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4.7 from 9 votes

Wadi Chawal (Punjabi Wadi Rice)

A flavorful and nutritious Punjabi rice recipe, this Wadi chawal is a delicious wholesome meal. Made with aromatic whole spices, wadiyan and basmati rice, this wadi pulao or biryani is a heathy meal for the whole family.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 317 kcal
Course: Side Dish , Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 cup basmati rice rinsed
  • 2 Urad Dal Wadi  crushed into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon ghee use plant-based oil for vegan
  • 1 green chili pepper diced, optional
  • 1 cup onions sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala adjust to taste
  • 4 cup water see notes, 2.5 cups for instant pot
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice optional
Whole Spices
  • 1 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
  • 1 inch cinnamon (Dalchini)
  • 2 Green Cardamom (Elaichi)
  • 5 cloves (Laung)
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Rinse the rice and soak for 20 minutes. Then drain and keep aside.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil a heavy bottom sauce pan on medium-high heat. Add the crushed wadi and saute it until it is lightly browned while stirring continuously. This takes about a minute. Take out and keep aside
  3. In the same pan, heat the ghee. Add all the whole spices and saute them for 30 seconds until their aroma releases.
  4. Then add diced green chili pepper, sliced onions and sauté for 2-3 mins until golden brown.
  5. Now add the drained rice, wadi, salt, garam masala and stir well. Now add the water and stir.
  6. Adjust the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook until all the water is absorbed. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat.
  7. Add lime juice and fluff the rice with a fork. Let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy with cooling raita!
Instant Pot Method
  1. Follow the instructions to saute the ingredients on saute mode.
  2. Cook on Rice mode for 12 minutes on low pressure. When the pressure cooker beeps, do a 5 minute NPR, which means let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release the pressure by turning the valve to venting position.
  3. Open the lid, add lime juice and fluff rice with a fork. Let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve & enjoy!

Notes

  • How much water? 
  • How much wadiyan? 
  •  
  • When cooking the pulao on stovetop in a pan or in a stovetop pressure cooker, use 1 cup rice to 2 cups water ratio. 
  • When cooking the pulao in instant pot, use 1 cup rice to 1-1/4 cup water ratio. 
  • If using Amritsar Urad dal wadi, just add 1-2 wadi per cup of rice for this pulao. I used 1 wadi for each cup of rice in this recipe, so that kids can eat the pulao too. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 317kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 58g (19%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Cholesterol 6mg (2%) Sodium 426mg (18%) Potassium 123mg (4%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 40mg (4%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 317

% Daily Value*

Calories 317kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 58g 19%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 426mg 18%
Potassium 123mg 3%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 40mg 4%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.