Indian Chickpea and Rice (Chana Pulao)
This Indian chickpea and rice (chana pulao) is a delicious rice dish packed with aromatics and flavors. An easy one-pot meal ready in 30 minutes and freezer-friendly. Instant Pot instructions included.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 132kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger peeled and minced
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 cup basmati rice uncooked *
- ½ teaspoon chili powder (optional, for heat)
- ½ 15 oz can chickpeas rinsed (or 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Spices
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pod black cardamom
- 3 pods green cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 whole black peppercorn
Instructions
Stovetop instructions
- Heat some oil in a pan. Add onion, and saute until translucent and lightly browned for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pot, then stir in garlic, ginger, and the rest of the spices. Fry for a minute until fragrant.
- Add water, rice, chickpeas, and salt to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, covered, over medium-low to low heat for 10-15 minutes, until rice has absorbed all water.
- Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes, then fluff the rice with a rice paddle or fork.
- Serve your chickpea and rice while warm!
Instant Pot instructions
- Switch the Instant Pot on to "Saute" mode. Heat up some oil, then add onion, sauteing until translucent.
- Add garlic, ginger, and the rest of the spices. Saute for 1 minute until aromatic.
- Cancel saute, and chickpeas, rice, and water.
- Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally, and let it sit for 10 minutes before fluffing the rice with a fork. Your chickpea rice is ready to be served.
Notes
Helpful tips
- Spices – I use a blend of cardamom, cumin, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon. Feel free to adjust the mix based on what you have on hand and your taste preferences.
- Avoid stirring when cooking – Heat and steam that escape the pot result in undercooked rice, and stirring also risks breaking the rice kernels.
- Fix undercooked rice – Add 2-3 tablespoons of hot water and cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat until rice is soft.
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
