Soy 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 blooming in hot oil before a single vegetable hits the pan. Carrots, green beans, and peas are folded in alongside golden onions, ginger, and garlic, then the basmati steams low and slow until every grain is fluffy and separate. The technique of soaking the rice first and finishing it on the lowest heat setting is what gives pulao that signature light, non-clumpy texture that feels almost restaurant-quality at home. Every ingredient here is naturally free from soy — no sauces, no processed shortcuts, just whole spices, fresh aromatics, and vegetables doing all the heavy lifting. That matters more than it might seem, since a lot of store-bought spice blends and cooking sauces sneak in soy derivatives without much fanfare. A squeeze of lemon and a handful of fresh cilantro and mint at the end brighten everything up and make it feel genuinely celebratory, 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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