Vegetable Pulao/biryani is a very common rice dish in India and this is something that you are sure to find on the menu of any self-respecting Indian restaurant 🙂 Over the years I have tried and made different versions of it and one of the reasons I like to change it up a little bit every now and then is because – I make it so often!!!. So this time I decided to give it a ‘Middle eastern’ twist… Of late I had been seeing a lot of pulao(pilaf) recipes with a middle eastern twist. Some of my blogger friends had posted different versions of vegetable pilaf dishes …I finally decided to make my version which is a combination of the different recipes that I had been seeing. I should state that this recipe is mainly inspired by the following bloggers’s recipes and I would like to thank them – Confused Bawarchi’s Moroccan pilaf and Savory and Sweet Food’s Mediterranean Pulao for the inspiration.! Ultimately whenever I embark on a new recipe, I invariably end up modifying the recipe …not because I simply want to but because of practical reasons ….I always like to work with what I have on hand in my pantry and in my fridge 🙂 Hence this version came about. So what were the main differences from the regular Indian vegetable pulao? Well, I decided to use some different spices (other than the usual garam masala that I use) – mainly ‘Harissa’ and ‘ras-el-hanout‘. I used store bought Harissa (dry powder) and ras-el-hanout (Did I tell you I got these as dry blends from Whole Foods and have been using them in so many different things? 🙂 ). But you could also make your own Harissa paste or make your own blend for Ras-el-hanout. ‘Ras-el-hanout’ by the way is quite similar to the Indian ‘garam masala’ with some slightly different proportions of the different spices which gives it a slightly different overall flavor. Then the other different thing I did was to use dried lime pieces and also added chickpeas to make it really a complete balanced meal.
For a rice lover this recipe is too good. specially for vegetarians…….
My husband and I eat a lot of rice and your recipe sounds like a good one to try.
Yes Karen then you should definitely give this a try. I am sure you will like it !:)
This looks delicious!
thanks Jessica!
Hi Indu- Thanks for the ping back :). Sorry it took us long to reply, we are in the middle of a website transition and things are a little all over the place. Love your version of this! 🙂
No problem.! Eager to see your new site! 🙂
We are back, Indu! Do look us up at http://www.confusedbawarchis.com
Any time I buy a cookbook or a cooking magazine, if there are pretty pictures and lots of color I know the recipes will be good – that is how I feel about your recipe. The more color the healthier and more balanced and you sure did that:)
Thanks judi. Yes I like colorful too? yes it was really a balanced meal with the chickpeas addition. And I am also like you- I love cookbooks with lots of colorful pics in them?
LOVE IT!!!!!! bookmarked…I’ve got so many of yours bookmarked!!!! X
Thanks Elaine. I am honored that you are bookmarking my recipes! Thanks so much for your kind words as always!
? xx
Your list of ingredients sounds delectable Indu! I really need to try making this at home and your photos and step-by-step instructions are certainly helpful. Looks delicious!
Thanks Nancy! I am glad you are tempted to try it. Go for it and lmk how you make out!?
Indu, this is what I order when we go to the restaurant (here in Dubai) 🙂 I agree with you the taste of the almonds and raisins give a particular taste to the dish. In Algeria and in North Africa, Ras el hanout is the most important spice used in the cuisine.
Hi Linda that’s good to know that Ras-el- hanout is so widely used. Will have to try some other dishes with it too.btw i did not know that you were in Dubai! ?
Yes 🙂 and I love it.
Looks great!
You mention dried limes in the ingredients list and in the directions, but as much as I can see from the photo you’ve used fresh lime. Am I right?
In any case, I love the idea of fresh lime with rice and will use it next time I’ll make rice, so thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Hi Ronit, you have a keen eye?! I actually used semi dried limes- the skin was hard and dry but there was still some juice and flesh inside them. I should have mentioned that. But yes you are right- you could use fresh limes too i am sure?
Thanks for the explanation! I’ll give it a try and see what happens… 🙂
Your pulao looks incredibly flavorful, Indu! I love the toasted almonds you use as garnish!
Thanks Patty! yes we all loved the flavors and the almonds and the raisins definitely made it extra special 🙂