Make yourself some flavorsome and delicious basmati Chana Pulao, or chickpea rice in 30 minutes. Featuring fluffy basmati rice and creamy chickpeas, it will definitely leave you wanting for more. This chickpea pulao makes a great weeknight dinner that is vegan, filling and nutritious.
Rice and beans is unquestionably a staple in our household, be it Mexican black beans and rice or this chickpea pulao. I am certainly one of those Asians that can have rice 3 times per day!
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- A great quick and easy dinner - All you need to make this chana pulao are a few simple ingredients that you probably have on hand and 30 minutes. Plus, everything can be cooked in a pot, which means less dishes to clean!
- Packed with aromatics and is utterly delicious - The use of various spices like star anise and ground coriander makes this dish extra delectable, leaving you wanting for more!
- Filling, hearty and nutritious - The combination of slow digesting basmati rice and protein rich chickpeas makes chana pulao super satisfying to have.
- A good lunchbox meal - This chickpea pulao is easily portable, and is suitable to be taken with you to school or work.
⏲Different rice to water ratio & cooking times
This is only a general guide based on my past experience. Cooking pulao is definitely a trial and error process, so do play around with the water ratio and cooking time to get the perfect chickpea pulao!
For Instant pot
- White basmati rice - use 1 ¼ cups of water. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Brown basmati rice - Increase the water amount to 1 ¾ cups. You will need to pressure cook them for 21 minutes.
- White rice (medium grain like Jasmine) - Use around 1 ½ cups of water. Cook for 3 minutes at high pressure.
- Brown rice - You will need 2 cups of water. Cook for 23 minutes at high pressure.
For stovetop
To cook chana pulao on stove, bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Place the lid on and do not lift the lid until it is done cooking.
- White basmati rice -Use 1 ¾ cups of water and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- Brown basmati rice - Use 2 ¼ cup of water. Cook for 45-50 minutes.
- White rice (medium grain like Jasmine) - Use 2 ¼ cups of water. It should take around 15-17 minutes to cook.
- Brown rice - Use 2 ½ cup water . Cook for 45-50 minutes.
🍚What you will need
📓Notes / substitutions
- Rice - I am using long grain basmati rice, but feel free to use any other long-grain or medium-grain rice of choice. Cooking time and water needed will differ slightly depending on rice used, so do check out the "rice to water ratio and cooking times" section above.
- Chickpeas - Both chickpeas cooked from scratch and canned chickpeas can be used.
- Oil-free - Use ¼ cup of water or broth to saute your aromatics in place of oil.
🍲Cooking chickpeas from dried
There are many pros in cooking your own chickpeas! It is cheaper, taste better and is better for the environment, just to name a few.
🔪How to make
Start by rinsing your rice in a fine mesh colander for 30 seconds to one minute.
For instant pot
Set pot to the "saute" mode. Heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil in the pot. Add in onion and saute until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Next, add in garlic, star anise, chili powder and coriander powder. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Turn off saute mode and add in rinsed rice, chickpeas, water and salt. Seal the lid and set Instant pot to cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
When the rice is done cooking, let it release naturally for 10 minutes, before releasing the remaining pressure manually. Fluffy up rice using a fork, and chickpea pulao ready to be enjoyed!
For stovetop
Heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil on medium high heat in a large skillet or pot. Once pan is heated, add in onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent, stirring frequently. Next, add in garlic, star anise, chili powder and coriander powder. Saute for another 1-2 minutes.
Add in rice, water, chickpeas and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Place the lid on and cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat.
When rice is cooked, remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Using a fork, fluffy up your chana pulao, serve and enjoy!
✔Helpful tips
- Avoid using short-grain rice - They tend to be sticky and mushy, which is not what you want for this chickpea pulao! Stick to long-grain or medium-grain rice.
- Rinse your rice - This helps remove excess starch on the grains that causes your rice to be clumpy and mushy.
- There is no need to soak your rice before cooking.
- To make your chana pulao more flavorful, cook with vegetable broth instead of water. You might need to omit salt, especially if you are using one that is high in sodium.
