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Heavy-bottomed cooking pot
Steady heat helps rice, dal and slow-simmered sauces cook evenly without catching on the base.
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Vegan Masala Recipe
Vegetable pilau rice
Vegetable pilau folds sweet vegetables and aromatic whole spices through fluffy basmati. It is colourful enough to take centre stage yet balanced enough to sit beside a rich curry.
Recipe by Craig LogueHow our recipes are created
150 minPrep: 30 minCook: 120 minServes 4IndianVegan
festive curry nightlow-fodmap luncheslow-fodmap sidesvegan indiandiwalieid al-fitr
From the kitchen
What to expect
The whole spices give this pilau a quiet depth, while the vegetables stay neatly cut and tender. It is the sort of rice that sits well beside a curry or on its own with a little chutney.
Serving idea
Best served simply
Serve with a simple dal, cucumber salad or plain vegan yoghurt on the side.
Useful equipment
Tools that make this recipe easier
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Vegan Masala recommends
Fine-mesh sieve
Handy for rinsing rice and lentils thoroughly and draining them without losing smaller grains.
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Cook the recipe
Method
- 1
Rinse the 450ml/1 pint measure of basmati rice several times until the water runs clear, then soak it in fresh water for 30 minutes. Drain well before cooking.
- 2
Heat 3 tbsp olive or groundnut oil in a heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add ½ tsp brown mustard seeds and let them start to pop.
- 3
Add 1 finely chopped hot green chilli, 100g/4oz diced potato, ¼ diced carrot, and 40g/1½oz green beans. Stir for 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables look lightly glossy and take on a little colour at the edges.
- 4
Add the grated thumb-sized piece of ginger, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tbsp cardamom seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp black cumin, 1 tsp whole cloves, 1/3 nutmeg and the broken cinnamon stick. Stir for 1 minute, keeping the spices moving so they bloom without catching.
- 5
Tip in the drained rice and stir gently for 2 minutes until the grains are coated in the spiced oil.
- 6
Add 1¼ tsp salt and 570ml/1 pint water, then bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn the heat to very low and cook for 25 minutes without lifting the lid.
- 7
Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot.
Gather everything first
Ingredients
- •basmati rice, measured to the 450ml/1 pint level
- •3 tbsp olive or groundnut oil
- •½ tsp brown mustard seeds
- •1 hot green chilli, finely chopped
- •100g/4oz potato, peeled and cut into 5mm/¼in dice
- •¼ carrot, peeled and cut into 5mm/¼in dice
- •40g/1½oz green beans, cut into 5mm/¼in segments
- •thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- •½ tsp ground turmeric
- •1 tsp garam masala
- •1 tbsp cardamom seeds, removed from cardamom pods
- •1 tsp black peppercorns
- •1 tsp black cumin seeds (or regular cumin seeds)
- •1 tsp whole cloves
- •1/3 of a whole nutmeg, broken
- •a medium stick of cinnamon, about 5cm-8cm/2in-3in, broken into 3-4 pieces
- •1¼ tsp salt
- •570ml/1 pint water
A few useful notes
Notes
- •Use a pan with a good seal; if the lid is loose, cover the rice with foil first, then the lid, so the steam stays in the pan. That helps the grains cook through without turning heavy.
- •The rice should be separate and tender, not wet. If it still feels firm after resting, add a spoonful of hot water, cover again and leave it for 5 minutes.
- •Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a covered pan or microwave with a small splash of water so the rice loosens again.
- •You can change the vegetables, but keep the dice small and even so they cook at the same pace as the rice. Broccoli, peas or peppers work well in place of the beans or carrot.
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