Call it mishti pulao or mishti polao or Basanti polao – this Bengali sweet rice with the subtle flavors of saffron is perfect for any occasion. Check out how I made this mishti pulav in the Instant Pot using the Gobind Bhog rice.
Here is my first semi-sweet pulav in this biryani-pulav series – Mishti pulao or the Bengali sweet rice. The Kashmiri pulav that I prepared was not entirely sweet even though it had the subtle sweetness. Let’s talk more about mishti pulao now.
Gobind Bhog:
For this pulao, we use the special rice called Gobind Bhog which is a short grain, white, aromatic and bit sticky rice from West Bengal. We serve the kheer and sweet made with this rice as offering to God hence its unique name – Gobind Bhog. This rice reminded me of the seeraga samba variety rice that we get in Tamil Nadu. This Wikipedia article states that the seeraga samba variety is known as Gobindo-bhog in Bengal. But I am not quite sure about this fact though.
When I found GobindBhog rice here in the Indian groceries, I happily picked one. I know for sure I can use it for kichadi, pulavs, and regular cooking also. After buying it, I took a picture of both seeraga samba and Gobind Bhog and as you can see it is quite hard to differentiate them. :-)
My Mishti Pulav Version:
Traditionally, this mishti pulao is served along with spicy curries during the festive season. In some occasions, it is served instead of kichadi also. As my son doesn’t prefer savory and sweet mixed together, I served it along with milk as sweet milk rice. So I did not include any green chilies or other spices. I did add some ginger but not much. You can include some green chilies and some veggies for the crunch.
My version is very mild and more like a dessert pulao. You can drizzle some diluted condensed milk and add a dollop of ghee and serve this as a dessert.
Now without any further ado, here is the mishti pulav recipe that I made in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp ghee, unmelted
- 10 cashews
- 20 raisins1 bay leaf
- 2-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom
- 2-inch ginger, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves
- ⅛ tsp saffron
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- a pinch of turmeric
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup Gobind Bhog rice, rinsed and drained thoroughly
- 2 cups water
Steps:
- Set the Instant Pot in the saute mode and when the display shows “HOT, add the ghee and let it melt.
- Then add the cashews, raisins and saute for 20 seconds. Immediately, add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, ginger, and cloves. Cook again for 20 seconds.
- Add the water and now add the sugar, salt, turmeric, and saffron strands.
- Let the sugar dissolve and then add the rice. Mix gently.
- Press the cancel button and then close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulav to cool for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork.
- Serve it hot with a dollop of ghee and milk or with any spicy curry.
Recipe Notes –
- You can adjust the salt and sugar according to your preference. I made it sweeter and reduced the salt. But you can add up to ¾ tsp of salt if you are planning to serve it with dal or mild curries. Also, you can add one green chili.
- Ginger is optional, but it adds good flavor.
- If you can’t source Gobind Bhog rice, then you can use the regular basmati rice or if you seeraga samba you can use that as well.
📖 Recipe
Mishti Polao | Instant Pot Bengali Sweet Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee unmelted
- 10 cashews
- 20 raisins
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom
- 2 inch ginger thinly sliced
- 3 cloves
- ⅛ tsp saffron
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder a pinch
- 1 cup Gobind Bhog rice rinsed and drained thoroughly
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot in the saute mode and when the display shows "HOT, add the ghee and let it melt.
- Then add the cashews, raisins and saute for 20 seconds. Immediately, add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, ginger, and cloves. Cook again for 20 seconds.
- Add the water and now add the sugar, salt, turmeric, and saffron strands.
- Let the sugar dissolve and then add the rice. Mix gently.
- Press the cancel button and then close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulav to cool for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork.
- Serve it hot with a dollop of ghee and milk or with any spicy curry.
Notes
- You can adjust the salt and sugar according to your preference. I made it sweeter and reduced the salt. But you can add up to ¾ tsp of salt if you are planning to serve it with dal or mild curries. Also, you can add one green chili.
- Ginger is optional, but it adds good flavor.
- If you can't source Gobind Bhog rice, then you can use the regular basmati rice or if you seeraga samba you can use that as well.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
This is so much similar to Meethe Chawal from North India. I still have to make it in Instant pot. Also heard a lot about Gobind Bhog but never used it.. infact apart from basmati I think I never tried any other rice variety.. Thinking I should give a try now.
Each variety has its unique flavor and fragrance. Please do give it a try and I am sure you will love it.
The rice looks fantastic, but difficult to source. The sweet rice looks yum with raisins and cashew. yum share
Oh yeah. Luckily I was able to get it here in the Bay.
The rice looks fantastic Srividhya. I couldn’t source this rice variety and went with basmati. I checked your rice pic it looks similar to my eyes though I am sure its different. And another important factor is water as well. So it will always be different. Anyway I love your pictures, they look so festive!
Oh yeah, completely forgot about the water factor. :-) Thanks Valli.
I think the video file thats embedded on this recipe refers to Dal palak instead of the Mishti Pulao :-) u might want to check it, vidhya …
Thanks, Kalyani. My ad network adds any of my videos randomly on my post. Need to move it to the bottom.
I saw this on a lot of blogs now.. and honestly no takers for sweet rice at my house (unless its in payasam form :p).. very well done and such a holden hue to the dish..
Same problem here too Kalyani. I made it all sweet.
What a festive looking pulao this is. I will look out for govind bhog rice and I am already itching to try it out.
Please do try and I am sure you will love it.
That looks pretty festive, Vidhya and looks like a dessert. Looks like we both have cooked some similar dishes for this marathon. :)
So true. Every time I comment on your blog, that’s the same thought I have as well.
Mishi pulao looks so good with those nuts and raisins. Glad you made it with Govindbhog Rice.
Thanks Sushma.
Seeraga samba has an unique flavor. I guess you can differentiate the rice with that. But they look so similar. I made a similar pulao and loved it so much. Yours looks so good and love the beautiful presentation.
Thanks, Gayathri. Yeah, the flavor is different and that Wikipedia article confused me.
I was introduced to Govind Bhog by my neighbor in Delhi who were from Calcutta . It was in a kheer that she had used , the aroma of the rice is to die for .
I assume the Mishti Pulao must be on the same lines , I have been meaning to make it but the sweet and salty combo is what makes me hesitant . You think we can make it with just salt and a pinch of sugar ? Which flavour is more predominant ?
Thanks, Vaishali. I made it sweet and I have the same problem – can’t combine sweet and salt. So made it sweet and added milk before serving.
I never know about gobind bong rice so far…looks very similar to to our very own seeraga samba rice..you have made it so perfect and looks lovely.
Thanks Sharmila.