Quick Vegetable Pulao Recipe

Ever since I started handling my twins on my own, my workload for cooking and cleaning has increased multi-fold.  So I’m trying to prep a little faster, make things a little simpler, and cook a little quicker these days.  While two years back I used to do a lot of things from scratch and use individual whole spices and follow all the detailing, it has changed quite a bit now.  So when I made this quick vegetable pulao one day – instead of adding black peppercorns, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and all those whole spices for pulao – I added some garam masala powder that is made of the similar spices that go in pulao.  Taste was not entirely compromised upon, just prepping and cooking time was.

Quick Vegetable Pulao Recipe

1 heaping cup chopped vegetables

3 cups cooked Basmati rice

1 Tbsp ghee

1 Tbsp oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

½ cup water

½ tsp garam masala powder

¼ cup broken cashew nuts

Salt and black pepper powder to taste

I sort of follow this ratio of 1 cup chopped vegetables : 2.5-3 cups cooked rice

Commonly used vegetables for pulao: carrots, green beans, green peas, corn, cauliflower, onion

I used only carrots and beans, and used regular Sona Masoori rice this time when I cooked and clicked.

In a medium pan on medium heat, add the ghee and once hot – roast cashew nuts until light brown, stir constantly so they don’t scorch.  Strain and keep aside.

In the same pan add the oil, once hot – add cumin seeds, let them sizzle, add vegetables, add salt and black pepper powder, mix well, add water, cover and cook until vegetables tender and hold their shape and are not mushy.  Add garam masala powder, mix well, add cooked rice, mix well but mix gently because you don’t want the rice to break.  Taste and adjust, add the roasted cashew nuts, and done!  Serve vegetable pulao with raita.

Since this quick vegetable pulao was made with cooked rice, it was made in an instant.  Otherwise the whole shindig would have been to sauté whole spices and vegetables and ginger-garlic paste and raw rice and salt and pepper and some mint and add three times the amount of water and cover and cook until water evaporates and garnish with some sautéed or fried onion strings and cilantro.  May be someday I will get the time for this kind of pulao.  Haha.

Enjoy.

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