Kashmiri Pulao
Saffron rice studded with nuts, dried fruit and pomegranate. The fragrant Kashmiri counterpart to a biryani; sweet, floral, gentle on the heat.
Overview
Saffron is bloomed in warm milk to draw the colour and aroma. Basmati is rinsed, soaked and drained. Whole spices, sliced almonds and cashews are toasted in ghee, then sultanas and pomegranate seeds are folded through. The toasted rice goes on top with milk-spiked water and the saffron milk, and the pot is covered to steam. Finished with a scatter of more nuts, fried onions and pomegranate seeds.
Ingredients
- 300 g aged basmati rice (rinsed, soaked for 30 minutes)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- 3 tablespoons warm milk
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- 30 g flaked almonds
- 30 g cashews (broken in half)
- 30 g sultanas (or raisins)
- 1 cinnamon stick (small)
- 4 green cardamom pods (lightly crushed)
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 4 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (or cumin seeds)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 500 ml water
- 100 ml whole milk
- 50 g pomegranate seeds
To finish
- 30 g fried onions (store-bought is fine, or use the recipe from matar pulao)
- A handful of extra pomegranate seeds
- A few extra toasted almonds
Method
Stage 1 - Bloom the saffron
- Warm 3 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl.
- Crumble the saffron threads in and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
Stage 2 - Toast the nuts
- Heat the ghee in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat.
- Add the flaked almonds and cashews; toast for 2-3 minutes until pale gold.
- Add the sultanas; cook for 30 seconds (they'll puff up).
- Lift the nuts and sultanas out with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Stage 3 - Bloom the whole spices
- To the same ghee, add the cinnamon, green and black cardamom, cloves, bay, fennel and caraway.
- Sizzle for 30 seconds.
Stage 4 - Coat the rice
- Drain the soaked rice well.
- Tip into the pan and stir gently for 2 minutes to coat.
- Stir in the salt and sugar.
Stage 5 - Steam
- Pour in the water and the 100 ml of milk.
- Drizzle the saffron milk over.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to the lowest heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
- Cook for 12-14 minutes (don't lift the lid).
- Pull from the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes.
Stage 6 - Combine and serve
- Lift the lid and fluff with a fork.
- Fold in two-thirds of the reserved nuts and sultanas, and half the pomegranate seeds.
- Transfer to a serving dish.
- Scatter the remaining nuts, sultanas, fried onion and pomegranate seeds on top.
Notes
- Saffron-in-milk: Crumbling the threads into warm milk extracts the colour properly. Adding them whole to the pot gives streaky golden patches but pale rice overall.
- Sugar with salt: The pinch of sugar emphasises the saffron and balances the sweet fruit; without it the dish feels unfinished.
- Pomegranate seeds: Add as a garnish only. Cooking them turns the seeds bitter and stains the rice red.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat covered with a splash of milk.
- Don't add the pomegranate until serving.
Recipes mentioned here
Biryani
Biryani represents the height of Indian culinary technique: multiple components prepared separately with precision, then assembled in layers where flavors permeate through steam cooking. This isn't a one-step rice dish; rather, it's an architectural construction where yogurt-marinated lamb develops tenderization and flavor, then cooks slowly with warm spices and tomato, while basmati rice is independently flavored with saffron infusion and whole spices. Upon assembly, the two elements marry through steam, creating a unified dish where lamb and rice are inseparable in flavor. Traditionally cooked during festivals and royal celebrations, biryani requires patience and multiple steps but rewards with sophistication.
Matar Pulao
Sliced onions are fried into golden-brown crisps and lifted out. Basmati is rinsed, soaked for ½ hour and drained. A whole-spice tempering of cumin, bay, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves is bloomed in the ghee left from the onions, the drained rice goes in to toast, then water and peas join the pot for a covered steam. The fried onions go back on top before serving.
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Matar Pulao
Sliced onions are fried into golden-brown crisps and lifted out. Basmati is rinsed, soaked for ½ hour and drained. A whole-spice tempering of cumin, bay, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves is bloomed in the ghee left from the onions, the drained rice goes in to toast, then water and peas join the pot for a covered steam. The fried onions go back on top before serving.
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