Instant Pot Mint Rice (Pudina Pulao)

Mint Rice, also known as Pudina rice or pulao, is a fragrant one-pot rice recipe with the freshness of mint leaves, some kick from green chilies, garlic, ginger, and lime made in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Stovetop. This is a very simple and easy rice dish, perfect for lunchboxes or weeknight dinners.

I love adding mint/pudina to my daily cooking, it not only flavors up the dish but also is refreshing. I add mint to almost all my biryani and pulao recipes.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make the mint pulao recipe at home.

• Rice: I have used white basmati rice. You may also use medium-grain sona masoori rice, and adjust the water as needed.
• Vegetables: I have used onions, green beans, and green peas.
• Oil: You can use any cooking oil. For best results, use ghee.
• Whole & Dry Spices: I used whole spices like cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ground spices like turmeric powder and garam masala.
• Green Masala Paste Ingredients: Used mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, and green chilies.

How to Make Mint Rice/Pudina Pulao in Instant Pot

Grind together green chilies, garlic pod, ginger, coriander leaves, mint/pudina to a smooth paste with little water and keep aside.

Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil/ghee, and once it's hot, add cumin seeds. Let them crackle. Then add whole spices and saute for another 30 seconds.

Next, add onions and saute till they turn translucent.

Add green beans, green peas and add blend the mint-coriander mixture, saute for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of ginger-garlic disappears.

Finally, add salt, turmeric powder, garam masala, rinsed rice, water, and stir well.

Close the lid on the pot and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position.

Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes.

When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, and then quickly release the pressure manually. If you do not have time, do Quick Pressure Release(QR) Manually.

Remove the lid away from you, squeeze some lime juice, and mix well.

Instant Pot Mint Rice or pudina pulao recipe is ready and serve hot with yogurt or raita.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker

Follow the same steps as the instant pot and close the lid, place a whistle and cook for two whistles on medium flame. The pressure cooker pudina pulao is ready.

What to Serve with Mint/Pudina Rice?

Mint Rice tastes great on its own with a side of mango pickle, papad, kachumber salad, and raita (like boondi raita, onion tomato raita, or cucumber raita).

Storage Suggestions

Store: Leftover mint pulao will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let it cool completely, and then store it in an airtight container.

Reheat: Sprinkle some water and reheat the pudina peas pulao in the microwave or stovetop until it warms through.

Tips & Variations

• Vegetables: You can use any vegetables of your choice, like carrot, capsicum, potato, cauliflower, etc.
• Fresh Herbs: Use fresh coriander leaves and mint to make the masala paste.
• Protein: You can add paneer or boiled chickpeas for extra protein.
• Mint Rice with Coconut Milk: You can make this mint pulao by substituting water with thin coconut milk to enhance the taste.
• Rice Variety: You can use sona masuri rice instead of basmati rice to make this pulao.

More Mint Leaves Recipes

• Mint Makhana
• Mint Coriander Chutney
• Mint Peanut Chutney
• Watermelon Salad with Mint

More Instant Pot Rice Recipes

• Paneer Biryani
• Spinach Rice
• Beetroot Rice
• Coconut Milk Pulao
• Chole Biryani
• Soya Chunks Biryani

If you’ve tried this easy mint rice recipe or any other recipe on Indianveggiedelight, then don’t forget to rate the recipe. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see the latest recipes!