One-Pot Indian Rice Recipes: The best extra time and physical effort savings in the kitchen and at the same time a delicious meal is one-pot meals. Easy dinner recipes, or lunch-time at work ideas, this list of one-pot Indian meals will not disappoint!
Precaution: Do not stir the rice when making it, this will activate the starch, and can lead to gluey or under cooked rice. Also, remember to leave it to rest and serve after 10 minutes.
Choosing the Right Rice
One-Pot Indian Rice Recipes: You can either prepare something by yourself or invite a great number of people, one way or another you still have to choose the very type of rice to make your masterpiece of cooking tastes and flavors a success.
Between fluffy pilafs and beefy biryanis, each of the types of rice possesses its characteristics, which determine the end result of your dish.
In times of need a long-grain variety of rice, like basmati and Camargue, could be utilized to make delicious, nutritious, aromatic pilafs that could be consumed in itself, or incorporated into other flavors in a stew or a curry. It is topped by a pinch of turmeric and saffron to come out with a gorgeous flavorful end.
Meanwhile, rice of glutinous nature such as biryani or pulao are served in more substantial meals. Such meals consume more water and are generally cooked in large pots with aromatic spices, vegetables and either meat or chicken so that it renders the meal rich and fulfilling.
Kala chana pulao is a delicious high-protein Indian rice dish prepared with black chickpeas, basmati rice and warm Indian spice in an Instant Pot or Stovetop pressure cooker, which makes it vegan or vegetarian. This is a fast, nutritious and simple one-pot dish, an easy weeknights dish!
Essential Ingredients and Kitchen Equipment
One-Pot Indian Rice Recipes: One-pot meals are simpler, less to clean and they present tasty recipes that can provide a range of flavors to the same meal. The skillet chicken pot pie, taco spaghetti and garden vegetable skillets are all the one-pot meals you can make all through the hectic weekdays.
Prepare delicious dishes using a variety of pantry products and seasoning mixes that should be cooked in the skillet and in the one-pot format, such as taco seasoning, chili mix and garlic powder.
Tomato Rice is an easy South Indian rice preparation that is prepared using tomatoes, whole spices and herbs. It’s a quick meal option for any day of the week and is easily cooked in a pressure cooker, Instant pot or regular pot.
Tomato Rice can also be served with papads and raita so as to have a complete meal. The basmati rice is preferable in this recipe, however, brown rice can also be used. Once the rice has been cooked, then leave the pressure to release on its own and fluff with forks and serve. Enjoy!
One-Pot Vegetable Pulao Recipe
Veg Pulao (Pulav) is a simple, fast and one-pot Indian rice dish, which is loaded with vegetables, herbs and whole spices.
It is a simple rice pilaf which is made using basmati rice and majority of the vegetables like beans and sweet corn, carrots and peas. You may even add some boiled/fried paneer to provide some extra flavour.
The secret of excellent veg pulao is the kind of rice, and the technique of cooking. Wash the rice several times, until it becomes clear and then rinse the rice 20-30 minutes. The rice turns into fluffy and well cooked veg pulao as the rice grains become soft leading to the swelling and subsequent expansion of the rice grains.
Meanwhile some ghee that has been boiled in the pressure cooker is fried and sliced onions, whole spices and green chilies are fried until it turns golden brown. Add turmeric, garam masala and ginger garlic paste and proceed to cook after a minute.
Then put in the soaked rice and pour in 2 cups of water (when using in Instant Pot) or 3 cups of water (when using in regular pot). Shake the water to ensure that it has been salted, in case of need, add more salt. As soon as the rice has been cooked press the manual release button and allow the pressure to reduce.
One-Pot Tomato Rice Recipe
Tomato Rice is a quick and easy Indian meal that is made using ripe tomatoes, spices and herbs. It makes an ideal one-pot meal to be used during hectic days.
It could be cooked either in a stove top pressure cooker, Instant pot or a regular pot. This can be consumed as it or served with raita, curds or vegetable salad as a side.
