A mild mixed vegetable pulav made in Instant Pot without any onion or garlic. A perfect and a delicious recipe to make on any auspicious day. Check out the no onion no garlic mixed vegetable pulav recipe with a detailed video.
During the April 2018 marathon, I chose no onion no garlic kadamba sadam for the alphabet N and now this year also I going with a no onion no garlic recipe and it’s the veg pulav. I know I have posted the mixed veg pulav with fresh ground masala a couple of years ago, but here is the no onion version.
Why No Onion and No Garlic?
I know I have quite a few no onion no garlic recipes on my blog, but I have never shared why we prefer food without any onion or garlic on festival days, auspicious days and vrat days. I am not going behind the scientific explanation. To put in simple words, we want to consume sattvic food on auspicious religious days and onion, and garlic belongs to the rajasic and tamasic food categories. Hence they are avoided.
I follow no-onion no-garlic diet on Thursdays and important festival days. That’s about it. I don’t strictly follow this on all full-moon or new-moon days.
Veg Pulav Without Onion and Garlic:
As I follow no-onion no-garlic diet on Thursdays, I need quick and delicious lunch box recipes as well without onion and garlic. I mostly prefer ven pongal and gojju but recent days I started trying all popular curries and gravies without onion and garlic, and they are a big hit in our household.
I never thought of making pulav without onion and garlic, but I recently relished the sattvic pulav with yogurt at the local Saibaba temple. We all loved it, and I wanted to replicate it at home. And I duly did and kept it for this marathon. So here it is for you all.
I created a video as well. Please check it out and as always, please do subscribe to my channel and share your feedback.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp ghee, melted
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 cardamom
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves
- 3 small cinnamon sticks
- 2 green chilies, slit into two
- 20 mint leaves
- ¼ cilantro, finely chopped
- ¾ cup mixed vegetables (I used potatoes, carrot and green beans)
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 15 mts and drained
- 1 ⅓ cup water
Steps:
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and when the display shows hot, add the ghee, followed by cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Fry for 20 to 30 seconds and then add the slit green chilies and mix.
- Then add the mint leaves and cilantro and cook for 30 seconds or until they wilt.
- Next, add the mixed vegetables and gently mix.
- Then add the turmeric powder and salt. Mix again and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
- Next, add the basmati rice and the water. 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 or spatula.
- Serve it hot with yogurt or raita.
Recipe Notes-
- I made it without onion or garlic, but you can include both. If using them, after adding the spices, add the onion and garlic. Saute them first before adding the mint leaves.
- Adjust the veggies, spices, and salt according to your preference.
- Instead of ghee, you can use regular oil and make it vegan.
📖 Recipe
No Onion No Garlic Veg Pulav | Instant Pot Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee melted
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks small ones as how in the video
- 2 green chilies slit into two
- 20 mint leaves
- ¼ cilantro finely chopped
- ¾ cup mixed vegetables I used potatoes, carrot and green beans
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup basmati rice washed and soaked for 15 mts and drained
- 1 ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and when the display shows hot, add the ghee, followed by cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Fry for 20 to 30 seconds and then add the slit green chilies and mix.
- Then add the mint leaves and cilantro and cook for 30 seconds or until they wilt.
- Next, add the mixed vegetables and gently mix.
- Then add the turmeric powder and salt. Mix again and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
- Next, add the basmati rice and the water. 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 or spatula.
- Serve it hot with yogurt or raita.
Video
Notes
- I made it without onion or garlic, but you can include both. If using them, after adding the spices, add the onion and garlic. Saute them first before adding the mint leaves.
- Adjust the veggies, spices, and salt according to your preference.
- Instead of ghee, you can use regular oil and make it vegan.
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.
Came out so well and made this for my little ones school lunch. Box came back empty :) only change I made was using a little bit of pav bhai masala instead of whole masala.
so so happy to hear. Glad the little one liked it. Love the addition of Pav bhaji masala.
A keeper recipe for festivals or to make for guests who prefer no-onion no-garlic food.A flavourful treat with rich flavours that come with cilantro and mint
Yes, agree :-)
It is when people taste the no onion no garlic food, they realize that food can be tasty without it too :-). Your no onion no garlic pulao looks simply yummy and a perfect lunchbox recipe.
Thanks :-)
I quickly jumped to the video today..nice and simple no onion no garlic pulao. I am sure the mint must be imparting a great aroma as well as flavor.
Simple yet flavorful, hassle free recipe.
Very true. Hassle-free is the perfect word to describe this recipe.:-)
The pulao has turned out so fantastic. Love how good the rice texture looks. Though I am not very particular about no onion no garlic, as I can’t cook without onion most times, I love to have such recipes handy..:)
Thanks Valli. As I made this on a Thursday, I made it without any onion and garlic. :-)
For nearly four years, I was on satvic food everyday. At first mom struggled, but she became a pro in creating no onion no garlic dishes. I live your recipes without onion or garlic and they are perfect for vrat days. This pulao looks amazing Vidya.
Oh wow… being on satvic diet daily is such an achievement. I try to do satvic weekly once, that’s about it. Between thanks much Gayathri.
I make a similar version for those days when I can’t eat onion garlic. this has turned out very well, Vidhya…
Thanks :-)
What a pleasing color the pulao has. I would love to live without onion and garlic but my family cannot live without those :)
Thanks :-)
Very nice dish with out onion and garlic. I cant imagine making pulao with out onion and garlic.
As we make a lot of no onion no garlic, we got used to it these days.
No onion and no garlic dishes sound like right up my alley. The cilantro – mint base adds loads of flavor and one don’t feel the absence of those here. The pulao is vibrantly colored and perfectly made, with each grain standing apart.
Thanks Suma.