Mint and peas pulao

Fragrant, comforting, and employs whatever soft herbs you have

Hello, my name is Apoorva Sripathi and I’m a writer and editor. This week’s paid subscriber newsletter is a recipe for an easy, aromatic green pulao. I hope you’ll give it a go. Below the recipe introduction is also a form for sending in questions for my new ‘shelf help’ column. If you’d like to support my work, please consider a paid subscription. Thank you!

Mint and peas pulao with a side of yoghurt topped with fried onions

What do I write about rice that hasn’t been said before, including by myself?

It is joy, comfort, celebration, grief, and mundane. And it is this mundanity I’m exploring in today’s recipe (I already have three rice recipes and I only see this category expanding). Mundane because, amongst other things, when I’m coming up with recipes, I tend to cook with what I have instead of buying something new.

One pot chickpea pulao

Saag with paneer and cumin rice

Pumpkin khichdi

This is a pulao that graced my school lunchbox without fail every week and every time it made an appearance, I’d be lucky if I could eat more than two mouthfuls – my friends would claim it immediately. I also enjoyed eating this well into adulthood, with my mum happily obliging like she did when I called to ask her for a recipe. I made this yesterday and the whole house smelled of garlic, coconut, and mint, which I guess is every minimalist home nightmare.

All you really need are ingredients you will have at home: soft herbs (obviously mint but you could use coriander or parsley instead), onion, garlic and ginger, salt, and water. Make it when you have herbs languishing in your fridge. Make it when you have little mood to make anything else. Add a couple of carrots and potatoes if you’d like. Use the herb chutney for something else. Fry some chickpeas as a garnish. Make a big pot of it for dinner with friends.

I love this dish and with every rice recipe, I tend to make double the amount so I can find joy in the leftovers. Because as much as this recipe is ordinary, it is also a celebration of everything vibrant – and vital. Hunger in the most dire of times.

‘shelf help’ announcement

Following up from this week’s free newsletter, I’m launching a new column called ‘shelf help’ for paid subscribers, where people can write in asking for help with their cooking questions (or writing or art). I’ll be happy to answer these questions and point you in (hopefully) the right direction. The answers will be available for paid subscribers only but if you leave me your name and mailing address in the form, I can send the response to you over email.