veg pulao recipe or vegetable pulao recipe, how to make veg pulao

By on December 15th, 2014 53 Comments

veg pulao recipe, vegetable pulao recipe, veg pilaf

veg pulao recipe with step by step photos – vegetable pulao is a comfort food as well as satisfying. pair this mildly flavored aromatic veg pulao with a raita, pickle and roasted papad and you don’t need anything else.

i make veg pulao when i want to cook something quick and easy. this is my mom’s vegetable pulao recipe and one of our favorite rice recipes, the other being veg biryani.

i have many veg pulao recipes in the blog like asian style veg pulao, peas pulao, veg pulao in microwave oven and so on. however most of the times i always end up making veg pulao this way and my own recipe of veg pulao in pressure cooker.

i also tried some other variations of making vegetable pulaos but it did suit our taste buds. there is no addition of any pulao or biryani masala in this recipe. just the whole garam masala spices are added.

what i like about making veg pulao is that its gets made quickly. if you have a food processor for chopping the veggies, then its more quick. usually i like the texture of the rice to be a little soft in pulao than being al dente or the way they are served in restaurants.

you can make the veg pulao in a pressure cooker or in a pan. in the notes section, i have mentioned the amount of water to be added while cooking pulao in a pressure cooker. the rice grains have to be separate & yet well cooked in a pulao or biryani.

cooking rice can be tricky at times and to get the right texture needs some experience. cooking rice perfectly needs a separate post and i will share my successes & failures on cooking rice in another post.

lets start step by step vegetable pulao recipe:

1. firstly rinse the rice in water runs clear of starch. then soak the rice in enough water for 30 minutes. then drain the rice and keep aside.

soaking basmati rice

2. when the rice is soaking, prep the veggies and keep the whole spices aside. pic of the the whole spices added in the pulao, except cumin.

spices for veg pulao recipe

3. heat ghee or oil in a deep thick bottomed pot or pan. add all whole spices and fry till they become fragrant.

saute spices to make veg pulao

4. add the thinly sliced onions. saute the onions on a low flame till golden and stirring them often for uniform browning.

add onions - making veg pulao

5. once the onions become golden, then add crushed ginger+garlic+green chili paste. stir and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger & garlic goes away.

add ginger garlic paste - making veg pulao

6. add chopped tomatoes. saute for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.

add tomatoes - making vegetable pulao

7. now add all the chopped veggies and saute again for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.

add vegetables

8. add the drained rice.

add drained rice

9. saute rice gently for 2 minutes on a low flame, so that the rice gets well coated with the oil.

saute rice to make vegetable pulao

10. pour water.

add water to vegetable pulao

11. stir well.

stir vegetable pulao

12. add 6 to 7 drops of lime juice to the veg pulao.

add lime juice to vegetable pulao

13. season with salt. to find the amount of salt added, check the taste of the water. you should feel 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.

add salt to vegetable pulao recipe

14. stir and cover the pot or pan with its lid tightly.

cook vegetable pulao

15. cover and cook the rice till all the water is absorbed. cook veg pulao on a low to medium flame. usually in the beginning i cook on a medium flame and then half way lower the flame. check in between a few times to check if the water is enough. depending on the quality of rice, you may need to add less or more water. with a fork too, you can gently stir the rice without breaking the rice grains.

checking vegetable pulao

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

vegetable pulao recipe, veg pulao recipe

17. serve vegetable pulao garnished with coriander leaves/mint leaves or fried onions & cashews. as a side accompaniment, serve onion tomato raita, boondi raita, cucumber raita or just plain yogurt along with roasted papad and mango or lemon pickle. you can also serve dal tadka or kadhi with veg pulao and onion-lemon salad.

veg pulao recipe, vegetable pulao recipe, veg pilaf

if you are looking for more pulao recipes then do check kashmiri pulao, mushroom pulao, yakhni pulao, tawa pulao, paneer pulao and chana pulao.

vegetable pulao recipe details below:

