Veggie Pilau
For a lighter meatless version of Pilau, this is an incredibly flavourful and simple recipe that is a must-try!
Ingredients
- 300 gm basmati rice 1 and a half cups, washed 2-3 times then soaked for half an hour.
- 2 onions chopped
- 2 potatoes peeled and cut into 4 pieces each
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin/coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground roasted cumin powder
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- a bit of chopped coriander
- 1/2 cup peas half boiled
- 2 carrots diced (half boiled)
- 2 tbsp chopped capsicum optional
- 3 tbsp sweet corn
- water or stock warm (for every cup of rice, you will need 1 and quarter cups of water)
- 1 tbsp whole jeera/cumin
- 1/2 tsp whole pepper
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 cardamom
- 2 cloves
Instructions
- Heat a pan on the stove and heat the oil and butter. Remember that the rice will double after cooking, plus the veggies and potatoes that will go in there,Then add the whole spices. Cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, cloves.Once they splutter in the oil, add your chopped onions. Fry them until they are translucent, stirring with a wooden spoon. Then add the potatoes followed by the turmeric and cumin/coriander powder.Let these fry for a few minutes, then add the garlic paste, carrots, peas and sweet corn, followed by a bit of chopped coriander.The aroma should by now be brilliant. Stir together for a few minutes, then add the stock/water and some salt. Let the stock simmer and taste for the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want. Not too much of course!When the water starts boiling, drain your rice (which should have been pre-soaked for about half an hour) and add this rice to the stock. Sprinkle a bit of coriander on this, and stir a little. Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring now and then, then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking it whilst covered until the water diminishes, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly.Once you find there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to the lowest point possible. Seal your pan by using a tight lid or wetting a kitchen towel and placing it over the pan then placing a lid on top of it.Leave the rice to continue steaming on very low heat for a good 10 minutes. Switch off, and serve!
Pls is the cup the normal 220ml measuring cup o is there a different cup2measure D̶̲̥̅̊ rice.pls reply.wl like2try dz 2day.tnx
Please refer to this note for measurement conversions: My Measurements.
Thank you so much for the receipe sis :).. Everyone loved it !
Are the cinnamon sticks suppose to melt?
No they won’t melt, they just add flavour to the food as it cooks.
Hi Fauzia I wanted to know the cup measurements you use at home, I have the traditional american cup measurements, do you use just a regular drinking glass if so how many mls of water will it hold, this way I can work it out with 1 of my drinking cups. Hope that made sense x
Hi. Please refer to this note for my measurement conversions: My Measurements
Simple yet very tasty!May Allah swt reward you for all your help to the community.ameen
hi fauzia,
thanks for the yummy recipes- i tried this and the rice turned out well but there was one problem that i often get with rice: the ones at the bottom were stuck to the bottom and generally the grains were not separate as they are supposed to be. is there any tip to prevent the rice from sticking together like this? jazakAllah!!
Hi, make sure you wash and soak the rice before using. Also check what brand of rice you are using. Try switching brands and see if it makes a difference.
thanks fauzia. will do this next time i make these (which is tomorrow 🙂 ) also want to thank you for maintaining this website- i really like your clear, helpful instructions and generosity of spirit in sharing these. God bless you!
whats whole pepper? is it pepper corn??
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Salams Fauzia 🙂 I’m making
Salams Fauzia 🙂 I’m making this for a large group of people – 6 men and 7 women – how would you recommend I double the ingredients? I was thinking of 7 cups of rice, but would that mean using 6 times the amount of spices or would you recommend less? Thank you! x
W/Salaam, yes you will need
W/Salaam, yes you will need to double the rice. Why 6 times the amount of spices though? If you are doubling the rice, double everything else. 🙂
Sorry what I meant to say is
Sorry what I meant to say is that since this recipe calls for 1.5 cups of rice and I’m using 7 cups of rice, would I not need to add six times the amount of spices to adjust for the 7 cups of rice? thanks! x
Not sure if my comment got
Not sure if my comment got through yesterday so posting again, What I meant was since the recipe calls for 1.5 cups and I’m using 7 – should I not use six times the spices given the large amount of rice I’m using? Thanks! x
Oh I get you now, sorry. I
Oh I get you now, sorry. I thought you wanted to just double the recipe. For 7 cups that would make it less than 5 times the amount. So just multiply the spices by 4. But stick to the accurate amount for liquid/water/stock.
salaams dears, i tried it
salaams dears, i tried it today for the last jummah of Ramadhaan, and it came out very well. Thanks.May Allah bless you all with Abundance and success. Jazakhallah.
Great recipe. Loved it.
Great recipe. Loved it. Thanks a lot for the clear & precise instructions.