Mushroom Pulao

I admit it. I am lousy at being pregnant. While other moms are being complimented on their healthy glow, I spend the first trimester of my pregnancy looking puffy, bloated, and blotchy. I may not be able to hold down anything more than cheese crackers, but I still somehow manage to put on an extra 75 pounds over the course of 40 weeks. I can't take a flight of steps without sitting to rest midway up or down, and my feet swell up so much they look like Barney’s paws!

As if all this weren't enough, I awoke one morning to find that I was unable to stand up without help, sit in a chair, or walk without excruciating pain. I contacted my midwife to learn that I was suffering from a rather common condition known as pregnancy-related sciatica or, what I would call, "major pain in the rear!"

What is sciatica, I asked Google and according to Google - Women with sciatica often experience shooting pains or paralyzing numbness in the lower back or buttocks area and sometimes down the backs of the thighs. The pain can be severe enough to limit a person's mobility almost entirely, and because it is caused by the position of the baby inside the womb, there's very little that can be done to relieve the situation entirely until the baby is born… blah...blah… blah. And lucky for me Google also had a few exercises I could do to reduce the stress on my sciatica nerve this reducing the pain I was in... Thank God for  the Internet!

So with all of this excitement(not!!) going on and not to mention feeling dead tired all the time, I have been trying my very best to still find the energy to cook interesting/tasty foods for Kochu. I absolutely love mushrooms, so does my Dad and I've been trying to get Kochu to enjoy them as much as we do… And so far so good J

Pilaf, Pulav, Pulao. They are all the same.

It is a pretty simple recipe and I got it from Vazhyila.com… You should check out that blog. She has some wonderful South-Indian recipes and we can of-course always adjust the recipe to suit our little person’s taste buds.  

A simple one pot meal, this pulao our favourite for a quick dinner which definitely does not lack in colour or flavour. Together with some cool Cucumber Raita and Pappadom, its almost vegetarian biryani heaven.

Kochu finds this to be yummy enough on its own, but me being me, I usually add in a boiled egg for some added protein for him. I promise you, you’re bubs won’t be disappointed.

Mushroom Pulao

Adapted from vazhayila.com

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2 cup
Mushroom - 250 gm
Onion chopped - 2
Ginger and garlic crushed - 2 1/2 tsp'

Yogurt - 4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Water - 4 cups
Cardamom pods - 3
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1
Bay leaves - 1

Method:
1. Soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes and drain.
2. Heat butter or oil in a cooking vessel, and add whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.

3. Toss it for 30 seconds and add chopped onions. Sauté till the onions are soft and pink.

4. Add crushed ginger and garlic and stir fry till their raw smell disappears.

5. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and sauté for 4-5 minutes (dice it into chunks since it gets small while sauteing.)

6. Add turmeric powder and garam masala and 4 tsp yogurt and mix it well.

7. Add the soaked rice and fry it for a minute or two.

8. Add 4 cups of water and cook it covered on medium flame until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed. Switch off the flame and let it stand covered for 10 minutes before serving.