Hariyali pulao or green veg pulao is a great one pot rice dish for an easy weeknight meal. This hara bhara pulao or green pulao recipe is a great way of boosting your iron content. Sometimes kids don't want to eat a green curry.This herb rice recipe also helps us use any left over vegetables and eat healthy food. It is ready under 30 minutes so perfect when I am heading out.
I love to make it when I am heading to market to buy my veggies. It helps to clean out the refrigerator before the new stuff comes in. It can be paired with a simple pot set yogurt or just simple dal fry.This way meal is ready before I come home tired. Simple food and no takeaway! Different types of vegetable pulav recipes also come handy when guests are coming over. I love to use long grain basmati rice but you may use any long grain rice to make this easy recipe.
We make so many types of veg pulav recipe, in India. Some are lentil based like kabuli pulao,chana dal pulao, gatte ka pulao. Then there are easy pulao recipes which are vegetable based like tawa pulao, beetroot pulao. Others are non-veg based like keema pulao, chicken yakhni pulao, anda pulao, ilish pulao. Others are famous as per the region like Parsi berry pulao, Banarasi pulao, Kashmiri pulao and Goan prawn pulao. Perfect to make to celebrate any special occasion.
You can never get bored of all these different pulao recipes. Basically every region and family has their own special pilaf recipe. They can be vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or even non veg based. Each special on its own especially when guests are coming home. You can never get wrong with it. Kids love to it eat and its a non fussy meal. Another great variation is tofu pulao.
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Equipment
- Saucepan
- Food processor for chopping optional
Ingredients
- Basmati rice
- Carrot
- Capsicum / bell peppers
- Green peas fresh or frozen
- Spinach or palak freshly chopped or frozen
- Water
- Ghee/ oil if vegan
- Spices
- Bay leaf or tej patta
- Black cardamom or badi elaichi / green cardamom(choti elaichi) or both
- Cloves or laung
- Black pepper or kali mirchi
- Cinnamon sticks or dalchini
- Ginger
- Salt as per taste
Refer to recipe card for details.
Related rice recipes
How to make hariyali pulao?
- Soak the basmati rice in water after washing it for 2-3 times.
- Chop the veggies and keep them ready.
- Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add bay leaves, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. If you are adding onions, add at this stage and cook until pink. Next add carrots as they take longer to soften.
- Add mixed capsicums and mix well. I love adding all colors of peppers as it makes it so colorful.
- Add the chopped greens and mix well. You can add spinach, amaranth, coriander, mint and even methi or fenugreek whatever is available
- Now, add the peas. If you like corn you may add that too.
- Add rice and water(water is double the quantity of rice). Cover and cook until the water is absorbed.
- Serve hariyali pulao hot with yogurt dip raita or some dal tadka if vegan.
Variation - Classic veg pulao without greens
You may add chopped onions and potatoes, corn or baby corn as a variation to this easy pulao recipe. Some people also like to add fried paneer too it if not vegan. Vegans can always add tofu to this veg pulao recipe. You can also add a spoonful of garam masala and stock powder if you do not have whole spices at home. Always adjust salt according to stock powder as it already has onion garlic and salt in it.
You may also garnish this basmati rice pulao recipe with fried onions and fried nuts like cashews & sliced almonds. If you want to make a jain veg pulao recipe, avoid using stock powder,onions and potatoes. You can also add coriander leaves and mint leaves to this recipe.
There are different types of pulao recipes. There is a sindhi pulao recipe with just onions.You can also just make a veg pulao restaurant style by just using some vegetables with basmati rice. All the ingredients are same as the above recipe,however we do not use any green here.
- Take the choicest of vegetables, chop them up. -Sweet corn, green peas, green beans, red and green peppers,carrots.
- Heat oil in a pan, add spices such as bay leaves,cumin seeds, black pepper and cloves
- Cook the vegetables for 4-5 minutes
- Add the rice with peas and corn.
- Wash pre-soaked basmati rice.
- Cook with double the amount of water (compared to rice) and serve warm once done.
Serve it with plain yogurt or any dal for vegans.
Green veg pulav recipe | Hariyali pulao recipe
Equipment
- deep saucepan
- food processor for chopping optional
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup basmati rice washed and soaked for 30 mins in water.
- 3.5 cups water
- 1 onion medium chopped
- 2 cups spinach leaves any greens ,optional can be skipped if you like.
- ¾ cup carrots
- ½ cup capsicum chopped
- ½ cup peas
- salt as per taste
- 2-3 tbsp. ghee or oil if vegan
Spices
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 black cardamom /badi elaichi
- 3 cloves /laung
- 3-4 black pepper /kali mirchi
- 1 ginger small piece
- 1-2 cinnamon or dalchini
Instructions
- Soak the rice in water after washing it for 2-3 times.
- Chop the veggies and keep them ready.
- Heat oil/ghee in a pan.Add bay leaves,cloves ,cinnamon and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add ginger and carrots. Add little salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now, add the mixed peppers and cook it until it softens slightly.
- Add the chopped greens and mix well. You may add frozen or fresh spinach as per your choice.
- Now, add the peas and mix well. If you like more spices in food you may add some vegetable stock powder and garam masala at this stage. Adjust salt accordingly. Note: stock powder has both onion and garlic in it so use according to your taste.
- Add rice and water(water is double the quantity of rice) .Mix well. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed.
- Serve hot with raita dip or with dal tadka if vegan.
Substitution
You can always substitute fresh veggies with frozen corn, peas and chopped veggies from market if in a hurry. Use teaspoon of garam masala if you do not have whole spices handy.
Simple vegetable pulao recipe can also be made with sona masuri or short grained rice if you want to enjoy it on weeknights or a simple meal for saturday evenings.
You may use brown basmati or sella rice too depending on your choice. However, you will need to adjust the water according to the rice used to make pulao rice.
You can use an instant pot to make this recipe. Adjust the water according to the white rice used. You can also use stovetop pressure cooker to make a quick recipe.
Storage
While it is important to eat fresh, you can store hariyali pulao in refrigerator for 1-2 days. Always heat the pilaf before eating.
FAQs
If water content in pulao is less, it will turn out dry.
Add enough water and let it simmer for 5 mins or until it is cooked.
Conclusion: If you are looking for vegetarian inspirations, Indian cuisine showcases how best a pulao can be made by transforming white rice to something special, after addition of vegetables and aromatic whole spices.
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