Kashmiri Pulao Recipe (Vegetarian)

Kashmiri pulao in a brown bowl garnished with fried nuts and onions and a few fresh mint leaves next to a bowl of tomato raita on a beige table cloth

5 from 23 votes

Kashmiri Pulao is a delicious rice pulao made with basmati rice, nuts, dried fruits, saffron and fresh fruits. It is mildly spiced with a faintly sweet taste. The recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. Serve it as a side or a light meal.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Kashmiri

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 493kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For kashmiri pulao

1 cup basmati rice soaked in water for 20 to 30 minutes
1 inch cinnamon
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
3 cloves
2 to 3 green cardamoms
1 to 2 black cardamoms
½ teaspoon dry ginger powder (ground ginger)
1 teaspoon fennel powder (ground fennel)
2 pinches saffron strands
2 to 3 tablespoons ghee or any neutral tasting oil
2 to 2.25 cups water or as required
salt as required

For making garnish

½ cup thinly sliced onions or 1 medium-sized
10 to 12 cashews
10 to 12 almonds
10 to 12 walnuts
2 tablespoons ghee or any neutral tasting oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making kashmiri pulao

Rinse basmati rice a few times in water until the water is clear of starch. Soak the rice in enough water in a bowl for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain all the water and set the soaked rice aside.
On a low or medium heat, heat oil or ghee in a deep pan or pot.
Add cinnamon stick, caraway seeds, tej patta, cloves, green cardamoms and black cardamoms.
Fry the spices for some seconds until they crackle and the oil becomes fragrant.
Now lower the heat or switch the heat off. Add the dry ginger powder and fennel powder. Mix and stir well taking care that you do not burn these ground spices.
Add the soaked basmati rice. Mix gently and sauté for a minute.
Add whole or crushed saffron strands. Mix and sauté.
Pour water and add salt as required. Stir and mix again. Check the taste of the water and it should taste a bit salty. Cover the pan tightly and simmer on medium-low heat until the rice grains are tender. When the rice is cooking, prepare the garnish.

Making garnish

Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil in a frying pan. Add the sliced onions.
Also add a pinch of salt and sauté the onions till they are golden or caramelized and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper tissues. Stir often when sautéing the onions.
Some ghee or oil will be left in the pan. To the same ghee or oil, add the almonds. Fry them until they become crisp and crunchy. Remove and place fried almonds on kitchen paper tissues
Now fry the cashews till they are crisp and lightly browned. Place them on kitchen paper tissues
Also fry the walnuts till they are crisp and lightly browned. Remove fried walnuts. Place on kitchen paper tissues
Cook the rice until softened, fluffy, tender and all the water has been absorbed. When done, fluff the rice with a fork.
While serving top Kashmiri pulao with the caramelized onions and the fried nuts garnish. You can also garnish with fresh fruits cubes of apple, pineapple or pomegranate arils.
Kashmiri pulao can be enjoyed as is or with a side of any raita or paneer curry or vegetable curry. You can also serve it with dal-tadka.

Notes

For best texture and taste, use aged basmati rice.
You can either use oil or ghee (clarified butter) for this recipe.
Add your preferred nuts or the ones that are easily available to you. Pine nuts and pistachios are a few more options. Dried fruits like raisins also make for a good garnish.
For fresh fruits, use firm fruits like apples or pineapple. They taste good in this pulao. You can also add fresh pomegranate arils.
I suggest to serve Kashmiri Pulao as soon as it is made. If you have any leftovers, refrigerate for one day only. While reheating, sauté until warm or lightly hot in a skillet, frying pan or steam in a pan or Instant Pot.
This recipe of Kashmiri Pulao can easily be reduced or scaled to make a small or a big batch.

Nutrition