🍛How to serve
Although this chickpea pulao is pretty hearty and filling on its own, you can also pair it with some delicious side dishes to compliment your meal!
- Serve chana pulao with some creamy vegan raita, which is a yogurt based Indian sauce.
- This dish also pairs great with lentil dal curry, or even this Thai red curry.
- This delectable Indian quinoa salad is a great appetizer that works perfectly with basmati chickpea pulao.
- You can even pair this with skewers like this tofu satay!
❔Commonly asked questions
The main difference between biryani and pulao is their preparation method. The process of making biryani is much more complicated. It involves parboiling rice in a pot of salted water, before adding to the rest of the ingredients like meat and vegetables.
On the other hand, the cooking of pulao oftentimes only involves 1 pot, and all ingredients are cooked together in the exact amount of water so that all liquid will be absorbed completely when pulao is done cooking.
The making of biryani also involves layering, in which parboiled rice and other partially cooked ingredients are layered on top of one another before further cooking. On the flip side, all ingredients in pulao are mixed together without any layers or separation of ingredients.
You can certainly omit onion and garlic in this chickpea pulao to make it jain friendly. It will still taste really good without them!
Refrigerate chickpea pulao in a sealed container and it should last up to a week. It is also freezer-friendly and can be frozen for 3 months. It is recommended to pre-portion them up before freezing.
To reheat chana pulao from frozen, let it defrost in the fridge overnight, or at countertop for a few hours. You can also thaw it using the microwave oven "defrost" function.
When they are completely thawed, you can either heat chickpea pulao up on stove, or in the microwave oven for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You might need to add a splash of water if the mixture appears to be dry.
🍽More vegan rice dishes
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📖 Recipe
Basmati Chana Pulao (Chickpea Rice)
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice uncooked *
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 star anise
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas rinsed (or 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas)
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste, omit if using broth
Instructions
- Start by rinsing your rice in a fine mesh colander for 30 seconds to one minute.1 cup basmati rice
For Instant pot
- Set pot to the "saute" mode. Heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil in the pot. Add in onion and saute until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.1 medium red onion
- Next, add in garlic, star anise, chili powder and coriander powder. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.4 cloves garlic, 2 star anise, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- Turn off saute mode and add in rinsed rice, 1 ¼ cups of water, chickpeas and salt. Seal the lid and set Instant pot to cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.1 cup basmati rice, 1 15 oz can chickpeas, ½ teaspoon salt
- When the rice is done cooking, let it release naturally for 10 minutes, before releasing the remaining pressure manually. Fluff up rice using a fork, and it is ready to be enjoyed!
For stovetop
- Heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil on medium high heat in a large skillet or pot. Once pan is heated, add in onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent, stirring frequently.1 medium red onion
- Next, add in garlic, star anise, chili powder and coriander powder. Saute for another 1-2 minutes.4 cloves garlic, 2 star anise, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- Add in rice, 1 ½ cups of water, chickpeas and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Place the lid on and cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat.1 cup basmati rice, 1 15 oz can chickpeas, ½ teaspoon salt
- When rice is cooked, remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Using a fork, fluff up the rice before serving.
Notes
Reheating - To reheat from frozen, let chana pulao defrost in the fridge overnight, or at countertop for a few hours. You can also thaw it using the microwave oven "defrost" function.
When they are completely thawed, you can either heat it up on stove, or in the microwave oven for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You might need to add a splash of water if the mixture appears to be dry.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Stacy
Are the stove top measurements accurate? One cup rice and only 1-1/4 cup water? I know the instant pot uses less water but I would think you’d need at least 2 cups of water on stove top.
Meesha
I had forgot to mention that you will need 11/2 cups of water if cooking on stovetop!😅
Shellie
Fantastic recipe. I used brown basmati and I substituted a teaspoon of Chinese five spice for the star anise I don't have. I do have anise seed but wasn't sure how to substitute that. I look forward to having this again very soon with star anise. Delicious! Thanks, Meesha.
Meesha
I am so happy to hear that! 😊