Vegetable pulao is a basic Indian style rice pilaf that is aromatic, delicious, healthy & super quick to make for a meal.
Tips to Make Good Pulao Recipe
A. Spices: Always use good quality whole spices as it is the key to make an aromatic veg pulao. You can also crush the spices lightly & used them to release the aroma.
B. Herbs: Do not skip fresh mint or pudina leaves as it the next key ingredient that infuses aroma to the veg pulao.
C. Rice: Normally basmati rice is used to make vegetable pulao. But if you do not have, just use any other kind of rice. You will need to adjust the water as needed depending on the rice.
D. Pulao Masala: For more aromatic veg pulao, you can make a paste of onions, ginger garlic, mint, and all the whole spices. This paste can be made ahead and refrigerated. If you have this paste & mixed veggies ready in the fridge, then making vegetable pulao just takes less than 15 mins.
How to Cook the Best Pulao
Though the ingredients used are the key to make a fragrant and delicious veg pulao, the cooking procedure also matters the most.
A perfectly cooked vegetable pulao should have fluffy, separate rice grains that are not sticky & not mushy yet fully cooked.
The dish must have a unique aroma of mint and whole spices like cinnamon, cardamoms & cloves. Here are the key pointers to cook the best veg pulao:
a) Rinsing: Always rinse the rice well for at least 3 times until the water runs clear. This reduces the starch from the rice grains which is the culprit to mushy & sticky veg pulao.
b) Soaking: Soak rice for at least 15 to 20 mins. When soaked rice grains absorb water and swell up to the maximum when cooked making them fluffy & perfectly cooked.
c) Frying rice: If you are making plain pulao without veggies then you can roast the drained rice in ghee & spices. For vegetable pulao, I do not fry the rice as most times I have experienced the soaked rice grains break when fried with veggies.
d) Ratio: Rice to water ratio is the key to get fully cooked grainy pulao. Adjust the amount of water depending on the rice. Add water according to the cooking method opted by you. More details below in the recipe card.
Methods to Cook Pulao Recipe
There are different methods to make vegetable pulao. It can be made in a:
- Pressure cooker
- Pot or pan
- Electric cooker – Sauté the spices, then the onions, ginger garlic, mint & vegetables in a small pan. Then transfer this to an electric cooker along with rice, salt, and water. Cook as you would prepare normal rice with the same amount of water you use for regular cooking.
- Instant pot
How to cook the best pulao
- Though the ingredients used are the key to make a fragrant and delicious veg pulao, the cooking procedure also matters the most.
- A perfectly cooked vegetable pulao should have fluffy, separate rice grains that are not sticky & not mushy yet fully cooked.
- The dish must have a unique aroma of mint and whole spices like cinnamon, cardamoms & cloves. Here are the key pointers to cook the best veg pulao:
• Rinsing: Always rinse the rice well for at least 3 times until the water runs clear. This reduces the starch from the rice grains which is the culprit to mushy & sticky veg pulao.
• Soaking: Soak rice for at least 15 to 20 mins. When soaked rice grains absorb water and swell up to the maximum when cooked making them fluffy & perfectly cooked.
• Frying rice: If you are making plain pulao without veggies then you can roast the drained rice in ghee & spices. For vegetable pulao, I do not fry the rice as most times I have experienced the soaked rice grains break when fried with veggies.
• Ratio: Rice to water ratio is the key to get fully cooked grainy pulao. Adjust the amount of water depending on the rice. Add water according to the cooking method opted by you. More details below in the recipe card.
Methods to cook pulao recipe
There are different methods I follow to make vegetable pulao. It can be made in a
• Pressure cooker – instructions below
• Pot or pan – instructions below
• Electric cooker – Sauté the spices, then the onions, ginger garlic, mint & vegetables in a small pan. Then transfer this to an electric cooker along with rice, salt, and water. Cook as you would prepare normal rice with the same amount of water you use for regular cooking.
• Instant pot – Instructions below
Variations of Veg Pulao Recipe
There are so many variations of making veg pulao. The basic one is made with mixed vegetables. If you are a health nut you may like to explore these options for fussy folks Carrot rice, Beetroot rice, Palak rice, Methi rice. There are also some vegetable pulao recipes made with precooked rice.
Veg pulao is a delicious & flavorful dish made with basmati rice, mix vegetables, spices & herbs. This quick flavorful veg pulao recipe post shares instructions for instant pot, regular cooker & pot methods.
