Rice Pulao with Carrots & Green Peas
Submitted by patt03
Indian rice pulao layers basmati with whole spices, sweet peas and carrots, golden raisins, and toasted almonds. A fragrant, vegetarian one-pot side that turns plain rice into a feast.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
25 minREADY
30 minPulao is the everyday rice of Indian home kitchens, and this version stacks all the warm, aromatic notes that make basmati shine: cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves bloomed in hot oil until they perfume the whole pot. That spice tempering is the trick. Skip it and you’ve got rice with peas. Do it right and you’ve got pulao with the perfume of a wedding feast.
Once the spices crackle, the rice goes in to toast briefly until the grains turn translucent. This step coats every grain in spiced oil and is what separates restaurant-quality pulao from soggy stovetop rice. Hot water poured in at exactly double the rice volume gives perfectly fluffy grains.
Golden raisins and toasted almonds get fried separately and stirred in at the end. The raisins plump and turn jammy, the almonds stay crisp, and you get little bursts of sweetness and crunch in every spoonful.
Serve alongside chicken curry, dal, or just plain yogurt for a complete vegetarian meal.
Chef Tips
- Rinse basmati under cold water until it runs clear before cooking. Excess starch makes pulao gummy.
- Don’t lift the lid during the simmer. Steam needs to stay trapped for the rice to cook evenly.
- Let the pot rest 10 minutes off heat with the lid on after cooking. This finishes the steaming and firms up the grains.
- Whole cardamom pods and cloves are meant to be eaten around. Warn the table or pick them out before serving.
Variations
- Toss in 1⁄4 cup of cashews along with the almonds for extra richness.
- Swap the peas-and-carrots for diced bell peppers and corn for a different vegetable mix.
- Add a pinch of saffron threads to the hot water for a deeper golden hue and floral note.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oil in a large pot.
Sauté the onion until soft, and add the chopped garlic.
Then splutter fry the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and tumeric powder for 30 seconds to 1 minutes.
Lower the heat and add the rice.
Continue to fry and stir until the rice is well coated with the spices and starts to become transparent.
Add hot water (exactly double the measure of basmati rice), add salt and cover the pan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
Stir in peas and rice and cover.
Check the rice every 5 minutes or so to see whether the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Taste a grain and see. When the rice is done, fry the raisins and almonds in a little oil and mix into the rice.
Do not overcook the rice - it will get sticky.
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