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CURRY LEAVES PULAO

A simple pressure cooker, sumptuous, healthy, vegan, no, onion-no, garlic easy pulao using curry leaves and some basic Indian spices. Pair it with your favorite raita for a filling and comforting meal!

Course Brunch, Dinner, Indian, Main Course
Cuisine Indian, South Indian
Keyword Coconut, Curry leaves, Instant Pot, No garlic, No onions, Pressure Cooker, Pulao, Sweet Saffron Rice, Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author curryandvanilla

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups Basmati rice
  • ½ teaspoon jeera (or a piece of cinnamon stick works too)
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil

FOR THE CURRY LEAVES MASALA:

  • 1 tablespoon chana dal split Bengal gram dal
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
  • 3 small green chilies/1 big jalapeno/Serrano pepper
  • 1 dry red chilli
  • 1 ½ cups loosely packed curry leaves
  • ½ cup grated coconut (or a handful of almonds) fresh/frozen
  • ¼ teaspoon hing/asafetida powder
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil or any other odorless oil

FOR SEASONING/TEMPERING:

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons cashew halves and peanuts
  • Few curry leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon hing/asafetida powder

Instructions

  1. Wash Basmati rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear, strain and soak in plenty of water for about 20 minutes.
  2. Separate curry leaves from the stalks, wash in plenty of water until clean and strain to remove excess water. Keep aside.

TO MAKE THE CURRY LEAVES MASALA:

  1. Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan or kadai and once hot, add the dry spices; jeera, coriander, chana dal and chillies. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly until light brown.
  2. Add curry leaves and continue to fry until it is slightly wilted. Stir in the grated coconut and sauté, stirring often until light brown and the curry leaves are crisp; about 2 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat, let cool and make a fine paste with a little water in a blender. Keep aside.

TO MAKE THE CURRY LEAVES PULAO:

  1. Heat a pressure pan with oil and once hot, add jeera and cloves. Saute on medium low heat until slightly aromatic; a few seconds.

  2. Stir in the washed and drained rice and fry on medium heat, stirring constantly until most of the moisture is gone and each grain of rice glistens.
  3. Stir in the curry leaves masala paste; mix well.

  4. Add 1 ¼ teaspoons salt and 2 to 2 1/2 cups water (depending upon quality of rice); mix well to combine.

  5. Cook on high. After first whistle, lower heat to medium low and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to allow the pressure to drop naturally. Keep aside for 5 to 7 minutes.

  6. IF USING INSTANT POT, ADD 2 TO 2 1/4 CUPS (IF YOU WANT SLIGHTLY SOFT) OF WATER AND PRESSURE COOK ON HIGH/SEAL FOR 5 MINUTES, NPR (NATURAL PRESSURE) 10 MINUTES AND THEN QUICK RELEASE.

  7. Open the pressure pan, fluff up the rice gently with a fork, taking care not to break the rice grains.

TO PREPARE THE TEMPERING:

  1. Heat oil in a small saucepan and once hot, add mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop and crackle, add cashew and peanuts and fry on medium heat, stirring often until light golden and crisp.

  2. Stir in curry leaves and hing powder and add this seasoning to the pulao.
  3. Mi x in the seasoning gently into the pulao, taking care to maintain the long grains of the rice.

  4. Serve spicy, healthy, no, onion-no,garlic, vegan curry leaves pulao alongside a cooling raitha (vegan/regular for non vegans), salad and some poppadums or potato chips.

Recipe Notes

  • Use only fresh curry leaves to make the masala paste.
  • Adjust spice amounts according to taste.
  • Quantity of water can vary depending upon quality of rice.
  • For more flavor, nutrition and texture, feel free to include your favorite veggies like carrots, peas, green beans or even potatoes.
  • Vegans can avoid the raita or use coconut yogurt instead.