Rinse the Basmati rice in running water till the water runs clear. Soak it in about 4 cups of water for about 20-30 minutes.
Puree spinach, mint leaves, cilantro, green chilies in a blender along with a cup of water.
Preheat the electric pressure cooker by selecting sauté. Press the Adjust button to move the selection to “Normal” and wait till the display reads “Hot.”
When the inner pot is hot, after about 30 seconds, add oil. Once the oil heats up, add the cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add cinnamon stick, fennel seeds and bay leaves. Saute them for 10-15 seconds.
Add the chopped bell pepper and peas and saute them for a minute.
Add the spice powders - chili, coriander, cumin and garam masala powders. Mix them in and saute them for about 10-20 seconds.
Add the pureed spinach mixture along with salt and sugar. Mix it well and let the mixture come to a boil.
Do a taste test - the salt should slightly be on the higher side.
Drain the water from the soaked rice and add the rice on top of the veggies.
Add just enough water (approximately 3/4 cup) to completely submerge the rice.
Press “Warm / Cancel” button and then select “Pressure Cook.” Adjust the time to 6 minutes and set the pressure selection at low. Cover the Instant Pot lid and lock it. Make sure the vent is at sealing position.
Once the cooking cycle completes, the Instant Pot will switch to the Warm cycle. Press the Warm/Cancel button and carefully release pressure after 5 minutes. Open the lid and let the steam escape.
Add a tablespoon of ghee and wait for 5 minutes before fluffing the rice and mixing in the ghee.
Serve hot with raita or yogurt
Notes
I made this dish using baby spinach because it is milder and sweeter than mature spinach. That allows me to puree the spinach without blanching without the dish turning bitter.While you are more than welcome to blanch the baby spinach before pureeing, I found the step unnecessary. By skipping the blanching process you save time as well as dishes!If you only have mature spinach in hand, here's how to blanch it
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Once boiling add the spinach into the pot stems pointing down.
Gently push the leaves down into the water and boil for about a minute or two until the stems soften.
Remove the spinach from the boiling water and dump it into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
How to prep ahead
Busy weeknights need quick and easy to put together meals. For this palak rice recipe, follow this few steps to prep in advance:
Dice the bell pepper in advance and store it in an airtight container until you are ready to cook the spinach rice.
Blend the spinach puree ahead of time and keep in an airtight container. For the freshest flavor, I would recommend prepping this part no more than 2 days before you make the rice. You could always freeze this mixture for up to a month for a quick dinner.
How to store
Once cooked, the spinach rice will keep in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Variations
The mint and cilantro leaves make this dish so much more aromatic and flavorful. Don't skip it if you can help it.
Adding fennel seeds is optional - I wouldn't have used it but a friend recommended that I do and I loved it. It has a sweet aroma and adds to the flavor of this dish.
You can also add onions to this dish along with ginger and garlic but I wanted to keep the chopping to the minimum and that's why I skipped it.