Potato rice recipe with step by step photos. This potato rice or potato pulao is a simple and minimally spiced rice dish made with our favorite ingredients – rice and potatoes. This vegan recipe also includes aromatics, herbs and spices. Make this one pot easy rice dish for your quick weeknight dinner.
Pulao or pulav or pilaf is one recipe that is regularly prepared at home. The reason is it gets done in less time and the preparation also is quick.
This aloo rice recipe is one of those recipes that you fall back on when you do not have veggies. But you do have rice, potatoes and the regular Indian spices-herbs in your kitchen. The recipe is easy to prepare.
For a variation, you can also include some green peas, carrots, beetroot and sweet corn in this aloo pulao. Sometimes I add a handful of green peas in this dish. The addition of veggies makes it more hearty, flavorful and healthy.
In the recipe post, I have cooked potato rice in a stovetop pressure cooker, but you can also cook them in a pot or pan or in the Instant pot adding water as required.
I have mentioned the details in the notes section of the recipe card below if making the potato rice in a pan on the stovetop. You can also check this Pulao recipe which is made in a pot and I have shared step by step photos to make pulao in a pot or pan.
You can serve potato rice with a side pickle, salad or raita. This pulao also makes for a tiffin box lunch.
How to make Potato Rice
1. Rinse 1 heaped cup basmati rice very well in water till the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the rice in 1.5 cups of water for 20 to 30 minutes. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain all the water from the rice and keep it aside.
2. In a chutney grinder jar or a small grinder jar or blender, take the following ingredients:
- ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes
- 3 to 4 small to medium garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1 inch ginger (chopped)
- 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped)
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
3. Without adding any water, grind or blend to a smooth paste. The juices from the tomato will help in blending. Keep this masala paste aside.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 2 litre pressure cooker. Keep the heat to a low. First add the whole spices:
- 1 tej patta
- 2 green cardamoms
- 3 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon
5. Next add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds. Saute till the mustard seeds splutter.
6. Then add ⅓ cup thinly sliced onions.
7. Saute the onions till they begin to get light golden stirring often on low to medium-low heat.
8. Then add 8 to 10 curry leaves. Saute for 5 to 6 seconds.
9. Then add the ground masala paste.
10. Stir and mix very well.
11. Saute for a minute.
12. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
13. Mix the turmeric powder very well with the rest of the masala.
14. Add chopped potatoes. 2 medium to large potatoes (chopped in cubes), about 200 to 215 grams of potatoes.
At this step you can also add some fresh or frozen shelled green peas or any other veggie of your choice like carrots, baby corn, capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower etc.
15. Stir and mix the potatoes with the rest of the pulao masala.
16. Now add the soaked rice.
Cooking potato rice
17. Stir and mix the rice evenly with the masala.
18. Add water. You can add 1.5 cups to 1.75 cups of water. Do add water depending on the quality of basmati rice. Stir and mix very well.
19. Season with salt as required. Check the taste of the water and it should taste a bit salty.
20. Cover and pressure cook on a medium heat for 2 to 3 whistles or 6 to 7 minutes. When the pressure falls down on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid and gently fluff the rice.
21. Garnish with some coriander leaves while. Serve potato rice hot or warm with a onion raita, salad or pickle by the side. You can also pack it for lunch box.
More rice recipes
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Potato Rice | Potato Pulao
Ingredients
For soaking rice
- 1 cup heaped basmati rice
- 1.5 cups water for soaking rice
Other ingredients
- 2 medium to large potatoes or 200 to 215 grams potatoes
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 2 green cardamoms
- 3 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 medium onion or 50 grams onions or ⅓ cup thinly sliced onions
- 1 sprig curry leaves or 8 to 10 curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups water for pressure cooking
- salt as required
- 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander or mint leaves for garnish
To be ground to a paste
- 1 medium tomato or 60 grams tomatoes or ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves – chopped
- 1 inch ginger – chopped
- 1 to 2 green chilies – chopped
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves or ¼ cup half-half of mint + coriander leaves
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
Instructions
preparation
- Rinse 1 heaped cup basmati rice very well in water till the water runs clear of starch.
