Avarekai Pudina Pulao/One pot Hyacinth Beans Mint Rice

Winter will not complete in Bangalore without Avarekai recipes! Hope you will agree if you are a Bangalorean. Here is a simple one pot rice item recipe with mint & hyacinth beans. It is a perfect menu for lunch/ dinner/ lunch box. Tastes great if served with raita/ mosaru gojju.

I need not mention about the health benefits of mint/pudina. It is a great herb which helps to improve digestion and rich in iron. Similarly avarekalu is very nutritious too. Check for my recipes of avarekai uppittu, Aloo avare tikkis/patties, Pumpkin & avare paratha…

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

White Rice – 2 cups

Avarekalu/ Hyacinth beans fresh – 1 cup

Vegetables of choice (Beans, carrot, potato) – ½ cup (chopped)

Onions – 2

Mint leaves – ½ cup, tightly packed

Coriander leaves – ½ cup

Cinnamon – ½ inch stick

Cloves - 3

Garlic – 6 cloves

Cardamom – 1

Green chillis – 2, adjust to your taste

Bay leaf/ Pulao ele – 1

Ghee - 3-4 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Water – 4.5 – 5 cups, adjust based on the requirement to cook the rice you use
Lemon juice - 2 tsp (optional)

Method:

Keep avarekai/ Avarekalu ready removing from the pods. Wash them well.

Wash, peel and chop all the vegetables like carrot, beans & potato and keep aside.

Peel off onions, wash and slice thinly and keep separate.

Now, clean the mint & coriander leaves and wash. Take these leaves in a small mixer jar draining water completely. Add peeled garlic, cinnamon, cloves, small piece of bay leaf, cardamom and ¼th of onions sliced and green chillis. Grind and make smooth paste without adding water.

Now, heat the pressure cooker that you use. Add 2 tbsp ghee and bay leaf (remaining piece after grinding). Stir it once.

Add sliced onions and fry for couple of minutes or until translucent.

Add ground paste, fry for 3-4 minutes or until raw smell goes off.

Now add washed avarekai and chopped vegetables. Stir once well so that masala mixes well with the vegetables.

Wash rice clean following your method, drain water and add it to the cooker too.

Mix everything well with the spatula.

Add salt and water. Close the cooker lid and cook for 3 whistles.

Once done, allow set aside until pressure settles down.

Open the lid, add remaining 2 tbsp ghee, lemon juice and mix well. Serve this pulao/ rice hot with choice of raita.

Notes:

Fresh pigeon peas/ togarikalu can be used instead of avarekalu.

You can add your choice of vegetable or remove any!

Please monitor if you are feeding avarekai items to toddlers as it is believed to be digested slow in the system of few individuals.