Pilau rice is a true classic in Indian restaurants. Like many restaurant classics, it has always seemed like something that would be difficult to make at home. It’s actually a very simpe dish though! As with my Mexican tomato rice, it makes use of a few key techniques that are easily transferable.

The History of Pilau Rice

Pilau rice has as many variations as it has names. You may find it called pulao, pilaf, pallao etc. These all come from different parts of the world, and aligns to a range of different variations. It is believed to have originated in ancient Persia. They adopted rice cultivation and preparation from Sotuh Asian cultures at the time and began cooking it alongside common spices to the region. These include cinnamon, turmeric, cardamon etc. From here, the dish expanded to other regions as a result of empire expansion and along trade routes.

The expansion of pilau rice largely spread out to large parts of the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and North Africa. This is reflected in the association of the dish with modern cuisines. It is also thought to have spread to and influenced food from European countries, such as Paella in Spain. In more recent times, it has spread even further. In the second half of the 20th century, it spread throughout the Soviet Union. This happened due to it’s presence in some of the member states. Pilau rice became a popular part of Soviet cuisine and is still popular in some of the ex-Soviet states!

This Recipe

As previously mentioned, each of these parts of the world that prepare Pilau rice do it somewhat differently. I am focussing on a version that is more typical in Indian restaurants. This is prepared with ghee and makes use of cumin and coriander seeds. The end result is a rice dish that really closely resembles what you would expect to get in a restaurant. As a result, it is a fantastic recipe to add to your repertoire.

The secret to this rice is frying and toasting the rice before boiling. The ghee is first melted, and the spices added to cook off. This allows them to release their flavour and become more aromatic while imparting that flavour into the ghee. The rice is then fried in this to get coated in all those delicious aromatics. You can and should use this technique more broadly to spice up your rice whenever you make it!

There are a few general tips for making rice that you should be aware of. Firstly, it is very important to thoroughly wash your rice before you cook it. This removes excess starch and impurities. Secondly, after boiling, you should leave the rice in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on. Doing so allows the rice grains to absorb all the steam in the pot and puff up. Both of these things help to produce fluffy rice with lovely, separated grains!