matar pulao recipe, green peas pulao

Matar pulao is a peas flavoured special rice recipe made aromatic by cooking rice in whole spices and peas. This is a simple North Indian style or Punjabi style of making vegetable rice recipe where the main ingredient is green peas and basmati rice.

Usually in India, rice is flavoured with many veggies such as carrots, aloo, matar, beans and many more.

Today I would be sharing this easy and quick matar pulao which can be quickly made and served with raita or can be packed as a lunch box recipe.

I have shared some of the pulao recipes on the blog using vegetables as well as non-vegetarian ingredients such as paneer pulao, vegetable pulao , chicken pulao etc..

About the recipe

It is a basmati rice and peas mixed pulao given some aromatic spice flavoring.

The recipe is first tempered with oil, spices, onions and peas. Water is added and boiled and then in the end rice is added and cooked until the rice is perfectly done.

The rice here is slow-cooked but can also be pressure cooked to make it even more quickly.

I will be sharing the details below on how to slow cook as well as pressure cook the rice.

Ingredients

Oil: Here, I am using ordinary oil but for healthy options, one can choose to add either olive oil or any healthy oil. We can use vegetable oil, sunflower oil or any edible oil to give the tempering.

Whole spices: We use in this recipe cinnamon/ dalchini, cloves/ loung, cardamoms/ elaichi. I have also used shahi jeera that is caraway seeds.

If shahi jeera is not available then just adding cumin seeds is enough. I have used both the seeds but adding one is enough such as only cumin is enough if shahi jeera is not handy.

Cumin is small and thick in size and light in colour whereas shahi jeera is thinner in appearance and darker in colour. Adding bay leaf too gives a perfect pulao fragrance to the rice.

Onions and chillies: Onions always add flavour to the rice and adding them makes the rice special and delicious. I have used green chillies to add some spice touch and the flavour goes pale without chillies in it.

Matar/ Green Peas: I am using frozen peas since it is already slightly cooked and I am using slow cook method to make the rice. We can also use normal peas and boil them for few minutes separately to use them in the rice.

We can even boil the matar or peas in spiced water until the matar is cooked and then add the rice without separately boiling the peas.

If pressure cooking the rice then fresh peas can be added directly without boiling as peas will cook when pressure cooked.

Basmati rice: I have used basmati but normal rice too can be used but soaking the rice is essential to make the rice long and also to speed up the cooking process.

It is recommended to use basmati rice to make it during special occasions and use ordinary rice for daily cooking as both kinds of rice give a good taste.

Step by step procedure

• Add oil and heat it well. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamoms, bay leaf. Add shahi jeera (optional), cumin seeds. Saute well.

• Add sliced onions and saute until they turn soft and translucent.

• Add slit green chilies and saute the onions until they turn slight pink on color.

• Add ginger garlic paste and saute well to get rid of raw smell.

• Add frozen peas/matar or use fresh green matar.

• Saute the masala for a minute or two.

• Add water into the tempering.
  • Add salt as per taste.
  • Add chopped cilantro/coriander leaves, stir well.

• Bring the water to a boil. Boil until the peas turns soft for fresh peas.

• Add soaked basmati rice into the water, give a stir.

• Cook the rice until all the water gets absorbed.

• Stir to make the grains fluffy.

• Cover and cook on low heat until the rice is completely done.

• It takes about 5 minutes for the grains to cook well at this stage.
  • Turn off the heat.
• Give a mix to make the rice fluffy and serve hot.

Pressure cooking the matar pulao

Here, I will be sharing the method to pressure cook but in the recipe card I will be showing how to slow cook the pulao and also share a video and step by step procedure to make in slow cook method.

Pressure cooking technique:

• Soak basmati rice for at least 30 minutes and keep it aside.
• Take a pressure cooker, add oil and heat.
• Add whole spices such as loung, elaichi, dalchini, cumin, bay leaf as well as other whole spices as per one's choice of flavour.
• Add sliced onions, saute or cook them until they turn slightly pink in colour.
• Add green chillies by giving an incision or slit to the chillies.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute the masala for a minute.
• Add matar/peas to the cooker, saute and stir fry for a minute(Add fresh matar as it will be cooked during pressure cooking the rice).
• Add water as per the ratio of rice.
• add 4 cups of water (for 2 cups of rice used).
• Add salt as per taste and chopped coriander leaves.
• Give a stir and do not boil the water.
• Add soaked basmati rice, stir and pressure cook on high flame for 1 whistle.
• Turn off the heat and natural release the pressure.
• Open the lid after 5 minutes.
• Serve hot.

Instant Pot Matar Pulao

• Soak basmati rice for at least 30 to 35 minutes and keep it aside.
• Take the Instant Pot, turn on the saute mode.
• Add whole spices such as loung, elaichi, dalchini, cumin, bay leaf as well as other whole spices as per one's choice of flavour.
• Add sliced onions, saute on a high level or cook them until they turn slightly pink in colour. Keep stirring in between.
• Add green chillies by giving an incision or slit to the chillies.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute the masala for a minute.
• Add matar/ peas to the instant pot, saute and stir fry for a minute.
• Add water as per the ratio of rice.
• Add 3.5 cups of water (for 2 cups of basmati rice or sona masoori rice used).
• Add salt as per taste and chopped coriander leaves.
• Give a stir and do not boil the water.
• Add soaked basmati rice, stir.
• Close the lid and set the pressure release valve to sealing mode.
• Press the Pressure cook mode and pressure cook on high flame for 12 minutes.
• Do a quick release after 5 minutes of Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
• Open the lid after 5 minutes.
• Serve hot.

Video

Recipe

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