coriander rice recipe with step by step pics – aromatic and spiced rice made with fresh coriander, spices and veggies. this is an one pot and easy cilantro rice recipe.
sharing another of those recipes that are a part of my everyday cooking. i make pulao and rice-based dishes often as they are easy to put together and cook quickly in a pressure cooker. i just need to pair a raita or a salad with the pulao. so kind of easy and also rice recipes go well in the tiffin box.
this coriander rice recipe can also be made in a thick-bottomed pot or pan. i have mentioned the pointers in the notes section of the recipe card below.
usually in coriander rice, i also add the spare veggies from the fridge, like one carrot or a couple of beans or a quarter of cauliflower or broccoli. here, i added some potatoes and green peas. though you can add any veggie and even skip if you want.
serve coriander rice with a side raita or salad. you can also have a mango pickle or lemon pickle by the side with a few roasted papads.
how to make cilantro rice
preparation
1. rinse and then soak rice in water for 30 minutes. then drain the water and keep the rice aside. prep the other ingredients when the rice is soaking.
2. take ½ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves), 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped), ½ inch ginger (chopped), 2 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut or 2 tbsp grated coconut, 3 to 4 medium garlic (chopped), ½ tsp cumin seeds and ½ tsp fennel seeds in a small grinder or chutney grinder.
3. add 2 to 3 tbsp water and grind to a smooth paste. keep this green paste aside.
making cilantro rice
4. heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. add the following whole spices – 2 to 3 cloves, 4 to 5 black peppers, ½ inch cinnamon, 2 green cardamoms and 1 or 2 single strands of mace. saute till the spices become fragrant. a few seconds.
5. add ⅓ cup thinly sliced onions.
6. on a low to medium flame, stir and saute the onions till they become golden. keep on stirring often so that the onions have a uniform golden color and do not get burnt.
7. lower the flame and add the ground coriander-spices paste.
8. add a pinch of turmeric powder.
9. stir very well.
10. add chopped 1 medium potato (chopped) and ⅓ cup green peas. you can use any mix vegetables of your choice or even skip them. stir again.
11. then add the drained rice. season with salt
cooking cilantro rice
12. stir gently and saute the rice for a minute.
13. add 1.5 cups of water. stir again. taste the stock and it should feel a bit salty.
14. cover and pressure cook cilantro rice for 2 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes on a medium to high flame. when the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and gently fluff the cilantro rice.
15. serve cilantro rice with side raita or salad or a pickle. while serving you can garnish with some chopped cilantro leaves too.
more rice recipes
Coriander Rice
INGREDIENTS
main ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 4 to 5 black peppers
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 or 2 single strands of mace
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced or 1/3 cup thinly sliced onions
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
- 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup green peas - fresh or frozen
- 1.5 cups water
- salt as required
for the coriander paste
- ½ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- 2 to 3 green chilies - chopped
- ½ inch ginger - chopped
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened desiccated coconut or 2 tablespoon grated coconut
- 3 to 4 medium garlic - chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 to 3 tablespoon water for grinding
INSTRUCTIONS
prepping rice
- rinse and then soak rice in water for 30 minutes.
- then drain the water and keep the rice aside. prep the other ingredients when the rice is soaking.
making coriander paste
- take 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro), 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped), 1/2 inch ginger (chopped), 2 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut (or 2 tbsp grated coconut), 3 to 4 medium garlic (chopped), 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) and 1/2 tsp fennel seeds/saunf in a small grinder or chutney grinder.
- add 2 to 3 tbsp water and grind to a smooth paste. keep this green paste aside.
making coriander rice
- heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker.
- add the following whole spices - 2 to 3 cloves, 4 to 5 black peppers, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 2 green cardamoms and 1 or 2 single strands of mace. saute till the spices become fragrant. takes few seconds.
- add 1/3 cup thinly sliced onions. on a low to medium flame, stir and saute the onions till they become golden.
