Healthy Veg Brown Rice Pulao | How to make Healthy Rice Recipes for weight-loss

Are you looking for a Brown Rice Pulao Recipe that is close to the traditional Rice Pulao and tasty too? Trust me, your search ends here! This Brown Rice Vegetable Pulao is made in one-pot pressure cooker and is flavored with vegetables of the season. Will you able to resist it?

Healthy Veg Brown Rice Pulao is a gluten free recipe of brown rice with variety of vegetables cooked in pressure cooker for low-calorie and weight-loss diet. This recipe of Brown Rice Pulao is similar to the white rice pulao, with varying soaking and cooking time.

I love creating easy recipes and this one pot Pressure Cooker Brown Rice gathers quickly and turns out to be softer and flavorful as compared to any other method. You may also like more rice recipes from the blog: Vegetable Pulao , Indian Lemon Rice.

Why Would You Love This Recipe?

• Healthy Brown Rice for weight-loss
• Gluten free Recipe
• Easily available ingredients
• Can be made Vegan
• One-Pot Pressure Cooker Easy Recipe
• A hearty lunch
• Savory Bold Flavors of Ghee, Indian spices and seasonal vegetables.
• The Best Brown Rice Pulao Ever!!

Ingredients

• Brown Rice: I have used the India Gate brand of Basmati Rice and is locally available here. You may procure any basmati brand for the brown rice that is available locally.
• Vegetables: This Brown Rice Pilaf or Pulao uses seasonal vegetables. I made it in the winters and used fresh cauliflower, peas, onion and tomato. You may add carrot, finely chopped beans, zucchini, mushrooms or any other local vegetable of your choice.
• Ghee: I love Desi Ghee Rice. It’s the healthy fat if taken in right proportion. You may use any vegetable oil.
• Spices: Being Indian means natural love to our spices. This recipe of brown rice is made totally like traditional Pulao with Whole spices like Bayleaf, Badi Eliachi (Big Cardamom) and fine ground spices like Red Chili powder, Turmeric, Garm Masala, Amchur(optional). These spices add perfect flavor to the pulao and make it totally Indian style Brown Rice. You may also use whole black pepper, dried red chilly, cloves etc.
• Lemon Juice: adds the perfect tanginess to this brown rice. You may skip Amchur and more of lemon juice.
• Garlic: The grated fresh garlic sauteed with onions and green chilies in Desi Ghee makes the whole home aromatic.

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Is Brown Rice Good for Weight Loss?

Before I dive into the recipe, I would talk about the brown rice. In simple terms, Brown Rice is unprocessed white rice with loads of fiber. White rice loses the nutrient germ and bran during its processing which remain intact in case of brown rice.

This means that white rice become less healthy in comparison to the brown. White rice has more Glycemic Index (GI). High GI indicates that food is easily absorbed and carbs are converted to glucose, which means the blood sugar level rises. White rice become more of the carbs supply and hence not a great choice people on diet plan and diabetics.

Fiber helps to lower the GI and brown rice as a part of your diet can help you lose weight and control blood sugar.

To add to this, its an amazing choice for Gluten allergic people. This brown rice pulao is perfect for weight-loss. [1]

How to Make Vegan Brown Rice Pulao?

Replace desi ghee by any other oil and this whole recipe is purely vegan!

Expert Tips

1. Brown rice is surely not as delicious as you find the white rice. Its your choice to make: healthy food or food for tongue!
2. Brown rice doesn’t go well with curries like its counter parts. You will slowly adapt to its taste and then you may experiment it with gravy dishes.
3. To begin with, its chewy and doesn’t feel sweet as in the case of White rice. It would be better to start cooking it as a Pulao or Khichdi mixed with vegetables of your choice and team it with Dahi , papad and salad.
4. Cooking time of brown rice is more than the white rice. Cooking time generally depends more on the variety / brand. In general, you may soak it for at least 30 min- 1 hour (in hot water for better results). Add around 2.5-3 times the water. So for one bowl of raw rice, 2.5-3 bowls of water. The rice-water ration depends on the brand. I have used India Gate Brown Rice and my soak time was 30 min, rice-water ratio was 1-2.
5. They will not be cooked in 1-2 whistles. Give them 2 whistles on full and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6. Don’t release the pressure. Let it cool itself and open it after cooling off for about 5 min.

What to Eat With This Healthy Brown Rice?

• Dahi/Curd– The Veg Pulao whether made using brown rice or white rice is always best teamed with plain Curd.
• Dal– One may have this brown rice with any Indian Dal (Lentil) like Arhar, Chana or yellow Dal.
• Choley/Rajma- If you ask any Indian, what’s their favorite Rice curry: 90% of hem will say Choley with Rice or Rajma with Rice. That’s is the best traditional Rice combo of India.
• Any Gravy Dish– You may have these healthy brown rice with any gravy dish you like.
• Green Chutney/ Dip– This is an ultimate combination with any rice. You may try my popular Dhaniya Ambi Chutney for making the authentic Indian Green dip.

Variations

• Instant Pot Brown Rice: The same recipe can be used to make the brown rice in instant pot. Use saute mode and saute all vegetables starting from adding whole spices, onion, garlic to the ghee. Add rest vegetables and saute for about 2 min. Add spices, rice, water and salt. Cook on high pressure for about 20 min.
• Try another variety: I have used India gate basmati brown rice and they give best results. You may try any good brand easily available to you. But then the recipe would need certain tweaks as every variety of rice takes different time to cook. Pressure cooker is the safest way to make any type of rice.
• Try Chinese Style: Fried Brown Rice is another pulao that can be made in Chinese style and can be teamed with Manchurian or Paneer Gravy dishes. You may need to first boil the brown rice and then add different vegetables to it. Make sure to chop the vegetables very small as fried rice tastes best when veggies are not distracting the taste.
• Try Another Garnishing: Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. You may use cilantro as well.

FAQ

Stories From Kitchen

Since you are still reading, I appreciate your efforts towards a healthy living!

This is not really a family recipe. Just like you, I have also been inspired to lead a healthy lifestyle from past few years. I know its a tough road but all we need is a simple handy recipe that doesn’t involve too many steps and that we can easily correlate to our existing cooking styles. Here comes my savior: my sister-in-law a perfectionist in all that she does and specially in kitchen, ratios, cooking time, just like my mother-in-law.

This recipe is hers and she has been on a gluten-free diet from quite sometime and it was really simple once someone from family guides you.

It removes all the hiccups that you generally face when you try things in kitchen afresh.

Detailed Recipe with Steps

1) Gather all the veggies and brown rice. Soak brown rice in warm/hot water for about 40 min. Wash vegetables under running water.

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2) Chop veggies as you like it in small or large chunks.

3) Take pressure cooker and add 2 tsp desi ghee. Add bay leaf, black cardamom. I was short for other spices, you may add cloves, black pepper etc. Once its aromatic, add Jeera. As it splutters, add Chopped garlic. (you may grate it even)

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4) Add onions. Once they are transparent add green chilly and tomatoes.

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5) Add spices like red chilly, haldi and garm masala. Add salt and vegetables like cauliflower, beans, carrots.

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6) Mix well and add peas.. Make sure to remove the rice from water in which they were soaked.

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7) Add water to rice in the ratio 2.5:1. So , one portion of rice and three portion of water. Add more salt and mix well.

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8) Put the lid on and give a pressure of 2 whistles on full. Simmer for 15 min. dont release the pressure. Let it cool off itself and open 15 min after it cools off.

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9) The Veg Brown Rice Pulao are ready. Serve with your choice of chutney, Papad and dahi!

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