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Instant Pot veg pulao.
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5 from 36 votes

Instant Pot Vegetable Pulao (Karnataka style Veg Pulao)

Vegetable pulao is rice and vegetables cooked together with flavorful and aromatic spices. This Karnataka style pulao is made using a masala base of spices, herbs, and coconut. Made this easy one-pot dish in an Instant Pot for a perfect weekday meal.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Hindu, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8
Calories: 316kcal
Author: Shilpa Kerur

Ingredients

To grind together:

Instructions

Prep

  • Wash the rice thoroughly and soak for about 20 minutes. Strain and keep aside
  • Cut the vegetables and set aside
  • Grind the whole spices into a fine powder (poppy seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, marathi moggu, fennel seeds)
  • To this, add coconut, onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, coriander leaves, mint leaves. Grind into a smooth paste adding ½ cup water

Making the pulao

  • Set Instant Pot in saute mode and add oil
  • Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, and bay leaves
  • Add onions and fry until it is translucent (3-4 minutes)
  • Add the ground paste to it and mix well. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes
  • Add the cut vegetables, and salt
  • Add the soaked rice along with 2 cups of water
  • Mix well and secure the lid of the Instant Pot
  • Set the IP to pressure cook mode for 6 minutes. Do a quick release of pressure
  • Mix gently using a fork. Serve hot with raita

Video

Notes

Measure the water you are using to make the masala paste. The total amount of water we are using here is 2½ cups, divided into two parts. We need ½ cup of water to grind the masala base and 2 cups of water to cook the rice.
When making the masala paste, grind the whole spices first into a fine powder. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and grind with water. If you add everything together, the spices may not grind finely.
Bay leaves are a key ingredient - do not skip them. In fact, they are called 'palav elle' in Kannada (translating to leaf used in pulao - 'elle' means leaf). For an authentic veg palav, add all the spices mentioned. At a minimum, add cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1547IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg