Kala chana pulao is a one-pot rice dish made with cooked black chickpeas, basmati rice, carrots, green beans, fresh mint, and everyday Indian spices. The chickpeas have a firm bite that goes well with the soft rice and vegetables.
I make this pulao on busy weekdays when I have cooked black chickpeas ready. Once the vegetables are chopped, there is very little prep left. You can cook it in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. And if you cook chickpeas regularly, browse my Indian chickpea recipes for more ways to use them.
Browned Onions Build Flavor in One Pot
Browning the onions gives this pulao a gentle sweetness and deeper flavor. I usually let the onions develop some color before adding the vegetables. When I am short on time, I sauté them for just a couple of minutes and continue. This small shortcut works well on busy days.
If you enjoy hands-off meals, explore my Instant Pot rice recipes for more simple ideas.
Cooked kala chana makes this recipe especially useful for meal prep. I use my Instant Pot kala chana recipe to cook black chickpeas ahead of time. I like using cooked chana this way because the rice and vegetables cook together without a separate curry to prepare. Fresh mint adds a gentle, fresh flavor along with the spices.
If you enjoy one-pot dinners like I do, try my chickpeas rice or black beans rice for another wholesome dinner on busy days.
Happy Cooking!
-Sravanthi
How to Make Kala Chana Pulao
Step 1: Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on sauté mode or in a stovetop pot. Add the onion. Sauté it until browned. If you are short on time, sauté the onion for a couple of minutes.
Step 2: Add the chopped ginger and garlic. Stir them with the onion.
Step 3: Add the chopped green beans and carrots. Mix them with the onion mixture.
Step 4: Add the cooked black chickpeas, green chili paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt, and garam masala. Mix well.
Step 5: Add the mint leaves and combine gently.
Step 6: Add the rinsed basmati rice. Mix gently with the chickpeas and vegetables.
Step 7: For the Instant Pot: Add 1.5 cups water. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Release pressure according to your Instant Pot's safe operating instructions. Open the lid and fluff the rice gently.
Step 8: For the stovetop: Add 2 cups water. Bring the water to a boil. Close the lid and cook on medium flame until all the water is absorbed. This took around 12 minutes in my kitchen.
Step 9: Fluff the pulao gently and serve.
Serving Tips
I usually keep the sides simple because this pulao already has rice, black chickpeas, carrots, and green beans in the same pot. A fresh salad or cooling yogurt side works especially well for an everyday lunch or dinner.
- With a fresh salad: Serve it with my crunchy chopped vegetable salad for a fresh, crisp contrast.
- With raita: Pair it with cucumber raita or creamy avocado raita, especially if you make the pulao a little spicy.
- With roasted protein: Add roasted paneer or oven-baked tofu when you want a more filling meal.
- With roasted vegetables: Serve Indian-spiced roasted vegetables or roasted cauliflower florets alongside the pulao when you want to add more vegetables to the meal.
Recipe
Kala Chana Pulao (One Pot Black Chickpeas Pilaf)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups black chickpeas cooked kala chana
- 1.5 cups water Use 1.5 cups for Instant Pot and 2 cups for stovetop method.
- 1 cup green beans chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- ¾ cup onion
- ½ cup mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon green chili crushed or roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot using sauté mode or in a stovetop pot. Add the onion and cook until it browns. I like to give the onions enough time to develop some color because this step adds good flavor to the finished rice.2 tsp oil, ¾ cup onion
- Add the chopped ginger and garlic. Stir them into the onions.1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp garlic
- Now add the chopped carrots and green beans. Mix the vegetables so they pick up the onion mixture.1 cup green beans, 1 cup carrots
- Add the cooked black chickpeas, green chili paste, salt, and spices. Stir gently until the chickpeas and vegetables are coated with the spices.2 cups black chickpeas, 1 tsp green chili , 1 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 1.5 tsp salt
- Add the mint leaves and mix again. The mint may look like a lot when it first goes into the pot, but it softens during cooking and blends into the pulao.½ cup mint leaves
- Add the rinsed basmati rice. Mix gently so the rice spreads through the chickpeas and vegetables without breaking the long grains. This gentle mixing helps keep the finished pulao light instead of mashed.1 cup basmati rice
- For the Instant Pot, add 1.5 cups water for 1 cup of rice. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure according to your Instant Pot's safe operating instructions, then open the lid and fluff the pulao gently.1.5 cups water
- For the stovetop, add 2 cups water for 1 cup of rice. Let the water come to a boil. Once it starts boiling, close the lid and cook on medium flame until all the water is absorbed. This took around 12 minutes in my kitchen. Open the pot and fluff the rice gently before serving.
Notes
Tested Tips from My Kitchen
- Brown the onions when you have time. Browning adds more flavor to the rice. On rushed days, I sauté the onions for a couple of minutes and continue.
- Use the correct water quantity. Use 1.5 cups of water for the Instant Pot and 2 cups of water for the stovetop for 1 cup of basmati rice in this recipe.
- Rinse the rice first. Rinse the basmati rice for a couple of minutes before adding it to the pot.
- Use cooked kala chana. The recipe starts with 2 cups cooked black chickpeas.
- Save the kala chana cooking liquid if you like. I sometimes use it instead of plain water. The pulao tastes good, but the finished rice becomes darker.
- Change the vegetables when needed. Potatoes, green peas, and sweet corn also work well along with carrots and beans.
- Adjust the chili without changing the rest of the recipe. Replace 1 teaspoon green chili paste with ½ teaspoon red chilli powder if needed.
- Mix the rice gently. Gentle stirring helps keep the long basmati grains from breaking.
- Watch the stovetop water. Once the water boils, close the lid and cook on medium flame until the liquid is absorbed. It took around 12 minutes for me.
- Use the tested Instant Pot setting. Cook the pulao for 5 minutes on high pressure.
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Nutrition
If you try this kala chana pulao, let me know how it turns out in the comments. If you are new to basmati rice, check out my detailed basmati rice guide for simple tips and tricks to cook fluffy, separate grains. Please leave a comment and let me know how you served it.
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