This special recipe is my mom’s and is my go-to recipe when making vegetable pulao. The dish is also vegetarian and is great on its own or paired with raita (an Indian yogurt dish), pickle and roasted papad (a crisp thin Indian snack).

About Vegetable Pulao

Called by various names such as pilaf or pulav, veg pulao is one of the most common rice dishes in India, the other being Veg Biryani.

You will find many different veg pulao recipes on this blog including Peas pulao, Kashmiri pulao, Tawa pulao, Paneer pulao and more. However the recipe I share here is my favorite and how I almost always end up making it.

What I like about making veg pulao is that it comes together quickly. Use a food processor for chopping the veggies and it will really come together fast.

Why this Recipe Works

1. Spices: This recipe uses whole garam masala spices, rather than adding any pulao or biryani masala. Thus the aroma of the spices is distinctly felt in the dish.
2. Rice: I usually like the texture of the rice to be a little soft in pulao, rather than being al dente, which is the way it is typically served in restaurants. So if you are like me, you will love this recipe. Read on below for tips on making the perfect rice for you pulao.

Tips for Preparing your Rice

The most important thing in a pulao dish is that the rice grains are cooked perfectly without sticking or becoming mushy. The rice grains should be separate and non-sticky after being cooked.

Below you will find some tips and suggestions to help you prepare the perfect rice for your pulao.

Type and quality of rice

• Basmati rice is usually used to make pulao. The basmati rice should be fragrant and long-grained to get good results. Aged basmati rice will give you the best results.
• You can also use other types of long-grained rice and short-grained Indian rice varieties like seeraga samba, sona masuri or ambe mohar. These rice varieties can often be purchased on Amazon.
• In some parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala (Southern Indian states), seeraga samba rice is widely used to make pulao and biryani.
• Even parboiled basmati rice (sella basmati) can be used to make this recipe.

Sticky rice grains vs. separate rice grains

Now that you have the correct rice, follow these steps to ensure you have separate rice grains in your pulao:

Soak the rice

It is always better to soak your rice for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Soaking rice grains gives them a better texture when they are cooked. If you do not have time to soak them, then just rinse the rice before adding it. Note that if you only rinse the rice, you will need to add some more water as presoaked rice grains require less water for cooking as compared to rice grains which are not soaked.

Add the right amount of water

Be sure that you do not add too much water, especially if you have presoaked your rice as recommended above.

Sauté the rice

After adding the rice grains to your pan, sauté them for 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium flame, so that they are coated with fat (oil or ghee). The rice grains have to be separate & and yet well cooked in a pulao or biryani. Adding lemon juice also helps make the rice grains fluffier.

Rice to water ratio

For most rice varieties, the rice to water ratio is generally 1:2. However, this ratio can vary depending on the particular type of rice used or the cooking method used:

• Example 1 – organic basmati rice requires more water while cooking and parboiled basmati rice will need more water as compared to regular basmati rice. For this reason, I recommend when cooking pulao, to use rice which you have cooked before. This way you will already know how much water to add.
• Example 2 – when cooking pulao in a pressure cooker, generally less water is added. The steam generated in the pressure cooker helps in cooking the rice grains. However, the amount of water to be added will depend upon the size of the cooker. For example, in larger cookers, more water has to be added.

How to make Pulao

Preparation

1. Begin by rinsing 1.5 cups basmati rice in water until it runs clear of starch. Next, soak the rice in enough water for 30 minutes.

2. After 30 minutes strain the rice of all the water and keep aside.

3. While the rice is soaking, prep the veggies. Rinse and chop them. Make sure to chop the vegetables in small cubes. For cauliflower, chop them in medium-sized florets. Peel, rinse and slice 1 large onion thinly.

4. Keep all the whole spices aside. From the below list of spices, you can skip black pepper, black cardamom, star anise and mace.

5. Add chopped ginger (1 to 1.5 inches), garlic (4 to 5 small to medium garlic cloves, peeled) and 1 to 2 green chilies (green peppers) in a mortar-pestle.

6. Crush to a paste. You can also use a small grinder for crushing these. Add a bit of water if required while grinding in a small grinder or mixer.

Frying spices and onions

7. Heat 3 tablespoons ghee or oil in a deep thick bottomed pot or pan.

8. Once the ghee has melted and become hot, add all whole spices and fry for a few seconds until they become fragrant. The spices will also splutter while frying. The ghee should not smoke or become too hot.

9. Add 1 cup of thinly sliced onions.

10. Mix the onions with the ghee and begin to sauté them.

11. Sauté the onions on a low to medium-low flame. First, the onions will become light golden. Stirring often continue to sauté.

12. Sauté onions until golden.

13. Once the onions become golden, add crushed ginger + garlic + green chili (chili pepper) paste.

14. Stir and sauté for some seconds until the raw aroma of the ginger & garlic goes away.

15. Add ½ cup chopped tomatoes.

16. Mix and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.

17. Now add all the chopped veggies. You will need about 1 to 1.5 cups of mixed chopped vegetables.

18. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). At this step, you can also add 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves.

