Mint Pulao – Aromatic and delicious one-pot rice flavoured with fresh mint and spices. This fresh mint rice gets ready in less than 30 minutes and you can either eat it just by itself or as a side dish. A simple and easy rice recipe that totally takes the stress out of midweek cooking.
This one-pot rice makes an ideal option for a lunchbox and mid-week dinner. This simple rice is quite popular in South-India which is also called pudina rice, pudina pulao. It is the most preferred dish for a lunchbox or a comfort meal on lazy days and on weeknights due to the ease of preparing this dish.
Pudina rice doesn’t need any fancy or a special ingredient that is difficult to get in small grocery stores. This recipe requires just a handful of basic Indian spices that you usually find your spice pantry. I’ve used fennel seeds to infuse a fragrant and aromatic flavour to the rice and coconut milk adds a nutty flavour.
Mint Pulao Recipe Variations
Fry handful cashews or peanuts along with onions for the crunch and extra taste.
Grind one or two green chilies along with mint to make rice spicier.
Fresh vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, beans and peas make a healthy addition.
You may replace water with vegetable stock for added flavour.
How to make perfect mint pulao
Liquid to rice ratio and cooking time plays an important role in deciding the texture of the rice. Too much water makes rice mushy and not adding enough water leaves rice undone and might burn on the bottom. I’ve used basmati rice that requires 1:1.5 rice to water ratio. Follow the instructions on the packet as the cooking time and rice to water ratio vary based on the type of rice you use.
How to serve mint rice
It tastes delicious by itself or it can be served with raita, Jeera Aloo or medium spice curry such as lauki kofta curry, capsicum masala.
Watch how to make mint pulao
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Ingredients
Rice: I’ve used basmati rice, feel free to use any rice variety.
Dry and Whole Spices: This recipe doesn’t require any fancy or rare ingredients, all you need is basic spices such as turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, fennel seeds, bay leaf, cassia, cloves and cardamom.
Liquids: Water, oil and coconut milk. I’ve used store-bought coconut milk you may use homemade coconut milk.
Instructions
Grind fresh mint leaves and fennel seeds with little water to make a paste.
Cook onions and ginger-garlic paste with whole spices and cumin until soft and translucent.
Now add tomatoes followed by mint leaves, mint-fennel paste, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and cook for 2 minutes or until raw aroma vanishes.
Add water, coconut milk and bring it to boil.
Finally, add washed rice and gently mix.
Close the pot with a lid and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until rice cooks well.
Serve delicious mint rice any side dish of your choice or on its own.
More Rice recipes
Mint Pulao (Pudina Rice)
Ingredients
1 cup = 250ml ; 1 tbsp = 15ml
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1/2 inch Cassia (dalchini)
- 1 Cardamom
- 3 Cloves
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 cup (131 gms) Onion 1 large, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 cup (113 gms) Tomato 1 large, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1.5 tsp Chilli powder
- Salt as required
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
- 1 cup (205 gms) Rice
- 2 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 cup (23 gms) Mint
Instructions
- Wash rice 2-3 times with cold water and keep the rice aside.
- Grind 3/4 cup mint leaves and fennel seeds with little water in a blender until smooth.
- In a deep pot or stockpot, heat oil on medium-low heat.
- Add cumin, cassia, cloves, cardamom and saute for few seconds or until cumin sizzles.
- Now add onions and ginger- garlic paste, sauté well. Slightly increase the heat and cook for a minute or until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add tomatoes, mint leaves, saute well.
- Now reduce the flame slightly and add turmeric followed by chili powder, salt and ground mint-fennel seed paste. Mix well until all the spices are well combined with vegetables.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the raw aroma of spices vanishes. Keep stirring regularly to avoid burning the spices and vegetable mixture.
- Add coconut milk, water and mix well. Increase the flame to medium-high heat and bring it to boil.
- Now add washed rice, mix gently until well combined with liquids and masala. Close the pot with a lid and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until rice is well cooked.
- Turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes before you open the lid.
- Serve piping hot mint rice with raita or any side dish of your choice.
Video
Notes
Notes
Adjust spices as per your preferred taste.
The liquid ratio may vary depending on the quality and variety of rice you use. Check the rice packet for the liquid to rice ratio and cooking time.
You may reduce the coconut milk to half of the quantity mentioned here and use more water.
Combine rice with liquids gently to ensure rice grains do not break.
Rice soaked for 10-15 minutes cooks quicker than the rice that is not soaked.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do let me know if you make this pudina rice. I love to get feedback from readers.
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