Brazil Nut Free Vegan Vegetable Pulao
This fragrant rice dish is the kind of one-pot meal that makes your whole kitchen smell incredible — warm with cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves bloomed in hot oil until they're deeply aromatic. Tender carrots, green beans, and sweet peas are folded into golden basmati, each grain coated in spiced oil before the water is even added, which is the secret to that beautifully separate, fluffy texture. The technique of soaking the rice first and then letting it rest off the heat at the end is a small step that makes a genuinely noticeable difference in the final result. Everything here is built from whole spices, fresh aromatics, and vegetables — straightforward pantry staples with no hidden additives or cross-contamination concerns to navigate. It's naturally plant-based without any substitutions required, so the dish stands entirely on its own merits. A squeeze of lemon and a handful of torn mint at the end brighten the whole bowl and make it feel a little special, even on a weeknight.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 3 tbsp neutral oil (such as avocado oil or sunflower oil)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick (about 2 inches)
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 ¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 2 ¾ cups water
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, roughly torn (optional)
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the basmati rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water, stirring with your hand, until the water runs mostly clear, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for 20 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
- 2
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and cloves and cook, stirring, until the cumin seeds sizzle and turn a shade darker and the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Watch closely — the spices can scorch quickly.
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