• Home
  • About me
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Recipes
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Supergolden Bakes

Sweet, savoury and everything in between

You are here: Home / Lunch, Dinner and Side Dishes / Side dishes / Perfect Pilau Rice | Hob or Instant Pot

Perfect Pilau Rice | Hob or Instant Pot

July 24, 2020 by Lucy Parissi Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

Making perfect Pilau Rice is super easy! No curry would be complete without a generous helping of this golden fragrant rice dish. Make it on the hob or your Instant Pot.

Make your curry night complete with my Easy Flatbreads!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CHECK OUT MY DISCLOSURE
Pilau rice topped with bay leaf and cinnamon stick in a vintage bowl

Easy Pilau Rice

Curry lovers will of course be familiar with Pilau Rice – this golden rice, fragrant with spices, is a must whenever you order takeaway or dine at an Indian restaurant.

But guess what? Making pilau rice at home is incredibly easy and if you follow my foolproof method you will always have perfect results whether cooking on the hob or the Instant Pot.

What type of rice is suitable for Pilau?

Basmati rice is my first choice whenever I make this recipe – and you don’t even have to rinse it first! If you can’t find any Basmati, then you can use white long grain rice.

How much rice per person?

This will depend on how hungry (or greedy!) you are! Half a cup (100g) or rice per person is about right, but you can always make a bigger batch if you like.

The ratio of rice to water/stock is an easy one to remember: simply use twice the volume of your rice. In this recipe I used 300g / 1 ½ cups rice and 600ml / 2 ½ cups vegetable stock. This makes enough to serve four as a side dish.

Golden pilau rice in a white pot close up

What Goes Into Pilau Rice?

Other than the rice you will need a few spices, some hot stock and onions – though these are totally optional. You will need a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid  (Dutch Oven) for this recipe. I love my GreenPan which has all the benefits of cast iron but none of the weight!

  • Butter or Ghee – or dairy free spread for a vegan version
  • Basmati rice (white)
  • Ground Turmeric – this will give pilau its vibrant golden colour
  • Cardamom pods – give these a little bash before using!
  • Bay leaf (forgot it in photo – oops!)
  • Cinnamon stick
  • Salt
  • Yellow onion, sliced – leave out if preferred
  • Vegetable stock for a vegetarian/vegan version or chicken stock – from a stockpot or cube
ingredients for pilau rice measured in bowls

HOW TO MAKE PILAU RICE

Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!

Melt the butter / vegan spread over low heat in a medium pot.

Melting butter in a pot

Add the turmeric, salt, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and stir to combine.

cooking turmeric, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick in butter

Stir in the sliced onion, if using, and bay leaf.

Cover the pot and sweat the onion over low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned.

Sweating onions in spiced butter in a pot

Add the rice and stir to coat in the spices and onion. 

Coating basmati rice in spiced butter and onion in a pot

Stir in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly and continue to cook over the lowest heat setting for 10 minutes, without stirring. After 10 minutes all or most of the liquid should be absorbed. 

Take the pot off the heat but leave the lid on for another 10 minutes – the residual steam will cook your rice to perfection.

Stirring pilau rice in a pot with a wooden spoon

Open the pot and fluff the rice up with a fork. Discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Serve with your favourite curry!

INSTANT POT PILAU RICE

Select “Sauté” press Adjust / Less. Melt the butter / vegan spread and add all the spices, salt, bay leaf and onion. Stir to combine.

Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat in the spices. Add the stock and cover the Instant Pot, set vent to “Sealing”. Select the “Rice” setting or cook on LOW PRESSURE for 12 minutes.

Release the steam manually and immediately remove the inner pot from the pressure cooker (otherwise the rice will continue to cook and may stick).

Fluff the rice up with a fork. Discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and serve straight away.

SLIMMING FRIENDLY PILAU RICE

Rice is free on Slimming World so this recipe can complete your fave fakeaway curry with some minor modifications.

Either allow a few syns by using Flora Light (only around 1 per serving) instead of butter or use Fry light and a little stock to sweat the onions and continue with the recipe as written – see the recipe card for further instructions.

STORING PILAU RICE

Keep in the fridge for up to a day and make sure you reheat very thoroughly before serving. 

