I love to pair this fluffy and delicately flavoured rice with robust North Indian curries such as Chana masala, Punjabi rajma masala and paneer palak kofta curry. However, it’s also great with a sweet Gujarati kadhi. This peas pulao recipe is simply made with a few ingredients and without onions or garlic. It is a naturally vegan and gluten-free side dish. The majority of the flavour comes from the sweet peas and fresh herbs but there is also a deeper flavour from the whole spices. I don’t even cook the peas, but simply let them steam with cooked rice – this helps retain the flavour, vibrant green colour and nutrients. I like to rotate pulao recipes depending on the such as vegetable pulao, tawa pulao, instant pot coconut pulao and shahi pulao.
Ingredients notes
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post Basmati rice – I use long-grain basmati rice for the best flavour. Soak your rice for 20 minutes in cold water prior to achieve even fluffier rice and reduce the cooking time. Rinsing the rice well washes away all the excess starch. Green peas – use fresh or frozen peas. Mint – fresh, torn mint leaves Oil – a flavourless oil works best. Use oil to keep it vegan, but you can use a ghee if you wish. Whole spices – cumin seeds, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves. Salt to taste
Serving suggestion
Peas pulao is versatile and can be served with a variety of different meals. Any of these Indian vegetarian curry recipes would work great. Perfect with some cooling cucumber raita on the side. Serve it as an every day rice or even as part of your Diwali Indian dinner party menu.
How to make the matar pulao recipe
- You first want to par-cook your basmati rice with the whole spices which have been sauté the whole spices in oil. Adding spices to hot oil helps them to bloom and release their aroma.
- Once the rice is about 80% cooked, I tip in the peas, cover the rice with a lid and allow the rice and peas to steam cook.
- Once that’s complete, I finish off with the mint leaves and fluff the rice.
Storage
Store pulao in an airtight container and place in the fridge as soon as it reaches room temperature. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave or pan, you may need a sprinkle of water if it has gone too dry. Peas pulao can also be frozen for up to 3 months but it may loose its fresh taste.
Other rice dishes
Basmati rice Jeera rice Instant Pot Chana rice As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in November 2016.