Rinse 1-cup long grain rice (45 times) and rinse it should it be needed. Add the whole spices such as bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom to the heat oil (or ghee) in a nonstick pot and/or Kadai. Saute: Cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Then green chilies and onion that is chopped should be added. Bake until tender and very light brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook a few mins.
Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala and combine. Put in chopped tomatoes, which are now in season and boil them till they are soft and mushy. Add the water which was used to soak the rice, add salt and stir thoroughly.
Close the lid of the pressure cooker and put the whistle weight on. Whistling: Reduce the flame to low, and boil without stirring, or in removing the cover, 20 minutes. Bake when ready and allow to rest 10 minutes. Boil the lid and poke softly the tomato rice and serve.
One-Pot Lemon Rice Recipe
Lemon rice is a common dish of South Indians that is made with lemon juice, roasted Indian peanuts and spices. This easy instant pot lemon rice recipe is a quick and delicious dish that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.
The only thing you need to make this easy lemon rice recipe is to press the SAUTE button on your Instant Pot and add ghee (or oil). Add urad dal and chana dal and saute a minute or till light brown.
Then add mustard-seeds and splutter. Once the dal is cooked add in the green chilies, red chili, curry leaves and asafoetida (or hing) and stir a few seconds. Then, add the powder of turmeric and stir. Finally, add in rinsed rice, water and salt and mix.
Strain the rice mixture to a medium or large bowl and then combine with the eggs. This will make the eggs not to scramble.
Return the strained rice to the pot and mixture of eggs, lemon zest, cayenne pepper and 1/4 cup of remaining cooking liquid, and stir until combined, adding more of the remaining cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency in little increments.
The recipe is so much versatile and a great beginning point to variations. You may make it with other grains such as quinoa or millets or even veggies such as carrots, green peas and bell pepper. Alternatively, it is also possible to incorporate other herbs and spices like oregano, parsley or thymes to change the flavor profile.
Masala Rice (in a pot) recipe
It is a quick and easy one pot Indian dish that is very rich in flavour as well as the dish is prepared in the shortest time. It is an ideal dinner meal on a weeknight and accompanies most meals, as well as makes a good meal prep.
This is a vegetarian kichdi that is so satisfying due to the mixture of rice, moong dal (lentils) and mixed vegetables. It is a nutritious and extremely rich in protein and is appropriate not only to adults but also to children. And it is a most delicious way of de-vaulting rice.
It is a Maharashtrian version of masala rice but it is called pulao, but has got a different colour and texture, as it is the goda Masala. It is a delicious and nutritious meal that may be consumed either as the main one, or as a side dish.
Ready in your Instant Pot, this dish will serve as an excellent Indian dish, and it also just so happens to be a one-pot dish. Keep track of time in which the rice is being cooked, the rice is easy to be overcooked.
When the rice is cooked, take the steel insert out and allow the pressure to tend to go away on its own after 10 minutes. This tasty and healthy Instant Pot Masala Rice can be accompanied with a vegetable salad or raita as a side dish to turn it into a complete course meal.
One pot Moong dal Khichri Recipe
Khichdi is food that you desire when in need of something to eat but something lighter but very comfortable. The dish is made of rice and mung daal, and is easy to make yet it has a lot of flavor. The gimmick is to let the ghee (clarified butter) ingredients cool.
This brings about flavour, makes it more digestible, and rich. In order to make it even more nutritional, you may replace the ghee with some spices like cumin seeds, black pepper or asafoetida, as well as vegetables, as well.
This recipe is prepared using mung daal, but they can be substituted with the green moong or any other lentil. Make sure that the dal is soaked, this helps in cooking the dal more quickly.
Warm up ghee in a big kadhai, or pan. Add cumin, bay leaf and pinch of hing. Roast on a low fire until spices are aromatic. After 1 minute stir in the dal. Following that, add turmeric, salt and water. Blend, and cook 5 minutes.
Cook: In a pressure cooker close the lid and cook 2-3 whistles. When you want your khichdi to be thick, then you only need less water of course but should be cooked well. This is a perfect substitute to weekdays or busy days and you need a nutritious and fast meal.