Pulao is a mildly spiced fragrant rice dish cooked with one or more vegetables. There are different varieties of Pulao in Indian cuisine. This is a basic pulao recipe I follow at home – one of my go-to-recipes for when I want to fix a quick meal, or when I have leftover rice I want to use up. It’s not from a specific region.
Pulao is known by different names around the world – pilaf, pilau, pulav and so on. This version of pulao uses hardly any spices or aromatics. Nonetheless, it is very tasty – don’t ask me how! It’s a mystery! 🙂
If you like trying out different kinds of flavorful rice dishes, be sure to check out my hawker-style Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe as well.
Are Pulao and Biryani the same?
No, they are not the same. Pulao is a simple rice dish with very few spices. Traditionally, the rice is cooked along with the vegetables – making it a one-pot dish. However, this is not the method I follow. I simplified it further for ease and convenience. Biryani, on the other hand, is a richer rice dish that has many more spices, herbs, ghee and fried onions. There are different varieties of biryani, but often the meat or vegetables are marinated.
Why this Pulao is the best recipe ever!
- It is a super-quick recipe with minimal preparation. You can use fresh or frozen vegetables for this recipe. No marination, very less chopping. If you use frozen cut vegetables and garlic paste, there is hardly any chopping! I always have at least one bag of frozen cut vegetables in my freezer for those busy days or for when I run out of supplies. It’s just so convenient! So, most often, I use frozen vegetables to make pulao! This makes the recipe super duper quick to prepare! Of course, you can use fresh vegetables as well.
- It’s a great make-ahead recipe for your regular meal, for a special occasion or to pack for office or school lunch box. I find it a very easy and effortless recipe for when you have to entertain a crowd. It can be refrigerated for 4-5 days. Just heat it up in the microwave oven when it’s time to eat.
- It’s a versatile recipe. You can use a mix of vegetables like carrot, french beans, green peas, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, corn kernels, baby corn, potato, sweet potato, edamame, etc. You can even use just one vegetable, for example, green peas to make peas pulao. For added protein, you can throw in paneer cubes, soy chunks or meat of your choice, or a combination of these. Just make sure you don’t omit green onions and garlic. If you don’t have green onions, add any onion you have – red, yellow or white. Refer to notes in the recipe card for the substitution quantity.
- It’s a great way to use up leftover rice. Simply follow the recipe to cook the vegetables, and add them to the leftover rice. Stir to mix, and voila, pulao is ready!
How to cook rice for pulao
Every household has its own way of cooking rice – using rice cooker or pressure cooker or just a simple pot. The most common method to cook rice is the absorption method – the rice absorbs all of the water it is cooked in. I generally don’t follow this method unless I’m cooking rice in a stock. Instead, I cook rice like pasta – with more water than would be necessary for absorption method. After the water has come to a boil, I let it boil for some more time and check the doneness by pinching a grain between my thumb and forefinger. I also bite into the grain to check if it’s cooked.
If the rice is to be used for pulao, biryani or a stir-fry, make sure you stop cooking before it gets very soft, keeping it ‘al dente‘. Once cooked, drain all of the water using a colander. Run cold water over the rice to stop it from cooking further, fluff with a fork and leave to drain fully. This way, the rice isn’t mushy and the grains remain separate. Even better, this method removes a lot of the starch / carbohydrates that rice is notoriously know for.
What to serve pulao with
Serve pulao with raita and papad, or with a curry like butter chicken, butter paneer, mutter paneer, kadai mushroom, kadai chicken, and so on. It’s also great on its own!
More Vegetarian Recipes:
- Cajun Roasted Carrots
- Blueberry Spinach Salad
- Mathanga Erisheri – Kerala Pumpkin Curry
- Beetroot Pachadi (Spiced Beetroot Yoghurt)
- Pineapple Pulissery (Seasoned Buttermilk with pineapple and coconut)
- Potato Carrot Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti / Stir-Fry
- Achinga Payar Thoran / Long Bean and Coconut Sauté
Vegetable Pulao
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cooked Basmati Rice
- 1 tbsp Oil (Vegetable / Sunflower / Canola)
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 6 nos. Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 cups Frozen or Fresh Mixed Vegetables
- 7 nos. Green Onions, chopped
- 1 – 2 nos. Green Chillies
- ½ tsp Crushed Black Pepper
- Salt (Refer to notes)
- 1 tbsp Chopped Cilantro (Optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan on medium high setting. Add cumin seeds and fry till fragrant.
- Add minced garlic. Stir and sauté for 15 to 20 seconds, or till the raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add the mixed vegetables, green chillies, green onions, salt and pepper. Sauté till the vegetables are tender.
- Switch the stove off. Add the cooked rice to the cooked vegetables and stir to combine.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, if using. Serve warm.
Notes
- Salt: If you have cooked the rice with no salt, add a little more salt to the vegetables than you would normally put. That is, the vegetables should be a bit more salty than you would like if you were eating them on their own without rice. This is so that when you mix in the rice, the pulao will have just the right amount of salt.
- Green onions substitution: You can substitute green onions with any onion – red, yellow or white. Substitute 7 stalks of green onion with about half of a small or medium sized onion (chopped fine).
- Tips to cook rice: Please refer to the main blog post above the recipe card.
I love side dishes that can complement any dish, and this pulao rice is one of those! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! So good to know you loved it! You’re so right, it goes with many dishes 🙂
thanks for this yummy fried rice recipe!
You’re welcome! Thanks for commenting 🙂
I always see these rice dishes on menus, but have never known how they differ. Thanks for the explanation and for sharing your recipe! Can’t wait to give this a try!
🙂 Please do try, it’s so easy to make and goes with most dishes!
This looks so fresh and simple. A great side dish for any meal and a great summer rice option. Thanks for sharing this idea.
You’re so right! You’re welcome 🙂
I find rice fascinating and you are correct, everyone has their own way of cooking it. I’ve always called this ‘pilaf’ but it is exactly the same dish as your pilau.
And, thanks for explaining the difference between pilau and biryani, that was the first question that popped into my mind when I began reading your post.
Haha! Yes, I remember being confused when I saw ‘pilaf’ in a restaurant menu outside India. But later understood there really is no right or wrong spelling for this dish, and that it is not only in India that you find this dish. There are variations in different countries – the beauty of cultural diversity! 🙂 It has so many names with slight variations in spelling. Glad the biryani vs pulao explanation was helpful as well!