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close up side shot of chickpea rice in a black ceramic serving bowl
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5 from 4 votes

Instant Pot Chana Pulao Recipe

Chana Pulao is a delicious, Indian-style, one-pot chickpea and rice casserole. Learn how to make chickpea rice in a few simple steps.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time33 minutes
Total Time48 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4
Calories: 556kcal
Author: Hina Gujral

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup dried chickpeas (kabuli chana)
  • 1 Cup basmati rice
  • 4 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 4 green cardamom (elaichi)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 1 Cup sliced onion
  • 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste (see recipe)
  • 2 green chili, sliced
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 Cup diced potato
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (see recipe)
  • 1 ¼ Cup water

Instructions

Prep Work For Pulao:

  • Wash and soak the dried chickpeas in water for 6 hours or overnight. Skip this step if you are using canned chickpeas. Instead, rinse canned beans with water and transfer them to a colander.
  • Rinse and soak basmati rice in water for 20 minutes.

How To Make Pulao:

  • Set the SAUTE Mode of IP for 10 minutes. Add cooking oil, bay leaf, cardamom, and cumin seeds to the inner pot of IP. Saute spices for 20 - 30 seconds to release aroma.
  • Next, add sliced onion and fry till the onion become light golden. Keep stirring them while frying.
  • Add ginger-garlic paste, soaked chickpeas (no water), salt, turmeric, red chili powder, chana masala, and green chili. Stir to combine. Saute for 1 - 2 minutes. (If you are using canned chickpeas then at this stage you can add rice, potato, water and cook the pulao for 3 minutes.)
  • Next, add water and stir. Seal the lid of the IP. Cancel SAUTE Mode. Set PRESSURE COOK Mode for 20 minutes to cook chickpeas.
  • After IP beeps, release the steam manually. Open the lid and check chickpeas for doneness. I like soft and fully cooked chickpeas in my pulao.
  • Drain all the water from the soaked basmati rice. Add potato and rice to the IP. Stir to combine. At this stage, taste the liquid for seasoning, if required add more salt or spices. Seal the lid. Set PRESSURE COOK mode for 3 minutes.
  • After the set cooking time, open the lid and fluff the rice using a fork. Cover with the IP lid and let rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
  • Serve chana pulao with raita and salad.

Video

Notes

  • You can use canned chickpeas as well to make this pulao. 
  • Add only 1 cup of water if using canned chickpeas. Cook the pulao only for 3 minutes after adding canned chickpeas, potato, and rice. Saute time 7 - 10 minutes. 
  • use 1 ¼ cups of water to cook 1 cup dried chickpeas and 1 cup rice.
  • Ginger Garlic Paste is equal parts of both herbs grind to a smooth paste. If you do have the paste, add half a teaspoon each of grated ginger and minced garlic. 
  • You can easily make this chana pulao in the traditional stovetop pressure cooker. Follow my step-by-step instructions shared above in the post.
  • For cooking liquid, you can use vegetable stock, chicken broth, or plain water.
  • Apart from potatoes, one can add broccoli, peas, carrot, squash, greens, or any other seasonal vegetable in this chana pulao.

Nutrition

Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 830mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 5mg