Green Peas Pulao Recipe, Matar Pulao or Indian Rice and Peas is an easy one pot rice made with fresh or frozen green peas, whole spices and aromatic basmati rice. Quick weeknight dinner recipe served with a side of Raita, Dal, Kadhi or Kurma.
In North India, Peas Pulao is known as Matar Pulao or Matar ke Chawal. In South India, its called Pattani Pulao.
This pulao can be made with fresh, frozen or dried green peas. The dried green peas would require few hours or overnight soaking followed by pressure cooking.
With fresh or frozen peas, there is bare minimum prep involved. Taste-wise, I would recommend fresh or frozen peas for this recipe.
If you stock green peas in your freezer, dishing out this main course rice recipe is a matter of 30 minutes.
I have shared two methods of cooking Peas Pulao - Stove Top Pressure Cooker and Instant Pot. The Instant Pot method of cooking peas pulao does not include Onion.
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We love matar pulao for two reasons - (1) can be easily made after a long and tiring day as it involves bare minimum chopping and / or prep work (2) one-pot meal, needs no fancy side and best eaten, piping hot.
Peas Pulao is perfect for meal planning. It can be refrigerated and/or frozen.
Video Recipe
Ingredients
Green Peas - Fresh Green Peas, in India, is available in winter season (December – January).
I shell and store 8-10 kilograms of fresh green peas in the freezer. This is used throughout the year.
It is easier to grab a bag of frozen peas from the supermarket and quite convenient if you don't find fresh peas easily where you live.
There is no need to thaw the peas. It can be directly added with the rice and cooked in a pressure cooker or instant pot.
Basmati Rice - Long Grain Basmati Rice is perfect for pulao, pilaf and biryani. I recommend soaking the rice to get rid of excess starch.
Excess starch is one of the reasons why rice appears sticky after cooking. Soaking the rice solves this problem to a great deal.
You can cook Peas Pulao using Brown Rice or Short grain Sona Masoori Rice as well. However, the timing and quantity of liquid used, may vary.
In the recipe card below, I have stated the timings for brown rice and short grain white rice as these have been tried and tested by me at home.
Whole Spices - I prefer adding whole spices instead of spice powders like garam masala or biryani masala for this recipe. The recipe is customizable. Add spices that are readily available in your pantry.
Ghee or Clarified Butter - This pulao is cooked in ghee. Cooking any pulao in ghee enriches its taste and aroma. If you adopt a Vegan lifestyle, simply skip the ghee and use oil.
Stove Top Instructions – Peas Pulao In Pressure Cooker (With Onions)
Steps 1 to 2 - Wash and soak the rice. Drain the water, rinse once and keep aside.
In a pan, add ghee, cumin seeds, whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves).
Once spices are roasted, add chopped onions and saute until translucent.
Steps 3 to 5 - Now add the green peas and soaked + drained Basmati Rice. Mix well and switch off the flame.
Steps 6 and 7 - Transfer the rice and peas to a pressure cooker safe vessel, add water and salt. Mix well, cover with lid and pressure cook.
Once the pressure is released, open and fluff the rice using fork.
Instant Pot Instructions - Peas Pulao without Onion
Step 1 & 2 - Switch on the Instant Pot, Sauté the whole spices and cumin in ghee.
Step 3 and 4 - Add the green peas and Basmati Rice (soaked + drained).
Step 5 and 6 - Mix well, add water
Step 7 and 8 - Pressure Cook and serve piping hot.
Green Peas Pulao not only makes a sumptuous weeknight dinner, it's great for entertaining, parties, picnics, potlucks.
Below are some of the accompaniments that I would recommend. Feel free to mix and match and always utilize what's readily available in the refrigerator / pantry.
Side Dish for Peas Pulao
Peas pulao contains no other vegetables. It would be a great idea to serve the rice with a vegetable curry, dal or bean curry.
Dal - Lentils are always a great combo with any Rice dish. Some of our favorites at home are Brown Lentil Curry, Red Lentils, Spinach Dal, Chana Dal or Dal Makhani.
Curries - Chana Masala, Rajma Masala and Black Eyed Peas Curry are some of the ways to include beans with rice and peas.
Raita - Vegetable Raita, Pineapple Raita, Onion Raita and Beetroot Raita would pair perfectly with Peas pulao.
Any Indian meal is incomplete without pickles (mango, lemon) and papad. You can end the meal with a tall glass of Chaas (buttermilk) or Lassi.
This Indian style rice and peas is kid-friendly and can be packed in lunch boxes for school.
Variations
You can sauté some cashew nuts and raisins with the whole spices if you like. Reserve some fried nuts for garnish.
Saffron can be added (mixed with warm milk or water). It adds flavor, color and aroma.
