Onion rice / onion pulao recipe – a simple and delicious Indian style rice using onions and spices. In this easy recipe, rice is flavored with fried onions and spices.
There are times when I have to stare at an empty vegetable tray, except for onions, and wonder what to make for lunch. At those times, the quickest and easiest recipe I make is this onion rice.
About This Recipe
Though it doesn’t have too many ingredients, this rice is absolutely delicious. You can even use left-over rice to make it just like pepper rice that I make. It is a good option for a quick lunch.
The recipe for this onion pulao is very easy. The spices are first added and the onions are fried till they are golden brown and then the cooked rice is added. The fried onions together with the whole spices, give a nice flavor to the rice.
Health Benefits
- Onions:
- Onions help to improve the body’s immune system.
- They are known to regulate blood pressure.
- They are a good source of Vitamin C.
- Onions are also a good source of dietary fiber.
Ingredients You Need
- Rice: I used medium-grain rice for this recipe. You can use long-grain rice too or for a more flavorful rice, you can use basmati rice.
- Onions: Use big onions and not shallots for this recipe.
- Garlic: It adds a nice flavor to the rice.
- Chillies: Green chillies lends heat to this pulao. Depending on the spiciness of the chillies, you can increase or decrease the number of chillies.
- Whole spices: We use bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, which give a nice aroma and flavor to this rice. Cumin seeds too lend flavor to the rice.
- Oil: I used sunflower oil. You can substitute with ghee for a more flavorful rice.
- Salt
How to make Onion Rice step by step
- Firstly, cook the rice and set aside to cool down completely.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves and green cardamoms and saute for a few seconds. Then add cumin seeds and saute till they change color slightly.
- Now add sliced onions and finely chopped garlic along with slit green chillies.
- Fry till the onions turn golden brown on the edges.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the cooked rice along with salt.
- Mix well to combine and remove from heat.
- Finally, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Onion pulao is ready to be served.
More Rice Recipes
Rice Recipes
Serving Suggestions
- With Curry: Serve this pulao with a curry like paneer tomato curry, capsicum masala curry or soya chunks curry
- With Raita: Pair the pulao with a raita like pomegranate mint raita or carrot raita.
- Sides: Serve it along with a simple salad like cucumber salad.
Recipe Tips
- Browning the Onions: The onions need to be fried till golden-brown. This lends a nice flavor to the pulao.
- Cooking Rice: When cooking the rice, make sure that the rice grains are fluffy and separate, when cooked. They should not be sticky.
- Use Ghee: If you are not vegan, you can substitute oil with ghee for a more flavorful rice.
More Onion Recipes
A few more onion recipes that you can try
- Onion Chutney – simple and delicious chutney using onions, without coconut
- Onion Stuffed Brinjal Curry – an Andhra style stuffed brinjal curry
- Spring Onion Egg Bhurji – Egg bhurji using spring onions
Onion rice / onion pulao recipe – a simple and delicious Indian style rice using onions and spices. In this easy recipe, rice is flavored with fried onions and spices.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 1 large onion ( pyaz / vengayam )
- 2 green chillies
- 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera )
- 1 bay leaf ( tej patta )
- 1 inch piece cinnamon ( dalchini )
- 2 cloves ( laung / lavangam )
- 2 green cardamoms ( elaichi / ellakai )
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the rice and set aside to cool down completely. Peel and thinly slice onions. Also peel and finely chop garlic cloves. Slit the green chillies lengthwise. Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Add cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves and green cardamoms. Saute for a few seconds. Now add cumin seeds and saute till they crackle and change color slightly.
- Then add sliced onions and finely chopped garlic along with slit green chillies.
- Fry till the onions turn golden brown on the edges on a medium-low flame.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the cooked rice along with salt.
- Mix well to combine and remove from heat.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Onion rice is now ready to be served.
Notes
- The measurement cup used in this recipe is 1 cup = 250 ml
- Substitute oil with ghee for a more richly flavored rice or if preparing for kids.
- Use medium-grain or long-grain rice. For a more aromatic and flavorful pulao, use Basmati rice.
- Make sure to cool down the rice completely before mixing it with the prepared onion mixture, otherwise they may get mashed when mixing.
- You can use left-over rice too for this recipe.
Nutrition Information
Serving size:1 serving Calories:333 calories Fat:9.7 g Saturated fat:1.3 g Unsaturated fat:0 g Trans fat:0 g Carbohydrates:55.9 g Sugar:2.3 g Sodium:13 mg Fiber:2.6 g Protein:5.2 g Cholesterol:0 mg
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