Name: Shahi Moti Pulao (Meat Ball Pilaf) recipe by Rini Pal at BetterButter
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: For making Pulao/Rice:; Basmati Rice or Long Grained Rice – 500 gms; Onion – 2 (Medium – finely chopped); Cashew – ¼ cup; Raisin – ¼ cup; Keora Water – 2 tsp; Yellow Food Colour or Kesar Colour – Few drops; Oil – 2 tbsp; Ghee – 2 tbsp; Salt – to taste; Sugar – 2 tsp; Cinnamon Stick – 2”; Green Cardamom – 3-4; Clove – 3-4; Saffron – 2 pinches soaked in warm milk; For making Moti:; Chicken/Mutton Keema (Minced Chicken or Mutton) – 200 gms; Very Finely Chopped Onion – 2 Tbsp; Ginger Paste – 1 tsp; Garlic Paste – 1 tsp; Red Chilli Powder – ½ tsp; Black Pepper Powder – ½ tsp; Coriander powder – 1 tsp; Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp; Nutmeg powder – 1 Fat pinch; Lemon juice – 2 tsp; egg – 1; Salt – to taste; Oil – For frying the meat balls

ABOUT Shahi Moti Pulao (Meat Ball Pilaf) RECIPE

This is a Mughlai rice preparation …. ‘Shahi Moti Pulao’. As the name itself portrays this rice preparation is served with ‘Moti’ (Pearl). No…no… no, not real pearl but with small meat balls which looks like ‘Moti’s. Actually these meatballs are to be coated with silver foils so that they look like real pearls. But I do not like using silver foils so I discarded that part. It is a very easy recipe and takes very less time but gives a very good meal to serve any special occasion.

Ingredients Serving: 6

For making Pulao/Rice:
Basmati Rice or Long Grained Rice – 500 gms
Onion – 2 (Medium – finely chopped)
Cashew – ¼ cup
Raisin – ¼ cup
Keora Water – 2 tsp
Yellow Food Colour or Kesar Colour – Few drops
Oil – 2 tbsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Sugar – 2 tsp
Cinnamon Stick – 2”
Green Cardamom – 3-4
Clove – 3-4
Saffron – 2 pinches soaked in warm milk
For making Moti:
Chicken/Mutton Keema (Minced Chicken or Mutton) – 200 gms
Very Finely Chopped Onion – 2 Tbsp
Ginger Paste – 1 tsp
Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
Black Pepper Powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder – 1 Fat pinch
Lemon juice – 2 tsp
egg – 1
Salt – to taste
Oil – For frying the meat balls

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients mentioned under for making Moti. Beat the egg and mix well. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Now cook the rice in a separate pot. Cooking rice for Basmati or any other long grained rice is 2:1 i.e. 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Drain the water and keep the rice aside. Do not over-cook the rice.
Heat oil in a kadai. Make small balls from the keema mix and fry them. Take out from oil and keep them on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
Add chopped onion to kadai. Fry them till brown and crisp and keep them aside.
In the same oil add cashew and raisins. Lightly fry them and keep them separately.
Now add oil and ghee if required. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom and clove. Sauté till they exudes aroma. Add the boiled rice. Add salt and kewra water and mix well.
Now take out half of the rice from the kadai and keep them on serving plate or bowl.
In the remaining rice add yellow colour. Add saffron soaked milk (2-3 Tbsp of milk) and keora water. Mix very well. Add in the fried cashew and raisins. Now spread this yellow coloured rice on the white fried rice.
Garnish the rice with fried meat ball and fried onions and serve with any Chicken or Mutton Curry. I served this with Zafrani Murgh.

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