Vegetable Pulao (Indian spiced one‑pot rice)
Fragrant basmati rice cooked with seasonal vegetables, whole spices and toasted cashews — an easy, weeknight Indian one‑pot.
Pulao is the easiest way to make midweek rice feel special — fragrant basmati grains perfumed with whole spices and studded with tender vegetables. It’s quicker than biryani, less fussy, and sings with simple ingredients.
Make this when you want a comforting one‑pot dinner, to impress at a casual supper or as a crowd‑pleasing side. The trick is rinsing the rice, gentle frying of the onions and leaving the pot undisturbed while it steams — then it’ll come out light and fluffy every time.
Ingredients
- 300 g basmati rice — rinsed until water runs clear and soaked 20 minutes
- 540 ml water — hot or boiling (see critical step on ratio)
- 30 g ghee — about 2 tbsp
- 15 ml rapeseed oil
- 1 onion — large (about 150 g), thinly sliced
- 20 g ginger — peeled and finely grated (about 1 tbsp)
- 3 cloves garlic — crushed
- 100 g carrot — peeled and diced
- 100 g peas — frozen or fresh
- 100 g green beans — trimmed and cut into 2 cm lengths
- 150 g potato — peeled and diced (optional, keeps dish more filling)
- 150 g cauliflower — broken into small florets (optional)
- 1 tomato — medium, chopped
- 30 g cashew nuts — roughly chopped
- 25 g sultanas — optional, for a touch of sweetness
- 10 ml salt
- 5 ml turmeric
- 5 ml garam masala
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped for garnish
- 1 lemon — cut into wedges to serve
- 1 cinnamon stick — 3–4 cm piece
- 4 green cardamom pods — lightly crushed
- 3 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
Equipment
- fine‑mesh sieve
- measuring jug
- heavy‑based saucepan with tight‑fitting lid
Instructions
Rinse the basmati rice under cold water in a fine‑mesh sieve until the water runs almost clear, then soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
Heat the ghee and rapeseed oil in a large heavy‑based saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, crushed cardamom, cloves and bay leaf and fry for 30–45 seconds until fragrant.
Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt. Fry on medium‑low for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden — this builds flavour.
Stir in the grated ginger and crushed garlic and fry for 45–60 seconds, then add the chopped tomato and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.
Add the diced potato, carrot, green beans, cauliflower and peas. Cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes so the vegetables start to soften but are not fully cooked.
Stir in the turmeric, garam masala, black pepper and 1 tsp of the salt (reserve the rest for later). Add the cashews and sultanas and mix through for 1 minute.
Gently add the drained rice to the pan and fold it through the spiced vegetables — be careful not to break the grains.
Pour in 540 ml hot water and the remaining 0.5 tsp salt. Bring to a brisk simmer over medium–high heat, then reduce to the lowest heat, cover with a tight‑fitting lid and cook undisturbed for 12–14 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
Switch off the heat and leave the pan, covered, to rest for 10 minutes so the grains steam and firm up.
Remove the lid, fluff the pulao gently with a fork, check seasoning and scatter over the chopped fresh coriander. Serve with lemon wedges and extra fried onions if you like.
Tips
- Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear to remove surface starch — this is the single most important step for separate grains.
- Soak the rice for 20 minutes: it shortens cooking time and gives more reliably separate grains; drain well before adding to the pan.
- Caramelise the onions slowly on medium‑low heat — impatient high heat gives bitter, burned edges and loses sweetness.
- If using a non‑stick heavy pot, reduce the fat slightly and keep the heat low during the final simmer to avoid sticking.
- Make‑ahead: cook the pulao, cool quickly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat gently with a sprinkle of water and a low heat, covered, until steaming through.
Substitutions
ghee → rapeseed oil (same quantity)
Stays closecashew nuts → sliced almonds (same quantity)
Stays closepeas and green beans → frozen mixed vegetables (150–200 g)
Stays closebasmati rice → long‑grain rice (use 10% more water, texture slightly different)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 510
- Calories
- 9 g
- Protein
- 73 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 430 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegan?
Yes — swap the ghee for rapeseed or vegetable oil (same quantity) and omit any dairy garnishes.
Do I need to soak the rice?
Soaking for 20 minutes gives more consistent, separate grains and shortens cooking time, but you can skip it if in a hurry — use a touch more water and watch the cooking time.
My rice turned mushy — what went wrong?
Common causes: not rinsing (excess starch), too much water, stirring while it cooks, or cooking on too high a heat. Follow the water ratio and leave the lid on during simmer and resting.
Can I use vegetable stock instead of water?
Yes — hot vegetable stock adds extra depth. Use the same volume of hot stock as water called for.
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