East Indian
Chirer Pulao (Bengali Flattened Rice Pulao)
Chirer Pulao (Bengali Flattened Rice Pulao) is East Indian home cooking, eaten at breakfast. On the plate it is the dish at the centre. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flattened rice (chira), thick
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 1 potato, diced
- 2 green chilies, chopped
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
How to cook it
- Rinse the flattened rice briefly in a colander under running water, then drain well and set aside to soften.
- Heat the mustard oil in a pan and fry the peanuts until golden, then remove and set aside.
- In the same oil, temper the mustard seeds and bay leaf, then add the diced potato and fry until half-cooked.
- Add the green peas, ginger, and green chilies, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the turmeric, sugar, and salt, then add the softened flattened rice and toss gently to coat without mashing the flakes.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is warmed through.
- Fold in the fried peanuts and grated coconut, finish with a squeeze of lemon and cilantro, and serve warm.
Serve it with
A East Indian breakfast is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Chirer Pulao (Bengali Flattened Rice Pulao), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.
-
The sharp little thing
A course labelled with another kitchen's name comes from a cuisine in the same family, which is where this plate usually borrows it from.
Safe at your table
Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand, so the absences below are as deliberate as the presences. Chirer Pulao (Bengali Flattened Rice Pulao) carries peanuts and coconut. It is free of the remaining 8 allergens on that list.
| Allergen | In this dish | Cook this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | Yes | Aloo Posto (Potato in Poppy Seed Paste) |
| Tree nuts | No | |
| Dairy | No | |
| Gluten | No | |
| Shellfish | No | |
| Eggs | No | |
| Soy | No | |
| Fish | No | |
| Sesame | No | |
| Coconut | Yes | Aloo Posto (Potato in Poppy Seed Paste) |
These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.
What it brings to the plate
Bands, not numbers. Dinejot does not weigh anybody's food, so it says light, moderate or hearty and stops there. This dish was read and set by hand.
- Calorie band
- Moderate
- Protein
- Low
- Food groups it covers
- Grains, Nuts and seeds, and Vegetables
- How this was set
- Hand audited
When to cook it
Chirer Pulao (Bengali Flattened Rice Pulao) takes about 25 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is easy going. It is eaten at breakfast. Nothing in the calendar rules it out, so it is a year round dish.
Watch someone make it
Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Until then this is one still image, which is why the page opens as quickly as it does.
More to cook
Cooked from the same things
Other dishes built on flattened rice, peanut, and coconut.
From the same kitchens
More cooking from East India.
Does the same job on the plate
Swap any of these in when you want a meal the same shape.
Cook this with your whole family
Dinejot plans breakfast, lunch and dinner as whole plates, built around the cooking you call home and filtered for the allergies at your table.
Meal suggestions support your goals. They are not medical advice. Please ask your doctor about your family's health needs.