4.8 from 11 reviews
vegetable pulao recipe
 
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vegetable pulao - simple, aromatic and healthy veg pulao or veg pilaf.
AUTHOR:
RECIPE TYPE: main
CUISINE: indian
SERVES: 4
INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)
main ingredients for veg pulao:
  • 1.5 cups long grained or basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes
  • ¼ heaped cup each of chopped carrots, cauliflower/broccoli, french beans, green peas (fresh or frozen) and carrots. or 1 to 1.5 cups chopped veggies (you can add your choice of vegetables)
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium size tomato, chopped
  • ½ inch ginger + 2 to 3 medium garlic cloves + 1 green chili, crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle
  • 6 to 7 drops of lime juice
  • 2.5 to 3 cups water or veg stock (check notes below for details. i added 3 cups of water)
  • 2 tbsp ghee or 2.5 tbsp oil
  • salt as required
whole spices for veg pulao:
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera or ¾ tsp caraway seeds/shah jeera
  • 4 to 5 whole black pepper
  • 1 indian bay leaf or tej patta or tamalpatra
  • 2-3 cloves/laung
  • 2 to 3 green cardamoms/hari elaichi or choti elaichi
  • 1 black cardamom/ badi elaichi
  • 2 single strands of mace/jayitri or javitri,
  • 1 small star anise/chakriphool
  • 1 inch cinnamon/dalchini
  • 1 small piece of stone flower/dagad phool or patthar ke phool (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. rinse rinse till the water runs clear of starch and become transparent while rinsing.
  2. soak the rice in enough water for 30 minutes. drain and keep aside.
  3. in a deep thick bottomed pot or pan, heat ghee/oil and fry all the whole spices mentioned above, till the oil becomes fragrant
  4. add the onions and saute them till golden. saute the onions on a low flame and stir often for uniform browning.
  5. add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste and saute for 10 to 12 seconds.
  6. add the tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.
  7. add all the veggies and saute again for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.
  8. add drained rice and saute gently for 2 minutes on a low flame, so that the rice gets well coated with the oil.
  9. pour water and stir.
  10. sprinkle 6 to 7 drops of lime juice. season with salt and stir again.
  11. cover tightly and let the rice cook on a low flame, till the water is absorbed and the rice is well cooked. check in between a few times to check if the water is enough. depending on the quality of rice, you may need to add less or more water. with a fork too, you can gently stir the rice without breaking the rice grains.
  12. once the rice grains are cooked, fluff and let the rice stand for 5 minutes.
  13. serve the veg pulao hot with some side salad, sliced onion & lemon wedges or raita. you can also garnish veg pulao with chopped coriander or mint leaves.
NOTES
if you are making veg pulao in a pressure cooker, then add 2.5 to 3 cups water. for an al dente texture, 2.5 cups is fine and for a softer texture 3 cups water is fine.


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{ 53 Responses }

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  2. Ashwini says

    Hi Dasanna…your blog has become the go-to place for me, next to my mom…..Awesomesttttt recipies….Too bad this is veg recipes of india… I’d rather you start another nonveg recipes of india!!!…..guessing you are a vegetarian urself :-((((

    Reply

  8. som says

    if i want to cook with 1kg rice using a pressure cooker. how much water i must use. i had never made so cooked more then 500g. So, please suggest me. I am using Broken KRT rice.

    Reply

    • says

      you will have to use double the amount of water. but broken rice will cook faster and may take less water. so i would suggest you try cooking this rice with a much smaller quantity, like say 1 cup. then proceed with the bigger batch.

      Reply

  9. Reema says

    Come out great…my mom loved it…thanks a lot for all the minute details u mention in ur blogs….my most loved blog site: -)

    Reply

  13. Nisa says

    hi Dassana..greetings from Malaysia. I always order Pulao Rice whenever eating out a Kashmiri Restaurant here. Will try your recipe soon. Thanks : )

    Reply

  15. berny says

    hi dassana I am always reading yr recipes but going to make now.i read all the comments and God bless you abundantly for all your hardwork and he will bless the work of your hands.

    Reply

  17. Supriya says

    Made this today with some tomato soup and boondi raita. It was a big hit! I made it with 1 cup of rice and 2 of mix veggies, which required 3 cups + 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkled some cracked pepper when I was sauteeing the veggies for some more spice. Loved this recipe! Thanks so much for all the work you put into this site Dassana! I literally make something from it 3-4 evenings a week.

    Reply

  18. says

    I have tried most of your recipes and all have turned out superb you are really helping us to improve the taste in our kitchen. Wish you all the best and thank you

    Reply

  19. nisha says

    Thanku so very much fr dis recipe… M a vry bad cook n nw m learin to cook. N my i tried ur pulav n my family loved it… Thnku so so so sooooo vry much

    Reply

  20. amogha says

    Hi I always tried pulao and it always was a huge flop. But I must thank u immensely for the wonderful recipe that is bland enough for my sister and spicy enough for my husband. I tried adding a pich of pepper powder. It made it spicier but the pulao was simply delicious.thank u loads

    Reply

    • says

      bisi bele bath recipe is in the pipeline. just trying to get marathi moggu here… a special spice that is used in bisi bele bath powder blend. its not easily available here. if not, then i will have to make without it.

      Reply

  25. anjali majumdar says

    Hey,Dassana this recipe was really helpful for me..
    Ma first time made pulav really rocked..
    Thanks a ton..

    Reply