- keep on stirring often so that the onions have a uniform golden color and do not get burnt.
- lower the flame and add the ground coriander-spices paste. add a pinch turmeric powder. stir very well.
- add chopped 1 medium potato and 1/3 cup green peas. you can use any mix vegetables of your choice or even skip them. stir again.
- then add the drained rice. stir gently and saute the rice for a minute.
cooking coriander rice
- add 1.5 cups of water and salt. stir again. taste the stock and it should feel a bit salty.
- cover and pressure cook coriander rice for 2 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes on a medium to high flame.
- when the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and gently fluff the coriander rice.
- serve coriander rice with side raita or salad or a pickle.
NOTES
- the entire coriander rice recipe can also be made in a pot or pan. add 2 cups of water if cooking in a pot. cover tightly and cook the rice grains till done. do check while the rice is cooking and if required, you can add more water.
i tried this recipe but my rice was not fluffy 😥 i always wanted fluffy rice hope i will get when i try next time ..recipe was too good and easy … taste was good but only thing is it hase become like kichidi
okay. next time you can add less water. different types and varieties of basmati rice need more or less water. also while grinding the coriander paste add less water and not too much water. in case you add more water while grinding, then add less water when pressure cooking rice.
May be, you should cook rice for just 1 whistle because the Basmati rice is already well soaked for 30 minutes.
Hi Dasanna
Ever since i started trying your recipes ,i haven’t tried any other website .starters,breakfast,rice varieties,mocktails,what not everything it turned out so yummy .The best thing about your recipes is that the food is healthy with yummy taste ,i bet everyone who are following your recipes will definitely turn out to super chefs
Thanks for the tasty recipes with beautiful photos and clear explaination
thanks a lot jaya for this lovely comment and feedback 🙂
Just made the coriander rice. I cooked it in a rice cooker instead of a pressure cooker and the aroma………………..mmmmm, what can I say? It filled the whole kitchen ? I couldn’t wait to open it and try. Turned out real tasty though it wasn’t as green as yours. Maybe I added a tad too much turmeric powder? It was a little spicy too. Kids had to eat it with yogurt. Overall, excellent. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for all your recipes and the step by step pictorial instructions. Your recipes make me look like a great cook!
pleased to know this sita 🙂 thankyou so much for your kind words. alter spice as per your preference you are always welcome and glad we could help you.
I am beginner at cooking. I tried your recipe. The dish was well liked by my family. Thanks. 🙂
pleased to know this anoma 🙂 thankyou so much and glad your family liked it.
Superb.. Awesome rice.. I alwasys try your recipes. E
Easy, Simple and very tasty..
thankyou so much shubhangi 🙂
Super delicious…… awasome…. easy and fast……….:-):-)
thankyou aishu 🙂
It is very Healthy n tasty thanks alot my husband is very happy from my cooking thanks to you
welcome and thankyou arpitha 🙂
Instead of basmati rice shall we use normal rice.
yes you can use normal rice.
Just tried this recipe and it is very delicious.. Thank you!
welcome and thankyou soha 🙂
I Love the way of presenting recipe.
This is really mouthwatering Recipe and easy also.
We can use Palak also.
thanks devyani. yes we can use palak too.
Super awesome recipe.. I tried it, turned out very well!! Thank u…the pics make.It much more easier.
thankyou anushree 🙂
Hi
Can I cook this rice dish in a regular rice cooker or a normal pot as opposed to the pressure cooker?
PS: I just tried your palak mushroom recipe and it turned out great! I substituted the cream with yogurt coz there was no cream in my fridge 😉
Looking forward to trying this recipe next!
Ooops! sorry. I just realised you answered my question in your Notes section.
yes you can cook in a rice cooker or a normal pot. you may need to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water if cooking in a pot. thanks for the feedback on palak mushroom.
After the baruta recipe in the morning I zeroed in on this rice recipe for lunch.
This was quick , nice and spicy .. Loved it
Now thinking what to choose for dinner ?
thanks asha for sharing positive feedback.
