Pressure Cooker Veg Pulao Recipe

Veg pulao is a perfect one-pot family meal that gets ready in under 30 minutes in a pressure cooker . Be sure to watch the video!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

• What is Veg Pulao?
• Ingredient You’ll Need
• Watch Veg Pulao Video
• Serving Suggestion
• My Tried and True Tips
• FAQs Related To Veg Pulao
• Pressure Cooker Veg Pulao Recipe

What is Veg Pulao?

The word ‘pulao’ has its roots in Pilaf – a flavoursome one-pot rice dish popular from Spain to the Middle East to across the Mediterranean Sea.

In the Indian subcontinent, pulao is one of the most popular rice dishes. Various pulao recipes (veg and non-veg) are followed across the country, like chicken pulao , mushroom pulao , chana pulao , yakhni pulao, and many more.

The veg pulao is the short name for vegetable pulao. A truly Indian-style vegetarian pilaf of basmati rice, colourful vegetables, onion, tomato, and spices.

Difference between Biryani and Pulao

Biryani is prepared by following a sophisticated draining and layering method, whereas pulao is an easy-to-make-one-pot dish for everyday meals cooked by an absorption method. Cooking pulao is a much simpler process than biryani. However, both are made with rice, spices, and various meat/vegetables.

Why is VEG PULAO so popular

• easy to customize
• one pot family meal
• wholesome and fulfilling
• vegetarian and gluten-free
• perfect for lunchboxes , picnics, potlucks , or for travelling

Ingredient You’ll Need

• Long Grain White Rice like basmati with less starch.
• Vegetables : You can add a variety of vegetables to a pulao. I like green peas, carrots, beans, potatoes, and cauliflower in my pulao. If you use frozen green peas or mixed vegetables, thaw them before adding them to the pulao.
• Whole Spices : Bay Leaf, Black Cardamom, Green Cardamom, Star Anise, Cloves, Cinnamon, Cumin Seeds
• Special Add-Ons: Fresh Mint Leaves, Green Chilli, and Garam Masala
• Cooking Fat: Ghee (clarified butter) gives a lot of flavour to the pulao. You can use coconut oil or any other light vegetable oil for a vegan veg pulao.
• Other Ingredients: Salt, Red Chilli Powder, Ginger Garlic Paste

Watch Veg Pulao Video

Serving Suggestion

The veg pulao tastes best with a chilled, refreshing green boondi raita , kachumber salad , papadum, sliced onion, and a dollop of ghee on top. If you are not too keen on serving raita with pulao, it also tastes good with plain curd or masala curd.

You can store the leftover pulao in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days. It reheats well in a microwave.

My Tried and True Tips

• Rice To Water Ratio: 1 ¼ cup of water to 1 cup of basmati rice. This ratio of rice to water always gives me fluffy, non-sticky veg pulao in a pressure cooker.
• Soak & Roast: Soaking rice for 20 – 30 minutes helps each grain fluff up while cooking. Roasting the soaked rice while cooking the veg pulao gives a lot of flavour to the dish.
• DO NOT COOK for too long. In an instant pot , the vegetable pulao takes only 5 minutes. On a stovetop pressure cooker, two whistles over medium heat are enough. The more you cook rice in a pressure cooker more sticky it will become.

Yes, you can make vegetable pulao with any white/red/brown rice for making pulao. But for an authentic taste and texture, I highly recommend using long-grain basmati rice.

If you add more water than required to the pulao, it turns sticky and not fluffy. Also, pressure cooking for too long often results in mushy rice.

Yes, you can. I like the crunch of cashews in my pulao.

More Indian Pulao Recipes

• Matar Pulao
• Chana Pulao
• Zarda Pulao
• Pudina Pulao
• Chicken Pulao
• Mushroom Pulao
• Paneer Tikka Pulao

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Cup basmati rice or long grain rice
• ▢ ¼ Cup ghee
• ▢ 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• ▢ 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick (dal chini)
• ▢ 1 star anise (phool chakri)
• ▢ 4 green cardamom (elaichi)
• ▢ 4 cloves (laung)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• ▢ ¼ Cup cashews (kaju)
• ▢ 1 Cup thinly sliced onion
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste ( see recipe )
• ▢ ⅓ Cup tomato, chopped
• ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• ▢ ¼ Cup potato, diced
• ▢ ¼ Cup green peas (fresh or frozen) ( see recipe )
• ▢ ¼ Cup carrot, diced
• ▢ ¼ Cup green beans, diced
• ▢ 1 ¼ Cup water
• ▢ ¼ Cup fresh mint leaves
• ▢ 2 green chili, sliced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala ( see recipe )

