Vegetable Pulav Recipe | Veg Polao | Pulao Rice

Super easy and simple, this colorful, fragrant vegetable pulav recipe is the ultimate dressed up rice side dish that goes with pretty much everything.  We use basic vegetables in this recipe but you can be as creative as you like.

Perfect for festive occasions, this restaurant-style vegetable pulav is my go-to side dish when I am looking  for something a little fancier than rice. My mother always cooked different curries for her guests to sample in her dinner parties and often cooked this pulao. Deeply fragrant and dotted with colorful vegetables, it is the perfect canvas for tasting different flavors.  One of the best things about this dish is that you can completely elevate the tone of a meal from casual to festive with this one dish.

What is Vegetable Pulav?

Vegetable pulav is a popular side dish from the Indian sub-continent which consists of fragrant basmati rice cooked with vegetables.  Also referred to as 'vegetable polao,' 'veg polao,'pulav rice' and 'pilaf,' the traditional version is made with seasonal fresh vegetables like cauliflower, peas, carrots and green beans. Modern versions include unconventional vegetables like bell peppers, pumpkin and broccoli florets.

Ingredients

Just a few simple ingredients are needed to cook this simple veg pulao recipe.  All of them are easily available in local grocery stores.

• Pulav is cooked with white basmati rice. There are many varieties of basmati rice which range in price and quality.  I used Carolina brand long-grain basmati rice which is very widely available in my town.
• Use ghee or butter to sauté the rice, as it adds a lot of flavor. If you do not have ghee or butter you can use other fats like vegetable oil, avocado oil and olive oil.
• Whole aromatic spices such as green cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon sticks are used to flavor the slender-grained aromatic rice. Feel free to experiment with other whole spices like star anise, cumin seeds, black cardamom, caraway seeds and peppercorns.
• Salt is used season the rice.  A little more is needed than plain pulav to also season the vegetables.
• We use thinly sliced onion to make crispy fried onions or 'biresta' to garnish the pulav and to also flavor the pulav.  
• Green peas, carrots, green beans and cauliflower are traditionally used in this dish. 

What other vegetables can I use?

Feel free to experiment with other vegetables with this dish.  Just remember if they need to soften (e.g., broccoli, potato, green chilies, baby corn, or beans), sauté them with the drained rice before adding the boiling hot water.  If the vegetables are ready to eat or cook quickly (e.g., peas, spinach, coriander leaves) add them after the rice has steamed.

What rice-to-water ratio should I use?

Steamed basmati rice uses the 'absorption method' where the rice absorbs all the water during the cooking process. As a result, the proportion of cups of rice to cups of water is crucial. Too much rice will result in an al dente texture. Too much water will result in soggy, mushy rice.

There's no one-size-fits-all ratio for cooking basmati rice. Numerous factors influence the required amount of water, including rice moisture content, rice type, pot sealing effectiveness and finally your personal preference for the texture of the rice.

Water ratios range between 1 to 2 cups per cup of rice. As a guideline, I use a 1:2 ratio of rice to water for Carolina brand basmati rice which is a common brand readily available at local grocery stores. This results in a soft, fluffy rice with beautifully long, fully expanded grains. For al dente rice use a 1:1.5 ratio of rice to water and a 1:1 rice to water ratio for chewier rice.

How to cook vegetable pulav

This one-pot rice dish is surprisingly easy to make - just follow the description and step photos below:

Step 1: Rinse and soak

Begin by rinsing the raw basmati rice under cold running water until the water runs clear and all the excess starch is removed. For enhanced flavor and texture, especially for aged basmati rice, soak the rice in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes before cooking, or for an optimal outcome, overnight. Drain the soaked rice, and allow it to air-dry for about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Fry the onions

• While the rice drains, fry the onions. In a large stainless-steel saucepan or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Add the sliced onions and fry till golden brown. Remove the fried onions and set aside on a paper towel.

Step 3: Fry the rice and vegetables

• Add whole cardamom, cloves, a cinnamon stick, and a bay leaf, then stir gently until fragrant - about 3 minutes. Add the rinsed rice, cauliflower, beans and carrots into the pot. Fry for 3-4 minutes.

Step 4: Cook and steam

• Carefully add 4 cups of boiling water and a teaspoon of salt to the pot. Stir. Increase the heat to high from medium heat, allowing the mixture to come to a vigorous boil. Once boiling, cover the pot with a lid (tight-fitting lid is preferable) and reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Allow the rice to cook covered and undisturbed for 15 minutes. Do not peek! After this initial cooking period, turn off the heat and cook the rice in the residual steam for an additional 15 minutes.

Step 5: Fluff and add the peas

• Using a fork, gently fluff the cooked rice to separate the grains. Add the green peas and mix lightly. Cover and allow the rice to rest for about 10 minutes. This allows the grains to evenly absorb the water and plump up. When ready to serve, garnish the fried onions and serve hot.

