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Busy mornings are made easy with this quick Instant Pot lunch box pulao recipe—a one-pot Easy Vegan Mushroom Pulao Loaded with fresh vegetables and just a few everyday spices.
Pulao as a lunch box or party meal
This pulao can be served as an everyday meal or goes best for parties too. It can be done in an Instant Pot, open pot, or stove-top pressure cooker.
Pulao in Instant Pot
I love my Instant Pot and such quick recipes. I was not prepared for my son and husband’s lunchbox and in the morning had limited time.
I have to make breakfast and lunch, and with just 45 minutes for everything, along with my office cooking such unplanned one-pot lunch boxes Instant meals become a breeze in Instant Pot.
I had a few veggies in hand and needed to use mushrooms to good use. Both of them will not eat mushrooms as is so it was a good idea to add it in pulao.
I simply sauteed the veggies in oil/ghee, added rice and water, and pressure cooked in an Instant Pot for 3 mins.
Yes, 3 minutes or pressure cooking time, the total time of cooking will be around 15 minutes, and then cooling time of 10 minutes.
Tips when cooking rice directly in an Instant Pot
- When I cook directly I use pressure mode and not rice mode
- I just use 1-3 mins. When rice is soaked for at least an hour I just use 1 min of pressure cooking time or else 3-4 mins.
- After the rice is done do not let it sit for more than 10 minutes in the Instant Pot. The instant pot is hot and it continues cooking. The rice becomes soggy and at times will stick to the bottom too.
- Simply release all the pressure, open the lid remove the inner, and keep it aside.
Vegetables used in Lunch Box Vegetable mushroom pulao rice or my fridge clean pulao rice 😀
I have used celery, mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots. One can use any vegetable of choice. You can add corn, peas, and capsicum too. Tomatoes might not go well in this recipe as we have mushrooms.
If you are running short of time skip the addition of onion and garlic and simply add the veggies. Believe me, the no-onion and no-garlic pulao will taste equally good.
If you are looking for more such one-pot or rice, grain, or millet recipes. Also, here is my collection of lunch box recipes.
I then simply pack this pulao in our hot food flask which helps the food stay warm for 3-4 hours at least and kids and we love to have some warm food when you do not have the option of heating it.
Easy Vegan Mushroom Pulao (Instant Pot Lunch Box Recipe)
Busy mornings are made easy with this quick Instant Pot lunch box a one-pot Easy Vegan Mushroom Pulao Loaded with fresh vegetables.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, North Indian
Keyword: Lunch Box, Rice, Vegan, Vegetables
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Author: Renu Agrawal-Dongre
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice Basmati or any long-grain rice
- 2 cups mushrooms 7-8 small size
- 1 cup vegetables mixed , celery, broccoli, carrot
- 1 onion small chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced or chopped
- ¼ inch ginger ½ tablespoon
- 2-3 green chilies optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon garam masala optional
- Salt to taste
- Water for soaking rice.
- 2 cups water to cook rice.
- 1 tablespoon Oil One can use ghee too, if ghee used it is not vegan
Instructions
Prep work
Rinse and soak the rice.
1 cup Rice
If you have time let it soak for at least 30 minutes or just soak it in the beginning until you do the remaining steps. This will at least soak it for a minimum of 5-10 mins. Instant is fine too.
Rinse the veggies.
1 cup vegetables
Cut the celery and carrots into small bite-size pieces.
Chop the mushrooms lengthwise.
2 cups mushrooms
Cut the broccoli into small florets.
Chop the onion, garlic, ginger, and green chili.
1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2-3 green chilies, ¼ inch ginger
All the chopping can be done in a mandoline slicer to save time.
See AlsoCream Of Mushroom Pork Chops
Cooking in Instant Pot
Switch the Instant Pot to pressure cooker mode.
In the inner of your instant pot add oil/ghee.
1 tablespoon Oil
Once hot add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and cloves.
1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 3-4 cloves
Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili.
1 onion, ¼ inch ginger, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 2-3 green chilies
Cook until the onion starts changing color.
Salt to taste
Now add the celery, carrot, and broccoli.
1 cup vegetables
Mix and cook it for a minute.
Now add rice, garam masala, water, mushrooms and salt.
2 cups mushrooms, ½ teaspoon garam masala, Water for soaking rice., 2 cups water to cook rice., Salt to taste
Mix everything and cancel the saute mode of Instant Pot.
Close the lid and switch on the instant pot on pressure cooker mode for 3 minutes.
Once done let it sit for 10 minutes.
Release all the pressure.
Once the pressure has been released and the pin dropped open the lid and gently flip the rice with a fork.
Pack this in your hot food lunch box or serve with some yogurt or raita.
Cooking in Stove-top Pressure Cooker
Switch on the pressure cooker.
Add oil/ghee.
Once hot add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and cloves.
Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili.
Cook until the onion starts changing color.
Now add the celery, carrot, and broccoli.
Mix and cook it for a minute.
Now add rice, garam masala, water, mushrooms and salt.
Mix everything and close the lid of the pressure cooker.
Pressure cook it for 1-2 whistles maximum.
Once done let it sit for 10 minutes.
Release all the pressure.
Once the pressure has been released and the pin dropped open the lid and gently flip the rice with a fork.
Pack this in your hot food lunch box or serve with some yogurt or raita.
Cooking in Open-Pot
Add oil/ghee in a heavy bottom pot.
Once hot add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and cloves.
Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili.
Cook until the onion starts changing color.
Now add the celery, carrot, and broccoli.
Mix and cook it for a minute.
Now add garam masala, water, mushrooms, and salt.
Mix everything cover with a lid and let the water come to a boil.
Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add rice.
Close the lid halfway if it does not have a vent to release steam, or else close it completely.
Let the pulao cook until the water has evaporated almost 75 percent.
Now reduce the heat to medium or slow and let it cook.
Once the water is almost evaporated, switch off and let it rest for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, gently flip the rice with a fork.
Pack this in your hot food lunch box or serve with some yogurt or raita.
Notes
Standard US-size cups and spoons are used. 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon =15 ml, 1 cup =237 ml.
One can use ghee too, if ghee is used it is not vegan
Tried this recipe?Share your feedback @cookwithrenu_ad or tag #cookwithrenu_ad
Disclaimer: 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.
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