Instructions

• Rinse basmati rice in water. Soak in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes.
• Collect the soaked rice water in a bowl. Transfer the soaked rice to a colander.
• Set the SAUTE mode of the instant pot for 20 minutes. Add ghee to the inner pot.
• Once the timer is set and the ghee is hot, add whole spices including cumin seeds. Saute for 10 – 20 seconds to release their aroma.
• Add cashews, and saute them as well for 20 seconds.
• Add sliced onion. Fry the onion till they become caramelized and golden. This takes 5 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals otherwise, they will burn.
• Add ginger garlic paste, tomato, salt, and red chili powder. Saute them for 3 – 4 minutes or till tomatoes break down. If the masala is sticking to the inner pot add 1 – 2 tablespoons of water while sauteeing.
• Now add soaked rice, vegetables, and saute them till the timer ends. This step helps in building a layer of flavor.
• Add water, mint leaves, green chili, garam masala, and mix one last time. Seal the lid of the instant pot. Set the steam valve to the SEALING position. PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes. Let the steam release naturally after the cooking time is over.
• Serve vegetable pulao hot with ghee, salad, and papadum.

Recipe Notes:

• Use long-grain, less starchy, white rice like basmati for making pulao.
• For a vegan pulao, use coconut oil or groundnut oil instead of ghee.
• Instead of garam masala, you can add Biryani Masala as well. It gives a deliciously rich flavor to the pulao.
• 1 ¼ cup of water to 1 cup of basmati rice. This ratio of rice to water always gives me fluffy, non-sticky veg pulao in a pressure cooker.
• In a traditional stovetop pressure cooker , this veg pulao requires 2 whistles over medium heat.

Nutrition

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Pressure Cooker Veg Pulao Recipe

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

• 1 Cup basmati rice or long grain rice
• ¼ Cup ghee
• 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
• 1 cinnamon stick (dal chini)
• 1 star anise (phool chakri)
• 4 green cardamom (elaichi)
• 4 cloves (laung)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• ¼ Cup cashews (kaju)
• 1 Cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste ( see recipe )
• ⅓ Cup tomato, chopped
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• ¼ Cup potato, diced
• ¼ Cup green peas (fresh or frozen) ( see recipe )
• ¼ Cup carrot, diced
• ¼ Cup green beans, diced
• 1 ¼ Cup water
• ¼ Cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 green chili, sliced
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala ( see recipe )

Instructions

• Rinse basmati rice in water. Soak in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes.
• Collect the soaked rice water in a bowl. Transfer the soaked rice to a colander.
• Set the SAUTE mode of the instant pot for 20 minutes. Add ghee to the inner pot.
• Once the timer is set and the ghee is hot, add whole spices including cumin seeds. Saute for 10 - 20 seconds to release their aroma.
• Add cashews, and saute them as well for 20 seconds.
• Add sliced onion. Fry the onion till they become caramelized and golden. This takes 5 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals otherwise, they will burn.
• Add ginger garlic paste, tomato, salt, and red chili powder. Saute them for 3 - 4 minutes or till tomatoes break down. If the masala is sticking to the inner pot add 1 - 2 tablespoons of water while sauteeing.
• Now add soaked rice, vegetables, and saute them till the timer ends. This step helps in building a layer of flavor.
• Add water, mint leaves, green chili, garam masala, and mix one last time. Seal the lid of the instant pot. Set the steam valve to the SEALING position. PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes. Let the steam release naturally after the cooking time is over.
• Serve vegetable pulao hot with ghee, salad, and papadum.

Video

Notes

• Use long-grain, less starchy, white rice like basmati for making pulao.
• For a vegan pulao, use coconut oil or groundnut oil instead of ghee.
• Instead of garam masala, you can add Biryani Masala as well. It gives a deliciously rich flavor to the pulao.
• 1 ¼ cup of water to 1 cup of basmati rice. This ratio of rice to water always gives me fluffy, non-sticky veg pulao in a pressure cooker.
• In a traditional stovetop pressure cooker , this veg pulao requires 2 whistles over medium heat.

Nutrition

This Tofu Stir Fry is a tasty and healthy one-pot dinner that gets ready in less than 30 minutes.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

• What is stir-frying?
• Ingredients You’ll Need
• How to prepare the Tofu
• Meal Prep Tips
• Serving Suggestion
• Watch Tofu Stir Fry Video
• Tofu Stir Fry Recipe

What is stir-frying?

Stir-Frying is a Chinese technique of cooking food quickly in a wok with hot oil. In China, it began appearing in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) but has only gained worldwide popularity in the last century, spreading west and well beyond Chinese communities.

Your vegetables retain their nutrients! We know that as you cook vegetables, their nutritional value decreases. In a stir fry, you don’t need to cook the veggies very long. Less cooking + optimal flavour = healthy win!

This tofu stir fry is quick & easy! Prep = 15 minutes, cooking = 15 minutes. The trickiest part is draining the tofu (which isn’t hard at all!).

