Coconut Milk Pulao - Instant Pot & Pressure Cooker Methods

Monday, December 28, 2020

Recently, I offered to make some Pulao/Biryani kind of a rice dish for a get-together. I wanted to make something that was not very spicy yet flavorful that both kids & grown ups can enjoy.

After a bit of recipe searching, I zeroed in on this version & it turned out great. I may have found my favorite version of Coconut Milk Pulao.

This recipe does not have a lot of whole spices, except for a couple of Bay leaves which i discarded after the Pulao got cooked.

There were 2 things that took the Pulao several notches higher, One is of course the addition of Coconut Milk, which gives it that rich taste

The other one is the Fennel-Cinnamon Powder which gives it a very unique flavor

PRESSURE COOKER METHOD

You Will Need:

1.5 cups Basmati Rice
300 ml Coconut Milk
Salt as per Taste
1 tablespoon Ghee

Vegetables Needed:

1 White Onion - cut lengthwise
A handful of Beans - Chopped
2 small or 1 large Potato - diced
1 medium sized Carrot - diced
1.4 cup frozen or fresh Green Peas

Spices to be Powdered:

1 tablespoon Saunf/Fennel Seeds
2 small sticks of Cinnamon

Other Spices Needed:

1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
2 Bay Leaves
1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi

To Be Ground Into a Paste:

4-5 cloves of Garlic
A small piece of Ginger
4 Green Chilies

How To:

Wash Basmati Rice in several changes of water. Soak in water & set aside for 15 minutes

Make a powder of Fennel seeds & Cinnamon

Grind Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilies into a paste adding very little water

Drain water from rice & set aside

Heat Ghee in a Pressure Cooker, add cumin seeds & Bay leaves. Then add Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli Paste & sauté for 15-20 seconds

Immediately add Onions & some salt & sauté for a minute or so. Now, add all the vegetables except green peas. Add the Fennel-Cinnamon Powder & sauté for a couple of minutes until the spices are cooked

Now Add coconut Milk, 1.5 cups of Hot water, Kasuri Methi. Now add rice & salt as needed

Mix well & Pressure Cook for 1 whistle

Meanwhile, Boil frozen green peas in salted water for about 4 minutes. Drain & set aside.

Upon the release of pressure, add boiled Green Peas & Gently fluff with a fork & serve

INSTANT POT METHOD

Wash Basmati Rice in several changes of water. Soak in water & set aside for 15 minutes

Make a powder of Fennel seeds & Cinnamon

Grind Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilies into a paste adding very little water

Drain water from rice & set aside

In a 6qt Instant Pot, Select the Sauté mode & set the heat to 'Normal'.

Heat Ghee, add cumin seeds & Bay leaves. Then add Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli Paste & sauté for 15-20 seconds

Now Add coconut Milk, 1.5 cups of Hot water, Kasuri Methi. Now add rice & salt as needed

Cancel the Sauté mode. Deglaze the Pot.

Close the lid & seal the vent. Pressure Cook on high for 4 minutes. NPR for 3 minutes

After 3 minutes, release remaining pressure

WHAT KIND OF COCONUT MILK TO USE

I normally buy Canned Coconut Milk. But you can use homemade or coconut Milk powder

If using homemade, You will need lesser amounts of thick coconut milk & more if you are using thin coconut milk

For 1.5 cups of Basmati rice, I used 3/4 th of a 400 ml can of Thick Coconut Milk

You can even use Coconut Cream. But you will need lesser amounts as Coconut Cream is richer than coconut milk