Veggie Pulao: Top 5 Expert Tips

Looking for one pot dish that is delicious but easy to prepare? I have a suggestion, let’s make plain veggie pulao!!

This flavorful ‘veggie pulao’ is one of my go-to recipes among different variations of pulao I usually make at home.

This dish is vegan and is perfect all alone. It however can be paired with raita, veg curry, pickle and papad if needed. I have not used vegetables for this recipe as I wanted to keep this dish simple. I however have used aromatics (onions, ginger), dry fruits and whole spices to enhance the flavor of pulao.

Veg pulao is also known as pilaf or pulav. It is traditionally prepared on special occasions or on weekends and more often than not is relished with veg curry and raita. Veg Pulao is one of the most popular rice dishes made in India.

I always use pressure cooker to make this dish as its easy and quick. There are indeed alternate ways of making this wonderful dish but I always stick with pressure cooker version because it gives nice moisture and delightful fragrance to the dish.

This dish is an easy to cook one pot meal made by sautéing onions and spices and then pressure cooked with soaked rice. You definitely can add veggies (beans, carrots, peas) of your choice, I however have kept it plain by just adding onions to it. I usually add veggies if I want to make the dish wholesome but like to keep it plain if want to have this with nice Indian veg curry. People across the region also enjoy this pulao with mutton curry. This dish indeed is prepared across different regions in India on special occasions but is also great to pack in office or school lunch boxes.

There are varieties of pulao made in India eg: Kashmiri pulao, Tawa pulao, Matar pulao. This pulao is the most basic one yet flavorful. I would urge you to try it once at home.

Ingredients: Required to make Veggie Pulao

• Small basmati rice

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

• Ghee – 2 tbsp

• Whole spices

• Dry fruits (Cashew, Raisins, Almonds)

• Grated Coconut

• Fresh Coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Instructions: How to make Veggie Pulao at Home

Step 1: Soak the rice for 15-20 minutes, drain it using a strainer and keep it aside.

Step 2: Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in the cooker, add in nuts and raisins and fry until it turns golden. Take them out and keep aside.

Step 3: Add 1 tbsp of ghee in the same cooker and add sliced onions to it. Saute it for 2-3 min and then add whole spices to it and mix well.

Step 4: Keep stirring occasionally until the onions turns golden brown.

Step 5: Now add soaked and drained rice to it and mix well. Saute it for a min. Add in salt and mix well.

Step 6: Add water to it and bring it to a boil. After 4-5 min, put the lid on.

Step 7: Cook the veggie pulao in pressure cooker on medium flame for 1-2 whistle. Let it release the pressure by itself and don’t intervene manually.

Step 8: Open the lid and let it rest for 5 minutes, so that the rice grains turn fluffy.

Step 9: Add in fried raisins and nuts.

Step 10: Gently mix everything with a spatula and serve hot after garnishing with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

How to Cook Veggie Pulao in a Pot

If cooking in a pan or pot, cook on low flame only as it prevents the pulao from burning. Moreover, you don’t want the water to get evaporated too soon. Cook until water is completely absorbed with no moisture left. Perfectly cooked pulao won’t have any moisture left at the bottom of the pot. Once done, turn off the heat and let the pulao rest for 5 minutes for the rice grains to become fluffier. 

Add in fried raisins and nuts, gently mix everything with a spatula and serve hot after garnishing with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Serving Ideas

This delicious plain / veggie pulao can be served with below sides:

Raita or plain curd: I would recommend pomegranate / cucumber raita or the plain curd depending upon the availability.

Veg curry: Any Indian veg curry can be served with pulao. Prefer little spicy veg curry.

Pickle and papad: In case you don’t want to cook or prepare a side dish, go with mango pickle and papad.

5 Expert Tips to make the Best Pulao

Use Basmati rice – I prefer to use short-grained Basmati rice for pulao but you may use the long-grained basmati rice depending upon the availability. I would recommend short-grained fragrant basmati rice for this dish to get the best result.

Soak the rice before you cook – Always soak rice for at least 15 minutes as it helps rice to absorb water and swells a bit. Moreover, after cooking, rice grains become fluffier.

Sauté the rice after adding to cooker/pot – After adding the soaked and drained rice to your pan, sauté them for 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium flame. This process helps rice to get coated well in the ghee. You can optionally also squeeze lemon to it to make the rice grains fluffier.

Rice and water proportion – Water must be added to rice depending upon the quantity. Rice to water ratio is undoubtedly crucial. In order to make the perfect pulao, be mindful of proportion.

Roast the nuts and raisins – It’s not necessary but important to roast raisins and nuts as they give nice crunch to this dish.

FAQ

What are the ingredients of pulao?

Please find the ingredients above.

What to eat with vegetable pulao?

Veggie / plain pulao can be served with raita, papad, pickle and veg curry.

Which rice is best for pulao?In my view, short-grained fragrant basmati rice is ideal for pulao.

General QnA

What is the difference between veg pulao and biryani?

The key difference is in the method of cooking: While parboiled rice is used to make biryani, pulao is made through the water absorption method. To make biryani, you drain the rice and then cook with veggies on low flame but pulao cooks by absorbing the water.