Illustration of long-grain rice pulao with green peas and browned onion.
THE RIZQ FOODSDERA GHAZI KHAN
Recipes

Matar Pulao recipe

Fluffy basmati rice and green peas are gently seasoned with cumin, cardamom, and sweet browned onion.

An original home-cooking guide from our recipe collection; not an orderable restaurant product. Timings are approximate and may vary with your equipment.

Serves: 4Prep: 15 minCook: 35 min

Ingredients

  • 300 g basmati rice
  • 200 g green peas, fresh or frozen
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil or ghee
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 3 green cardamom pods
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 600 ml water or light vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • Salt, to taste

Method

  1. Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear, soak it in fresh water for 20 minutes, then drain.
  2. Heat the oil or ghee in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring often, until golden, about 7 minutes.
  3. Add the cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaf; stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Add the peas and drained rice and stir gently for 1 minute to coat the grains without breaking them.
  5. Pour in the water or stock, add salt, and bring to a boil. Stir once to distribute the rice and peas evenly.
  6. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15–18 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
  7. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for 10 minutes. Scatter over the cilantro, fluff gently, and serve.

Kitchen notes

  • Add frozen peas straight from the freezer; no thawing is needed.
  • Avoid stirring the rice during its covered cooking so the grains remain fluffy.
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