Beetroot Rice / Pulao

Beetroot is a root vegetable. It is also known as Beet in different parts of the world. It can be eaten raw in salad form, or it can be cooked and can be made part of various different delicious recipes. Beetroot is full of nutrients and is considered a good source of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Manganese, Potassium, and Iron. Hence, this recipe is very integral part of my family.

Beetroot Rice is very nutritious, tasty, and easy one pot meal. It is the easiest way to make your family eat beetroot. Eat it with your choice of curry, or yogurt. You can make it as part of elaborate meal or it can be eaten as a meal itself. It’s enticing color and flavorful taste makes it kids favorite too.

Preparation Time: 20 -30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Basmati Rice (or any long grain rice of your choice)
• 1 big beetroot – grated
• ¼ cup minced cilantro or coriander leaves
• ½ cup peas (optional)
• ½ sliced cut onion
• 1 table spoon of grated ginger
• 1 table spoon of grated garlic
• 2 table spoon of oil (any oil of your choice) or ghee (clarified butter) 
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons of special blend of spices ( garam masala or biryani /pulao masala) according to your taste
• Salt to your taste
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• Red Chili powder according to your taste
• Water

Click below to know How to make Special Blend of Spices at home (in case you don’t have garam masala or biriyani masala).

Special Blend of Spices recipe

How to make Beetroot rice / Pulao:

It can be made in deep pan, pressure cooker, or Instant pot

• Wash the rice properly and soak them in water for half an hour.

• If you are using pan or pressure cooker, put them on stove on medium heat. If you are using Instant pot, turn on the Sauté option.
• Add 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee (Clarified butter) according to your preference.
• Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and cloves. Let them sizzle until cumin seeds turn dark brown.
• Add sliced cut onions, peas, grated ginger, and grated garlic. Sauté them well.

• Add 2-3 teaspoon of special blend spices (garam masala or biriyani masala), 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, and Red chili powder to your taste. Sauté them well for another minute.

• When the onions turn golden, add grated beetroot. Sauté the mix well for at least 2-3 minutes.
• Add soaked and drained rice. Make sure there is no water in the rice. Sauté them well with the veggies and spices.

• Add 3 – 4 cups of water (for 2 cups of rice) if you are using pressure cooker or instant pot. In case of regular pot or pan you will need more water about 4 -4 1/2 cups.
•  Make sure you are not adding too much water, otherwise the rice/Pulao will turn mushy.
• Add salt to your taste. Stir gently.
• Taste the water in the pan to check if the taste is appropriate to your taste. If needed add more salt, chili powder, or any of the above mentioned spices.

If you are using pressure cooker:

Cover the lid and cook the Beetroot rice/ Pulao on medium flame for two whistles. Once steam is released, open the lid, let the rice rest for 5-10 minutes and stir the rice with flat spatula in a way that it doesn’t break the grain or make rice mushy. Your Beetroot rice / Pulao is ready to serve/ eat. Garnish it with freshly cut Cilantro /Coriander leaves.

If you are using instant pot:

Cover the lid and cook the Beetroot rice/ Pulao on rice setting. Once steam is released, open the lid, let the rice rest for 5-10 minutes and stir the rice with flat spatula in a way that it doesn’t break the grain or make rice mushy. Your Beetroot rice / Pulao is ready to serve/ eat. Garnish it with freshly cut Cilantro /Coriander leaves.

If you are using pot or pan:

Cover the lid and cook the Beetroot rice/ Pulao on medium or low flame until the water is absorbed. Perfectly done Beetroot rice/ Pulao should not have moisture left. All the rice on top and bottom should be well done. Once done, turn off the stove and cover the pot. Let the rice rest for 5-10 minutes. Then stir the rice with spatula in a way that it doesn’t break the grain or make rice mushy. Your Beetroot rice / Pulao is ready to serve/ eat. Garnish it with freshly cut Cilantro /Coriander leaves.

Tips:

• Taste the water of the beetroot rice mix before putting the lid on.
• Taste of the water should be little saltier and spicier than your taste. Once the beetroot rice is ready, rice will have absorbed all the spices and salt and it will be perfect to eat.
• You can add more vegies to this recipe too. You can add cut potatoes, broccoli, carrots, green beans, etc. while sautéing along with peas.
• Different kind of rice will require different amount of water to cook. Amount of water mentioned in the recipe is for basmati Rice (long grain rice). Amount of water needed to cook rice also depends on how old your rice grain is.
• Regular pan or pot will use more water compared to pressure cooker and instant pot to cook rice.

Click below to know the other delicious way to make your family eat beetroot (in form of appetizer)

Potato Beetroot Patties