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long shot of vegetable pulao in a white bowl placed on a tile along with a spoon, cucumber, curry and raita.
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5 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Vegetable Pulao

Vegetable pulao is a delightful gluten-free and vegan one-pot rice recipe prepared with assorted vegetables, spices, herbs and rice. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time16 minutes
Natural Pressure release10 minutes
Total Time36 minutes
Course: Main Course, rice
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6
Calories: 7962kcal
Author: Geetha

Equipment

  • 1 Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

  • 460 gms (or) 3 cups Basmati Rice
  • 3 Tablespoons Oil
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • ½ inch Cassia / Dalchini
  • 3 Cloves
  • 2 Green Cardamom
  • 1 Black Cardamom
  • small piece Black Stone Flower/Kalpasi
  • 1 Teaspoon Cumin
  • 92 gms Onion sliced
  • 1 ½ Teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 5 Green chillies cut length wise, (adjust to taste)
  • 160 gms (or) 1 cup (or) 3 medium Carrot washed, peeled and diced
  • 85 gms (or) ⅓ cup (or) 25 Green Beans cut into 1 inch length
  • 100 gms (or) ½ cup Frozen Green Peas thaw
  • 223 gms (or) 1 cup (or) 2 medium Potatoes washed, peeled and diced
  • handful Fresh Mint Leaves roughly chopped
  • handful Fresh Coriander Leaves finely chopped
  • 1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
  • Salt as required
  • 400 ml (or) 2 ½ cups Coconut Milk
  • 250ml (or) 1 cup Water

Instructions

  • Using a deep-bottomed bowl, wash the rice under cold tap water 2-3 times or until the water is clear. 
    460 gms (or) 3 cups Basmati Rice
  • Add fresh water and soak the rice for 15 minutes. 
  • Meanwhile, gather the chopped vegetables and the rest of the ingredients on the kitchen platform. 
  • Plug in an instant pot, turn the sauté mode ON and add oil. 
    3 Tablespoons Oil
  • Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaves, cassia, cloves, black stone flower, black and green cardamon and fry for a few seconds until the spices release the aroma. 
    1 Bay Leaf, ½ inch Cassia / Dalchini, 3 Cloves, 2 Green Cardamom, 1 Black Cardamom, small piece Black Stone Flower/Kalpasi
  • Now add the cumin and fry for half a minute and let it splutter. 
    1 Teaspoon Cumin
  • Add the onion, ginger garlic paste, salt and sauté for 5-6 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
    92 gms Onion, 1 ½ Teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste, Salt
  • Now add the green chillies, mint and sauté for a minute.
    5 Green chillies, handful Fresh Mint Leaves
  • Stir in the carrots, beans, potatoes, garam masala and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir regularly to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the base of the pot.
    160 gms (or) 1 cup (or) 3 medium Carrot, 85 gms (or) ⅓ cup (or) 25 Green Beans, 100 gms (or) ½ cup Frozen Green Peas, 223 gms (or) 1 cup (or) 2 medium Potatoes, 1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
  • While the vegetables are cooking, drain water from the soaked rice. 
  • Press CANCEL button.
  • Add the soaked rice, coconut milk, water, coriander and gently stir. Check the taste and add more salt if necessary. 
    460 gms (or) 3 cups Basmati Rice, 400 ml (or) 2 ½ cups Coconut Milk, 250ml (or) 1 cup Water, handful Fresh Coriander Leaves
  • 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 6 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.
  • Enjoy scrumptious instant pot vegetable pulao with any side dish of your choice.

Video

Notes

Rinse and wash the rice under cold running water at least 3-4 times until the water is clear.
The rice-to-water ratio might vary depending on the type of rice you use. Follow the instructions on the rice packet. 
Soaking the rice for 15 minutes reduces the cooking time. However, if you soak the rice for more than 20 minutes, cut down the liquid slightly to compensate, otherwise, the rice might turn a little mushy. 
Try to remove the whole spices as they are used to infuse the lovely flavour and aroma to the pilau rice. The taste of these spices is so strong that it leaves an unpleasant aftertaste when you bite them.
The type of rice you use and the hardness of the water determines the cooking 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.
Ensure to deglaze the pot before closing it with a lid to prevent a BURN message.
 
   

Nutrition

Calories: 7962kcal | Carbohydrates: 1770g | Protein: 203g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 1881mg | Potassium: 41432mg | Fiber: 254g | Sugar: 215g | Vitamin A: 272741IU | Vitamin C: 1797mg | Calcium: 1974mg | Iron: 74mg