vegetable pulao

Vegetable pulao, or sabzi pulao, is a common rice dish served throughout India, particularly where there was a Mughlai influence.

Because it is part of the culinary heritage of almost all of India, it has a very wide variation in its preparation. Some variations use saffron, some regions make it much hotter, some use fruit and nuts, and all the variations use different vegetables. The Jain community will use asafoetida instead of garlic and onion. The further north you go the greater is the use of spices like cardamom and the dish becomes closer to the original Mughal or Persian inspired dish.

What is agreed, though, are a couple of things. Firstly, it is a rice dish, so the proportion of rice to vegetables is important. Secondly, it is a one-pot dish and not an assembled dish like a biryani.

This vegetable pulao our family version and came from the time the family was in Kolkatta, or Calcutta as it was known then. The cook was from Hyderabad, and the recipe is typical of Hyderabadi cuisine.

This recipe scales easily for larger quantities. Maintain a ratio of no more than 1–1½ cups of diced vegetables per cup of rice, and use 1¾–2 parts stock for every part rice by volume. This slightly higher liquid ratio accounts for the moisture absorbed by the vegetables during cooking.

This recipe uses sella rice, which is basmati rice that has been parboiled before milling. It features very long grains and a golden colour. Do not confuse parboiled rice with instant rice – they are completely different and come at a different price point. The sella rice we use is about twice the price of the basmati rice we use. It is a premium producr.

Sella rice is available from Indian grocers. If sella rice is unobtainable, substitute it with normal basmati rice. You will need to reduce the cooking time and the liquid. The recipe notes explain this.

You can use whatever are your favourite in-season vegetables, although my grandmother’s notes specified no potatoes or other starchy vegetables. We use peas, beans, capsicum, tomatoes, carrots, or cauliflower florets. Your choice. Look for a mix of vegetables that will add colour to the presentation.

If you are making spinach dishes, this could be a place to use the spinach stalks. A little wilted spinach in this dish works well, too.

In some ways this dish is similar to Bengali fried rice, in that both recipes are rice and vegetable dishes. The main difference is that this dish does not use pre-cooked rice and is much more delicate.

This is really a meal in itself, but you might consider serving it with a raita.