Instant Pot Mint Rice (Pudina Pulao) is a fragrant one pot rice dish with the freshness of mint leaves, some kick from green chilies, garlic, ginger and lime

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basmati rice ((or any rice))
  • 1 medium onion (sliced thinly)
  • 1 cup green beans
  • 1/2 cup green peas ((I used frozen))
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2 cardamom
  • 2 tablespoons ghee ((or oil), add more according to taste)
  • 1.5 cups water
  • salt (to taste)

To Grind:

  • 1 cup mint leaves (pudina)
  • 1/2 cup coriander leaves
  • 3 green chilies
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 2 tablespoons water (for grinding)

Method

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Grind together green chilies, garlic pod, ginger, coriander leaves/cilantro, mint/pudina to a smooth paste with little water and keep aside.
  2. Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil/ghee and once it’s hot add cumin seeds. Let them crackle. Then add whole spices and saute for another 30 secs.
  3. Next add onions and saute till they turn translucent.
  4. Add green beans, green peas and add blend mint-coriander mixture, saute for 2-3 minutes till raw smell of ginger garlic disappears.
  5. Finally add salt, garam masala, rinsed rice, water and stir well.
  6. Close the lid on the pot and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
  7. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 5 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the pressure manually. If you do not have time then do Quick Pressure Release(QR) Manually.
  8. Remove lid away from you and squeeze some lime juice and mix well.
  9. Mint Rice is ready and serve hot with yogurt or raita.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:

  1. Grind together green chilies, garlic pod, ginger, coriander leaves/cilantro, mint/pudina to a smooth paste with little water and keep aside.
  2. Heat oil/ghee in a pressure cooker on medium heat and once it's hot add cumin seeds. Let them crackle. Then add whole spices and saute for another 30 secs.
  3. Next add onions and saute till they turn translucent.
  4. Add green beans, green peas and add blend mint-coriander mixture, saute for 2-3 minutes till raw smell of ginger garlic disappears.
  5. Finally add salt, garam masala, rinsed rice, water and stir well.
  6. Close the lid of the cooker, Pressure cook it for 2 whistles on medium heat
  7. Remove lid away from you and squeeze some lime juice and mix well.
  8. Mint Rice is ready and serve hot with yogurt or raita.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.