Easy Indian Rice (Indian Pilaf)
With this easy Indian rice you will never need to order yellow rice from the takeout again. Serve this with your favorite curry for a delicious side dish that takes minimal effort. Fragrant fluffy basmati rice, packed with flavor and all cooked on the stovetop, this Indian pilaf (or Indian pilau) is so much better than takeout and so easy to make at home.
Ingredients
For the rice
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 8 cups boiling water
- 1 tablespoon salt (Note 1)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods lightly crushed (Note 2)
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
For the onions
- 2 onions (Note 3)
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in cold water at least three times to remove any excess starch. (Note 4)2 cups basmati rice
- Place the rice in a bowl and cover with cold water, let it soak for 30 minutes to an hour.
Start on the onions
- Peel and slice the onions into thin half-moons.2 onions
- Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large skillet or frying pan.3 tablespoon vegetable oil1 tablespoon butter
- Cook the onions over low heat until they have softened and are starting to caramelize. Add in the mustard seeds and stir gently.½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- While the onions are cooking, pour the water into a large pan and bring back to the boil. Add the salt, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom (if using). Stir to dissolve the salt.8 cups boiling water1 tablespoon salt1 teaspoon turmeric2 cloves2 inch cinnamon stick3 cardamom pods
- Add the rice to the boiling water and stir gently. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 6-12 minutes until the rice is just cooked. (Note 5) There will be lots of water left in the pan at this point. Drain the rice using a sieve, or fine holed colander, remove the whole spices, and set the drained rice to one side until the onions are cooked. (Note 6)
- Add the drained rice into the onions mixture and gently stir to combine.
- Check the seasoning and add more salt as required.
Notes
- If you are not soaking the rice then add only 2 teaspoons of salt to the water.
- If you can't find cardamon pods, just leave them out.
- Any onions will work here, I usually use brown onions, but red or white onions will work too.
- I know it is an extra step, but I really do recommend rinsing the rice and then letting it soak for 30 minutes to an hour. It makes the rice so fluffy and keeps every grain separate. It also means the rice cooks more quickly and evenly.
- How to rinse rice:
Place the rice in a bowl and cover with water. Use your hand to turn the rice over in the bowl, be gentle as you don't want to break the grains. Carefully drain the water away and repeat this process twice more. Once you have rinsed the rice three times, use a fine-mesh sieve to drain the rice. To ensure you have washed away as much starch as possible, place the sieve under the flow of running water for 10-15 seconds. Leave the rice to drain dry.
- How to rinse rice:
- The cook time on the rice depends very much on the brand you have bought. Check your rice periodically through the cook time to see when it is just tender.
- It is important to drain the rice immediately to remove the excess boiling water. This stops the final dish being water logged and leaves you with fluffy rice. You want to use a sieve or fine mesh colander to drain the rice so that all the water is removed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Nutrition
Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 477mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition is per serving
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