Chickpea Pulao
Chickpea pulao is my favourite one pot meal on any day. Packed with all the macronutrients needed, it’s very easy to make and also a very satisfying dish. You can serve chickpea pulao with plain yoghurt or raitha to make it a complete meal.
Ingredients
Basmati rice – 1 cup
Water – 2 cups
Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)
Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp (optional)
Chickpeas – 1 cup
Cardamom – 2
Cloves – 2
Cinnamon stick – 2 cm piece
Bay leaf – 1
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Star anise – 1
Green chilly (slit) – 3
Ginger (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp
French beans (julienned) – 1 cup
Carrot (julienned) – 1 cup
Broccoli florets (blanched) – 1/2 cup
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Onion (julienned) – 2 medium sized
Coriander leaves (chopped) – 3 tbsp
Yield
Serves 3 – 4
Prep time
30 mins
Soak chickpeas overnight
Cook time
20 mins
Method
1) Soak raw chickpeas overnight. Cook the soaked chickpeas until soft but not mushy. (Use pressure cooker to save time)
2) Soak 1 cup basmati rice in 2 cups of water for 15 to 20 mins.
3) In a wide pan/kadai heat ghee and oil together. Once the oil is heated a bit, add cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and star anise. Fry for a minute until fragrant.
4) Immediately add the slit green chillies and chopped ginger. Saute for a minute. Then add onion and a pinch of salt and fry until they’re translucent.
5) Now add cooked chickpeas, french beans and carrot. Add 1/2 tsp salt and mix. Cover the pan and cook for 3 to 4 mins.
6) After about 4 mins, open the pan and add basmati rice along with the water. Add 1/2 tsp salt and lemon juice and mix well. Cover the pan again and cook on medium heat.
7) After 7 or 8 mins reduce the heat completely, open the pan and mix the chickpea pulao once. Cover the pan and continue cooking in very minimal heat.
8) After another 7 or 8 mins open the pan and add the broccoli florets. Mix gently without breaking the rice.
9) Garnish your chickpea pulao with coriander leaves. Serve with cucumber raitha/plain yoghurt and/or pappad.
Notes
- You can use canned chickpeas to avoid the process of soaking and boiling, thereby reducing the prep time and effort.
- Instead of a combination of oil and ghee, you can omit ghee and make it vegan. You could also use only ghee to make this pulao and it will taste richer. See how to make your own ghee here!
- You can also add a few peppercorns along with the other whole spices to add more kick to this dish.
- Adding lemon juice helps the rice cook without breaking. Generally basmati rice cooks pretty fast but also breaks equally fast if you don’t mix the rice gently. So mix the rice gently to avoid the pulao becoming mushy.
- Broccoli is packed with nutrients and overcooking it will destroy a significant part of these essential nutrients. Blanching it, without actually cooking for a long time helps to retain the colour and nutrition.
Beginner’s tips
- Soaking the rice for 10 to 15 mins in water will speed up the process of cooking and also help the rice become fluffy and well cooked.
- Cook your veggies until crunchy (al dente) on medium heat to retain their natural colour and texture. In general, vegetables are also healthier the lesser you cook them!
- For tips on blanching broccoli, see my Cauliflower Bites recipe and follow the same method.
2 Comments
MotherOfNOMS
Thanks Dhilip, welcome to my little initiative. I’m glad you like it!
To answer your questions:
1. Yes. You can make this with brown basmati rice for a healthier option.
2. Sure, you can add as many or as little vegetables as you like. The main flavour for this pulao comes from the whole spices we add. So, even without onions it will taste good.
Happy cooking! 🙂
Dhilip
First time on the site and mightily impressed. Well thought out recipes, nice photos and easy to follow recipes. Keep going, stay safe and best wishes.
This looks yummy and an interesting combination. Wanted to know a couple of things.
1. Can I make this with Brown Basmati rice?
2. Want to try this without onions, but with a few other veggies like carrots, beans, edamame and maybe some corn. Thoughts??