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Pulao is a quick, one-pot meal that can be whipped up on a lazy weekend. Instead of ordering takeout, on Saturdays when you don’t have the energy to cook, you can simply toss in some chopped veggies with rice and spices, and enjoy the comfort food. Just follow this simple recipe and you’ll be good to go.
If you have grown up in a typical Indian family, pulao was usually made on slow-paced days. Whether your mother was not in the mood to cook or on slow Sundays, the family must’ve sat together to enjoy freshly prepared vegetable pulao. And since pulao can be prepared without spending much time in the kitchen, you, as an adult, can have the recipe by heart.
Perfect for weekends, you can simply soak the rice, chop the seasonal vegetables, and let the pulao cook in a pressure cooker or in a pot. Pair the healthy one-pot dish with a serving of raita, and you can enjoy a homestyle, nostalgic meal in no time. Choose from a wide variety of raitas, vegetables, and even customise this recipe to your taste.
Directions For the Vegetable Pulao:
Rinse the rice till the water runs clear. Then, soak the clean rice for about half an hour.
In the meantime, heat some ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and peppercorns and let them splutter till fragrant.
Wash the vegetables and chop them into smaller pieces. Once the spices are aromatic, add sliced onions. Sauté till translucent and then mix in ginger-garlic paste and green chillies.
Once the onion slices are translucent, add all the chopped vegetables and sauté for about five minutes. Check if the vegetables are lightly cooked before lowering the flame.
Mix in turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder. Drain the soaked rice and toss with the masalas.
Pour 2.75 cups of water into the cooker with salt to taste. Secure the lid and let the pulao cook on medium heat for 2 whistles.
Let the pressure release naturally for about ten minutes. Then, open the lid and sprinkle some lemon juice and garam masala on top.
Mix and fluff the rice using a fork. Chop some fresh coriander leaves, and garnish before you serve the veg pulao.
Directions For the Raita:
Take a bowl and whisk about 1.5 cups of dahi till it is smooth and creamy.
Grate the cucumber, chop the onion and tomato and add to the whisked curd.
Mix in roasted cumin powder, black salt, chaat masala, and salt. Garnish with mint or coriander leaves, and your comfort combo will be ready.
1 Note that Basmati grains are delicate. While you’re washing the rice, be gentle and don’t break the long grains.
2 Once the pulao is ready, let the pressure release for a minimum of ten minutes. The steam trapped inside the cooker helps to cook the rice perfectly.
3 Always use a fork, not a spoon or serving spoon to fluff the rice. Since the spoon can be too heavy, you might end up mashing the rice.
4 If you want to give your regular bowl of pulao a royal touch, fry some cashew nuts and raisins, and garnish with them generously.
5 While making the raita, make sure to squeeze the excess water out of the grated cucumber. Also, remove the seeds and watery pulp from the tomatoes. Otherwise, the raita will become too thin and runny.
Pulao usually turns mushy because of the following reasons:
What distinguishes pulao and biryani is the cooking method. To make pulao, all the ingredients – rice, vegetables, and spices are cooked together. Biryani, on the other hand, requires you to layer vegetables, meat, or eggs, par-boiled rice, and is slow-cooked.
Of course, pulao is highly versatile. You can add all your favourite vegetables and eliminate the ones that you don’t prefer or aren’t available in the market. The best way to add paneer is by shallow frying it with the rest of the veggies. As for mushrooms, you can sauté them with the onions before adding them to the rice.
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