19. Mix and sauté again for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.

20. Add the rice.

21. Mix rice gently with the rest of the ingredients.

22. Sauté rice gently for 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium-low flame, so that the rice gets well coated with the oil or ghee.

23. Pour 2.5 to 3 cups water into the pan. I added 3 cups of water. Depending on the quality of rice you have used, you can add less or more water. You can replace water with vegetable stock.

24. Add ¼ teaspoon lemon juice.

25. Season with salt. Mix very well. To figure out if you have added the right amount of salt, check the taste of the water. You should feel some saltiness in the water. This means the amount of salt added is right. If the water does not feel salty, then you need to add some more salt.

Cooking Veg Pulao

26. Stir and tightly cover the pot or pan with its lid.

27. Cover and cook the rice until all the water is absorbed. Cook on a low to medium flame. Usually, in the beginning, I cook on a medium-low or medium flame and then halfway through, I lower the flame. Check a few times during cooking to ensure there is enough water. Depending on the quality of rice, you may need to add more water. With a fork, you can also gently stir the rice without breaking the rice grains.

16. Once the rice grains are cooked, fluff them and let the rice stand for 5 minutes covered with the lid.

17. Serve pulao garnished with coriander leaves (cilantro), mint leaves or fried onions and fried cashews or fried raisins.

Serving Suggestions with Pulao

I recommend serving vegetable pulao with the following:

• Raita (an Indian yogurt dish): Different variations I recommend include onion tomato raita, boondi raita or cucumber raita
• Curry or korma: Choose any spicy or lightly spiced vegetable curry or korma.
• With pickle and papad: If you do not have time or ingredients to make korma or raita, then just serve with some pickle and roasted or fried papad (an Indian flatbread)
• Plain curd (yogurt)
• Some sliced onions and lime or lemon
• A simple Kadhi (a dish of thick chickpea flour gravy with vegetable fritters)

Variations

There are many variations that can be made in a pulao recipe. From adding different vegetables to using a vegetable stock or spicing with unique spices. See the points mentioned below.

Vegetables

Various types of vegetables can be added in a pulao, either alone or in a combination of two to three or more, depending on what you and your family like and prefer. Usually, a vegetable pulav is made with veggies like green peas, cauliflower, french beans, carrots, and potatoes.

Apart from these vegetables, you can also add broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, capsicum (bell peppers), cabbage, beetroot (beets), and tomatoes. The flavors and taste of pulao will vary with the type of vegetables added to it.

Masala and Spice Pastes

There are many pulao varieties made in the Indian cuisine with a mix of various masala or spice pastes and ingredients including:

1. Curd (yogurt)
2. Coconut milk: for example Coconut milk pulao or Brinji rice
3. Green Masala Paste: Green pulao includes a green masala paste made from coriander leaves (cilantro), mint leaves, green chilies (chili pepper), ginger and garlic. Some fresh coconut can also be added. Green pulao is similar to chutney pulao.
4. Red Masala Paste: Used in making red pulao and similar to green masala paste, however tomatoes are used as one of the major flavor and taste contributors.
5. Pulao-biryani masala: A ground spice blend used instead of whole spices.
6. Vegetable Stock: Some pulav recipes are cooked in vegetable stock instead of water. Pulao made in a vegetable stock has a different taste and color.
7. Spices and Herbs: You can always alter the amount of spices and herbs as per your taste. If you like spicy veg pulao then you can add more green chilies (chili pepper) and include some spice powders like garam masala powder or red chili powder. You can also reduce the whole spices in the recipe (except cumin) if you want a less aromatic and milder veg pulao.

Restaurant Style

A vegetable pulao can be made more delicious and similar to a restaurant-style dish by incorporating the following methods:

• Add some crisp golden fried onions (birista) as a garnish on the vegetable pulao. Fried caramelized onions not only taste good but also give a nice crunch in the soft textured pulao.
• Add some fried dry fruits & nuts like cashews, almonds and raisins.
• You can even add some saffron strands while cooking pulao. This will impart the lovely saffron aroma and flavor in the pulao. Even rose water or kewra water can be added.

Methods of cooking pulao

Pulao can be cooked in five ways:

1. In a pan or pot (as shown in this recipe post)
2. In a pressure cooker (mentioned in the recipe card below)
3. In an instant pot (details written in the recipe card below)
4. In an electric cooker
5. In a microwave

You can use any of the above methods for cooking pulao, but just remember to add the correct amount of water. For example, in an electric cooker, you will need to add more water and in a pressure cooker you will need to add less water, then when making pulao in a pan.

In the notes section of the recipe card, I have mentioned the amount of water to be added when cooking veg pulao in a 3-liter pressure cooker. I have also included the steps for making pulao in the Instant pot in the notes section of the recipe card.

This recipe is from the archives and has been republished on March 4, 2020.