This chana pulao is a wholesome meal made with tender chickpeas, and fluffy rice seasoned with simple spices and refreshing herbs perfect for a weeknight comfort meal.
Indian and Pakistani cuisine has a variety of rice dishes. While the classic Chicken Biryani or Meat Biryani often gets the spotlight, simple pulaos are the perfect answer to your weeknight dinner woes.
This chana pulao is a one-pot meal made with chickpeas, rice and lots of spices for the ultimate comfort food, or meal prep idea.
Easy Chana Pulao makes the perfect weeknight dinner
This chana pulao is the perfect one-pot meal if you’re looking for something quick, easy, and wholesome.
You’ll love this easy chana pulao recipe
- Works with canned chickpeas, or use dried chickpeas if you have a little more time to prepare.
- A true one-dish meal – it comes together in one pot if using canned chickpeas
- Mildly spiced and refreshing – with lots of spices and herbs
- Can be a main dish, or a side dish with your favorite kababs and grilled meats
- The ultimate wholesome comfort food – with tender chickpeas, and fluffy rice
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more rice dishes for dinner, here are some of our favorite rice dishes that are the perfect main dishes:
- Keema Masoor Pulao: One-Pot Pilaf with Lentils and Ground Beef
- Vegetable Pulao: Pakistani Vegetable Rice Recipe
- Ribbon Rice: Layered meat and rice dish
- Chicken Pulao
Ingredients & Notes
- Chickpeas – you can either prepare dry chickpeas and cook them before adding them or you can use canned chickpeas for this recipe. When using dry chickpeas, we love using our Instant Pot to make the process quicker.
- Rice – We typically use long-grain-aged Basmati rice for our rice recipes. We love using Royal Basmati Rice.
- Onion – we typically use either a white or yellow onion for this pulao. Slice or dice the onions before adding them so they cook quickly.
- Whole Spices – cloves, bay leaf, black peppercorns, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, and whole cumin seeds – these whole spices are added at the beginning of the recipe, and really make this chana pulao flavorful.
- Tomato – both chopped, fresh tomatoes or crushed tomatoes will work for this recipe.
- Ground Spices – coriander powder, cumin powder, Garam Masala – the ground spices are added to the pot a little later in the recipe and round out the flavors. Store-bought or homemade garam masala works for this recipe.
- Oil – any neutral oil will work for this recipe. We typically use canola or vegetable oil when cooking.
- Herbs – cilantro, dried mint, green chilli, lemon juice – add a fresh flavor to balance the warmth of the other spices.
How to make Chana Pulao?
Wash and soak the Basmati rice, and set it aside for at least 15 minutes.
In a wide mouth pot, add oil and chopped/sliced onion on medium heat.
Once the onions are translucent & soft, add the whole spices(cloves, bay leaf, big and small cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorn and cumin seeds). Cook till the spices are fragrant.
Add the ginger & garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add a couple of tablespoons of water to avoid burning the spices if it’s too hot.
Next, add the ground spices – cumin, coriander and garam masala. Mix well.
Add the chopped/crushed tomato, dry mint leaves and the slit green chilli. Mix to incorporate.
Add the cooked chickpeas and soaked Basmati rice. Mix well.
Add lemon juice. Next, add the water. Add enough water so that it is ½-inch above the rice.
Let the water boil, then cover and cook the rice on low heat for 10-15 until the rice has soaked all the moisture and is cooked. If the rice is fully cooked and extra water remains, cook uncovered for 5 minutes to help if remaining.
Then turn off the heat, fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish the chana pulao with cilantro and green chilli if using.
Tips and Serving Suggestions
This Chana Pulao is a wholesome and nutritious meal and can be served as the main dish on its own, with a side like mint raita, boondi raita, kachumber, or gajar ka achaar.
If you prefer a heavier meal, you can also serve this along with a kabab or grilled meat dish. Some of our favorites to pair with with chana pulao are:
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Chana Pulao
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpeas, dried or 2.5 to 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup Basmati Rice washed, and soaked for 15 minutes
- ½ cup Neutral oil
- 1 Onion, medium chopped
- 1 Tomato, medium chopped or ½ cup crushed tomato
- 1 tablespoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- ½ -1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1-2 teaspoons Mint leaves, dried
- 2-3 Green chilli
- ½ cup Cilantro Chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons Lemon juice
- Salt as per taste
Whole Spices
- 3 Green cardamoms, small
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (whole)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 10 Black peppercorn
- 2 Black Cardamom
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 5 Cloves
Instructions
Preparing the chickpeas
- In a pot, soak the chickpeas for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
- Add chickpeas to a large pot with a bit of salt and add water. Bring it to a boil and cook for 30-45 minutes. The cooking time will vary based on how long you soaked the chickpeas.
- Once cooked, drain the chickpeas and use them for the pulao.
- If using canned chickpeas, drain and wash the chickpeas before using.
Chana Pulao
- Wash and soak the Basmati rice, and set it aside for at least 15 minutes.
- In a wide mouth pot, add oil and chopped/sliced onion on medium heat.
- Once the onions are translucent & soft, add the whole spices(cloves, bay leaf, big and small cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorn and cumin seeds). Cook till the spices are fragrant.
- Add the ginger & garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of water to avoid burning the spices if it's too hot.
- Next, add the ground spices – cumin, coriander and garam masala. Mix well.
- Add the chopped/crushed tomato, dry mint leaves and the slit green chilli. Mix to incorporate.
- Add the chickpeas and soaked Basmati rice. Mix well. Add lemon juice. Next, add the water. Add enough water so that it is ½-inch above the rice.
- Let the water boil, then cover and cook the rice on low heat for 10-15 until the rice has soaked all the moisture and is cooked. If the rice is fully cooked and extra water remains, cook uncovered for 5 minutes to help if remaining.
- Then turn off the heat, fluff the rice with a fork and sprinkle your rice with cilantro and green chilli if using.
- Serve chana pulao with raita or yogurt kachumber.