Hurry The Food Up Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes For Busy People
Flavourful and playful pea pulao. Try saying that with a mouthful. Or don’t. Just focus on the sweet, soft onions and delicate flavours instead.
It’s a light dish, but you won’t feel hungry after. The fibre takes care of that. The dish itself has been around for thousands of years – it’s even mentioned in the histories of Alexander the Great.
So it must be…great!
It’s literally limitless in variety and could contain any number of a broad swathe of spices, along with whatever vegetables, dried fruits, meat or fish you fancy.
Ours is vegetarian of course, and can certainly be made vegan with the removal of the honey (replace it with agave nectar, or slow cook the onions).
Right now, our favourite variety is this pea version. It’s a dish of contrasts – green peas against sweet onions, crunchy peanuts against soft raisins, lemon against honey.
Health Benefits – Flavourful Pea Pulao with Lemon
This ancient dish is rammed with fibre. Just one serving contains nearly half a day’s recommended intake – and most Americans never reach their target.
Fibre is great in so many ways – not only does it keep you feeling full (so you eat less other shit), but it also protects against some of our biggest enemies – heart disease and diabetes (Life-Saving Fibre).
It contains no cholesterol but is very high in vitamin B6 (normally found in meat and fish), which is important for an active and healthy mind (Brainy B6).
Throw nearly two thirds of your vitamin C GDA into the mix as well and you’ve got a beast of healthy meal. No wonder it’s been eaten for centuries.
Save to my recipe boxFlavourful Pea Pulao with Lemon
Flavourful Pea Pulao with Lemon. A zesty yet sweet, light but filling rice dish handed down through generations.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup basmati rice
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey (or use maple syrup to make it vegan)
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup peas
- 1 handful peanuts (deshelled)
- 1½ cup vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (or use orange juice)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (or orange zest. Best to use organic fruits here)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- ⅓ cup raisins
Instructions
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Dice the onion.
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Chuck the olive oil to the pot then the diced onion. Let it simmer a little.
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Add the honey, tumeric, cumin and salt. Stir.
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Add the peanuts, peas and raisins. Let is simmer for a minute or two.
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Add vegetable broth and the rice. Stir a little.
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Then stick the lid on top and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice is done.
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Meanwhile get a bowl for the dressing.
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Grate in the garlic and lemon zest (make sure to wash the lemon well beforehand!).
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Add the lemon juice and vinegar.
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Add salt and pepper to taste.
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When the rice is done, you're done. Add the dressing.
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Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Add any veggies you want to pep up the recipe. Broccoli fits well.
Basmati rice isn't the healthiest choice as it's processed. It's arguably more flavourful than brown rice, but switch it if you wanna be really healthy. Keep in mind that brown rice needs about 25 minutes to cook (basmati 15) and requires more broth.
The dish has quite a bit of natural sugar (about 30g per serving). If you want less, we’d suggest leaving out the honey. You can slow cook the onions for a nice caramelised effect.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
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Yummy! This sounds fantastic.
Thanks Trinity 😀
I prepared this rice today. I followed the recipe to the point and it turned out great. It is excellent! Loved the flavour!
Hi Spela!
Thanks for giving this pulao a shot, definitely worth a try 😀
That reminds me I should make this more often again as well!
I prepared this rice today. It was good however it was to sweet ( I didn’t add maple syrup and reduced raisins).Definitely my winners are Chickpeas curry and Fake Lo Mein.
Oh no! The pea pulao is one of my personal faves – but I guess everybody likes it different! I normally put extra raisins in too :D. Thanks for writing Alice, I’m sure others will find the reduction ideas useful!
The whole family liked this delightful dish
That’s awesome to hear, Leanne! Definitely a good one 🙂
Very new to all this. Going to try eating more veggies less meat for a while ,in my late 60’s..saw you online so signed up for reg emails.
Sounds great, Kathy! Glad to have you with us 🙂
This dish with its lemony, tangy intensity just made my day!
Yay! I love this one too, Evi. And whenever I’m reminded about it I get a sudden urge to make it. I wonder if I have all the ingredients to hand now that you mention it 😀
Made this for dinner tonight for the first time and my 5 year old and 1 year old even loved it! Easy to make and so tasty!!
I didn’t have any peas (discovered this 1/2 thru making it – so much for mis en place!) so I used a very small head of cauliflower. Yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Haha, yes, it’s always a surprise to find you’re out a key ingredient halfway through – I’ve done the same myself plenty of times! Cauli sounds like a great sub, I bet it worked well with the lemon. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Moo!