Instant Pot Methi Rice / Methi Pulao

5 from 37 votes

Instant Pot Methi Rice / Methi Pulao

Methi rice or methi pulao is a flavorful one-pot dish made with fenugreek leaves, rice, and minimal spices. Prepared in an Instant Pot using frozen fenugreek leaves, it is ready in just 20 minutes, requiring only 5 minutes of hands-on time.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 341kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Ingredients

2 cups Basmati rice
1 cup methi leaves frozen (see notes)
2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3-4 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoon cashew
½ cup green peas
1-2 green chili chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala (use store-bought or homemade garam masala)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Wash the rice thoroughly. Soak it in water for 20-30 minutes.
If using frozen methi, thaw it completely and squeeze out excess water. If using fresh methi, wash them and roughly chop the leaves.
Set the Instant Pot in saute mode (normal) and add oil. Once it heats, add cumin seeds and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
Add cashews and saute until it is lightly golden.
Add methi leaves, peas, green chili, garam masala, and salt. Saute for 1 minute.
Drain the water from the soaked rice and add it to the IP. Add 2½ cups of water.
Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure.
Open the lid and gently fluff up the rice using a fork.
Add lemon juice and mix gently. Serve with plain yogurt or raita

Video

Notes

I am using frozen methi leaves; however, fresh leaves also can be used. Thaw the methi and squeeze out the water before using it to remove the bitterness of methi. For fresh methi, clean the leaves and roughly chop the leaves. For every cup of frozen greens, replace it with 2 cups of fresh greens.

I use green peas which add a natural sweetness. However, this is an optional ingredient and can be skipped.

This dish is great for meal prep. Wash and soak the rice overnight, thaw the methi leaves in the refrigerator, or chop them and store them in the refrigerator. This way, they can be quickly prepared in the morning and packed for lunch boxes.

The rice-to-water ratio I am using in Instant Pot is 1:1¼. This gives me perfectly cooked slightly chewy rice. You can reduce the water by ¼ cup for a firmer texture or increase the water by ¼ cup for soft cooked rice.

Nutrition