Green peas pulao, or matar pulao, is an Indian and Pakistani rice dish made with basmati rice, whole spices, green peas and mint. Easy enough to make any day, but luxurious enough to serve for a dinner party.
Table of contents
I love to pair this fluffy and delicately flavoured rice with robust North Indian curries such as Chana masala, Punjabi rajma masala and paneer palak kofta curry.
However, it's also great with a sweet Gujarati kadhi.
This peas pulao recipe is simply made with a few ingredients and without onions or garlic. It is a naturally vegan and gluten-free side dish.
The majority of the flavour comes from the sweet peas and fresh herbs but there is also a deeper flavour from the whole spices. I don't even cook the peas, but simply let them steam with cooked rice - this helps retain the flavour, vibrant green colour and nutrients.
I like to rotate pulao recipes depending on the such as vegetable pulao, tawa pulao, instant pot coconut pulao, tehri and shahi pulao.
Ingredients notes
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
Basmati rice - I use long-grain basmati rice for the best flavour. Soak your rice for 20 minutes in cold water prior to achieve even fluffier rice and reduce the cooking time. Rinsing the rice well washes away all the excess starch.
Green peas - use fresh or frozen peas.
Mint - fresh, torn mint leaves
Oil - a flavourless oil works best. Use oil to keep it vegan, but you can use a ghee if you wish.
Whole spices - cumin seeds, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves.
Salt to taste
Serving suggestion
Peas pulao is versatile and can be served with a variety of different meals. Any of these Indian vegetarian curry recipes would work great.
Perfect with some cooling cucumber raita on the side.
Serve it as an every day rice or even as part of your Diwali Indian dinner party menu.
How to make the matar pulao recipe
1. You first want to par-cook your basmati rice with the whole spices which have been sauté the whole spices in oil. Adding spices to hot oil helps them to bloom and release their aroma.
2. Once the rice is about 80% cooked, I tip in the peas, cover the rice with a lid and allow the rice and peas to steam cook.
3. Once that's complete, I finish off with the mint leaves and fluff the rice.
Storage
Store pulao in an airtight container and place in the fridge as soon as it reaches room temperature. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave or pan, you may need a sprinkle of water if it has gone too dry.
Peas pulao can also be frozen for up to 3 months but it may loose its fresh taste.
Other rice dishes
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📖 Recipe
Peas Pulao (Matar Pulao)
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice unsoaked
- ½ cup green peas
- 10 leaves mint
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole spices green cardamom, clove, cinnamon bark, bay leaves
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the basmati rice thoroughly in cold water and soak for 20-30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and whole spices.
- Once the spices sizzle, tip in the rice.
- Sauté for a half a minute then add in around 1.5-2 cups of boiling water. Add salt.
- Cook the rice - keep heat high for 5-7 minutes without covering the pan.
- Once the water is cooked off, add in the peas. Put a lid on the pan and switch off the heat. Allow the rice and peas to cook in steam for 5-10 minutes
- Gently fluff the rice and add the torn mint.
- Serve.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Share on Facebook Pin This RecipeNote – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in November 2016.
Hayley Dhanecha says
This peas pulao (matar pulao) is one of those simple rice dishes that turns out so good and incredibly tasty. The sweet green peas cook beautifully with basmati rice and fragrant whole spices, making every spoonful light yet full of flavour. I love serving it with raita, curries or a side of pickle—it’s an easy, comforting meal that always works.
Shaheen says
What a lovely light and fragrant dish to share with #EatYourGreens. Its a classic British combo mint and peas in a fusion dish. Thanks Jagruti, its been a little while since I've been over, going to have a good nosy before I leave. Warm wishes
jcookingodyssey says
Hi Shaheen, thank you for lovely words. Hope you enjoyed browsing JCO. Keep in touch. Warm wishes !