Spinach Rice is a quick, healthy meal cooked with aromatic basmati rice ,spinach, tomato and a few spices in Instant Pot or Stove top pot under 30 minutes.It is also Vegan and gluten-free! It is perfect to feed the kids who have an aversion to eat greens.
I love to prepare this in my instant pot because it can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. We can make Spinach Rice with chopped spinach or with the puree. I have chosen the puree method as my kid is picky about eating greens. I didn’t add any veggies in this recipe because I served it to my kid with yogurt salad with grated veggies in it, but you can always add any vegetable of your choice. Spinach Rice can be served with any lentil curry or beans curry or also just serve this with a side of yogurt salad.
What you’ll need to make Spinach Rice
- Instant Pot
- Spinach Leaves
- Cashews
- Green Chili
- Ginger Garlic Paste
- Raw Rice
- Onion
- Tomato
- Salt
- Water
- Oil
- Whole Spices – Bay Leaf, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom, Cumin Seeds
- Ground Spices – Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, Turmeric, Red Chili powder
How to make Spinach Rice with step by step photos & instructions
1. In a deep pot, add water and salt. When the water comes to boil, switch off the flame. Add the spinach leaves in the hot water. Let the spinach leaves sit in the water for about 1 minute. Strain the water from spinach using a colander and let the spinach cool down to room temperature.
2. Take the blanched spinach, green chillies and cashews in a blender jar and blend until you get fine thick puree consistency.
3. Turn on Instant pot in Saute mode and add 2 tablespoon oil. Add in the whole spices (Bay leaf, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom) and fry for 1 minute.
4. Now add cashews, ginger garlic paste and chopped onion. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and little salt, let it cook until tomatoes turn mushy.
6. Add the spinach puree and stir well. Let it cook for a minute.
7. Add in all the ground spices now (Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, Turmeric, Red Chili powder).
8. Now add washed 2 cups raw rice to the pot, give a quick stir.
9. Add 4 cups water, check salt and add more as per your taste. Cover the instant pot lid, turn the steam release handle to sealing and set in manual mode for 6 minutes or press the rice button.
10. Serve Spinach Rice hot with any curry of your choice or yogurt salad!
Spinach Rice (Instant Pot)
- August 25, 2020
- 4
- 20 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- For Puree
- 2 Cups Spinach leaves Tightly packed
- 1 Tbsp Cashews
- 3 Green Chili
- 2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- For Rice1 Cup Raw Rice
- 1 Onion Finely chopped
- 1 Tomato Finely chopped
- Salt as required
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 Tsp Cashews
- Whole Spices
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 3 Cloves
- 2 Cardamom
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- Ground Spices
- 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
- ½ Tsp Red Chili powder
Directions
- Step 1
- For Puree:
In a pot of boiled water add salt and spinach leaves, let it sit for about 1 minute. - Step 2
- Then strain the water from spinach using a colander and let the spinach cool down to room temperature.
- Step 3
- Now take the blanched spinach, green chilies and cashews in a blender jar and blend them into puree.
- Step 4
- turn on the instant pot in Saute mode. Add 2 tablespoons of Oil.
- Step 5
- When oil is hot, add in all the whole spices and fry for a minute.
- Step 6
- Add the cashews, onions and ginger garlic paste, stir and let it cook until onions turn translucent.
- Step 7
- Now add chopped tomatoes and salt, stir and cook until tomatoes turn mushy.
- Step 8
- Then add Spinach puree, stir and cook for a minute.
- Step 9
- Add all the ground spices and washed raw rice and stir well.
- Step 10
- Now add enough water for rice to cook and salt as required.
- Step 11
- Cover the instant pot lid, turn the steam release handle to sealing and press the rice button.
- Step 12
- Serve Spinach Rice hot with yogurt salad or curry of your choice.
Notes
- I didn’t add any vegetables in this recipe, but you can add vegetables of your choice like peas, carrot, cauliflower, potato, broccoli, bell pepper, corn etc.
- You can substitute rice with brown rice, quinoa or millets.
- For extra protein, you can add tofu, garbanzo beans or pinto beans.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know how it turned out. Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with hashtag #daily_foodhacks.