Tips

Rinse the rice with cold water. Rinsing the rice removes the extra starch which makes the cooked rice sticky, contributing to very fluffy basmati rice. If you do not rinse the rice, you could end up with a sticky film on top of the cooked rice. Use cold water so that the rice does not begin cooking and throw off your cooking time.

Make sure you soak aged basmati rice. Premium, aged basmati rice is more dry and brittle than the 'fresh crop,' non-aged rice that you typically buy at the grocery store. It is aged for 1-2 years and is much more flavorful and aromatic than non-aged basmati rice. You need to soak aged basmati rice to ensure that the grains do not break during the cooking process.

Use a fork for fluffy rice grains immediately after cooking the rice. Scoop the rice with a fork from the outside of the pot towards the middle. Do not use a spoon or a whisk. Freshly steamed rice is very soft and will easily cut into smaller pieces.

Cooking time varies by rice type. A general guideline is 15 minutes to cook and 15 minutes to steam white rice. Brown rice takes longer to cook about 30 minutes to cook and 15 minutes to steam.

Rice-to-water ratio. I use a 1:2 ratio of rice to water for soft, fluffy, and long, fully expanded grains of basmati rice.  Use 1:1.5 ratio of rice to water for al dente rice.

Nutrition

A serving of this vegetable pulav recipe has about 278 calories, 5.2 grams of protein, 7.2 grams of fat, and 50.5 grams of carbohydrates.

This Indian style rice pilaf yields approximately eight servings.  The nutritional information is intended as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator. Stored in an airtight container, the cooled vegetable pulav will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Freezer. Frozen pulav freezes well and reheats beautifully into deliciously light and fluffy rice. Stored in an airtight container, it will last for about two months in the freezer. Thaw the frozen rice in the refrigerator overnight.

Reheat: Steaming is the best way to re-heat rice dishes and the easiest way to do it is by using a microwave. To reheat, place the cold vegetable pulav into a covered microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes. Continue heating at 30 second intervals until warm. For more detail, please see our post on how to reheat rice.

What to serve with Veg Pulav

This restaurant style veg pulao is typically served on special occasions with rich curries like Shahi Chicken Korma, Kofta Curry and Beef Curry. However there is no need to limit eating it with just Indian curries - this dish also goes well with non-Indian dishes like our Moroccan Lamb Stew,  Baked Chilean Sea Bass and Japanese Hibachi Chicken. 

This simple vegetable pulao recipe also makes a fantastic school lunch. As a kid, I loved eating it at school with a side of Spicy Beef Seekh Kabab or Indian Chicken Curry.

Variations

• Popular vegetable rice pilaf variations:
  • Matar pulao or peas pulao: substitute 1 cup of peas for the vegetables.
  • Coconut milk pulao:  substitute hot water with coconut milk 
  • Peas Pulao: add only peas.  Due to it simplicity, this is a very popular dish in Indian cuisine.
  • Kashmiri pulao: substitute vegetables with nuts (e.g., cashew nuts, sliced almonds or pistachios), dried fruits (e.g., golden raisins and chopped sultanas) and fresh fruit (e.g., pomegranate and chopped pineapple).
  • Spicy Masala Pulao: add whole spices (e.g., cumin seeds, black cardamom, star anise and fenugreek) and powdered spices (e.g., garam masala and red chili powder).
• Other perfect pulao variations:
  • Chicken pulao: combine 2 cups of diced chicken in half a cup of yogurt, 1 teaspoon each of ghee or oil and garlic paste, ½ teaspoon each of ginger paste, ground cumin, ground coriander, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Marinate at least for an hour or overnight. Sauté the chicken in hot ghee over a medium flame and set aside. Make the pulao but omit the vegetables. Add in the sautéed chicken and mix with the fluffed rice. Chicken pulao is traditionally garnished with boiled eggs, cut lengthwise in half and fried onions.
  • Mutton pulao: combine 2 cups of diced mutton in half a cup of yogurt, 1 teaspoon each of ghee or oil, garlic paste, ginger paste and ground cumin, ½ teaspoon each of ground coriander, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Marinate at least for an hour or overnight (for optimal flavor). Sauté the mutton in hot ghee over a medium flame and set aside. Make the pulao but omit the vegetables. Add in the sautéed mutton and mix with the fluffed rice. Chicken pulao is traditionally garnished with fried onions and is particularly delicious when served with a side of thinly sliced red onion and cilantro marinated in lime juice.
  • Paneer pulao: fry 2 cups of large diced paneer in ghee. Make the pulao with the vegetables for color. Garnish with the paneer.
• Garnish suggestions
  • Nuts:  Cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios.
  • Herbs:  Cilantro and mint leaves
  • Fresh Fruit:  Pineapple, pomegranate, apples, peaches, grapes and pears.
  • Dried Fruit: Apricot, golden raisins and cranberries.

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