Spices - Feel free to use garam masala powder or biryani masala powder instead of whole spices.
You can add some Air Fried Tofu or Paneer to the rice and peas. I avoid pressure cooking paneer with rice and peas as it turns chewy.
Indian Main Course Rice Recipes
Jeera Rice (Indian Cumin Rice)
Vegetable Fried Rice (Indo Chinese Recipe)
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Peas Pulao Recipe | Matar Pulao (Stove Top and Instant Pot)
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- ½ cup Green Peas use fresh or frozen
- 1 Onion medium size, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Ghee or Clarified Butter
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Bay Leaf or Tej Patta
- 2 Green Cardamom or Chhoti Eliachi
- 1 Black Cardamom or Badi Eliachi
- Dalchini or Cinnamon Sticks 1 inch piece of cinnamon x 4 nos.
- Salt to taste
- 1 ¼ cup Water
1 cup 250 ml, 1 tbsp 15 ml, 1 tsp 5 ml
Instructions
Prepping the Basmati Rice
- Wash and soak 1 cup of Basmati Rice for 15 - 20 mins. Ensure you rinse the rice until the water runs clear and discard the water used for soaking.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Instructions (with onion)
- Heat a pan, add ghee, cumin, whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves).
- Once the spices are roasted, add onions and sauté until translucent.
- To this add green peas and soaked + drained Basmati Rice. Mix well and switch off the flame.
- Transfer this to a pressure cooker safe vessel, add water and salt. Mix well, cover and pressure cook on high for 3 whistles.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally before opening the cooker and fluffing the rice.
Instant Pot Instructions (without Onion)
- Read the Instructions for Prepping the Rice (above)
- Switch on the Instant Pot, Press Sauté Mode. Once its hot, add ghee or clarified butter, cumin and whole spices.
- Once the spices and cumin have roasted, add green peas and Basmati rice (soaked and drained). Switch off Sauté Mode.
- Mix well and add water.
- Cover the Instant Pot Lid, Turn the vent to sealing and pressure cook on Low for 6 minutes followed by 10 mins of NPR. Press Cancel.
- Release the balance pressure manually, Open the lid and fluff the rice using fork.
Video
Notes
- I have used a 10 litre pressure cooker for this recipe. Water is added at the bottom and the pressure cooker safe stainless steel vessels are kept one above the other. (holds 3 - 4 vessels, depending on size). Hence it requires a pan to sauté the ingredients before placing it for cooking inside the pressure cooker.
- If using a small cooker (2 litre pressure cooker), you can directly sauté and pressure cook. Also, cook the rice for 1 whistle and allow further cooking for 5 - 10 mins on low flame. Cook Time can depend on size of cooker / model / make etc. Use your judgement.
- Always press cancel once pressure cooking is complete. If the Instant Pot goes in keep warm mode, the rice can stick to the bottom if kept longer.
- To avoid burn signal, always deglaze the pot with water and push the rice below liquids before pressure cooking.
- The recipe does not contain nuts. You can sauté some cashew nuts and raisins with the whole spices if you like. Reserve some fried nuts for garnish.
- Saffron can be added (mixed with warm milk or water). It adds both color and aroma to the rice.
- Spices like store bought or home garam masala, biryani masala can be added while sautéing the rice and peas. If you add spice powders, skip the whole spices or just use couple of bay leaves.
- You can add some Air Fried Tofu or Paneer to the rice and peas. I avoid pressure cooking paneer with rice and peas as it turns chewy.
- Soaking the rice is not mandatory but as a thumb rule, I highly recommend and follow the same. It is one of the best ways to ensure non-sticky rice texture.
- Peas Pulao is made in two ways - With and without onion, using 2 methods of cooking - Stove top pressure cooker and Instant Pot.
- The timings given are based on time required by IP and pressure cooker to sauté, develop pressure, cook and cool.
- The recipe is Gluten Free.
- For a Vegan Recipe, substitute ghee with neutral flavor oil.
- The recipe does not contain nuts. It is also non-spicy, making it kid-friendly. No chilies are used.
- This recipe is perfect for kids lunch box, office lunch as it gets done quickly and is filling as well. Some plain or flavored yogurt and cucumbers or carrots would make it a complete meal.
- The recipe can be easily doubled if you are meal prepping for the week.
- Once the rice is cool, store it in an airtight container. It stays fresh in the refrigerator for a week and longer when stored in freezer.
- It can be re-heated in a microwave and on stove-top in a pan. While re-heating add some ghee for flavor.
This recipe appeared first on Masalachilli in June 2018. I have updated the blog post with step wise images and fresh content in 2020 and added instant pot cooking instructions in year 2022.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan