Veg Pulao

Veg pulao is a one-pot dish made of basmati rice, vegetables, spices, and herbs,making it a delicious, healthy and aromatic dish. The good thing about Pulao is you can choose any set of vegetables and use any grain -quinoa, barley, corn or almost any grain or millet instead of rice. Moreover, it is easy to prepare and can be served as a special meal or as lunch. The way veg pulao is made differs from one region to another region of the Indian subcontinent. Here is a simple veg pulao recipe to make a flavourful meal for yourself or your loved ones.

Let’s dive into the ingredients and the way veg pulao is prepared.

Ingredients:

1½ cup basmati rice
2 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
2½ cup water
1½ tablespoon ginger and garlic paste (optional, you may use just ginger as well)
salt as required

Vegetables

1 medium shallot or spring onion
2 green chilies (optional)
1 medium carrot
4 medium french beans
½ cup green peas
1 small potato or half of a sweet potato
3 tablespoons mint, parsley, and/ or coriander leaves

Spices

¾ teaspoon shahi jeera
4 green cardamoms
2 inch cinnamon
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
1 strand mace
1 pinch nutmeg
2 pinches stone flower
½ teaspoon fennel seed powder

(You can avoid the spices that are not available or you don’t like)

Instructions:

• Add basmati rice to a bowl of water and rinse it. Repeat this until the water is clear.
• Then soak the rice for 20 minutes. Drain off the water after that and set the rice aside.
• Prepare the vegetables while the rice soaks. Start by rinsing the carrots, potatoes, onions, beans, chilies, peas, and mint leaves.
• Peel the carrots and potatoes, cut the ends of the beans and chop them into bite-sized pieces.
• Slice the onions, slit the green chilies, and chop the mint leaves. Keep all of the prepared ingredients aside.
• Now, add 2 tablespoons of oil to a hot pan or a pressure cooker and heat it.
• Add all the spices and fry for a minute.
• Then add the sliced onions and chilies and fry them until the onion slices turn golden.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until there is no more raw smell.
• Then add all the chopped veggies, mint and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour water and add salt. Make sure the water tastes slightly salty.
• Boil the water to its boiling point, add the drained rice, and stir.
• Cover the pot and cook using low heat until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed. Then turn off the stove and leave the veg pulao in the pot for around 15 minutes for the rice to become fluffy.
• If you are using a pressure cooker, close it with its lid and cook in a medium-high flame until a whistle. Turn off the stove and wait for the pressure to release heat. Then remove the lid, and fluff the veg pulao using a fork.

Now the delicious veg pulao is ready to be served hot with gravy.