Pudina-Dhanya Pulao (Mint-Cilantro Rice)
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Aromatic and full of flavour, this Mint-Cilantro Rice features fresh mint and cilantro leaves along with a mix of fresh and ground spices. This Mint-Cilantro Rice is gluten-free and vegan-friendly, and it can be ready in just 20 minutes to be served with all of your favourite mains!
Want one of the most aromatic rice dishes you’ve ever prepared in only 20 minutes? Then this one-pot Pudina-Dhanya Pulao is the recipe for you!
I feel it’s been awhile since I’ve shared a new rice recipe on the blog, so it was time to do that! Believe it or not, I’ve actually had this Mint-Cilantro Rice recipe on my bucket list for years! I made it so long ago on a couple of occasions but never got around to actually sharing the recipe. Now it’s finally time to do it! I don’t know about you, but when I check something off of my bucket list, I feel really accomplished! If you’ve been wanting to create a wonderfully aromatic herb rice for your family, then be sure to try this easy rice recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! You can get all the resources you need for free to explore your true potential in the kitchen by signing up to my email newsletter, plus you’ll receive all of my latest recipes right to your inbox!
Watch the video at the bottom of this post to follow along with this easy and incredible Mint-Cilantro Rice recipe! If you’re not already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and press the bell button so you’re notified when all of my new video recipes go live! Let’s get cooking!
About Mint-Cilantro Pulao
Pudina is Hindi for “mint” and dhanya is Hindi for “cilantro,” thus we have Pudina-Dhanya Rice, or Mint-Cilantro Rice! If you’ve seen some of my Indian recipes before, mint and cilantro are herbs that are quite commonly used, such as in my Cilantro-Mint Chutney that I love to make to dip samosas, potato puff patties, pakoras, and even Potato Brunch Rolls in!
When cooked, our Mint-Cilantro Rice is extremely light and fluffy. We’ve got a slight hint of spice from the green chilies, garlic, ginger and the herbs. This mint pulao is super fragrant and flavourful, which makes it really easy to pair with any other main dish of your choosing! Furthermore, the rice is so tasty that you want to eat it on its own - I’m not sure about you, but I don’t get super excited to eat simple Steamed White Rice on its own!
Why Make Pudina Pulao
Simple and quick rice recipe with few ingredients
Customizable recipe - check out variations to make this dish your very own at the bottom of this post!
Stunning green colour - we eat with our eyes, so this is a very important aspect!
Versatile side-dish - serving suggestion ideas further down!
Make-ahead friendly - make a big batch to enjoy throughout the week to mix and match with different meals!
Dietary-friendly - gluten-free and can be made vegan-friendly.
Equipment Needed For Pudina-Dhanya Pulao
Ingredients For Mint Rice
You can scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD which has all ingredient quantities and will allow you to save the recipe for later. The recipe card will also allow you to adjust the recipe based on how many portions of Mint-Cilantro Pulao you want to make. I recommend you make a lot if you and your family are going to eat this throughout the week!
Rice: I’m using basmati rice, but any type of long-grain white rice will work.
Water: To cook the rice.
Ginger: One piece, sliced for the paste.
Garlic: 2 cloves of garlic to make the paste.
Green chillies: Depending on your spice tolerance, you can add more or less green chilies.
Cilantro: Freshly chopped cilantro to be added into the blender.
Mint: Fresh mint leaves thrown into the blender.
Oil: To sauté the whole spices and the rice. You can use olive oil or coconut oil to keep the recipe plant-based, but I’ll be using ghee since I love the flavour and aroma it imparts.
Whole & ground spices: For whole spices we’ll add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, and cloves. The only ground spice we’ll need is ground coriander.
Salt: Always to taste.
How to Make Simple Mint Rice Pulao
Wash the cilantro, mint and green chillies well and place in a food processor. Add garlic, ginger, ground coriander and salt.
Add water and blend until smooth - I used around 1/2 Cup for a final ratio of 1 part rice and 2 parts water.
Wash or rinse the rice well and set aside.
Heat a sauce pan and once hot add ghee, followed by cinnamon stick, cloves and cumin seeds. Saute until the spices become fragrant.
Then add the washed rice and stir well. Once the moisture from the rice has cooked off and the rice is coated well with the ghee, add the puree from earlier. Mix well to incorporate with the rice, cook for 30 seconds to a minute and then add 1 1/2 cups of water. The ratio should be a total of 1 part rice and 2 parts water.
Bring it up to a simmer and then lower the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid, leaving a slight slit open to let excess steam through.
Once the water has been absorbed by the rice and some grains of rice on the surface are pointing upwards, take the saucepan off the heat, cover with a lid and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and serve warm.
Tips TO Make the Best Mint-Rice Pulao
Peel the ginger if desired, but it won’t make a difference. However, if you are not peeling your ginger, ensure it is thoroughly rinsed.
The water used in blending the cilantro-mint paste will account for the overall ratio of liquid to rice - 1 parts rice to 2 parts water.
My cilantro-mint paste had a thinner consistency. You can make it thicker if you want, however, note down how much water you used to blend because this will be included in the amount of liquid in the rice.
