Peas Pulao is made by cooking basmati rice with green peas, onions, herbs and whole spices. The rice turns fragrant and lightly spiced. This recipe can be made in a stovetop pressure cooker, pan or Instant Pot. Serve hot as a main dish or side.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian, Punjabi

Ingredients

  • 1 heaped cup/200 grams basmati rice
  • ¾ cup green peas ((matar) - preferably fresh or frozen)
  • ½ cup onions (- thinly sliced)
  • 3 tablespoons oil (or ghee (clarified butter))
  • 1¾ cups water (- for stove-top pressure cooking)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 black cardamom (- optional)
  • 1 or 2 green cardamom
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 1 or 2 mace strands (- thin strands, optional)
  • 1 medium-sized tej patta ((Indian bay leaf))

Method

Preparation

  1. Wash the basmati rice until the water runs clear of the starch.
  2. Soak rice for 20 to 30 minutes.
  3. Drain all the water and set aside.

Making Peas Pulao

  1. Heat oil or ghee in a 2-litre stovetop pressure cooker.
  2. Add the cumin seeds along with all the whole spices.
  3. Fry for some seconds on low heat, until the spices splutter, release their aroma and become fragrant, taking care not to burn them
  4. Then add the sliced onions. Stir and sauté until the onions are light golden or caramelized. Do not burn the onions as this will lead to a bitter taste in your matar pulao.
  5. Add the green peas and saute for a minute.
  6. Then add the drained rice and mix gently.
  7. Sauté for a minute seeing that the fat (oil or ghee) coats the rice grains. Add water and salt as required.
  8. Mix well. Check the taste of water and it should be slightly salty.
  9. Cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles or 6 to 7 minutes on a medium-high to high heat.
  10. Let the pressure settle down on its own and then open the lid of the cooker. If you like your rice more on the al dente side then only pressure cook for 1 whistle.
  11. Gently fluff rice and serve peas pulao hot or warm.

Serving Suggestions

  1. Enjoy peas pulao on their own as a side or main dish, or serve with nearly any condiments or sides. The peas and rice pair perfectly with creamy and cool yogurt sauces and dips, like onion tomato raita, cucumber raita or boondi raita.
  2. Matar pulao also goes well with fresh curd (yogurt) as such and a Kadhi Pakora, sliced onion rings, Indian onion-tomato salad (Kachumber), and/or mango or lemon pickle. You can even serve with a side of lemon wedges.
  3. For an even heartier meal, peas pulao can be served with fried or roasted or masala papad or a simple Gujarati Kadhi.

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.