Vegetable pulao is what many Indian households make when guests are coming and the main dish needs a companion that is a step up from plain rice. Unlike biryani, it is cooked in one pot with the rice and vegetables together, and seasoned gently so it can sit alongside a rich curry. Done well, it is fragrant, colourful, and every grain stays separate. Ghee is what gives it that quiet richness.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 bay leaf, 1 small cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 3 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 1 star anise (optional)
- 1 tsp shahi jeera or regular cumin
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chillies, slit
- 1½ cups mixed vegetables: carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower, capsicum, cut small
- 2 tbsp curd, whisked
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 2¾ cups hot water
- Mint and coriander leaves, a handful each
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Fried onions and cashews to garnish (optional)
Method
- Soak the rice. Rinse the basmati until the water runs clear, then soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.
- Bloom the spices. Heat ghee in a heavy pot. Add the whole spices and shahi jeera and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.
- Cook the onions. Add onions and cook until light golden, 6 to 7 minutes.
- Aromatics. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and cook for a minute.
- Vegetables. Add the vegetables and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Curd and masala. Lower the heat, add whisked curd and garam masala, and stir for a minute.
- Rice. Add drained rice and toss very gently for 2 minutes to coat each grain with ghee.
- Water. Add hot water, salt, mint, coriander and lemon juice. Taste the water: it should be slightly salty.
- Cook. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 12 to 14 minutes. Turn off and rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Fluff and serve. Fluff gently with a fork. Garnish with fried onions and cashews.
Pressure cooker method
Follow steps 2 to 8 in the cooker, using 2¼ cups water. Cook for one whistle on medium, then turn off and let the pressure release naturally.
For separate, fluffy grains
Soak, but not too long. Thirty minutes is enough for aged basmati.
Toast the rice in ghee. Coating each grain in fat helps it stay separate.
Hot water. Cold water slows cooking and breaks grains.
Do not stir after adding water. Stirring breaks the rice and releases starch.
Rest before fluffing. The rice firms up as it rests.
The ghee makes the dish
Pulao is a gently spiced dish, so the fat it is cooked in is a big part of how it tastes. Ghee blooms the whole spices, gives the rice a glossy finish and a soft, nutty richness that oil does not. Three tablespoons for a pot for four is plenty.
Serve with
Raita, dal makhani, paneer curries, chole or a simple kadhi.
Pulao reheats well with a sprinkle of water and a few drops of Desi Cow A2 Ghee, which makes it one of the better options for tomorrow's lunch box.