Sama Rice Pulao (Barnyard Millet Pulao)

Sama Pulao is a delicious wholesome dish made with sama rice, potatoes, paneer, nuts & few spices. Sama rice is known by many other names like samvat rice, vrat rice, samak ke chawal, bhagar rice, sanwa, jungle rice & samo etc. It belongs to millet family and is called ‘Barnyard Millet’ in english.

This millet pulao recipe is vegetarian, gluten free & can easily be made vegan (dairy free) with simple swaps. Apart from Navratri fast, it can be eaten otherwise also and enjoyed with curd, yogurt, raita for a nutritious filling meal.

Here I have used only those spices or ingredients which are commonly consumed by most people during vrat or fast. However, you can add more veggies like carrots, peas, french beans, broccoli etc or use more spices like garam masala, turmeric, coriander to make it more nutritious and flavourful.

Although samak rice is not a variety of rice but people call it so because of its small granular texture and off-white colour. It is ideal to include in gluten free diet or if you are looking for a healthy substitute of white rice. The texture of sama makes it suitable for use in both savoury & sweet recipes like cutlet / tikki or kheer.

As it is made using little fat, the pulao is quite lite on stomach especially when you are consuming mostly fried items during festive days. Instead of pulao, if you want its texture to be mushy like khichdi use more water while cooking.

I personally like to have it with zesty tangy coriander chutney and curd. It can also be paired with greek yogurt, pineapple or mint raita. Hope you would like this easy sama rice pulao recipe.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• Sama Rice / Barnyard Millet – 1/2 cup
• Water – 1 + 1/2 cups
• Ghee / Cooking Oil – 2 tsp
• Paneer (cubed) –  1/2 cup
• Cashews (split) – 8 to 10
• Potato (diced) – 3/4 cup
• Raw Peanuts –  6 to 8
• Jeera / Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp (to taste)
• Green Chilli (chopped) – 1
• Sendha Namak / Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
• Coriander (chopped) – 2 tbsp (for garnishing)
• Lemon Juice – 1 tsp

Notes:

1. For vegan (dairy free) version, use cooking oil instead of ghee. You can skip paneer or replace it with tofu.
2. You can also add garam masala or other spices of your choice. As I am making it for Navratri, I have used only those spices that can be consumed during fasting. Instead of chilli powder you can use crushed black pepper.
3. I have used both cashews and peanuts. You can use only any one of them or if you are allergic to nuts feel free to skip them.

Directions:

Step 1:
Wash & rinse the sama rice 2-3 times to wash away the impurities. Soak them in 3 to 4 cups fresh water for 30 min. In the mean time, lets proceed to next step.

Step 2:
In pan, heat oil or ghee. Add paneer cubes & sauté on medium flame till they turn golden brown (flip them in between). Transfer to a bowl and keep aside.

To the same pan, add cashews & fry till they turn slightly golden in colour. Transfer them to the same bowl with paneer & keep aside.

Step 3:
To the same pan, add potatoes. Saute them for 2 min. Add peanuts and roast them on low flame for 2-3 min while stirring in between.

Add green chillies, cumin, chilli powder (If required add more oil or ghee) and mix well. Saute for 15-20 sec till the spices start releasing their aroma.

Step 4:
Add soaked samak rice to the pan (discard the water). Mix well. Add (1+1/2) cups water & salt. Bring it to boil once & then turn the heat to LOW. (If you like consistency to be soft like khichdi, add 1/2 cup water more.)

Step 5:
When the water reduces to roughly half, cover with a lid. Simmer it for 3-4 min till there is no water left.

Step 6:
Add paneer & cashews to the cooked rice. Fluff it gently with the help of a fork.

Step 7:
Garnish with chopped coriander. You can also sprinkle lemon juice over it (optional). Serve it hot with mint raita, curd, greek yoghurt or coriander chutney.

Tips:

1. Wash the sama rice well as otherwise they may leave a slight bitter taste after cooking. You can even soak it for longer time.
2. We added sauteed paneer at the end and did not cook it with rice, as paneer if cooked for too long becomes chewy.
3. If you wish to add tomato flavour, add 2-3 tbsp tomato puree along with the spices while sauteeing.
4. The ratio of millet to water is 1:3 i.e. for every 1 cup of millet 3 cups of water is to be used.

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(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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