The beauty of this easy, warming Indian rice dish is not only that it’s all made in one pot, but also that it can easily be adapted — swap in different vegetables (this is a great dish for frozen vegetables!), substitute half the water for coconut milk or tinker with the spice ratios. Traditionally, pulao is eaten with papad (crisps traditionally made of lentils, rice or chickpeas), achaar (pickle) and yogurt — but it’s just as great by itself, drizzled with a little extra ghee.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain basmati rice
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cloves
- 1 black cardamom pod (or 2 green cardamom pods)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 medium carrot, cut into 1-inch-long sticks
- 1 small russet potato, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) peas
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Papad, yogurt and achaar or melted ghee, for serving
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse the rice in a fine-mesh sieve until the water running under the sieve looks clear. Soak the rice in water in a medium bowl for 15 to 20 minutes — close to the time it’ll take for you to assemble the other ingredients and cut the vegetables. Drain the rice, ensuring there isn’t any excess water dripping off the grains (this will result in mushy pulao).
- In a medium Dutch oven, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and once they start to brown and dance around in the oil, about a minute, turn the heat down to low and add the remainder of the spices (black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, turmeric). Cook, stirring, for another minute, until fragrant, turn the heat back up to medium and add the vegetables and rice. Toss to coat everything in the oil and spices, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the salt and 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes (if your burner is small, this could be more like 20 minutes). Then, remove from the heat and let the pulao sit, undisturbed and still covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and gently mix. Serve with papad, yogurt and achaar or simply drizzle with ghee.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 237 |
| Total Fat | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 13 mg |
| Sodium | 377 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 237 |
| Total Fat | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 13 mg |
| Sodium | 377 mg |
Reviews
I made this almost exactly except I used the instant pot. I just sautéed the spices with the ghee, added the veggies and rice and mixed to combine, added the water and salt, then used the rice setting on the IP. It was super easy and a nice ratio of veggies to rice. I did add more salt after cooking per my taste, and also served with some ghee, Indian pickle called achar, and yogurt. The whole family including toddlers were happy!
I love this recipe! I made several substitutions including adding rutabaga and edamame instead of cauliflower and peas, and sour cream instead of yogurt. I had wheat flat bread with it. I added vegetable bullion to increase the flavor. And I made me rice separate and fried it up in olive oil as I missed the first part. My only advice is after you toast the cumin seeds to add the rest in a cheese cloth rather than just leave them in. It’s hard to get them out at the end and can be a choking hazard. I’ll use this recipe again soon!