Palak Pulao With Paneer (Spinach Rice With Cottage Cheese)
Palak pulao with paneer is an easy, light and fresh pulao that’s bursting with the goodness of spinach and cottage cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6 1x
- Category: Rice
- Method: Pressure Cooking
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 cups white Basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups water
- 3–5 oz. baby spinach
- 1 cup cubed paneer
- 1 cup finely sliced onion
- 5 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 dried red chillies
- 2 cloves
- 1/4 tsp whole black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 black cardamom or 2 green cardamom
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Switch your instant pot to sauté (normal) and add the oil. When the oil starts shimmering, add the whole spices and dry red chillies. Let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- Add the onions and fry until reddish-brown.
- Add the ginger and stir for a 4-5 seconds.
- Add the spinach, salt and turmeric and cook this until the spinach wilts and becomes dark green in color (4-5 minutes). If the spinach sticks to the bottom, add a few splashes of water too.
- Add the rice, two cups water and paneer cubes. Mix well and cancel sauté.
- Secure the lid and make sure the steam release vent is on ‘sealing’. Press the pressure cooking button and set the timer for 4 minutes. When the timer beeps, wait for 5 minutes, then release the steam by turning the steam release vent to ‘venting.’ Open the pot, fluff the pulao and serve hot.
Notes
Substitutions
- No dried red chillies? Use 1/2 to 1 tsp red chilli flakes or 2 green Thai chillies. If using green chillies, add them in step 4.
- No whole spices? Substitute with 1/2 tsp powdered garam masala. Add it in step 4 with the salt and turmeric. Garam masala is easily available in most supermarkets.
- You can use fresh or frozen spinach in this recipe.
Dos and don’ts
- Do use good quality Basmati rice. This is the best rice for making Indian pulao.
- Brown the onions well, but don’t over-do it. See picture for degree of doneness. If the onions start turning black, your pulao will have a slightly bitter after-taste.
Nutrition
- Calories: 314.8
- Sugar: 1.2
- Sodium: 118.8
- Fat: 15.8
- Saturated Fat: 0.9
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 36.4
- Fiber: 1.0
- Protein: 6.9
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: spinach rice, Indian rice dishes, palak pulao, palak rice
Find it online: https://indianambrosia.com/palak-pulao/
