Name: INSTANT POT SATVIC VEGETABLE PULAO
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups Basmati rice; Vegetables – about 1 to 1 ½ cups diced or chopped (carrots, green beans, cauliflower, green peas, corn etc.); Tomatoes – 2 small; 1 to 2 green chilies/Serrano peppers; 3 tablespoon oil; 1 teaspooon jeera/cumin seeds; 3-4 cloves; 1 piece cinnamon stick; 2 green cardamoms; 3-4 tsp coriander powder; ½ teaspoon haldi/turmeric powder; ½ teaspoon black pepper powder; Salt to taste; 2 cups hot water

INSTANT POT SATVIK VEGETABLE PULAO (with step-wise photos) is a delicious, mildly spiced, no-onion, no-garlic one-pot dish, with lots of vegetables and fragrant Basmati rice, flavored with an array of minimal spices infused in each grain of the pulao.

It is best served with any raita like boondi raita, cucumber raita or just plain yogurt but if making vegan, just a side of some salad or juice is suffice.

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WHAT IS SATVIK VEGETABLE PULAO:

Pulao or “Pilaf” is one of the most sought after Indian rice dishes all over the world. It is an aromatic blend of rice and assorted vegetables or meat using different exotic spices and normally served with a raita.

Vegetable Pulao uses only vegetables. There are many variations of spicy, flavorful pulaos, but this variation is distinct because it uses no onions or garlic, hence people who follow a satvik diet or for most Indians who avoid these two ingredients on special religious days can easily make and enjoy it!!

MAKING SATVIC VEGETABLE PULAO IN PRESSURE COOKER (instant pot/stove top pressure cooker)

I already have the stove top version (without using pressure cooker here) in one of my earlier posts. You can check that out if you do not have or want to use a pressure cooker.

But I am all for using pressure cookers for most dishes, both the stove top and electric one; saves time and effort.

The electric one (Instant Pot) is kinda what I use more as it is totally worry free, very less hands on time one and no rushing to lower the heat or attend to it when the pressure builds up or if it lets out a whistle as in stove top pressure cooker.

To make this pulao, all you need to do is sauté the spices and rice in the pot, add veggies and hot water (quickens the process) and pressure cook for 5 minutes in Instant Pot and 7 minutes on stove top pressure cooker.

Easy peasy and still super delicious with absolutely no effort!

You will not miss the onions or garlic!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE SATVIK VEGETABLE PULAO:

Basmati Rice – this is the best kind of rice to use for pulaos or biryanis as they are not only aromatic, but when cooked properly, each grain will stand out beautifully…long and tender yet with still a bite to it! Make sure to use aged Basmati for best results. You can use regular rice too instead.

Vegetables - I have used frozen vegetables here as I wanted to make it super quick. You can use fresh ones as well. In my veggie pack, there were carrots, beans, green peas and corn. You can use any you have or like.

Tomatoes – Just a couple to puree along with green chilies.

Spices (whole and powdered) – cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamoms, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, coriander powder.

Yogurt – most pulaos and biryanis do have this but if you are vegan, you can omit it.

Then of course oil (and ghee if not vegan) and salt to taste go without saying.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE INSTANT POT SATVIK VEGETABLE PULAO:

Wash 1 ½ cups Basmati rice in plenty of water (at least 4-5 times), rubbing it gently every time until the water runs almost clear.

Soak in water for about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside. If in a hurry, you can skip the soaking part; I do that many times and do not notice that much of a difference.

If using fresh vegetables, wash and chop them into small cubes or slices. You will need about 1 to 1 ½ cups of mixed vegetables.

Puree 2 small tomatoes along with 1 green chili in a blender.

To make the pulao:

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil (or a mixture of oil and ghee if not vegan) in the inner pot of Instant Pot on “Sauté”

When the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds, 3-4 cloves, 1 small piece of cinnamon and 2 green cardamoms.

Let it aromatize the oil for a few seconds and then sprinkle ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder and 3 teaspoons coriander powder. Stir to coat with oil and fry a bit.

Add the tomato puree.

Mix well and sauté or fry, stirring continuously until the oil starts to separate from the mixture.

Toss in the drained basmati rice along with grated ginger (1 teaspoon) and mix.

Fry this on medium heat, stirring often to toast the rice a bit, scraping the bottom as you do.

When fairly toasted, add the veggies (fresh or frozen) and ½ cup yogurt if using. Mix well.

Add 2 cups hot water and 1 ½ teaspoons or to taste salt.

Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot while mixing as you do not want burnt or stuck portions at the bottom; they will burn in your stove top pressure cooker and give a “BURN” signal on your instant pot while pressure cooking.

Turn the sauté button off, TURN THE VENT TO SEAL and pressure cook on “HIGH” for exactly 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, press “cancel” button and NPR (naturally pressure release) for about 10 minutes.

(If using stove top pressure cooker, let the pressure drop naturally).

After 10 minutes, QPR or quickly release the pressure manually in the Instant Pot.

Let the pulao sit in the pot for a good 15 minutes to allow for any excess moisture to be absorbed (or if you feel it may overcook, remove the inner pot from IP and set aside on the counter, loosely covered.

Open the lid when fairly warm when the rice grains have absorbed all the moisture and each grain of rice is separate.

Fluff the pulao gently using a spatula, taking care not to break the rice grains as much as possible.

That is it! Time to dig into mouthwatering, mildly spiced yet super delicious and quick to make satvik vegetable pulao.

This easy dish makes for a perfect lunch or dinner dish and awesome as a lunchbox option too.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!

For more no-onion, no-garlic dishes, do check this : A collection of no-onion, no-garlic curries.

If you love one-pot meals, then do check these too:

If you try this recipe, please leave a feedback and rating in the comment box belo. You can also tag me @curryandvanilla16 on Instagram.

INSTANT POT SATVIC VEGETABLE PULAO

It is a delicious, mildly spiced, no-onion, no-garlic one-pot dish, with lots of vegetables and fragrant Basmati rice, flavored with an array of spices infused in each grain of the pulao. It is best served with any raita like boondi raita, cucumber raita or just plain yogurt but if making vegan, just a side of some salad or juice is suffice.

Course Brunch, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Author Vanitha Bhat

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Basmati rice
Vegetables – about 1 to 1 ½ cups diced or chopped carrots, green beans, cauliflower, green peas, corn etc.
Tomatoes – 2 small
1 to 2 green chilies/Serrano peppers
3 tablespoon oil
1 teaspooon jeera/cumin seeds
3-4 cloves
1 piece cinnamon stick
2 green cardamoms
3-4 tsp coriander powder
½ teaspoon haldi/turmeric powder
½ teaspoon black pepper powder
Salt to taste
2 cups hot water

Instructions

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil (or a mixture of oil and ghee if not vegan) in the inner pot of Instant Pot on “Sauté”
When the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds, 3-4 cloves, 1 small piece of cinnamon and 2 green cardamoms.
Let it aromatize the oil for a few seconds and then sprinkle ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder and 3 teaspoons coriander powder. Stir to coat with oil and fry a bit.
Add the tomato puree.
Mix well and sauté or fry, stirring continuously until the oil starts to separate from the mixture.
Toss in the drained basmati rice along with grated ginger (1 teaspoon) and mix.
Fry this on medium heat, stirring often to toast the rice a bit, scraping the bottom as you do.
When fairly toasted, add the veggies (fresh or frozen) and ½ cup yogurt if using. Mix well.
Add 2 cups hot water and 1 ½ teaspoons or to taste salt.
Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot while mixing as you do not want burnt or stuck portions at the bottom; they will burn in your stove top pressure cooker and give a “BURN” signal on your instant pot while pressure cooking.
Turn the sauté button off, TURN THE VENT TO SEAL and pressure cook on “HIGH” for exactly 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, press “cancel” button and NPR (naturally pressure release) for about 10 minutes.
(If using stove top pressure cooker, let the pressure drop naturally).
After 10 minutes, QPR or quickly release the pressure manually in the Instant Pot.
Let the pulao sit in the pot for a good 15 minutes to allow for any excess moisture to be absorbed and then open.
Fluff the pulao gently using a spatula, taking care not to break the rice grains as much as possible.
That is it! Time to dig into mouthwatering, mildly spiced yet super delicious and quick to make satvik vegetable pulao.
This easy dish makes for a perfect lunch or dinner dish and perfect as a lunchbox option too.
Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Adjust the amount of spices according to personal taste. This recipe makes for a mild pulao; feel free to increase the amount of spices if you want.
Try and use aged Basmati rice for best results. You can use regular rice too instead of Basmati rice.
Use the same measuring cup for rice and hot water.
Soaking Basmati rice is optional but recommended.
Do not try and mix “hot from the pot”, just cooked pulao; the grains will be so soft, may break and the pulao may turn mushy. Wait at least 15 minutes before fluffing up the pulao.
Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot before turning up the pressure to avoid “BURN” sign on your instant pot.

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