Corn Pulao | Corn Rice

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Corn pulao is a spiced and tasty variant of pulao made with tender corn kernels, fragrant rice, piquant onions, and bold herbs and spices. Make this easy recipe of corn rice for quick weekday lunch or dinner and pair it with some salad or raita for a wholesome meal.

corn pulao served in a bowl.

There are many ways one can make corn pulao. This recipe is a really flavorful one as a fragrant spiced green paste is made first and then added to the dish. So this recipe of corn pulao is slightly different from the other pulao recipes I have earlier posted.

This green paste makes the pulao slightly spicy and delicious. So you get the spiced flavors along with the hints of sweetness coming from the sweet corn.

You can also use our desi corn or the regular corn which is not sweet. In fact, I prefer the desi corn in this pulao, but all that I see in the market are American sweet corn, which I am not so fond of. The recipe goes well with both sweet corn as well regular desi corn.

Serve this sweet corn pulao hot or warm with a side of raita or a salad or yogurt. It also tastes good when served as it is.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to Make Corn Pulao

1. Rinse 1 heaped cup of rice very well in water and then soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. After 20 minutes strain the rice well and keep it aside.

I have used Ambe Mohar rice (a local variety of short-grained rice having an aroma of mango blossoms). You can also use basmati rice or regular rice or any non-sticky variety of rice.

soaked rice

2. When the rice is soaking, slice the corn kernels from the corn. Keep them aside. From 1 medium corn cob, I got 1.5 cups of corn kernels. You can also use 1 cup of frozen corn kernels.

corn kernels

3. For the green paste, take the following ingredients in a small grinder or chutney grinder:

  • ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
  • 1 inch ginger (chopped)
  • 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped)
  • 3 to 4 small garlic cloves (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut or fresh coconut
ingredients for green chutney paste

4. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and grind or blend to a smooth and fine paste. You can skip coconut if you don’t have it. In this case, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water while grinding or blending.

If not blending, then you can simply add chopped coriander and mint leaves directly to the pulao after the onions become golden at step 8. In this case, also add 1 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste and skip the desiccated coconut.

green chutney paste

Making corn pulao

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of any neutral-flavored oil in a pan. Add the following spices and allow them to splutter.

  • 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 small star anise
  • 1 or 2 single strands of mace
  • 1 tiny piece of stone flower (patthar ke phool)
  • 4 to 5 black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

Both star anise and stone flower are optional and skip if you do not have them.

adding spices to oil

6. Then add ½ cup thinly sliced onions (1 medium to large onion, sliced).

thinly sliced onions added

7. Saute the onion stirring often till they start becoming golden.

sauteing onions

8. Then add the ground green paste.

adding green chutney paste

9. Stir well and saute for a couple of seconds.

sauteing green chutney paste

10. Then add the corn kernels.

adding corn kernels

11. Season with the following spices:

  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
adding spices for corn rice

12. Stir and mix very well.

mix corn pulao mixture

13. Add rice.

adding rice to pressure cooker

14. Gently stir and mix the rice with the rest of the ingredients.

mix corn pulao

Cooking Corn Rice

15. Now add 1.75 to 2 cups water. Depending on the type and quality of rice, you can add less or more water.

For basmati rice, you can add 1.5 to 1.75 cups of water. Organic basmati rice requires more water to cook. So add 2 cups of water for organic basmati rice. Stir and mix well.

water added to corn pulao mixture

16. Season with salt as required. Stir and mix again. Check the taste and the water should have a slightly salty taste.

salt added to corn pulao

17. Cover and pressure cook sweet corn pulao on medium heat for 2 whistles or for 9 to 12 minutes. Here I have pressure cooked for 15 minutes since this particular variety of ambe mohur rice takes a longer time to cook than basmati rice.

You can also cook this corn pulao in a pan or pot on the stove-top or in the Instant Pot adding water as required depending on the type of rice you have used.

cooking corn pulao in pressure cooker

18. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, then only remove the lid. Gently fluff the corn rice with a fork. Garnish the rice with 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves.

Serve sweet corn pulao hot or warm with a side veggie salad or raita or yogurt. It makes for a comforting and delicious lunch or dinner.

For more corn recipes, you can check this collection of 22 Sweet corn recipes.

corn pulao served in a bowl

Few More Pulao Varieties For You!

