Matar Pulao Recipe, How to make Matar Pulao

Matar Pulao – Peas Pulao Recipe with step by step photos and easy to follow instructions:

Matar Pulao – Peas Pulao is one of the simplest rice dishes to make with only a handful of ingredients. Matar mean “Peas” …. nutty basmati rice combined with tender sweet peas lightly scented with green cardamoms and cloves … is a complete meal in itself when served with fresh yogurt Raita and some achar (pickle) on the side.

Matar Pulao is an excellent side dish to serve with any vegetarian or meat curry dishes. It goes very well with rich curry dishes such Shahi Paneer, Butter Chicken or Lauki Kofta. It is a perfect dish to be served when entertaining family or friends. One word of caution is, not to use too much of spices in the pulao. You would want to retain the flavor and sweetness of the peas.

Matar Pulao is very quick and easy to make; it takes the load off me when I am scrambling for dinner options on busy weekdays. You can use fresh or frozen peas, whichever is available. I love to use fresh peas if available but mostly, I use frozen peas. Due to the long winter season, we do not have the luxury to cook fresh peas all year long…….sigh. I can hardly wait for the summer to grow peas in my garden.

Everyone, sort of, has their own way of cooking the Matar Pulao. Some people cook the peas with rice, however, I prefer to cook the peas separately. One reason is that I prefer not to overcook the peas; and secondly, I like the peas to retain the vibrant green color. Therefore, I cook the peas separately with a little bit of butter and a pinch of salt. Once the rice is cooked, I add the cooked peas before turning the rice to mix.

Let’s learn to make easy-peasy Matar Pulao!!

How to make Matar Pulao – Peas Pulao:

1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in enough plain water for about 30 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
   
   
2. To begin, peel and slice the onion. In a medium heavy saucepan, heat oil (I am using ghee. It gives nice flavor to the pulao) over medium heat. Add sliced onion, whole cumin (hiding under the onion in the photo), bay leaf, green cardamoms and cloves.
   
   
3. Now, let’s sauté onion until it turns slightly brown at the edges; stirring frequently. (Do not brown the onion too much. It will change the color of the pulao to brownish.)
   
   
4. Carefully add rice, water and salt to the saucepan. Increase the heat to bring it to a boil. When water begins to boil at the edges of the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the saucepan with a tight lid and let it simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed. (Do not peek too many times to check the rice. It will cause the steam to evaporate and the rice will not quick properly.)
   
5. While the rice is cooking, let’s give some TLC to our lovely peas. In a small saucepan, add butter and peas. Sprinkle a pinch or two of salt over peas and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep aside.
   
   
   
6. The rice is cooked now. Add the cooked peas to the cooked rice, cover and let the rice stand for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, gently fluff the rice with a fork. Discard the bay leaf.
   
   
7. Serve warm with your choice of curry dish and a bowl of refreshing Raita. Enjoy the delicious Matar Pulao – Peas Pulao !!
   
   Matar Pulao Recipe, How to make Matar Pulao

    

   

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   Prep time

   5

   Cook time

   30

   Total time

   35

    

   A simple and flavorful combination of sweet tender peas and nutty basmati rice dressed with fragrant spices and sautéed onion.

   Author: Raj Brar

   Recipe type: Main

   Cuisine: Indian

   Serves: 4-5 servings

   Ingredients

   • 1 cup basmati rice
   • 2 cups water
   • 1 tsp salt or to taste
   • 2 tbsp ghee or cooking oil
   • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
   • 2 green cardamoms
   • 3 cloves
   • 1 bay leaf
   • 1 tsp cumin
   • 1 ½ cups peas (fresh or frozen)
   • 1 tsp butter
   • A pinch of salt

   Instructions

   1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in enough plain water for about 30 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
   2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add sliced onion, green cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf and cumin. Sauté until onion turns slightly brown at the edges; stirring frequently.
   3. Add rice, water and salt. Bring it to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low and cover it with a tight lid. Let it simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed about 20 - 25 minutes.
   4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter, peas and salt. Cook the peas for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep it aside.
   5. Remove the cooked rice from heat, add cooked peas to it. Cover and let it stand for about 5 minutes.
   6. Gently fluff the rice with a fork.
   7. Serve hot with any curry dish, Raita or plain yogurt.

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