Yummy and fragrant matar Pulao also referred to as pea pulao is prepared with aromatic spices, peas and Basmati Rice. This fragrant pulao is an excellent accompaniment to any Indian meal. I prefer peas to be of a right texture not too mushy so without thawing I added frozen peas directly to the pan. If using fresh peas then boil them in the same pan for 3-4 minutes before adding rice. 
Peas is the least liked vegetable among my kids.There is a funny sight that I enjoy every time I serve pea pulao. With my back turned, the older one takes out all the peas and assembles them in the corner of his plate and the younger one fills in for his brother and eats up all his peas. Thinking that mom is unaware of their act they come up to me with clean plates and say – ALL DONE!! 
Coming back to the recipe, 1 tablespoon garam masla is added to the pulao but you can always improvise the dish by cutting down on the garam masala quantity and substituting it with half and half – half of Garam masala and half of red chili powder. Peas and rice compliment each other perfectly without overpowering the dish. Above all the spice combination creates a wonderful aroma and a subtle delightful flavor.
Matar Pulao
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Jeera (cumin seeds)
- 3 pieces of Cloves
- 2 pieces of Bay leaves
- 1 small Onion
- 1 cup Frozen Peas
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- ½ tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kastoori methi/ dried fenugreek leaves
- 1-2 piece of Whole red Chilies
- 1/2 teaspoon Coriander powder (sukha dhaniya)
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups Water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Assemble: all the ingredients.
- Pound fresh coriander seeds.
- Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaves, cloves, cumin seeds, whole red chilies and chopped onions. Saute until onions become translucent. Add peas and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in all the spices and 2 cups of water.
- Wash rice under water to clean of all the dirt and get rid of some of the starch.
- Bring water to a boil, add washed rice to the pan and cook open till rice rises to the surface and water has reduced to 1/4 the quantity.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 2-3 minutes. I prefer DUM cooking so I cover my rice pan with a cloth and lid to trap the steam inside and the steam pressure cooks the rice.
- After 2-3 minutes turn off the gas and let the rice sit covered for another minute.
- Serve hot with chutney, achar or curd.
Mast recipe hai Ruchiji. Everyone loved it and had no leftovers. My husband is difficult to convince food wise but he was all raving about Matar pulao. Simple recipe but very tasty. thank you. Rajni
Glad to hear that you liked the recipe Rajni. Thanks for trying it out. 🙂
Excellent recipe. I used to be checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! At my mom’s place we made these pulao for Raksha Bandhan and didn’t knew what to add.
Thanks for the recipe and I am so excited to be making Matar pulao tomorrow!
You are welcome Tamanna! Happy Raksha Bandhan to you and your family!!
one cup is how much ml here
Thanks for stopping by Deepti! 1 cup in liquid measurements (water,oil, milk) is 250 ML. Dry ingredients are measured in grams, so 1 cup is 125 grams for flour and 1 cup of rice equals appx. 200 grams. Please refer to this chart for more details – http://www.ruchiskitchen.com/conversion-chart-grams-liters-gallons-cups-ounces/
Dear Ruchi,
I hope that this message finds you happy and well. Just checking, 2 cups of rice to 2 cups water doesn’t sound right to me. Isn’t the ratio usually 1cup rice: 2 cup water? Thank you so much.
Thank you, Vegan mom! I have fixed the typo. 😊