Paneer Pulao Recipe – One Pot Vegetarian Meal

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Last Updated on June 8, 2023 by Chef Mireille

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Paneer Pulao with rice, paneer and mixed vegetables makes the most flavorful and delicious one pot meal perfect for Meatless Monday, Vegetarian and Gluten Free – everyone will be happy with this Indian Spiced Rice Dish.

bowl of Paneer Pulao

Have you heard of Pulao? Do you know what it is?

What is Pulao?

There are versions of pulao across the world spelled many different ways like pelau, pilau, polow, plov. The spices may vary a bit from region to region and country to country, but in all it’s variations pulao is a spiced rice dish that can include any variety of vegetables and/or meat.

In the Caribbean, Chicken Pelau is most popular on the island of Trinidad, which happens to have one of the largest Indian descended populations in the Caribbean. I have also tried Uzbeki Style Plov at a local supermarket here that sells prepared foods also.

No matter what kind of Pelau you are trying – be it Indian, Caribbean, Uzbeki, Turkish – all the flavors always combine into umami in your mouth! How can it not with spices, rice, and vegetables and/or meat?

This version is uniquely Indian as paneer, the Indian cooking cheese, really isn’t used in any of the other countries that make pelau.

In this version of Paneer Pulao, I added lots of different fresh vegetables, however you can simplify the process by just adding a bag of mixed frozen vegetables or use whatever vegetables you happen to have in your refrigerator. This can be made with any variety of vegetables you prefer.

This one pot Vegetarian meal is perfect for #MeatlessMonday – protein, veg and carbs all in one pot!

Looking for more Paneer Recipes for Meatless Monday?

Paneer Recipes

Now let’s see what you will need to add to this week’s Shopping List so you can make this delicious Paneer Pulao this week!

The Ingredients

HOW TO MAKE PANEER PULAO

  • Make the masala.
  • In a pot, fry your masala.
  • Add the vegetables and raisins.
  • Add the rice and cook until rice is cooked through.
  • In a separate skillet, fry the paneer.
  • Add paneer to the cooked pelau and toss to combine.
making -edit

The perfect one pot meal!

spoon pulao -edit

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5 from 4 votes
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Paneer Pulao

Paneer Pulao is the perfect one pot dish for Meatless Monday.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Rice
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 433.71kcal

Ingredients

Masala Ingredients

Pulao Ingredients

Instructions

  • Grind peppercorns and cumin seeds for masala in a coffee/spice grinder. Transfer to a food processor with the rest of the masala ingredients and process until you have a masala paste.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot. Add bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom. Fry for 1 minute.
  • Add masala and fry until onions start to change color.
  • Add onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot, cauliflower, green peas and rice. Stir fry for 1 minute.
  • Add raisins, garam masala, salt and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
  • Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Add paneer and fry until golden brown on all sides.
  • Add paneer to rice and adjust salt, if necessary. Stir to combine.

Notes

Can be made with either fresh vegetables or frozen vegetables.

Nutrition

Calories: 433.71kcal | Carbohydrates: 66.23g | Protein: 12.92g | Fat: 13.93g | Saturated Fat: 1.98g | Sodium: 727.91mg | Fiber: 5.66g | Sugar: 15.91g
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This looks so good. Can’t wait to try the combination of rice, paneer, golden raisins, and vegetables. Will try it on this weekend. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  2. 5 stars
    Love this one pot meal, its got veggies, rice and paneer too. Adding raisins to a rice dish makes it so flavorful and adds a slight sweetness.

  3. 5 stars
    Pass the fork, Mir this Paneer pulao is amazingly delicious. I will love to think of making this tomorrow as we have rain predicted will make a great lunch dish and I will only check the veggies I have at hand to make it!

  4. 5 stars
    One pot meal such as this paneer pulao is one of our favourite meal. Loved the choice of paneer and veggies- just the way I like. I am pretty sure the flavorful aroma of the pulao must be all over the place. Great post! I am gonna make this pulao soonest, can’t wait.

5 from 4 votes

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