Easy channa pulao recipe | Lunch box recipes

Channa pulao always has been tricky to me. I have tried 4-5 times since I started cooking, but never turned out good. Then once Jeyashri only told it comes out delicious and invited for lunch to serve it. It was indeed delicious. Since then, I too got confidence of making channa biryani. She had made it in this Biryani style. I had once tried and came out good too. Aj too started liking since then. But this time when I was going through a handwritten cook book which had channa pulao – only ingredients list. I was surprised to see few ingredients and since now a days I am graduated in cooking to develop a recipe with its ingredients, I thought of giving it a try in that way this time. It was easy to make and yet tasted good. Both Aj and Vj had it without any complaints. So this could be a quick fix for your lunch box for office going people, since less cutting work. You can pack this with cucumber or vegetable raita and some fryums or chips.

Channa pulao recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 12 hr soaking time    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 1 cup, heaped

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Channa (white) - 1/2 cup

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Onion - 1

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Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

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Green chilli - 3

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Channa masala powder - 1 tsp, heaped

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Lemon juice (Optional) - from 1/2 of lemon

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Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tblsp

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Salt - As needed

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To temper

Oil/ ghee - 2 tblsp

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Cinnamon - 1 small piece

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Cloves - 2

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Cardamom - 2

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Bay leaf - 1

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Star anise - 1

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Method

1. Soak channa over night. Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes before cooking. Slice onion lengthwise and slit green chillies. Heat a small pressure cooker with oil/ ghee and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Add onion, green chillies and fry till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste.
   

2. Fry until raw smell goes away, but make sure not to over fry/ burn it. Add channa masala powder and give a quick stir. Add soaked rice drained from water, soaked channa and add salt. Mix well.
   

3. Add 1 & 1/2 cups of water and bring to boil. Keep in lowest possible flame and cook for 12-14 minutes. You can also pressure cook for 2 whistles in medium flame. Once done open the cooker, add chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice if desired and mix gently.
   

Notes

• I always prefer fresh ground ginger garlic paste or homemade ginger garlic paste than store bought.
  
• Just soaking the channa is enough, it will get cooked as the pulao gets cooked. No need to cook it separately.
  
• You can also add few mint leaves after frying onions.

Goes well with raita and chips or fryums. We had with onion raita and some store bought fryums.

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