Green Chutney Pulao with Corn

Green Chutney Pulao is a spicy and flavorful rice and vegetable pulav/pulao/pilaf infused with flavors of fresh green coriander/cilantro chutney. It is an excellent dish for a quick meal, a great lunch box option and an easy one-pot dish for any occasion! Paired with a raita, salad or just plain potato chips, it makes for a complete and delicious meal for any time.

On days when I feel I need to have a quick lunch which can get me out of the kitchen in a jiffy, chutney pulao saves my day! Coriander chutney is almost always in my refrigerator which I stock to use with lip-smacking chaat dishes like Pani Puri, to dunk my potato bondas or aloo tikki in, or a divine dip for my vegetable samosas, so digging into this green chutney pulao is just a few minutes away!

Vegetable pulao has always been my favorite quick rice dish to make with vegetables already in my refrigerator like peas, corn kernels, beans, carrots etc. Normally, I serve this with a side of chips or salad for an easy and fast lunch.

The last time I had visited my younger son; my daughter-in-law prepared this easy but amazingly divine chutney pulao with fresh green coriander chutney and a quick pulao. It tasted amazing and when I was watching her make it, I found that she sautés the chutney for a few seconds in oil/butter along with a single cube of vegetarian seasoning cube! Aha, that was the secret ingredient in the simple but delicious chutney pulao.

So, I have tried to recreate it in my kitchen to share with all of you. Just make a fresh green chutney with cilantro/coriander leaves, jalapenos, cumin seeds, ginger (and garlic; optional) and lemon juice. Meanwhile, prepare a quick pulao with rice (I have used Basmati rice) and any vegetable you have; I have used corn, carrots and green beans.

Once the pulao is ready, sauté or fry the chutney in some oil, ghee or butter with a seasoning cube (I have used a vegetarian seasoning cube which we normally use in soups; you can use chicken or any other seasoning cube or even omit it if you do not have any) and then gently mix in the fluffed up pulao until heated through and the aromatic chutney has totally flavored the rice. That is it!

Sautéing the green aromatic cilantro chutney gives rice a heavenly aroma and taste as opposed to cooking the chutney along with the pulao as seen in most chutney pulaos I have seen online!

If you have chutney already stocked and have some leftover rice or pulao, making this chutney pulao is all the easier, especially when unexpected guests drop by or when you need to get out of the kitchen fast!  So, do try this easy and healthy chutney pulao and enjoy with either a side of salad like… or raita and chips.

A delicious and enticing rice and vegetable pulav flavored with cilantro and green chili chutney. For a totally vegan option, just avoid the ghee while cooking.

UPDATED AUGUST 19, 2020:

As you know, I always have fresh coriander chutney in my fridge to enjoy with chaats, samosas, in sandwiches etc. So, for a quick lunch today, made this one-pot chutney pulao. Instead of making the rice separately, fry the chutney and veggies and then cook the rice in a pressure cooker like you would any pulao and there you go: one-pot, delicious, quick, mouthwatering and spicy CHUTNEY PULAO with CORN in a jiffy!

I was out of seasoning cube, nevertheless, it still tasted absolutely heavenly!

Lets make us some pulao!

How  to make Green Chutney Pulao:

• Place all the ingredients under “chutney” into a blender and make a fine paste.

• Keep aside.

To make the pulao:

• Wash and drain rice and keep aside.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a  pressure cooker or pressure pan; once the oil is hot, add the whole spices; cloves, cinnamon and cardamom.

• Saute on medium high until aromatic; a few seconds.
• Stir in finely chopped onions, green chillies, garlic and ginger.
• Saute until the onions are soft.

• Add the chopped vegetables and mix well.

• Stir in washed and drained rice along with ghee and fry on medium heat until each grain of rice is coated well with oil and ghee and most of the moisture is gone.

• Add 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups of hot water and salt to taste; bring to boil.

• Close the pressure pan and cook for 2 whistles or for 5 minutes after the first whistle. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Once the pressure settles down, fluff up the pulao, taking care not to break the rice grains.

To make the chutney pulao:

• Heat a large saucepan or kadai and add 1 tablespoon of oil; once the oil is hot, stir in the chutney and crumbled seasoning cube.

• Sauté on medium heat for a few minutes until oil separates and the mixture is fragrant.
• Stir in cooked and fluffed up pulao and mix well. Heat on medium high heat until the chutney is mixed well and the rice is heated through.

• Remove from heat; squeeze half a lemon and serve hot with raita, chips, salad etc.

• Enjoy!!!!

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