Vegetable Pulav is an Indian rice dish made with a fragrant masala of mint leaves, coconut, green chillies and spices.
Table of Contents
Vegetable Pulav is an Indian rice dish prepared for lunch or dinner and makes a great dish to pack in lunch boxes.
I call this restaurant style because the taste is close to the ones that we have eaten at our local eateries/ darshinis. These restaurants serve this version of pulav during lunch along with raita and papad. Restaurant style vegetable pulav is usually spicy but in this recipe, I’ve adjusted the proportions to make it palatable for those who prefer moderate spice.
This recipe is a South Indian and specifically Karnataka style pulav which contains grated coconut, mint and coriander leaves and spices to make the paste.
Ingredients for Vegetable Pulav
Basmati Rice – I prefer using basmati rice, but you can also opt for any common rice like sona masoori or kolam rice. When it comes to rice to water measurement for this recipe, it doesn’t matter what rice you use; the ratio of 1:2 works best. For every cup of rice you use, you need 2 cups of water. A typical cup measures about 180-200g of uncooked rice.
The main flavour comes from the ground masala and the ingredients for the masala are.
Grated coconut – Its best to use grated coconut since it will get easier to grind it along with the rest of the ingredients. Using pieces of coconut is an option, but it may result in small coconut chunks in the masala.
Mint leaves and coriander leaves – You will need a handful of both herbs to make its flavourful.
Onion – I use one small onion to make the flavours better.
Ginger and Garlic – I use fresh ginger and garlic, but if you don’t have it, you can substitute it with ginger garlic paste.
Spices – Green cardamom, cloves and pepper, fennel seeds, bay leaf and star anise.
Vegetables – You can add as many vegetables as you want to this pulav. Here are a few suggestions:-
Carrots, potatoes, beans, corn, cauliflower, mushroom and peas. You can do a combination of these vegetables amounting to about 1.5 cups. I have also added double beans to the pulav.
If you want to use any variety of beans like chickpeas or double beans, make sure you soak them overnight or at least for 4-5 hours before using it. Once you’ve soaked, drain the water and rinse the beans before adding it along with the vegetables.
How to make restaurant style Vegetable Pulav
Prep Work
- Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water is clear. Allow it to soak in water for at least 20 minutes.
- Next, you need to clean and pluck the mint and coriander leaves for masala. Once done, add it to a mixer jar.
- You can also clean, peel and cut all the vegetables you want to use for the pulav.
- Peel and cut an onion into thin slices.
- Put the kettle on with 2 cups of water or you can bowl the water on the stove and keep aside. Instead of using cold water, use this for cooking the pulav. In place of water you can even use vegetable stock which will make for an even more flavourful pulav.
Making the Pulav Masala
Add all the ingredients required for the pulao masala into the mixer jar – Mint leaves, coriander leaves, one small onion, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, fennel seeds, grated coconut, green chillies, ginger and garlic.
Grind it into a smooth paste with a little water. You should aim to get a thick paste.
Last steps to make vegetable pulav
Place a small pressure cooker on a medium flame. Add one tablespoon of ghee or cooking oil. If you are feeling like it, add both.
Once the oil is warm, add the dry spices – bay leaf and star anise roasting them in the oil for a few seconds.
Next, add the thinly sliced onions to the ghee. Sauté the onions in the ghee until they are slightly browned.
Now add the pulav masala to the pressure cooker and lower the flame. Allow the masala to cook in the ghee for a few minutes while roasting it.
After the raw smell of the onions, garlic and ginger go away, you can now add the rice. Drain the water and just add the rice. Mix all the ingredients together and add 3/4 tsp. salt.
Now 2 cups of warm water to the pressure cooker. The water level in the cooker should not be more than the level of the rice and vegetables – if you want to avoid a mushy texture. Remember, there’s water in the vegetables and the pulav masala as well.
Close the lid of the pressure cooker and allow for 2 whistles to pass. Turn off the flame and allow the pressure to release naturally. Your Vegetable pulav is ready!
Serving suggestions
You can serve pulav with Onion Raita, cucumber raita or even plan curd. Serve with a side of salad and papad as well.
Storage and Shelf Life
Vegetable Pulav makes for a good tiffin box dish. It tastes good even when it is cold, which makes it ideal to pack for lunch boxes. You can leave it out on the counter during the day in cool weather like Bangalore, but if the weather is warm, it’s better to leave in the fridge and warm it up to eat later.
You can store Pulav in the fridge for up to two days. Once you’ve taken it out and reheated its best to eat it all. Do not reheat once again.
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Recipe for Vegetable Pulao Restaurant Style
Vegetable Pulav Restaurant Style
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice uncooked (roughly 200-250g)
For the Pulav Masala
- 2 tbsp Grated Coconut
- Mint Leaves handful
- Coriander Leaves handful
- 1-2 Green Chillies adjust according to taste
- 1 inch Ginger
- 3-4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Onion small
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Cardamom
- 3-4 Pepper corns
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds saunff
Vegetables
- 1 Carrot diced
- 1 small Potato diced
- 10-12 Dried Double Beans soaked overnight
- Corn handful
- 5-6 pieces Beans cut into one-inch pieces
To make the Pulav
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 Bayleaf
- 1 Star Anise
- 1 Onion thinly sliced
- ½ tsp Salt adjust accordingly
Instructions
- The first step is to wash the basmati rice and allow it to soak in the water for about 20 minutes. You can then prep the other ingredients.
- Pluck the mint leaves, wash them thoroughly, and keep aside.Break a coconut and cut out a few pieces. I prefer to grate the coconut since it's easier to grind. Chop all the vegetables that you are going to use. Finely chop the onions into thin slices and keep aside.
- Take all the ingredients mentioned in the "For the Pulav Masala" and grind it into a fine paste with a little water. Keep aside.
- Place a medium-sized pressure cooker on a medium flame. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee. Add the bay leaf and star anise – roast the spices in the ghee. Tip the thinly sliced onions to the ghee and saute for a few minutes.
- Once the onions are slightly brown, add the Masala Paste that you've made. Add a bit of water so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the masala for a couple of minutes while continuously stirring it. Now add all the vegetables that you've prepped for the pulav. Add ½-¾ tsp salt and mix well.
- Drain the rice from the water it has been soaking in. Add it to the cooker.
- For every cup of rice, you need two cups of water. Add 2 cups of warm/hot water to the cooker. Mix all the ingredients, check if you need to add more salt and close the pressure cooker.
- Allow for two whistles to pass. Turn off the flame and let the pulav cook in the residual heat.
- After 10 minutes or when the pressure has released from the cooker, open the lid. Your Vegetable Pulav is ready! Eat this delicious pulav with raita or curd.
