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Pulao is an aromatic Indian rice dish that is prepared with whole spices. In India, there are many variations of the Pulao recipe. Today’s recipe is an easy and simple pulao recipe with vegetables, known as veg pulao. It is aromatic, fluffy, and light in texture, perfect for lunch or dinner.

I usually prepared this veg pulao with lots of vegetables. It is also a great way to use your leftover veggies, you can add whatever vegetables you prefer. Also, add whole spices and garam masala. I love to cook my pulao with ghee. It gives a nice distinct flavour to pulao!

To make this pulao you can use any kind of aromatic rice, but I prefer basmati because it is non-sticky, the pulao comes out nice and fluffy. Usually, to make pulao, I do not soak the rice before. But I add hot water to cook the rice. This is how we cook pulao in Bangladesh. I also add whole milk to give it a nice rich texture, but it is optional.

Another thing is very important to sauté the rice with oil or ghee on medium-low flame. In this way, they will coat with oil which helps to get fluffy rice.

This one-pot veg pulao can serve with raita to make it more delightful! Although it is a simple go-to version, you can perfectly make it for any special occasion by serving it with some delicious curry dishes.

Ingredients

200g Basmati rice
300g mixed vegetables cut into small pieces
1/2 onion cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
300ml hot water and 100ml warm whole milk
Few strands of saffron (optional)
Dry nuts
20g raisins
3 tablespoons Ghee or oil
Salt to taste

Spices:

1 bay leaf
3-4 green cardamoms
5-6 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala

Instructions:

–Wash the rice very well under running water. Then leave it in the strainer for half an hour to air dry.

-Soak the saffron strands in a small bowl with a little milk.

-Put a pot on medium heat with the oil or Ghee and wait until it gets hot. Add all the whole spices (bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and cumin). Wait a few seconds and add chopped onion. Fry them until they are transparent.

–Add ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a few seconds and add the vegetables, a pinch of salt and garam masala. Sauté everything together for a few minutes until the vegetables are little soft.

– Add the rice and mix everything well. Fry the rice over medium-low heat with the vegetables for one minute while stirring. Then add the hot water, warm milk and salt.

-Stir everything and let it cook over medium-low heat. When the water level is equal to the level of the rice, add raisins. Cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to a minimum.

-Wait 15 minutes and do not lift the lid during these 15 minutes.

-Then turn off the flame and open the lid. Sprinkle the Saffron mixed with milk. Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala and put the lid back on the pot. Let it rest for few minutes.

-Give it a gentle stir to puff it up very carefully and add the roasted nuts.

-Serve hot with tomato raita (yoghurt and tomato sauce) or with any curry dish.

Tips and tricks:

To prepare Pulao the measure of water is double that of rice, but as we are going to add milk, I used 300ml of hot water and 100ml of warm milk.
If you don’t have Ghee, you can substitute it with butter.
If you buy the raw nuts, you have to roast them in the oil first.