Sama Rice Pulao – Easy & Flavorful Vrat Recipe
This sama rice pulao is a healthy, light, and fasting-proven meal! It has a moist or soft texture yet is full of flavour. It is made of barnyard millet, crunchy nuts, and potato, which make it a delicious dish for those who keep fasting and a great alternative to your normal rice pulao.
About sama rice pulao
Sama rice is a creamy-colored, tiny, round grain similar to rava or broken wheat, known by several other names, including barnyard millet, samvat ke chawal, samak ke chawal, mordhan, and more. Pulao refers to rice cooked with vegetables and other ingredients.
In our home, this refers to samak ki khichdi (sama rice khichdi), which we have with a bowl of yogurt or vrat wale aloo during our Navratri fasts. On fasting days, other grains are restricted to eat like wheat, regular rice, and cereals, so sama rice, sago (sabudana), and buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta) are used.
My samak pulao recipe includes all the fasting ingredients and is made without any onion or garlic. We simply cook the sama rice with potatoes along with sendha namak in ghee tempering, but sometimes, when craving more flavors, I add the roasted peanuts and the dried fruits.
Instead of fasting days, if you want to make it with fresh vegetables like tomatoes, peas, cabbage, and onion, all are so good. With these, it will give a classic pulao vibe that you simply make with regular rice.
In fact, I don’t like to make my sama rice khichdi with any of these vegetables except potato, and I think the simpler it is, the more flavorful it becomes.
So, if you make this on fasting days, add only the ingredients in the recipe, but on regular days you can try with your favorite vegetables and spices.
More fasting recipes that you may also like:
Ingredients
- Sama Rice (Barnyard Millet)- It’s the main base of pulao. Before cooking, rinse gently and soak for some time.
- Potatoes- Chop them into small pieces or cubes.
- Ghee- Used for tempering.
- Whole Spices- Cumin seeds, cloves, black pepper seeds, and green cardamom are all used for a warm aroma.
- Green Chilies- I add 2 chilies; adjust quantity to your taste preference.
- Ginger- Add to enhance the flavor.
- Rock Salt (Sendha Namak)- As per fasting customs, other salts are prohibited.
- Peanuts- For some crunch.
- Nuts- Almonds and cashews are used; raisins and walnuts can also be used.
- Water- For cooking pulao.
How to make sama rice pulao
1. Take a cup of sama rice or samak ke chawal in a bowl.
2. Rinse it in water until the white starch is removed, then soak in water for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. While the rice is soaking, add a tablespoon of ghee to a pan over medium heat.
4. Then add 2 tbsp of peanuts, 1 tbsp of sliced almonds, and 1 tbsp of cashews.
5. Stir them and roast until gets a light golden color and are aromatic.
6. It takes 2 to 3 minutes to get that texture over low-medium heat. After that, transfer to a bowl and keep it aside.
7. Now heat 2 tbsp of ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, and 2 pepper seeds in a pressure cooker. Let them all sizzle for a few seconds.
8. When they start sizzling, add the green chilies and 1 tsp grated ginger.
9. Now add the chopped potatoes.
10. Mix them and sauté for a minute so that they absorb the flavour properly.
11. After a minute, add the soaked sama rice to it.
12. Next, add 2.5 cups of water; I add this quantity because I like the khichdi consistency. But if you want a pulao texture, then add only 2 cups of water.
13. Now add a teaspoon of rock salt and mix all the ingredients well.
14. After mixing, close the cooker lid and cook for 2 to 3 whistles on high heat, then turn off the flame.
15. When the pressure drops, open the lid, and the vrat ke chawal is cooked.
16. Now add the roasted nuts and peanuts to it.
17. Gently mix with a fork or spatula, and the sama rice pulao is ready.
Serve this warm with fresh curd, lauki raita, or aloo raita for a cooling, refreshing combination. You can also pair it with vrat-friendly peanut curd chutney for an extra flavor boost. Finish this light meal with a tasty spoon of lauki ki kheer.
Pro Tips
- Choose the clean sama rice without any stones for the best texture.
- Balance the spice level according to your taste.
- Sama rice pulao is best served warm because the consistency gets thicker as it cools.
- If you prefer, garnish the pulao with some chopped coriander leaves.
- Instead of roasting, you can add the nuts directly to the pulao to get a softer texture.
- For the best taste, serve the pulao with a spoon of homemade desi ghee.
Sama Rice Pulao – Easy & Flavorful Vrat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sama rice
- 2 potatoes, chopped
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 black pepper seeds
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 green chilies, chopped
- 1 tsp rock salt (sendha namak)
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tbsp chopped almonds
- 6 to 8 cashew pieces
- 2½ cups water
Instructions
- Take the samak rice in a bowl, wash in clean water, and soak for 30 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a pan, add all the nuts, and roast them until golden.
- When they turn crunchy and aromatic, transfer to a bowl.
- Now, in the pressure cooker, add the ghee and whole spices and let them sizzle.
- After sizzling the whole spices, add the chilies and ginger.
- Then add the chopped potatoes and saute them for a minute in the spices.
- After a minute, add the soaked rice and water.
- Next, add the rock salt and mix well.
- Now, after closing the cooker lid, cook for 2 to 3 whistles and turn off the flame.
- When the pressure is released, open the lid and add the roasted nuts.
- Mix well, and the pulao is ready to serve.
Notes
- Soak the rice before cooking for the best texture.
- Add the water according to your preferred consistency.
- Add a spoonful of ghee over the pulao before serving.
