India — Pulao

Himachal Pradesh's tudkiya bhath is a pulao made with rice, lentils and potatoes. Onions, tomatoes, garlic and yoghurt enrich its flavour base. Spices such as cinnamon and cardamom add aroma. These ingredients show how rice dishes can develop in many directions beyond the meat-and-carrot formula.

Potatoes join the rice as tender pieces and lentils as small pulses. Each ingredient's doneness matters: if the potatoes collapse while the rice remains hard, the dish loses its harmony. The softness of the yoghurt-based foundation and the aroma of the spices are experienced together.

Tudkiya bhath belongs to the regional dishes prepared for celebrations and special days. Some versions are accompanied by dal and a citrus addition. Other Indian pulaos may use different ingredients; pulao and biryani are not names that can always replace one another.