liquid aside, this is called coconut milk, put back the coconut residue into grinding jar, add again 2 cup of water, Grind again and strain, now 4 cups of coconut milk is ready. (You can store it in refrigerator).

Method:

Take a pressure cooker, heat ghee and refined oil, Put green cardamom, cinnamon and clove, sputter for few seconds add sliced onion, stir fry on high flame for couple of minutes or till onion gets translucent, add ground ginger-garlic paste continue to fry for few seconds, add chopped tomatoes, stir and fry for couple of minutes, add ramba leaves (just break by hands in to 3-4 pieces), add mushroom, stir fry for couple of minutes.
Add salt and rice, stir fry further for couple of minutes, now Pour coconut milk and close the cooker lid.
Cook on high flame; bring to full cooking pressure, put off the flame. Allow cooker to cool and open.
Transfer into serving bowl, delicious Mushrooms coco pulao ready to be served with Onion Cucumber Raita, Raw Jack Fruit Sabji, Healthy Salad and Daniya- Pudina Chutney.