This recipe will be the steamed version of Pudina-Dhanya Pulao. You can also use prepared rice to make this recipe. If using cooked rice, simply mix the cooked rice with your cilantro-mint paste in a pan.
Make sure to thoroughly wash your rice to ensure you remove any excess starch. This will promote a fluffy final product without having sticky rice.
If using raw rice, allow the moisture from the drained rice evaporate as you saute the rice with the whole spices and ghee in the pot.
Make sure the oil has coated the rice well before adding the cilantro-mint paste.
After you’ve added the cilantro-mint paste, be sure to cook everything lightly. The more you cook green foods, the more you degrade the chlorophyl. 30 seconds to a minute will be perfect to cook out the rawness.
If you don’t have a saucepan with a lid, you can cover it with a small plate.
Make sure you leave a small slit when covering your saucepan to allow some air to escape.
Your rice is perfectly cooked when you have some grains that are pointing upwards. Take a small peak to see this.
The more you agitate the rice when it’s piping hot, the more likely you are to break the grains. Once you’ve seen that the rice is perfectly cooked, take it off the heat and fully cover your saucepan so the rice can fluff up completely and each grain is entirely separated.
Variations of Indian Mint-Cilantro Rice
Coconut: You can use coconut milk or coconut cream to cook the rice to make it nice and creamy. Also feel free to add in some coconut flakes.
Protein: For vegetarian protein options, you could throw in some chickpeas, soy chunks, tofu or paneer. If you eat meat, mix in some poached chicken or grilled chicken cubes or even sauté some shrimp.
No garlic: To make this a Jain- or low FODMAP-friendly recipe, omit the garlic.
Potatoes: Throw in some small cubes of potatoes to get them nice and crispy, which will nicely complement the rice! In this case, I would also recommend tossing in some dried Kashmiri red chilies.
Broth: If you want to add some extra flavour to your pulao, feel free to cook with some vegetable broth instead of water. If you aren’t a vegetarian, you could use chicken broth if that’s what you have on hand.
Veggies: You can really make this a nutritional powerhouse by throwing in any veggies of your choice! I recommend onions, peas, green beans, carrots, or even red bell pepper.
Spinach: Blanched spinach will give an even richer green colour to your rice, plus it’ll boost the vitamins and overall micronutrients of your Mint-Cilantro Pulao!
Nuts: Peanuts or cashew nuts will boost up the protein and healthy fats in the dish overall, plus they add a satisfying crunch!
How to Serve Pudina-Dhanya Rice
You can pretty much serve your Mint-Cilantro Rice with whatever you want! Here are a couple of ideas:
I would also recommend you pair this with some nice Cucumber Raita to cool you down!
Additionally, you don’t have to limit your servings with this rice to only Indian recipes! Why not try Filipino Ginataang Salmon, Italian Grilled Chicken, Jamaican Pepper Steak or even some Grilled Cajun-Spiced Shrimp.
How to Store Leftover Mint-Cilantro Rice
If you want to make a huge batch of Mint-Cilantro Pulao for the week, then definitely go for it! It’ll keep well and be an excellent healthy meal prep option. As I’ve listed above, this rice dish can really be served with anything! All you need to do is store the rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to Reheat Mint-Cilantro Pulao
It’s really easy to reheat your delicious Mint-Cilantro Pulao! Simply ensure that the rice is in a microwave-safe bowl, container, or plate. Depending on how much pulao you’ll reheat and the strength of your microwave, it can take about 1 to 3 minutes. Be sure that your pulao is thoroughly and evenly warmed through by stirring at 30 second intervals.
More Easy Indian Rice Recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE Pudina-Dhanya Pulao HERE:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!
Pudina-Dhanya Pulao (Indian Mint-Cilantro Rice)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup cilantro
- 1/3 Cup mint
- 3 green chillies
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 Cup basmati rice
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 2 Cups water or stock
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the cilantro, mint and green chillies well and place in a food processor. Add garlic, ginger, ground coriander and salt.
- Add water and blend until smooth - I used around 1/2 Cup for a final ratio of 1 part rice and 2 parts water.
- Wash or rinse the rice well and set aside.
- Heat a sauce pan and once hot add ghee, followed by cinnamon stick, cloves and cumin seeds. Saute until the spices become fragrant.
- Then add the washed rice and stir well. Once the moisture from the rice has cooked off and the rice is coated well with the ghee, add the puree from earlier. Mix well to incorporate with the rice, cook for 30 seconds to a minute and then add 1 1/2 cups of water. The ratio should be a total of 1 part rice and 2 parts water.
- Bring it up to a simmer and then lower the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid, leaving a slight slit open to let excess steam through.
- Once the water has been absorbed by the rice and some grains of rice on the surface are pointing upwards, take the saucepan off the heat, cover with a lid and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
250.2Fat (grams)
0.67 gSat. Fat (grams)
0.14 gCarbs (grams)
54.98 gFiber (grams)
3.32 gNet carbs
51.69 gSugar (grams)
1.7 gProtein (grams)
4.99 gSodium (milligrams)
231.15 mgCholesterol (grams)
0 mgNutrition info is an estimate.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
