A perfectly delicious and easy palak rice recipe! You’ll fall in love with the mild flavors. This spinach pulao makes a great lunchbox for kids or adults.
Prep: Wash or rinse the rice using cold water until the water is clear (not cloudy) anymore. Keep the rice in a colander and let the excess water drain.
Take spinach, onion, ginger, garlic, and green chilies in a blender and jar and make a smooth puree out of it.
Turn on the instant pot with saute mode on. Add oil and once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
Add whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, green cardamoms, and bay leaf) and saute for 30-40 seconds or until you’ll get a nice aroma of the spices.
Add prepared spinach puree and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
Add veggies and salt.
Also, add rice, garam masala, and water.
Stir and make sure all the rice is submerged in water.
Cover the instant pot with a lid, and keep the valve in a sealing position. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Then do QPR (quick pressure release) after 5 minutes by positioning the valve from sealing to venting.
Stovetop: Bring it to a rolling boil (for that you can crank the heat to high). Once it starts boiling lower the heat to LOWest possible. Cover with the lid and cook for 18-20 minutes. No need to peek through by opening the lid. Put on the timer and forget it.
Once the pin drops, open the lid and let the rice rest for 5 minutes by partially covering it.
After the resting time fluff up the rice using a fork or spatula and serve.
Video
Notes
Resting time (after the rice is cooked) is a must. During this resting time will get a chance to firm up slightly and they don’t break easily (or get mushy) as you fluff up or stir. Still, you need to be careful and gentle while fluffing the rice.
Don’t let the palak rice cool down in the pan/pot itself without fluffing, otherwise, it sets up like a cake and clumps together. So always fluff up the rice while it’s warm to get separated rice grains.
No need to soak the basmati rice for instant pot palak rice. But it is recommended for the stovetop version.