Basic Ingredients for pulao recipe
• 1½ cups basmati rice (or any fragrant rice)
• 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 2 green chilies slit or as needed
• 1 to 1½ cups mix vegetables chopped (carrots, beans, peas, potatoes)
• salt as needed
• 2 ½ cups water for the pressure cooker (2¾ cups for pot, 2 cups for Instant pot)
• 3 tablespoons mint (or pudina, finely chopped) (or coriander leaves)
Whole spices for veg pulao
• 1 bay leaf (or tej patta)
• 1-star anise (or chakri phool)
• 1 strand mace (or javithri, large strand)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon shahi jeera (or caraway seeds) (or jeera – cumin)
• 4 green cardamoms (or elaichi)
• 6 cloves (or laung)
• 2-inch cinnamon (or dalchini)
• 1 small piece nutmeg (or jaiphal) (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds powder (or saunf powder – optional)
• 2 pinches stone flower (or dagad phool – optional)
Instruction
Preparation for pulao recipe:
- Add basmati rice to a bowl and wash it a few times until the water runs clear.
- Soak it for at least 15 minutes. Drain off the water and set aside.
- While the rice soaks, rinse carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, onions, chilies & mint leaves.
- Peel the carrots and potatoes. Nip off both the ends of beans and chop all of them to bite-sized pieces.
- Slice onions and slit chill. Fine chop the mint leaves. Set all of these aside.
Making veg pulao: - Heat ghee or oil in a hot pan or cooker.
- Next, fry all the whole spices for a minute until they begin to sizzle.
- Fry onions & chilies until onions turn golden.
- Next, sauté ginger-garlic paste until the raw smell goes off.
- Add all the veggies and mint. sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour water and add salt too. Taste the water, it has to be slightly salty.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil. Next, add drained rice and stir.
- If cooking in the pot, cook on medium heat until all the water is absorbed. Cover and cook on a low flame for 4 to 5 mins until the rice is done fully.
- If making in a pressure cooker, cover the cooker with the lid. Then cook on a medium-high flame for 1 whistle.
- Switch off the stove. When the pressure releases, remove the lid and fluff up the pulao rice with a fork.
- Serve veg pulao hot or warm with simple raita or gravy.
Tips - Always use aged rice which gives fluffy and grainy pulao. You will need to adjust the quantity of water depending on the rice. If using normal rice, use more water.
- Stone flower or dagad phool makes the pulao very flavorful.
Making Veg Pulao in Cooker
- Add oil or ghee in a pressure cooker or pot. If making for lunch box, avoid using ghee. Add dry spices – bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, Shahi jeera, star anise, little piece of nutmeg and dagad phool (stone flower) mace, 1/4 tsp saunf or fennel powder. For less fragrant rice skip nutmeg, saunf and dagad phool. Sauté all the spices in ghee or oil.
- When the spices begin to sizzle, add thinly sliced onions. And then slit green chilies too. Fry onions to golden color.
- When the onions turn golden, then add freshly ground ginger garlic paste. sauté ginger-garlic in oil.
- Sauté well until the raw smell of ginger-garlic disappears.
- Add mixed veggies (peas, beans, and carrots go well with veg pulao) and chopped mint pudina.
- Next, sauté everything well until the mint smells good. Usually for 2 to 3 minutes. You can also add soaked drained rice now. And then sauté for 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add water and then salt as well. If you have sauteed rice in the previous step, add hot water to cook otherwise rice grains may break.
- When the water comes to a rolling boil, add soaked drained rice.
- Stir and cook the rice. There are a few different ways of cooking rice at this stage.
a) The first method of making veg pulao in pressure cooker is to cover the lid immediately after adding rice. And then cook on a medium-high flame for one whistle. For aldente rice, immediately release the pressure of the cooker manually with the help of a spatula.
b) The second method is to cook on a medium flame until the water is almost evaporated. But it is still soggy or the rice is too wet. Cover and lower the flame completely. Then cook for 4 to 5 minutes. This method works well for both cooking in a pot or in a pressure cooker. When the pressure goes off, open the lid.
- Mix everything well. Fluff up the rice with a fork.
- Garnish vegetable pulao made in cooker
- Serve veg pulao hot or warm with gravy or raita.
‘INSTANT POT’ pulao recipe
- Press the sauté button. Pour oil to the inner pot of instant pot. Sauté the spices in the hot oil for 1 minute.
- Add onions and green chilies. Fry until transparent for 2 mins. Then fry ginger garlic paste just for 30 seconds.
- Next, add in all the chopped veggies and mint. Sauté for 2 mins. Add the drained rice (1 ½ cups) and salt.
- Pour 2 cups water and mix. Taste the salt level and add more if needed. Instant pot requires less water to cook pulao. So I use 2 cups.
- Scrape the bottom gently to release any bits of food stuck. This prevents a burn notice. Secure the lid of the instant pot. Pressure-cook on high pressure for 5 mins. When done cancel & switch off.
- After 1 to 2 mins release the pressure manually with the help of a kitchen towel. This will give you al dente veg pulao. To get slightly softer pulao to allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 mins. Then release the rest manually.
- Fluff up the vegetable pulao with a fork & serve with raita. Do not stir vigorously otherwise the pulao turns mushy.
