Fried Onion Pulao/Rice Pilaf (Tadka Chaawal)
I recently got a Staub 4qt Cocotte and was ecstatic to begin using it. Did you know that the word “mustard” in French is moutarde?
I wanted to share a recipe that would allow me to make good use of the unique Staub lid (with bumps that allow water droplets to fall back into the food, retaining much more moisture than other dutch ovens). What better than rice?
So it turns out what Pakistanis (well, desis) call pulao is—in ESSENCE and CONCEPT—the same as Persian polo, the same as the English pilaf, and even similar to Spanish paella. All of these dishes simply refer to “rice cooked with something else.” So not-plain rice. I’m speaking very generally here, so don’t @ me.
I grew up eating biryani, sure, but also pulao/polo with beef and/or garbanzo beans. Sometimes my mom would make what I called “plain pulao” (which I now realize makes little sense) which is what I’m sharing with you today. Some people might call it tadka chaawal but I’m going to call it fried onion pulao.
Ingredients (serves 5-8)
1 1/2 cups of rinsed basmati (long grain) rice, soaked for 5-15 hours
1 small onion, sliced
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil (depending on whether you prefer less or more oily food)
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups water (or stock if you prefer/have it)
Recipe
Heat the oil in a 4 qt pot over medium heat.
Test the oil’s temperature by dipping a wooden skewer or spoon into the oil. If bubbles begin to form around it, it’s ready. When it’s ready, carefully throw the sliced onions into the pot. Stir and evenly spread them out so they’re in a single layer.
While the onions are frying, go ahead and strain your rice. Try to get all the water out so that the oil doesn’t splatter when it is time to add the rice.
Once the onions are a deep golden brown (at 44 seconds) add the cumin and stir, allowing them to bloom and toast up.
Add the strained rice to the pot and stir to coat the rice with the oil.
Slowly pour in the water/stock and then the salt. Stir thoroughly.
Bring the rice to a boil; stirring occasionally, let the rice cook at a low boil for about 10 minutes or until the water level is juuuust below the level of the rice (refer to the video, please).
Drop the heat to the lowest setting, stir the rice, and cover. Leave it on low heat for 8-10 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat, mix the rice up again, and let sit (covered) for 10 minutes before serving.