Easy Pilau Rice

Fragrant and luxurious, yet so easy to make, pilau rice is a dish that every cook should master. This simply pilau rice recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes with about 3 minutes hands on time, which means you can create a dish fit for a Mughal emperor with no effort at all.

Easy Pilau Rice

Pilau (or pilaf, or pulao, or pollo) rice is so much more interesting than plain boiled rice. Spiced with cardamom, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and bay leaves, it’s a delicious accompaniment to all kinds of savoury dishes, spicy or otherwise.

With a long history and venerable history across Asia, from Turkey to Bangladesh, there are endless variations on these fabulous rice dishes. Pilau rice recipes can contain meat or vegetables to make an all in one meal, or it can be a simple side dish, with the spicing and glorious vibrant yellow colour adding interest and flavours to a meal.

I’m a big fan of making my own fakeaway dinners rather than calling up a delivery. It means I know how healthy the meal is, I can adjust the flavours to how I like them, and it saves so much money! This easy pilau rice is a perfect example.

My pilau rice recipe takes about 30 minutes, which is less time than a takeaway delivery on a busy evening. Crucially, only about 2 or 3 minutes of that is hands-on cooking. This leaves you free to create your favourite curry or put your feet up after a long day.

Why make this pilau rice recipe?

• It’s fabulous, fragrant and completely fuss free.

• It is fast – ready in less than 30 minutes with only a few minutes hands on time,

• This pilau rice recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan.

• It’s endlessly variable, and you can add to it to make a one-pot meal.

• Cheaper and better than takeaway.

• Made from everyday store cupboard ingredients.

What sort of rice should I use to make Easy Pilau Rice?

Any long grain rice will do, as long as you don’t use a quick or easy cook or minute rice type. These tend to turn into a mushy, sticky mess.

You’ll get a better result if you use Basmati rice, which is much more flavourful and fragrant than plain long grain rice. Even better, if you can get it, is aged Basmati rice. Brown rice, including brown Basmati rice is fine, but you will need to increase the cooking time (notes on this below).

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

I’m all in favour of anything that makes life easier in the kitchen, you might think that I would favour easy cook rice. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Easy cook rice is precooked and then dehydrated. This means some of the nutritional value of the rice can be lost before it ever gets to you. On top of that, it’s easy to make a mess of it. You can end up with mushy rice. I find it much easier to get good results from normal rice!

Pilau Rice Ingredients

• Rice – A fragrant long grain rice is best, and by far the most widely available of these is Basmati. Don’t waste your time on ‘easy cook’ rice.

• Bay leaves – The aromatic leaf of the laurel adds so much to your cooking. Don’t leave them out.

• Stock – Use your favourite stock pot or cube.

• Spices – cardamom pods, ground turmeric, cumin seeds, and cinnamon.

• Oil – I prefer to use good quality olive oil.

• Butter (optional, not shown) – I like to finish my rice with a knob of butter, but this is not essential if you prefer your rice dairy free.

How to Make Pilau Rice – Step by Step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

This is such a simple and easy to remember recipe. Just fry the spices, coat the rice, then add twice the volume of liquid to rice. After that, it’s simply cover and cook!

Step One – Pour the oil into the bottom of a heavy saucepan, or casserole dish (Dutch oven). Heat over a low flame. 

Now crack the cardamom pods. The best way to do this is on a chopping board with the side of a heavy knife, or squash them under a tumbler or jam jar. Add the cardamom, turmeric and cumin to the pan and fry for a minute until fragrant.

Step Two – Add the rice and stir to coat it with the spice and oil mixture. Cook for a minute or two. The rice will become transparent.

Step Three – Pour over the stock. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick and stir briefly. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. Then put the lid on the pan, turn the heat right down, and leave on the lowest heat for 18 minutes.

Leave the lid in place and don’t be tempted to peek, because this will allow steam to escape, changing the proportions of rice to liquid.

Step Four – When the rice is cooked, take the pan off the stove top. The freshly rice will have absorbed all the liquid. Fluff the rice with a fork, replace the lid and allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes. If you have used a heavy pan (and you should), it will keep warm.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

Make restaurant quality pilau rice by adding a generous knob of butter or ghee, allowing it to melt and then stirring through just before serving.

How to make brown pilau rice

This pilau rice recipe is also delicious made with brown basmati rice. Simply follow the instructions above but increase the cooking time to 40 minutes.

Variations

• Make an onion pilau rice very easily. Finely chop an onion and fry for a minute or two so that it is starting to colour before you add the spices. Treat mushrooms in the same way.

• Vary the spices to suit your taste.

• Make a lemon pilau by adding lemon zest with the bay leaves.

• Vegetables that you would normally boil or steam can be added with the stock.

• If you have some leftovers of cooked chicken or lamb, you can add this to the pan with the spices.

• Garnish your homemade pilau rice with toasted almonds or cashews.

Tips and Tricks

Once you make this fakeaway pilau rice, you will never order rice with your Indian takeaway again.

• There is no need to rinse the rice. If you do rinse the rice, then reduce the amount of stock by 2 tbs.

• This recipe uses more liquid than if you had cold ingredients in a cold pan.

• I make my easy pilau rice in a heavy cast iron casserole or Dutch Oven. Use the heaviest pan you have. A sturdy pan heats evenly and will prevent hot spots and burning.

• Use a pan with a lid that fits. If the lid doesn’t fit properly then some steam will escape. This means you could end up with dry rice. If the lid isn’t tight, add a extra spoonful of water at the start.

• Cook on the lowest heat. If necessary, use a stove top heat diffuser or simmer ring to keep the heat low and even. These cost a few pounds or dollars and will last a lifetime.

• If you like to use an electric pressure cooker, then try my Instant Pot pilau rice. 

Can I make Homemade Pilau Rice ahead?

You can make this pilau rice recipe ahead, and reheat it in the microwave. It is so easy to make, however, that I doubt you will ever need to.

If you do make it in advance, be sure the rice is cool, and then keep it in the fridge for no more than 48 hours. (I prefer never to keep cooked rice in the fridge for more than a day.) Reheat thoroughly before serving. I usually do this in the microwave. Do not return to the fridge and reheat a second time.

Freezing

I’m a big believer in cook once and eat twice, so this recipe has been written to feed two twice. It will fill two standard plastic takeaway trays and makes enough for two people for two meals.

Pack leftover pilau rice into shallow airtight containers, put the lid on and allow to cool. As soon as it is cool put in the fridge or freezer.

Fridge – Store for up to 48 hours. Reheat thoroughly and do not return to the fridge a second time.

Freezer – Freeze your homemade pilau rice to store for up to 3 months. Grab a tub from the freezer and defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating, or microwave from frozen.

FAQs

Easy Curry Recipes

How about an easy homemade curry to go with your pilau rice?

• Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry – let the slow cooker do the work with this delicious curry of tender chicken pieces in a rich coconut sauce

• Leftover chicken curry – a classic retro style British curry to use up the leftovers from your roast chicken

• Leftover turkey curry – a British style curry that is perfect for after Thanksgiving or Christmas

• Easy Potato Curry – using canned potatoes means this easy and delicious curry comes together in a flash!

• Lamb Rogan Josh – tender lamb, slowly cooked in a tomato curry sauce

• Chickpea Curry – ready in under half an hour, with chickpeas cooked in a rich tomato sauce and spinach stirred in at the end

• Raita – a classic Indian side to help cool after the hotter curries.