Pressure Cooker Chana Pulao
Fragrant basmati rice and tender chickpeas cooked together with whole spices, golden onions, ginger, and green chile. Everything cooks in one pressure cooker in about four minutes at pressure, giving fluffy, separate grains and a deeply savory flavor.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Wait
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Makes
- About 6 cups (4 main-course servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Plan on 30 minutes for soaking the rice; it makes the grains longer and less likely to break.
- Use a 3-quart (3 L) or larger pressure cooker. This recipe fills a 5-quart (5 L) cooker well under half full, which is safe.
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas, and let them drain well so they don't add extra water.
- This recipe is written for a stovetop cooker that reaches high pressure (about 15 psi). If you use an electric cooker, use the Sauté function for the early steps and Pressure Cook on High for 4 minutes.
Rinse and soak rice
- Place the basmati in a medium bowl and cover with cold water.
- Swirl with your fingers, then pour off the cloudy water.
- Repeat 4–5 times until the water is nearly clear.
- Cover the rice with fresh cold water and let it soak for 30 minutes.
- Drain through a fine-mesh strainer and let it sit for 5 minutes to drain well.
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Ready when: Grains look opaque white and the rinse water is almost clear
Tip: Handle soaked rice gently; it is fragile and snaps easily.
Prep the aromatics
- While the rice soaks, thinly slice the onions, grate the ginger and garlic, slit the green chiles lengthwise, lightly crush the cardamom pods, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and chop the cilantro.
- Set everything within reach of the stove.
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Ready when: Onions are in even, thin slices so they brown at the same rate
Temper whole spices
- Set the open pressure cooker pot over medium heat and add the ghee.
- When it shimmers, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
- Stir for 30–45 seconds.
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Ready when: Cumin seeds sizzle and darken slightly, and the spices smell fragrant
Tip: Do not let the spices turn dark brown; they will taste bitter.
Brown the onions
- Add the sliced onions and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, for 7–8 minutes.
- If the onions start to stick or scorch, lower the heat slightly and add a splash of water.
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Ready when: Onions are soft and golden brown at the edges
Tip: Well-browned onions give the pulao its savory depth and light golden color, so don't rush this step.
Add ginger, garlic, chiles
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the ginger, garlic, green chiles, turmeric, and garam masala.
- Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes.
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Ready when: The raw garlic smell is gone and the mixture smells aromatic
Tip: If the mixture sticks, splash in 1 tablespoon of water and scrape the bottom.
Toast rice and chickpeas
- Add the chickpeas and the drained rice.
- Gently fold with a spatula for 1 minute so the grains are coated in the spiced onion mixture.
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Ready when: Rice looks glossy and slightly more translucent at the edges
Tip: Fold gently rather than stir hard to avoid snapping the grains.
Add water and season
- Pour in the water and lemon juice and sprinkle in the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 3 minutes.
- Scrape the bottom to release anything stuck.
- Taste the liquid; it should taste pleasantly salty, like light broth.
- Level the rice and chickpeas so they sit mostly under the liquid.
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Ready when: Liquid is at a full boil and tastes well salted
Tip: Do not stir after this point; stirring releases starch and makes the pulao sticky.
Pressure cook
- Lock the lid and set the vent weight or valve to sealing.
- Keep the heat on high until the cooker reaches full pressure, about 5 minutes.
- Then lower the heat to the lowest setting that maintains pressure and cook for 4 minutes (about 1 whistle for a weighted cooker).
- Turn off the heat.
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Ready when: Steady pressure is reached (weight rocking gently or indicator fully up) before you start the 4-minute timer
Tip: Start timing only once full pressure is reached, or the rice may be undercooked.
Natural release
- Leave the cooker undisturbed off the heat for 10 minutes so the pressure drops naturally.
- If the pressure indicator is still up after 10 minutes, carefully use the quick-release valve, keeping your hands and face away from the steam.
- Open the lid tilted away from you.
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Ready when: Pressure indicator has dropped and the lid opens easily
Tip: Quick-releasing immediately can make the rice wet and cause grains to split.
Rest, fluff, and garnish
- Let the pulao sit uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Pick out the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and chiles if you like.
- Fluff gently with a fork, lifting from the bottom, and fold in the chopped cilantro.
- Serve hot with raita, pickle, or a simple salad.
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Ready when: Grains are long, separate, and fluffy, with chickpeas tender but intact
Tip: If any rice looks hard in the center, sprinkle 2 tablespoons water on top, cover for 5 minutes, then fluff.
Good to know
Tips
- Measure the water carefully. Soaked, drained basmati needs only about 1 1/4 times its dry volume in water, so extra water makes it mushy.
- Taste the liquid before sealing the cooker. The rice absorbs salt, so the liquid should taste noticeably seasoned.
- Do not open the lid early or force the pressure release; let the rice finish steaming during the natural release.
- Add 1/2 cup frozen peas or diced carrots in step 6 for a more vegetable-packed pulao.
Make ahead
"Rinse and soak the rice up to 1 hour ahead, then drain it well. Slice the onions and prep the ginger, garlic, and chiles up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them in covered containers."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours after cooking. Refrigerator: cool quickly and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezer: up to 2 months in flat freezer bags. Reheat in the microwave, covered, with 1–2 tablespoons water per serving for 2–3 minutes, stirring halfway, until steaming hot throughout (165°F / 74°C)."
Substitutions
- canned chickpeas → 1 cup (200 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and pressure cooked separately. Cook the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for 15–20 minutes at high pressure until tender, drain, then use as written. Do not add them to the rice raw.
- ghee or neutral oil → Half butter and half neutral oil, or all neutral oil. Use oil for a vegan version; the flavor will be lighter.
- garam masala → 1/2 tsp ground coriander plus 1/4 tsp ground cumin. Gives a similar warm spice, though less complex.
- green chiles (serrano or Indian green chile) → 1/2 tsp red chile flakes or 1 jalapeño. Jalapeño is milder; slit it the same way.