You’ll love this Vegetable Pulao made with fresh or frozen mixed vegetables, potatoes, and just a few spices for a simple rice pulao, perfect as a side dish or main dish for any meal!
This is one of those dishes, that we make time and time again, anytime we can’t figure out what’s for dinner.
This vegetable pulao is great any day of week! Whether you’re looking for a rice side dish or an easy main dish, this vegetable pulao is a great lunch or dinner option.
It is also a great option for those days when you haven’t thought about dinner far enough in advance, and the clock is ticking!
It uses frozen mixed vegetables, so there is no chopping involved. Though you most certainly can use any fresh vegetables you have on hand!
We love this vegetable pulao with a simple dry curry, like this Keema Aloo: Ground Beef & Potato Curry, or with Kababs and grilled meats, like Tandoori Chicken or Seekh Kabab.
This vegetable pulao is a simple dish, and it can also be a great base for a grain bowl that can be part of your meal planning routine!
Ingredients for Vegetable Pulao
- Rice – We typically use long-grain-aged Basmati rice for this recipe. We love using Royal Basmati Rice.
- Whole spices – this recipe uses cloves, black pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin. They get added at the beginning of the cooking process so they can bloom.
- Ground spices – Turmeric, coriander powder, Cumin powder, Red chili powder. These get added later on so that they do not burn.
- Mixed Vegetables – Frozen mixed vegetables are ideal for this recipe! They cook in just as much time as the rice, without turning too soft!
- Ginger & garlic paste – This is a popular addition to lots of Pakistani and Indian dishes. It is made with equal parts of crushed ginger and crushed garlic. If you opt to make your own, you can make a big batch ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for about two weeks.
- Tomatoes – For this recipe, you can use either fresh or canned crushed tomatoes, whichever you have on hand!
How to make Vegetable Pulao?
This vegetable pulao is a quick recipe you can get on the table in under an hour.
#1: Wash and soak the basmati rice
This is an important step for any rice-based dish in Indian/Pakistani cuisine. It helps the rice cook properly to its core and enhances the flavor of the rice.
#2: Bloom the whole spices
Once you’re ready to start cooking, turn the flame on low heat, and add the oil as well as the wholes spices (cloves, black pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin).
Continue to cook on low heat until the whole spices start to release their fragrance.
#3: Saute the Potatoes
At this point you can increase the flame to medium heat, then add in the chopped potatoes.
#4: Add the Aromatics
Next, add in all the ingredients that will give this vegetable pulao flavor.
Add in the aromatics in this order, while allowing each ingredient to cook for a few minutes before adding in the next.
- Chopped onions – cook until they start to get translucent (2-3 minutes)
- Garlic and ginger paste – stir with the rest of the ingredients for 2-3 minutes.
- Ground spices – cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili, and turmeric powder, stirred together for 2 minutes
- Tomatoes – stir in the tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes for crushed tomatoes. For fresh tomatoes, allow them to cook for 3-4 minutes to allow them to release their juices.
#5: Add in the mixed vegetables and rice
Add in the mixed vegetables and mix it in for 2-3 minutes.
Then, drain the soaked rice and add it to the pot. Mix everything together.
#6: Add Water and Simmer
Finally, add in about 2 cups of water. A good rule of thumb is that the water should be 3/4-inch above rice in the pot.
Let the water come to a boil. Then turn the flame to low heat, and let it cook for 25-30 minutes.
#7: Uncover and Fluff the rice
Check the rice for 25 minutes to make sure all the water has been absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
If the rice is cooked when you check and there is still water left, uncover the pot, and allow it to cook until the water has fully evaporated.
If there is no water but the rice is still uncooked, add about a little more water, starting with 1/4 of a cup of water. Stir the rice so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Then continue to cook at low heat.
Once it is cooked, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve!
How to serve Vegetable Pulao
We love serving this vegetable pulao as a rice side dish with different kababs and grill food:
- Tandoori Chicken: Pakistani BBQ Chicken
- Seekh Kabab – Pakistani Ground Beef Skewers
- Ground Beef Cutlets – Pakistani Beef Kabab Burgers
- Chapli Kabab
You can also add a raita and a simple salad to make it a complete meal!
If you try this Vegetable Pulao recipe, we’d love to see it!
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Vegetable Pulao
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Rice washed and soaked
- 1 cup Mixed Vegetables frozen is okay to use
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Onion, small chopped
- 1 Potato, medium peeled, chopped into 6-8 pieces
- 1 tsp Ginger & garlic paste
- 1 Tomoato, chopped and peeled or ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- 1-2 Chopped green chilli optional, for spice
- 4 tbsp Oil
- Salt as per taste
Whole Spices
- Cinnamon stick about 2 inches in length
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Black cardamom
- 3 Black pepper
- 3 Cloves
Ground Spices
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- ½ tsp Red chilli powder
Instructions
- Wash and soak basmati rice for 20- 30 mins
- In a large pot add oil on low heat and the wholes spices (cloves, black pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cumin), until fragrant.
- Increase heat to medium, and add in chopped potatoes and saute for a few minutes
- Add in chopped onion and cook stir for a couple of minutes, until onions start to get transulent
- Add in 1 teaspoon garlic and ginger paste and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Add the ground spices (cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli, and turmeric powder)
- Add in crushed or chopped tomatoes and let it cook for a couple of minutes, then add vegetables. Mix well.
- Drain the soaked rice, add it to the pot, and mix well.
- Add in about 2 cups of water or enough water so that it is 3/4-inch above the rice in the pot.
- Once water comes to a boil, turn the flame to low, and let simmer, covered for 25-40 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed, and the rice is tender.
- Turn off the flame, and use fork to fluff the rice.