Pulao is an absolute must for every dawat; making a big pot of pulao is a little trickier but I’m going to show you how to make pulao for 15 people with step-by-step method and all the measurements. A good, tasty, degi-style pulao as a main dish for a dawat, is usually my choice rather than biryani, as it complements the other dishes such as korma or karahi. I made this pulao for one of my get-togethers recently. I used lamb for this recipe, but you can also use chicken or beef.
A pot to make Pulao for 15 People
An absolute essential to make pulao for a gathering of 15 people is a big-sized pot that can fit at least 4 kg of the raw ingredients easily. Rice should have enough room to fluff up and also hold all of the other ingredients. If your pot is not big enough then rice will break and will also be sticky.
Rice to make Pulao
I recommend using extra long grain basmati rice for pulao. Wash and soak the rice for at least 30 minutes before cooking. If you are a beginner, then try using aged extra long grain basmati rice to make pulao.
What goes into the pulao
Choice of meat
You can use any meat of your choice; I used lamb, but you can use beef or chicken. For beef, you can follow the exact same recipe, but if you are using chicken, then there’s no need to make a separate stock or yakhani. The method will be different, but you can use the same measurements.
Add lamb to an instant pot, add water, cumin, and coriander seeds. I roughly chopped onion and salt. Pressure cook for 20 minutes, or use a regular pot and cook for 45-50 minutes or until it’s soft. For a regular pot, you may need to replenish water as needed.
For making a pulao for 15 people I used 4.5 lbs of lamb for 5 cups of rice. I think it is the perfect ratio as I usually add 1 lbs of meat for every 1.5 cups of rice.
Whole spices
You’ll need coriander seeds and cumin seeds for step one, but for step two, you’ll need bay leaf, black pepper, cloves, cumin seeds, and whole black cardamoms. Other than the whole spices, you’ll also need salt. I didn’t use any red chilies, but if you like it spicy, then you can add some.
Onions
Peel and thinly slice the onion; it’s important to slice the onion thinly with equal thickness so they can all caramelize at the same time. Caramelizing will take some time; the color of the pulao depends on the color of the onion. If you want a rich color like mine, then consider more caramelization but not to burn it, or else the pulao will be bitter in taste.
Tomatoes and green chilies
In a regular pulao, I usually don’t add any tomatoes or green chilies, but for a degi-style pulao, I like to add green chilies, tomatoes, and even ginger and garlic paste. Once the onions are brown to your liking, add a splash of water and quickly cover the pot to avoid any splashes. Then, add whole spices, ginger garlic, tomatoes, and green chilies. Mix it well until everything is well combined and the tomatoes are soft.
What is Rice to water ratio
For extra-long grain aged basmati rice, you will need 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, but if you are using long-grain rice that is not aged, then use 1.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of soaked rice.
More recipes to try
- chicken biryani for 20 people
- Instant Pot Pulao
- Authentic mutton/lamb Pualo
- Chicken Pualo Biryani
- Spicy Lamb Pulao
Pulao for 15 People
Ingredients
Ingredients for Yakhni
- 4.5 lbs lamb goat or beef
- 7 cups water
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 5 tsp salt
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
Ingredients for Pulao
- 5 cups rice
- 1.5 cups oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 1 tsp salt or taste test before adding more
- 1 tbs cumin seeds
- 4 black cardamom
- 1 tbsp whole black pepper
- 10 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 5 green chilies
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 7.5 cups stock yakhni made in step one (add water if you don't have enough stock)
- 1 cup yogurt
Instructions
Make Yakhni
- In an Instant Pot, add lamb, 7 cups of water, coriander, and cumin seeds. Add 1 medium onion, roughly sliced, and salt
- Pressure cook for 20 minutes. Once meat is tender separate the meat and strain the broth and set it aside for later
Make Pulao
- While meat is cooking, you can wash and soak the rice. Peel and slice the onion.
- In a big pot, add oil and sliced onions. Cook over medium heat until onions are deep golden. At that point, add whole spices, remaining salt, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes. If it starts to splatter, quickly add a little bit of water and cover the pot for a minute.
- Cook over medium heat until tomatoes are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add cooked lamb to the pot and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes. Also, add green chilies.
- Cook until oil separates, then add yogurt. Cook for about 5 more minutes.
- Add reserved broth and water to make a total of 7.5 cups. I use 1.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of soaked rice. (If you are using aged rice, then use 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.)
- Cover and let it cook over high heat. Once water comes to a boil, add soaked and drained rice.
- Mix it and taste test for salt. Cover and cook over high heat until most of the water evaporates. (Stir it gently in between cooking.)
- Then lower the heat and cover the rice with a paper towel or foil.
- Steam for 15-20 minutes. Fluff up the rice and enjoy
