Aloo Pulao | How to make Potato Pulao

Aloo Pulao is a simple recipe that we make for our lunch or dinner. It suits well for the kids’ lunch boxes as well. Aloo pulao’s flavour is much similar to biryani flavour which satisfies our tummy. Raitha, pickle or pappad will be the best combination for this potato pulao. You can serve this pulao to your kids since potatoes are always children’s favourite food.

This potato pulao has very limited masala ingredients so that you never feel like having much spicy food. You can adjust the quantity of the ingredients as per your desire. Also, you can make this pulao quickly when you feel like having something delicious with a minimal quantity of ingredients and I can assure you that it tastes delicious. So try out this pulao recipe and let me know the comments.

Check out my other Main Recipes here.

• Preparation time : 10 mins
• Cooking time : 40 mins
• Total : 50 mins
• Course : Main Course
• Servings : 2 Persons
• Cuisine : Indian

Ingredients for Boiling Rice for Aloo Pulao

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• Whole spices (cardamom, star anise, bay leaf, cinnamon stick)
• 3 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 tbsp Ghee

Ingredients for making base for Aloo Pulao

• 2 large Potatoes (finely chopped)
• 2 medium-sized Onions (Thinly sliced)
• Whole spices (cardamom, star anise, bay leaf, cinnamon stick))
• 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds (Optional)
• 4 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• 1 tbsp Normal Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tbsp Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• Few coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Steps for making Aloo Pulao

• Boil 2 cups of water in the pan. Add 3 tbsp of coconut oil, 1 tbsp of ghee and whole spices such as a bay leaf, cardamom, star anise and cinnamon stick. You can add some salt if needed.

• Once the water boiled, add the washed basmati rice to the water, close and cook for 15 mins. Once it cooked perfectly, keep aside.

• Then in another pan, heat the oil, add mustard seeds (completely optional) and whole spices in it. Let them sizzle.

• Add thinly sliced onions to it. Saute the onions on the medium flame until it becomes translucent. Since you have sliced thinly, onions will get fried easily.

• Once the onions turned translucent, add ginger garlic paste and saute them until the raw smell goes off.

• Next, add chopped potatoes and saute them until it is fried well. If you feel like the potatoes are not getting fried or boiled, you can add a quarter cup of water, then close and cook for few mins on a medium flame. But make sure, while adding spices, there shouldn’t be any water left in the potatoes. You can add salt at this stage.

• After frying the potatoes well, add all the masalas and saute them on the medium flame until the oil separates from the masalas.

• Then add few coriander leaves and saute them.

• Next, add cooked rice to the base potato spice and mix it gently. Check for salt and add some if needed.

• Once you mix it, close the pan and cook for few mins on a low flame so that the pulao observes the aromatic spices that have been added.

• Once you open the pan, mix it gently again and sprinkle some ghee over the pulao.

• Serve the hot and yummy Aloo Pulao.

Quick Tips

• Sprinkle some salt while sauteing onions so that they get fried soon.
• Chopping the potatoes into tiny pieces will be easy to fry them.
• If you are adding water to boil the potatoes, make sure that water is completely dried out after the potatoes are boiled.

Originally published in Harini’s Kitchen — Aloo Pulao