Achari Chana Pulao

A delicious combination of rice, chickpea, veggies and Achari masala, this Achari Chana Pulao is perfect for weeknight dinner. Prepared with simple ingredients, it comes together in just 30 minutes. Try it!

Try a few more pulao recipes, that can be made for weekday meals – Peas Pulao, Chicken Pulao, Veg Pulao, Mumbai Style Tawa Pulao, Gucchi Pulao, Bengali Style Veg Pulao and Gosht Yakhni Pulao.

About This Recipe

Achari means pickled, whereas chana pulao means chickpea flavoured rice. Therefore, this Achari Chana Pulao translates to a delicious one pot pulao recipe where rice is cooked along with chickpeas, vegetables and Achari masala.

Achari masala is the star ingredient that adds a unique flavour and make this pulao recipe different from others.

It is made with simple pantry ingredients and comes together in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for weeknight dinner. It is also a great side dish to include in your festive or weekend meals or to pack in lunch box.

It is best served with a simple bowl of curd or a raita such as boondi raita, cucumber raita etc. You can double or triple the recipe, if making for a larger crowd.

If you love Achari recipes, try a few more of my favourites – Achari Paneer, Achari Bhindi, Achari Aloo, Achari Gobhi, Achari Paneer Tikka, Achari Turai, Achari Chole and Achari Chicken.

Ingredients

Rice – Use basmati long grain rice for pulao recipes. Basmati rice turns out perfectly separate, fluffy and aromatic, which adds to the taste and texture of the pulao.

Chana – Kabuli chana or chickpeas are used, which are soaked and boiled beforehand to add in the pulao recipe. Traditionally, this recipe uses white chickpeas, but you can try it with black chickpeas as well.

Achari Masala – I prefer t use mango pickle masala, as it has the perfect amount of tangy and spicy flavours. You can use any other pickle masala as well. (anything that you have available in your kitchen)

Veggies – Veggies are totally optional, but I do prefer to add potato and cauliflower florets along with chickpeas. You can even add other veggies such as green peas, carrot, beans, bell pepper and make it more wholesome.

Whole Spices – Whole spices such as cloves, green cardamom and cinnamon are added to hot oil, that infuses a beautiful flavour and aroma.

Ghee – Ghee is my preferred choice to make pulao, but you can use vegetable or olive oil too.

Others – Other ingredients used in this pulao recipe are onion and ginger garlic paste. Finish it off with some finely chopped fresh coriander for a refreshing taste.

Serving Suggestions

Achari Chana Pulao is so flavourful that you can relish it on its own. It also tastes great with a raita and some roasted/fried papad on the side. You can try raita recipes such as – mooli raita, pomegranate raita, sprouted chickpeas raita, bathua ka raita, lauki ka raita, burani raita, cucumber raita and carrot raita.

You can also try it with vegetable kadhi, green mango kadhi or Gujarati kadhi.

It can also be served as a side dish with your festive or weekend North Indian meals.

Storing Suggestions

Achari Chana Pulao will easily last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Store it in a clean and dry air tight container and reheat in a pan or microwave before serving.

Sprinkle a little water while reheating to add moisture, if you feel rice has become dry after refrigeration.

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