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corn pulao recipe, corn rice recipe, sweet corn pulao recipe, sweet corn rice recipe

Corn Pulao | Corn Rice

A corn pulao or corn rice that is slighly spicy, fragrant and made with tender sweet corn, onions, herbs and spices. Serve with raita or vegetable salad for a comforting meal.
4.89 from 26 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Cuisine Indian
Course Main Course
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 3
Units

Ingredients

Main ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice heaped- 210 grams or use basmati rice or any non-sticky rice
  • 1.5 cups sweet corn kernels
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 medium to large onion, thinly sliced or ½ cup sliced onion
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
  • 2 cups water or add as required
  • salt as required
  • 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnish

For the green paste

  • ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
  • 1 inch ginger – chopped or ½ teaspoon chopped ginger
  • 1 or 2 green chilies – chopped
  • 3 to 4 small garlic – chopped
  • 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut or fresh coconut
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon water for grinding

Whole spices

  • 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 small star anise (chakriphool) – optional
  • 1 or 2 single strands of mace (javitri)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 to 5 black peppers
  • 1 tiny piece of stone flower (patthar ke phool) – optional

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Rinse rice well in water for a few times and then soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. 
  • After 20 to 30 minutes drain the water from the rice well and keep aside. I used ambe mohur rice (mango blossom rice). You can also use basmati rice or regular rice.
  • When the rice is soaking, slice the corn kernels from the corn. Keep them aside. From 1 medium corn cob, I got 1.5 cups corn kernels. You can also use 1 cup frozen corn kernels.

Making green paste

  • Take the ingredients mentioned "for green paste" in a small grinder or chutney grinder.
  • Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and grind or blend to a smooth paste. You can skip coconut, if you don't have. In this case, add 1 to 2 teaspoon water while grinding or blending. 
  • If not blending then simply add chopped coriander and mint leaves after the onions are browned, directly in the pressure cooker. Also add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and skip desiccated coconut.

Making corn pulao

  • Heat oil in a stovetop pressure cooker. Add all the spices mentioned under the list "whole spices". Allow them to crackle.
  • Then add the thinly sliced onions. Saute stirring often onion still they start becoming golden.
  • Then add the ground green paste. Stir well and saute for a couple of seconds.
  • Then add the corn kernels.
  • Season with the following spices – turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
  • Stir very well and add the rice. Gently stir and mix the rice with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Now add 1.75 to 2 cups water. Depending on the type and quality of rice, you can add water. For basmati rice, you can add 1.5 to 1.75 cups of water. 
  • Organic basmati rice requires more water to cook. So add 2 cups of water for organic basmati rice. Stir.
  • Season with salt as required. Check the taste and the water should have a slightly salty taste.
  • Cover and pressure cook corn rice on a medium heat for 2 whistles or for 9 to 12 minutes. Here I pressure cooked for 15 minutes, since ambe mohur rice takes a longer time to cook than basmati rice.
  • When the pressure settles down on its own, then only remove the lid. Gently fluff the rice. 
  • Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 
  • And then serve corn pulao with a side veggie salad or raita or plain yogurt or pickle of your choice.

Notes

  • Feel free to use any variety of non-sticky rice. You can also use basmati rice or long-grained rice.
  • I prefer to use fresh corn in most of my recipes. Though you can swap frozen corn kernels with fresh corn.
  • You can use sweet corn or regular corn or desi corn.
  • To make a spicy tasting corn pulao increase the number of green chilies in the green paste.
  • This recipe of corn rice is scalable to be made for larger servings.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Corn Pulao | Corn Rice
Amount Per Serving
Calories 537 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Sodium 694mg30%
Potassium 2102mg60%
Carbohydrates 94g31%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 16g32%
Vitamin A 2597IU52%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 6mg30%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 232mg281%
Vitamin E 5mg33%
Vitamin K 545µg519%
Calcium 561mg56%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 154µg39%
Iron 19mg106%
Magnesium 319mg80%
Phosphorus 331mg33%
Zinc 3mg20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Corn Pulao post from the archives (November 2015) has been republished and updated on 28 September 2021.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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72 Comments

  1. I have not tried this just yet. I’m in the process of making it now, but I wanted to know if I could do the whole spices on my stovetop and then just transfer to the instant pot to pressure cook. I don’t have a stovetop pressure cooker to use at the moment.

    I gave this a 5-star because I already know it’s going to be good because this is about the 4th or 5th recipe that I’ve tried and they have all been delicious. Thank you for these tasty recipes. There are plenty more that I am going to try!!!5 stars

    1. Yes you could that. You can also sauté the ingredients with the ‘sauté’ option using the ‘less’ or ‘normal mode’ in the instant pot. Thanks so much for the trust. Happy to know that the recipes have been delicious. Most welcome and yes do try more recipes from the blog. Thanks again.

  2. It turned out to be scrumptious… everyone from the family loved it…thanx a lot for this wonderful recipe

  3. Tried this recipe today and it was super tasty.The ground paste gives a nice flavor and aroma to the dish. Everybody loved it.Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.Deserving of 5 stars.(stars are not showing when clicked )

    1. thank you winnie. yes it does. not sure why the stars are not showing. will check. thanks again.

  4. Tried it for the first time, really nice, I added capsicum too. Importantly my son and husband liked it! Thanks for the delicious recipe5 stars

    1. thanks aparna for sharing this positive review on corn pulao recipe. glad to know. welcome and happy cooking.

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