Alternatively freeze the cooled pilau rice and reheat in the microwave straight from frozen or thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a saucepan. Do not reheat rice more than once.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Pilau rice (or yellow rice as my son used to call it when he was little) is the perfect side dish for all curry dishes! Here are some of my favourite recipes – make sure to also include my easy yogurt flatbreads on the side.

  • Lamb Rogan Josh or Chicken Rogan if you prefer!
  • Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry or Crockpot Beef Curry
  • Healthy Chicken Jalfrezi
  • Prawn Dhansak
  • Persian Lamb Stew (pictured below)
Pilau rice served with lamb stew and garnished with pomegranate seeds

HAVE YOU MADE MY PILAU RICE RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!

Perfect Pilau Rice

Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes
Making perfect Pilau Rice is super easy! No curry would be complete without a generous helping of this golden fragrant rice dish. Make it on the hob or your Instant Pot. Vegetarian/ Vegan.
5 from 1 vote
Print Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Instant Pot Pilau Rice, Pilau Rice
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Steam in pot: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 331kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter or dairy free spread for vegan version
  • 6 cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 yellow onion sliced (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 300 g (1 ½ cups) white basmati rice
  • 600 ml (2 ½ cups) hot vegetable stock or chicken stock

Instructions

Pilau Rice on the Hob

  • Heat a tablespoon of butter in a lidded pot. Stir in the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, turmeric and salt. Stir to allow the spices to infuse the butter.
  • Add the onion, if using. Stir to coat in the spices then cover the pot and cook very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened.
  • Add the basmati rice (no need to rinse) to the pot and stir to coat in the fragrant butter.
  • Add hot vegetable stock, stir once then cover the pot tightly and reduce heat to lowest setting. Leave to cook for 10 minutes without opening the pot.
  • Remove the lid and check the rice – almost all of the liquid should have been absorbed. Stir once with a gentle folding action.
  • Take the pot off the heat, cover with the lid and leave for another ten minutes for soft fluffy rice.
  • Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cardamom pods. Season to taste and serve with your favourite curry.

Instant Pot Pilau Rice

  • Select “Sauté” press Adjust / Less. Melt the butter / vegan spread and add all the spices, salt, bay leaf and onion. Stir to combine.
  • Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat in the spices. Add the stock and cover the Instant Pot, set vent to “Sealing”. Select the “Rice” setting or cook on LOW PRESSURE for 12 minutes.
  • Release the steam manually and immediately remove the inner pot from the pressure cooker (otherwise the rice will continue to cook and may stick).
  • Fluff the rice up with a fork. Discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and serve straight away.

Video

Notes

MAKING SLIMMING FRIENDLY PILAU RICE
Rice is free on Slimming World so this recipe can complete your fave fakeaway curry with some minor modifications.
Either allow a few syns by using Flora Light (only around 1 per serving) instead of butter or use Fry light and a little stock to sweat the onions. Keep stirring, adding a bit more stock, if the onions are sticking and pot is dry.
Make sure to add a couple of extra tablespoons of stock when cooking the rice to compensate for any you used while sweating the onions.
STORING PILAU RICE
Keep in the fridge for up to a day and make sure you reheat very thoroughly before serving. 
Alternatively freeze the cooled rice and reheat in the microwave straight from frozen or thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a saucepan. Do not reheat rice more than once.

Nutritional Info

Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 897mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 408IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @supergolden88 or tag #supergoldenbakes!

ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT ON SUPERGOLDEN BAKES ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. IF YOU WISH TO SHARE THIS RECIPE, THEN PLEASE DO SO BY USING THE SHARE BUTTONS PROVIDED. DO NOT SCREENSHOT / POST RECIPE OR CONTENT IN FULL.

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: Side dishes

« Easy Tea Fruit Loaf
Chicken And Bacon Pasta Bake »

Never Miss A Post!

Subscribe to get the all the latest tasty goodness delivered to your inbox!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




HEY, NICE TO MEET YOU!

Picture of Lucy ParissiHi, I am Lucy Parissi, the recipe developer, food  photographer and author behind Supergolden Bakes. If you are looking for easy sweet and savoury recipes that are packed with flavour you have come to the right place!  READ MORE

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Slow Cooker Recipes

More Posts from this Category

As Seen In…

Collage of brand logos, including Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, Chowhound, MSN, Elle, and Redbook
This site uses cookies: Find out more.