Kashmiri Pulao
کشمیری پلاؤ
Stovetop, heavy lidded pan
An aromatic, gently spiced rice pilaf finished with toasted nuts, raisins and saffron. This is a South Asian restaurant-style Kashmiri pulao interpretation; households and regions use different savoury or fruit-accented versions.
Start cooking ↓ Ingredients
Excludes 30 min soaking, 10 min resting. One tablespoon = 15 ml; one teaspoon = 5 ml.
About Kashmiri Pulao
An aromatic, gently spiced rice pilaf finished with toasted nuts, raisins and saffron. This is a South Asian restaurant-style Kashmiri pulao interpretation; households and regions use different savoury or fruit-accented versions.
Make it work for your kitchen
Also known as Kashmiri Pilaf, Kashmiri Pilau, Dry Fruit Pulao.
Original quantities serve 4. Cooking times, pan size and frying-oil depth do not scale, cook in extra batches instead.
Before you start
Before you start
Organise before cooking Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes. Measure exactly the recipe water and remove 30 ml of that measured portion for saffron infusion. Sliver almonds and set out nuts and raisins separately; dry nuts well before adding to hot ghee. Off While rice soaks
Step-by-step cooking method
1 Rinse and soak basmati
Rinse aged basmati rice, dry basmati, soak 30 minutes, then drain well. Steep optional saffron strands saffron in 30 ml taken from the measured hot water for rice cooking water; do not add this on top of the listed water.
2 Toast the finishing nuts
Melt about one-third of ghee ghee in a small pan over medium-low heat. Toast unsalted cashews cashews and slivered almonds almonds gently 2–3 minutes, then add raisins raisins for 20–30 seconds until plump. Remove all to a plate. The ghee portion is part of the listed total.
3 Sweat onions and bloom spices
Heat remaining ghee in a heavy pot. Cook thinly sliced onion sliced onion until light golden, around 6–8 minutes. Stir in cumin seeds cumin, green cardamom pods cardamom, cinnamon stick cinnamon, cloves cloves and optional fennel seeds fennel for 30–45 seconds.
4 Simmer the rice
Add drained rice and fold once to coat. Add the remainder of the measured hot water for rice water, saffron infusion and fine salt salt; bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered around 6–9 minutes until liquid has nearly reached rice level.
5 Cook on low dum
Seal the pot and steam on the lowest heat for 10–13 minutes. Check a grain: the centre should not be chalky. If the rice is dry but firm, sprinkle a little hot water only as needed.
6 Rest, fluff and add topping
Turn off the heat and rest covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wide fork; fold in or top with toasted nuts and raisins. Remove hard spice pods for guests where practical.
Chef’s tips
- Saffron liquid must be deducted from the base cooking water.
- Do not brown raisins until dry and hard; a brief warm-up is enough.
- No pineapple or added sugar is required for this version; restaurant variations may include fruit.
Common mistakes & quick fixes
- Raisins burn
- Toast them only briefly after the nuts.
- Rice turns greasy
- Measure the total ghee once; divide it between topping and rice cooking.
- Saffron makes rice wet
- Steep in water taken out of the existing measured liquid.
Variations & serving ideas
Variation: Use only cashews or only almonds if preferred, while maintaining allergen disclosure.
Variation: A pinch of dried ginger is optional in a further regional variation, not in this base record.
Variation: For a fruit-accented restaurant presentation, add fresh fruit just before service and recompute nutrition.
Perfect result check
| Check | Distinct, delicately aromatic rice grains |
|---|---|
| Check | Nuts lightly golden and raisins plump |
| Check | No overpowering sugar or heavy wet gravy |
Storage & reheating
| Fridge | Cool promptly in shallow containers, ideally within one hour; refrigerate at 0–5°C. | |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge | For conservative Food Standards Scotland cooked-rice guidance, eat within 24 hours when refrigerated and reheat only once until steaming hot throughout. | |
| Freezer | Freeze promptly in shallow portions if intended for later; thaw safely, reheat once and do not refreeze after reheating. |
Nutrition information
Nutrition estimate in preparation, we only publish figures we can calculate transparently.
Nutrition estimate in preparation.
Know when to change the heat
| Stage | Heat | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Open simmer | Keep water bubbling moderately until it nearly reaches rice level. | |
| Low dum | Steam tightly covered on lowest heat; avoid scorching the base. |
Helpful answers before you cook
Can I skip soaking the rice?
The quantities and timing here assume a 30-minute soak; without it, the water and cooking time need testing.
Can I use a pressure cooker?
No universal cooker timing is provided. Test cooker-specific minimum liquid, fill limit, pressure timing and safe release before publishing an alternative.
How is the nutrition calculated?
Accompaniments are excluded; no numerical estimate is published yet.
How do I adjust the rice water for 8 portions?
Rice and vegetable inputs scale arithmetically, but pot size and evaporation do not. Use the same rice type, suitable capacity and a validated water volume or make two separate batches.
