Pulao Recipe | Veg Pulao | Vegetable Pulao | Pulav

Ingredients

• 1½ cups basmati rice (aged rice)
• 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
• salt as needed
• 2 ½ cups water for pressure cooker (2¾ cups for pot, 1¾ cups for Instant pot)
• 1½ teaspoons ginger garlic paste

Vegetables & herbs

• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 2 green chilies slit or as needed
• 1 medium carrot (¾ cup chopped)
• 4 medium french beans (½ cup chopped to 1 inch)
• ½ cup green peas
• 1 small potato cubed (optional)
• 3 tablespoons mint (pudina, finely chopped) (or coriander leaves)

Whole spices for veg pulao

• 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• ¾ teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds) (substitute cumin seeds)
• 4 green cardamoms (elaichi)
• 4 cloves (laung)
• 2 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
• 1 star anise (chakri phool) (optional, but recommended)
• 1 strand mace (javithri, optional)
• 1 pinch nut meg (jaiphal) (optional)
• 2 pinches stone flower (dagad phool – optional)
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds powder (saunf powder – optional)

Steps

Preparation

1. Put the basmati rice in a bowl and rinse a few times, until the water is clear.
2. Soak for at least 20 minutes. After 20 mins, drain completely and put aside.
3. While it soaks, rinse the carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, onions, chilies and mint leaves.
4. Peel the carrots and potatoes, trim both ends off the beans and chop all of them into bite-sized pieces.
5. Slice the onions, slit the green chili and finely chop the mint. You may also make a fine paste of ginger garlic, green chilies and mint. Put everything aside.

How to Make Veg Pulao

1. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil over medium heat in a pot or pressure cooker.
2. Put in all the whole spices once the oil is slightly hot.
3. Once the spices sizzle, put in the onions and chilies and sauté until the onions are golden.
4. Sauté the ginger garlic paste for 30 to 60 seconds, until its raw smell disappears.
5. Put in all the vegetables and mint and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Pour in the water and add salt. Taste: the water should be slightly salty.
7. Bring to a rolling boil, then stir in the drained rice.
8. For pot cooking, cover and cook over low heat until all the water is absorbed and the grains are cooked. Switch off when done and leave covered in the pot for 10 to 15 mins, helping the grains become fluffy.
9. For the pressure-cooker route, close with the lid and cook over medium-high heat for 1 whistle.
10. Switch off. Once pressure has released, take off the lid and fluff the pulao with a fork.
11. Offer the veg pulao hot or warm with a simple raita or gravy.

Instant Pot Pulao

1. Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot and pour the ghee or oil into the inner pot. Sauté the spices in the hot oil for 30 seconds.
2. Fry the onions and green chilies for 2 mins, until transparent, then fry the ginger garlic paste for just 30 seconds.
3. Put in all the chopped vegetables and mint and sauté for 2 mins. Add the drained rice (1 ½ cups) and salt, then press CANCEL.
4. Pour in 1¾ cups water and mix. Taste for salt and add more if required.
5. Gently scrape the bottom with a spatula to free stuck food, preventing a burn notice. Secure the Instant Pot lid.
6. Press PRESSURE COOK on high pressure and set 5 mins. Put the steam release handle at sealing.
7. After the Instant Pot beeps at the end, let pressure release naturally for 5 mins.
8. Move the steam release handle from sealing to venting with a spoon to release the remaining pressure manually.
9. Use a fork to fluff the vegetable pulao and serve with yogurt raita.