What is Veg Pulao?
The word ‘pulao’ has its roots in Pilaf – a flavoursome one-pot rice dish popular from Spain to the Middle East to across the Mediterranean Sea.
In the Indian subcontinent, pulao is one of the most popular rice dishes. Various pulao recipes (veg and non-veg) are followed across the country, like chicken pulao, mushroom pulao, chana pulao, yakhni pulao, and many more.
The veg pulao is the short name for vegetable pulao. A truly Indian-style vegetarian pilaf of basmati rice, colourful vegetables, onion, tomato, and spices.
Difference between Biryani and Pulao
Biryani is prepared by following a sophisticated draining and layering method, whereas pulao is an easy-to-make-one-pot dish for everyday meals cooked by an absorption method. Cooking pulao is a much simpler process than biryani. However, both are made with rice, spices, and various meat/vegetables.
Why is VEG PULAO so popular
easy to customize one pot family meal wholesome and fulfilling vegetarian and gluten-free perfect for lunchboxes, picnics, potlucks, or for travelling
Ingredient Required
Rice: Use long-grain, less starchy, white rice like basmati for making pulao. Vegetables: You can add a variety of vegetables to a pulao. I like green peas, carrots, beans, potatoes, and cauliflower in my pulao. If you use frozen green peas or mixed vegetables, thaw them before adding them to the pulao. Whole Spices: Bay Leaf, Black Cardamom, Green Cardamom, Star Anise, Cloves, Cinnamon, Cumin Seeds Special Add-Ons: Fresh Mint Leaves, Green Chili, and Garam Masala Cooking Fat: Ghee (clarified butter) gives a lot of flavour to the pulao. You can use coconut oil or any other light vegetable oil for a vegan veg pulao. Other Ingredients: Salt, Red Chili Powder, Ginger Garlic Paste
Watch Veg Pulao Video
Serving Suggestion
The veg pulao tastes best with a chilled, refreshing green boondi raita, kachumber salad, papadum, sliced onion, and a dollop of ghee on top. If you are not too keen on serving raita with pulao, it also tastes good with plain curd or masala curd. You can store the leftover pulao in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days. It reheats well in a microwave.
My Tried & True Tips
Long Grain Rice: I think long-grain basmati rice is the best choice for making Indian pulao. You can substitute it with other aromatic, less starchy, medium-grain rice.
Rice To Water Ratio: 1 ¼ cup of water to 1 cup of basmati rice. This ratio of rice to water always gives me fluffy, non-sticky veg pulao in a pressure cooker.
Soak & Roast: Soaking rice for 20 – 30 minutes helps each grain fluff up while cooking. Roasting the soaked rice while cooking the veg pulao gives a lot of flavour to the dish.
DO NOT COOK for too long. In an instant pot, the vegetable pulao takes only 5 minutes. On a stovetop pressure cooker, two whistles over medium heat are enough. The more you cook rice in a pressure cooker more sticky it will become.
More Indian Pulao Recipes
Matar Pulao Chana Pulao Zarda Pulao Chicken Pulao Mushroom Pulao Paneer Tikka Pulao Subscribe to our weekly newsletter or follow us on Youtube for video recipes.