Ingredients You’ll Need

• The main ingredients for making tofu stir fry is firm tofu.
• For the sauce, you will need garlic ginger paste , rice vinegar, light soy sauce, vegetable stock , brown sugar, chilli powder, Chinese Five Spice Mix, sa lt, and pepper.

Can I use other vegetables? Yes! Other vegetables that work well in tofu stir fry are:

How to prepare the Tofu

( follow step-by-step instructions as shown in the image below )

• First of all, press the tofu firmly with a towel. You can use a cloth or paper towel ( image 1 ).
• Then, cut the tofu into cubes .
• In a bowl, season the tofu cubes with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Mix well, making sure the tofu is evenly coated.
• Heat 2 of the 4 tablespoon of sesame oil in a non-stick pan, and cook the tofu until it’s crispy on all sides, using the heatproof spatula to flip ( image 4 ).

Meal Prep Tips

This Vegan Tofu Stir fry is great to make in bulk and store for lunch or dinner for the week! Here are a few ideas for making this work for you:

• Double the recipe! This recipe serves 4 people; doubling it would make 8 servings. I would freeze half and use it a few weeks later for an easy weeknight meal.
• Take this dish to work for lunch! After you’ve finished cooking, separate the Vegan Tofu Stir Fry (plus a side of rice or noodles if desired) into 4 microwave-safe containers and, when cool, put their lids on and pop them in the fridge.
• When you’re going to work, if the container is in a warm environment for more than 2 hours, pack an ice pack with the container to keep it fresh. To reheat, simply warm tofu stir fry in a microwave until it’s piping hot.

Serving Suggestion

The best way to enjoy this tofu stir fry is with aromatic jasmine rice. For a low carb meal, serve it with shirataki rice or quinoa with a side of smashed cucumber salad and a drizzle of chilli oil .

For an family dinner serve it with chili oil noodles , or pineapple fried rice.

Store the leftover stir fry in the refrigerator. It remains fresh and suitable for consumption for 2 – 3 days. Reheat in a stir-frying pan or microwave.

Watch Tofu Stir Fry Video

More Ways To Eat Tofu

• Crispy Tofu
• Teriyaki Tofu
• Tofu Palak Paneer
• Quinoa Fried Rice
• Chinese Silken Tofu

Ingredients

• ▢ 200 gram fresh tofu, cut into cubes
• ▢ ½ Cup roughly chopped red onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped celery stalk
• ▢ 5 – 6 green beans, cut into half lengthwise
• ▢ ½ Cup broccoli florets
• ▢ ½ Cup red bell pepper diced
• ▢ ½ Cup zucchini cut into cubes
• ▢ ½ Cup yellow bell pepper cut into cubes
• ▢ 4 tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil
• ▢ Salt and black pepper to taste

Ingredients For Sauce

• ▢ ½ Cup vegetable stock or broth ( get recipe )
• ▢ ⅛ Cup light soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste ( get recipe )
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Mix

Ingredients For Garnish:

• ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• ▢ 2 tablespoon spring onion greens

Instructions

Prepare Tofu:

• Firmly press the tofu with a paper towel to drain all the moisture/water. Make sure tofu is completely dry. Then cut into cubes.
• Combine salt, black pepper, half a tablespoon soy sauce, and tofu in a bowl. Mix nicely.
• Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the tofu cubes till crisp from both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with an oil absorbing paper. Set it aside.
• Combine vegetable stock, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger garlic paste, brown sugar, Chinese five spice mix, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Keep it aside.
• In a Chinese wok heat remaining oil and swirl to coat the wok with oil.
• Add ginger, garlic, red chili, celery stalk, and red onion. Stir fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release the aroma of herbs.
• Then add veggies one by one and stir-fry on high heat. Cook for 5 -7 minutes, stirring the skillet. When the vegetables have a shining layer and have softened a bit, add the sauce prepared earlier. Stir to combine.
• Add the crispy tofu cubes. Mix. Cook the stir-fry for 3 – 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
• Add spring onion greens and sesame seeds for garnishing.
• Tofu Veggie Stir Fry tastes best with steamed jasmine rice or chilli garlic noodle s.

Recipe Notes:

• Make sure the tofu is completely dry before frying. Else, it might not turn crispy and stick to the pan.
• Do not cook the vegetables for too long. They will lose the colour and crunch.
• To thicken the sauce, you can use corn starch, potato starch, rice flour, or any other gluten-free thickening agent as well.
• Instead of tofu you can use paneer (cottage cheese), shrimp, boneless chicken, or fish.
• Fridge: After the tofu stir fry has completely cooled, store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: After completely cooling the stir fry, store it in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. The veggies may become relatively soft after freezing, but the flavour will still be amazing!

Nutrition

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