Kashmiri pulao is a delicious and aromatic rice dish from Kashmiri cuisine. With the perfect combination of fresh and dried fruits and aromatic spices, it creates a delightful blend of sweet and savoury flavours and textures.
Kashmiri pulao rice is renowned for its rich and flavorful ingredients, which include fragrant spices, saffron, dry fruits. This restaurant style dish is perfect for special occasions or when you want to treat yourself to something truly delicious.
The mild spice from ginger, sweet flavour of fennel powder and the saffron-infused aroma adds to its charm. The greatest aspect of this dish is that children can enjoy the benefits of fresh and dried fruits, even if they are usually reluctant to them. Additionally, it guarantees a hassle-free mealtime without any tantrums.
Why you will love one pot rice?
Ideal dish for beginners
Easy and quick
Need a few basic ingredients
Ingredients
- Spices: cumin, cloves, green cardamom, cassia, black cardamom, bay leaf, ginger powder, fennel powder and saffron strands.
- Liquids: Plain water to cook pulao.
- Dairy: Ghee to fry spices and dry fruits. A couple of tablespoons of milk to soak the saffron.
- Dry Fruits: Cashew nuts, pistachios, almonds and raisins.
- Fresh Fruits: Apple and pomegranate arils.
- Rice: I have used extra long basmati rice but you could use regular basmati rice as well.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Kashmiri pulao?
Using a deep-bottomed bowl, wash basmati rice under cold tap water 2-3 times or until the water is clear.
Add fresh water and soak the rice for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, gather all the ingredients on the kitchen platform.
Melt ghee. Add the bay leaf, cassia, cloves, black and green cardamon and fry for a few seconds until the spices release the aroma.
Now add the cumin and fry for half a minute and let it splutter.
Add cashew nuts, almonds, raisins and saute for 2-3 minutes or until raisins plump and cashew nuts turn light golden brown.
Drain the rice and combine it with the ginger powder and fennel powder in the pot.
Saute rice with other ingredients gently for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently.
Add saffron milk and press the CANCEL button.
Add water, salt and gently stir to combine rice and dry fruits with liquid.
Secure the pot with the lid and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position.
Press the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL button and set the timer for 4 minutes.
The instant pot displays ON initially and the timer countdown starts once the pressure has been built up.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins.
After 10 minutes, turn the pressure valve to VENT position, wait until the pressure is released completely and the small knob located next to the pressure valve goes down.
Take the lid off the pot, wait for 5 minutes and then fluff the rice with a fork.
Now add chopped apples, pomegranate and pistachios.
Serve Kashmiri pulao with any side dish of your choice.
Substitutions and Variations
Try adding vegetable stock for added flavour. Replace the water with vegetable stock.
Fried onions could be added for extra flavour and crunch.
Fresh pineapple chunks and grapes could be added instead of other fresh fruits.
Serving Suggestions
Kashmiri pulao goes well with fruit raita or cucumber raita and gravy such as plain salna.
It is a perfect dish to serve with mild to medium spiced paneer curries such as malai matar paneer, paneer butter masala, paneer korma or methi malai paneer.
It is a great dish to pack in a kid’s lunchbox along with zucchini corn fritters, vegetable pakora or chickpea veggie patties.
Storage
Fridge: Kashmiri pulao with fruits and nuts stays fresh for 2-3 days in the fridge when stored properly in an airtight container. Transfer the rice to an airtight container once it cools down completely and then store it in the fridge.
Reheat: Place the rice in a microwave-safe bowl to reheat it in the microwave until it’s piping hot. Pause at intervals, remove the bowl from the microwave, and stir the rice using a spoon for even heating.
Freezer: Consider freezing if you cook large quantities of rice to use in the future. Leave out fresh fruits and just cook the rice with dry fruits and spices and let it cool completely. Portion out the rice, transfer it into freezer-safe containers and freeze.
Defrost: Thaw the rice the night before you plan to consume it. Take a portion out of the freezer and pop it in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave until hot. Stir in freshly chopped apples, pomegranate and pistachios just before you serve.
Tips and Tricks
Wash rice: Wash the rice under cold running water, repeating the process 2-3 times until the water runs clear.
Soak rice: Soaking the rice for 15 – 20 minutes reduces the cooking time. If you soak the rice for longer than 30 minutes, adjust the water quantity to avoid it becoming mushy.
Whole spices: Remove the whole spices, as they are essential for infusing sweet rice with a lovely flavour and aroma. These spices have such a strong taste that they leave an unpleasant aftertaste when you bite into them.