Wow…..its very tasty and quite simple recipe… I just tried this recipe……….
thanks sanjana for sharing positive feedback.
Aap ki bohat sari recipes Maine try ki hai…..Aur mujhe bohat tarif bhi militi hai I think Maine sari veg recipes aapse hi sikha hai….thank u very much…aap awsm ho
thanks a lot shahnaz for this sweet feedback.
Hi,
I am a great fan of ur recepies. Your step by step instructions are very easy to follow. Thanks for them. I just tried ur coriander rice recepie, I must tell you the aroma has spread all over the house and I am sure it tastes great. I am writing this comment even before I could open the pressure cooker. Will continue trying all ur recepies.
welcome sushma. glad to know this. thanks for sharing this motivating feedback.
Hi mam… shall we make this rice with without adding onion and garlic… whether it will be tasty ???and instead of grated coconut shall we use readymade coconut powder
yes you can skip onion and garlic. just add a pinch of asafoetida in the recipe. yes you can use coconut powder. without onions and garlic, the taste does change, but in this recipe much difference won’t be felt, since we are using a lot of spices and herbs, including coconut.
Thank u mam… your explanation that too with step by step pics is awesome
thanks 🙂
hello Dassana..yesterday i cooked coriander rice..it was tasty..but the color was not as green as ur picture..pls suggest me how it would b greener…my another qstn is i want to make choclt chips muffins..how wil i bake it in my oven?the temperature there is maximum 550watt…thank u for making me a good chef..
the green color will depend on the greenness of the coriander leaves. next time you can skip the turmeric powder in the recipe. 550 watt is the microwave power. so you cannot microwave the muffins. you need to have convection option in the oven. when you set the temperature, its shown in the display panel like 150 or 170 degrees celsius etc. thank you and welcome.
Hi,
Wanted to know how can we unsweeten the coconut? Can a grated coconut which is slight sweet in taste be used? And what if we skip the coconut? M just confused regarding the coconut thing As can’t compromise on the taste which I might get with or without coconut and want to try this recipe soon. Please if you could help me with this.
Thanks.
hi purvi, there is a faint sweetness in all coconuts. if you are asking about sweetened coconut flakes, then don’t add them. i believe they are artificially sweetened. the coconut flakes which we get here in india are not sweetened and are just dried coconut flakes. skipping the coconut will change the taste. but let me tell you, the coriander rice will still taste good.
Hi,
Thankyou so much for the reply..tried this recipe today n paired it with one of your raita recipe beetroot raita. no words..turned out super awesome. can’t thank enough n yes I added grated coconut.
Thanks again.:)
most welcome purvi and thanks for this lovely feedback.
I stay in US and here we dont get indian style pani puris 🙁 after searching various sites came across ur site and tried ur recipe puri for making pani puri and it came out really well all the puris were so nicely puffed up.. Very happy and tried your lots of recipes and all came out really well… Kudos to u.. Can you please post dal bati as well???
thanks a lot deepika. i have a couple of requests for dal bati. so will add the recipe in some time.
Quick and healthy rice dish..yummy!!
Cilantro rice is yummm
it is displayed in sequence picture that is why easy to prepare coriander rice.
thanks.
Hi Dassana..i love ur site..i hav tried various recipes from ur site & all of them were yummilicious..i hav cooked peshwari chhole..dal makhani restaurant style..carrot rice..i will send u photos..i will definitely try ur coriander rice recipe in a few days…but if u share some non veg recipes then i shall b grateful to u..thank u for sharing these wonderful recipes…
thank you debashree for this lovely feedback. do try the recipe. its a good one. as far as non veg recipes are concerned, i cannot add them as i cook only vegetarian food.
Love this coriander rice..so nicely explained step by step with pictures..but I often get 1 issue while cooking rice in pressure cooker..i make them soft more than it’s needed and they become messy..how to boil the rice this perfectly?
thanks. add less water and pressure cook for less whistles or less time:-)