Bell pepper Pulao
My rendition of this spiced tomato rice, based off Richa Hingle's Tawa Pulao, with some modifications. This simple rice dish is flavored bell-pepper dish with savory spices, and fresh delicious bell peppers.
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot Pressure Cooker optional
- 1 large saucepan with lid
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
- 4 cloves of garlic, diced
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon amchoor (dried mango powder)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Main Ingredients
- 16 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 yellow or white onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons oil
- ½ yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1¼ cup water
To Garnish
- dash of lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Before you start, soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes.
- Preheat your Instant Pot with the Sauté setting. Heat the oil, and then cook the cumin seeds & fennel seeds for 30 seconds until then darken. Add the onion & cook for about 2 minutes, until they are translucent. Then, add the garlic and ginger paste, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Now, add the entire can of tomatoes, with the remaining spices, save for the salt. Cook for 5 minutes and stir.
- Now, add your cut bell peppers, salt, and water. Stir well to make sure nothing sticks to the instant pot.
- Drain your rice and add it to the instant pot. Cancel the saute.
- Now, place on the lid and set Pressure Release Knob to Sealing, at Manual and High Pressure, with a cook time of 5 minutes. Wait for manual release, which will take about 30 minutes.*
- Open the lid, fluff the rice, garnish with lemon juice and cilantro as desired, and enjoy!
Stovetop Method
- Before you start, soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes.
- Heat your oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook your cumin seeds and fennel seeds for 30 seconds. Add the onion & cook for about 2 minutes, until they are translucent, while stirring. Then, add the garlic and ginger paste, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Now, add the entire can of tomatoes, with the remaining spices, save for the salt. Cook for 5 minutes and stir.
- Drain the rice. Now, add your cut bell peppers, salt, water, and rice. Stir, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low-medium, and then cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Make sure to stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice, and enjoy!
Notes
* Alternatively, Richa's original recipe mentions to let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes, and set from sealing to venting. However, my recipe contains more water from the canned diced tomatoes, so I opted for natural release, which is better for soups and watery dishes. If you are using regular cut tomatoes, do Richa's method and you can take your dish out faster.
The calorie info is taken from Richa Hingle's book. However, this is with her original recipe made up of, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, carrots, and green beans, as well a smaller serving of tomatoes, so my version will be slightly different.