Palak rice, also known as Spinach rice is a healthy variation of pilaf or pulao made with spinach puree, rice, onions, herbs and spices. This delightful recipe is ready in 30 minutes and makes for a nutritious meal when paired with salad, pickle or raita.
Rinse basmati rice till the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the rice grains in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later drain the water and keep the soaked rice aside.
When the rice is soaking, rinse the spinach leaves very well and roughly chop them. You will need 3 cups roughly chopped spinach.
Now add the spinach leaves in a blender or grinder jar. Also add green chilies, ginger and garlic cloves (all roughly chopped). For a moderatly spicy rice add 2 to 3 green chilies.
Blend to a smooth puree. Keep covered aside.
Making palak rice
In a pressure cooker, heat oil.
Add the following spices and saute them till they splutter - tej patta, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamoms, mace strand, small star anise and cumin seeds.
Next add thinly sliced onions. Stirring often saute the onions till light golden or golden.
Add the spinach puree. Stir and saute for 4 to 5 minutes on a low heat.
Add the rice and mix rice very well.
Add salt as required and water. 1 cup water gives an al dente rice. For a softer texture in the rice you can add 1.25 cups water. I added 1.25 cups water.
Stir very well. At this step you can also add a few drops of lemon juice.
Cover and pressure cook spinach rice for 8 to 9 minutes or 2 to 3 whistles on medium to medium-high heat.
When the pressure falls down in the cooker on its own, then remove the lid and gently fluff the rice.
Serve palak rice hot with a side salad or pickle or raita. While serving, if you want you can garnish with some chopped coriander or mint leaves.
For some protein you can also add pan-fried tofu or paneer. Garnish the spinach rice with either of these.
Notes
For making the spinach rice in a pot or pan or Instant pot, add water accordingly.
You can also use frozen spinach. Squeeze all the water from the frozen spinach and blend it with ginger, garlic and green chilies to get 1 cup of spinach puree.
For the best texture in the palak rice use aged basmati rice. If you don't have basmati rice make the dish with any variety of non-sticky fragrant or regular rice.
For a richer taste, swap ghee with oil.
To add more texture, flavor and nutrition consider veggies like carrots, bell pepper, green peas, cauliflower, french beans and sweet corn kernels.
You can make the spinach pulao spicy by adding more green chilies.