By Niveditha Kalyanaraman
September 17th, 2023
Pulao is a Persian cuisine-influenced rice recipe which is popularly known as pilaf rice. It is made with long-grain rice, a choice of vegetables, and fresh herbs. It is one of the popular rice variants or choices for many Indians and is often served for lunch and dinner. Here's the recipe for vegetable pulao.
For veg pulao: 1 cup basmati rice, soaked 20 minutes 2 tbsp ghee / clarified butter 1 tsp cumin 1 bay leaf 1 inch cinnamon 2 pods cardamom 3 cloves ½ tsp pepper 5 cashew, halves
½ onion, sliced 1 tomato, finely chopped 5 beans, chopped ½ capsicum, cubed 2 tbsp peas ½ carrot, chopped ½ potato, cubed 1 tsp salt 2 cup water
For pulao masala paste: ½ cup coriander ¼ cup mint / pudina 1 inch ginger 2 clove garlic 2 chilli 2 pod cardamom 1 inch cinnamon 5 cloves 1 tsp fennel / saunf ¼ cup water
Blend coriander, mint, ginger, garlic, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and fennel. Add water and blend to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
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In a large kadai, heat ghee and add cumin, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and cashews. Saute on low flame until the spices turn aromatic. Add onion and saute until the colour changes slightly. Further, add tomato and saute until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
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Add beans, capsicum, peas, carrot and potato. Saute for a minute until the vegetables turn aromatic. Now add prepared coriander pudina masala paste and 1 tsp salt. Mix well.
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Add water and stir well, getting to boil. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add basmati rice. Make sure to soak basmati rice for 20 minutes. Mix well, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, vegetable pulao is ready.
Serve it with onion, cucumber, carrot or any other vegetable raita.