- Then soak the rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Then later, drain all the water from the rice and keep aside.
- In a chutney grinder jar or a small grinder jar, take the following ingredients – chopped tomatoes, garlic cloves (chopped), ginger (chopped), green chilies (chopped), chopped coriander leaves, fennel seeds and cumin seeds.
- Without adding any water, grind or blend to a smooth paste. The juices from the tomato will help in blending. Keep this masala paste aside.
making potato rice
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 2 litre pressure cooker. Lower the heat and first add the whole spices – tej patta, green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
- Next add mustard seeds. Saute till the mustard seeds splutter on low heat.
- Then add thinly sliced onions. Saute the onions stirring often on low to medium-low heat till they begin to get light brown.
- Then add curry leaves. Saute for 5 to 6 seconds.
- Then add the ground masala paste. Mix very well and saute for a minute.
- Add turmeric powder. Mix the turmeric powder very will with the rest of the masala.
- Add chopped potatoes. Stir and mix the potatoes with the rest of the pulao masala.
- Now add the soaked rice. Stir and mix the rice evenly with the masala.
cooking potato rice
- Add water. You can add 1.5 cups to 1.75 cups of water. Do add water depending on the quality of basmati rice. Stir very well.
- Season with salt as needed. Check the taste of the water and it should taste a bit salty.
- Cover and pressure cook on a medium heat for 2 to 3 whistles or 6 to 7 minutes.
- When the pressure falls down on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid and gently fluff the rice.
- Garnish with some coriander leaves or mint leaves while serving potato rice. Accompany a raita, salad or pickle by the side.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- You can use basmati rice or any long-grained rice or any variety of non-sticky medium or short-grained rice to make this aloo pulao.
- Instead of oil, you can opt to add ghee.
- You can also add veggies like cauliflower, bell pepper, green peas, baby corn, carrots and broccoli.
For cooking potato pulao in a pan or pot
- Saute everything as mentioned in the recipe in a thick bottomed pan or pot.
- Add soaked rice and then 1.75 cups water.
- On a low to medium heat, cover and cook till all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Depending on the quality of rice, you can add 2 cups water too.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Potato Rice post from the blog archives first published in June 2016 has been republished and updated on 18 January 2022.
I tried this with 1 serving quantities and it came out well. I could not grind the cumin seeds thoroughly due to the low amounts I had to put. But overall felt very happy to get a new recipe for lunch box as every-time if I make normal pulav and biryani it will become boring
Nice to know and thanks. A tip is that instead of cumin seeds, you can add cumin powder. Thanks for the rating too.
When I cooked the dish, i followed the instructions – but the potatoes were not cooked at all by the end. Should I par-boil the potatoes before cooking in future?
okay. usually the potatoes cook well. 2 to 3 whistles if enough for chopped potatoes to cook properly. also depending on the quality of potatoes, they may take more time to cook. at times i have this issue with cauliflower that i get here. you can parboil the potatoes or chop them in small cubes. both the methods will work.
hi,
can i use jeera powder in the masala paste because whole jeera will not grind well in my grinder.
yes you can do this way too. so jeera powder can be used instead of whole jeera.
hi, super recipe.. jjst wanted to know what to do if I want the rice to be bit more spicy/
apeksha, just add more green chilies while grinding or use hot green chilies.
Super Pulav. Very yummy . Best biryani ever tasted with potatoes . U rock .
thanks a lot vijaya for this awesome feedback on potato pulao recipe.
thanks …..
welcome lakshmi 🙂
first time I try to cook pulao.
the taste is very well
thanks poorni.
Sounds delicious. Must say the girls will flip for it.
thankyou 🙂