Total cook time: The pressure cook time is NOT the complete cooking time. The instant pot takes time to build pressure and then the timer countdown starts. It calculates the time depending on the quantity inside the pot. So the total time taken to get this vegetable rice ready would be the time to saute vegetables and spices + time to come to the pressure + timer countdown + natural pressure release time.
Deglaze: To avoid a BURN message, make sure to deglaze the pot before closing it with a lid.
Stir: Gently stir the rice to prevent grains from breaking while sauteing it with other ingredients.
How to cook Kashmiri Pulao on a stovetop?
Wash the rice under running water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in water for about 15 minutes, and then drain it.
Soak saffron strands in warm milk for 5 mins.
Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan.
Add the cumin seeds, black and green cardamom pods, cloves, cassia, and bay leaf. Sauté for a minute or until the spices become fragrant.
Add cashews, almonds and raisins to the pan and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until the dry fruits become slightly golden.
Add the drained rice, ginger and fennel powder to the pan and sauté it with the other ingredients for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently to avoid breaking the rice grains.
Pour water, saffron milk, add salt to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked, and the water is absorbed. You can also use a rice cooker for this step.
Once the rice is cooked, remove it from heat and let it sit, covered, for about 5-10 minutes.
Fluff the pulao with a fork, mix in pistachios, chopped apple and pomegranate.
Serve Kashmiri pulao hot as a side dish with your favorite curry or enjoy it on its own.
FAQ
Fry some slit green chillies along with dry fruits to add a spicy touch to the pulao.
Of course, you can. Nevertheless, basmati rice is chosen for its fragrance and long grain texture, unlike other varieties. Ensure the correct rice-to-water ratio is used. For typical Indian rice varieties like sona masoori and ponni, the water requirement varies based on rice age, usually needing an extra half or 1 cup. Brown rice requires a couple more cups water and it takes a bit longer to cook.
As it has no meat, kashmiri pulao is typically a vegetarian dish. But it is not a vegan dish, as it uses ghee (clarified butter) and milk. However, it can be made vegan by replacing ghee with any cooking oil and dairy milk with plant-based milk.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do let me know if you make this Kashmiri saffron rice recipe with fruits and nuts. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online. You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribing to my Youtube channel. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?
One Pot Kashmiri Pulao
Equipment
- 1 Spoon (Wooden/Steel)
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
- 450 gms (or) 2 cups Extra long grain basmati rice
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee
- 12 Cashew nuts
- 12 Almonds
- 20 Raisins
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3 Cloves
- 2 Green cardamom
- 1 Black cardamom
- ½ inch Cassia
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin
- pinch Saffron
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger powder
- 1 Teaspoon Fennel powder
- Salt as required
- ¾ Cup Pomegranate arils
- 1 small Apple cored and choppped into small pieces
- 10 Pistachios
- 2 ¼ Cups Water
Instructions
- Using a deep-bottomed bowl, wash basmati rice under cold tap water 2-3 times or until the water is clear.450 gms (or) 2 cups Extra long grain basmati rice
- Add fresh water and soak the rice for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, gather all the ingredients on the kitchen platform.
- Soak saffron strands in a bowl of warm milk.pinch Saffron, 2 Tablespoons Milk
- Plug in an instant pot turn and press sauté button.
- Melt ghee, add the bay leaf, cassia, cloves, black and green cardamon and fry for a few seconds until the spices release the aroma.2 Tablespoons Ghee, 1 Bay leaf, 3 Cloves, 2 Green cardamom, 1 Black cardamom, ½ inch Cassia
- Now add the cumin and fry for half a minute and let it splutter.½ Teaspoon Cumin
- Add cashew nuts, almonds, raisins and saute for 2-3 minutes or until raisins plump and cashew nuts turn light golden brown.12 Cashew nuts, 12 Almonds, 20 Raisins
- Drain the rice and add it to the pot along with the ginger powder and fennel powder.1 Teaspoon Ginger powder, 1 Teaspoon Fennel powder
- Saute rice with other ingredients gently for 2-3 minutes stirring gently.
- Add saffron milk and press the CANCEL button.
- Add water, salt and gently stir to combine rice and dry fruits with liquid.2 ¼ Cups Water, Salt
- Secure the pot with the lid and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position.
- Press the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL button and set the timer for 4 minutes.
- The instant pot displays ON initially and the timer countdown starts once the pressure has been built up.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins.
- After 10 minutes, turn the pressure valve to VENT position wait until the pressure is released completely and the small knob located next to the pressure valve goes down.
- Take the lid off the pot, wait for 5 minutes and then fluff the rice with a fork.
- Now add chopped apples, pomegranate and pistachios.¾ Cup Pomegranate arils, 1 small Apple, 10 Pistachios
- Serve kashmiri pulao with any side dish of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Related
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