Call it mishti pulao or mishti polao or Basanti polao – this Bengali sweet rice with the subtle flavors of saffron is perfect for any occasion. Check out how I made this mishti pulav in the Instant Pot using the Gobind Bhog rice.

Here is my first semi-sweet pulav in this biryani-pulav series – Mishti pulao or the Bengali sweet rice. The Kashmiri pulav that I prepared was not entirely sweet even though it had the subtle sweetness. Let’s talk more about mishti pulao now.

Gobind Bhog:

For this pulao, we use the special rice called Gobind Bhog which is a short grain, white, aromatic and bit sticky rice from West Bengal. We serve the kheer and sweet made with this rice as offering to God hence its unique name – Gobind Bhog. This rice reminded me of the seeraga samba variety rice that we get in Tamil Nadu. This Wikipedia article states that the seeraga samba variety is known as Gobindo-bhog in Bengal. But I am not quite sure about this fact though.

When I found GobindBhog rice here in the Indian groceries, I happily picked one. I know for sure I can use it for kichadi, pulavs, and regular cooking also. After buying it, I took a picture of both seeraga samba and Gobind Bhog and as you can see it is quite hard to differentiate them. :-)

My Mishti Pulav Version:

Traditionally, this mishti pulao is served along with spicy curries during the festive season. In some occasions, it is served instead of kichadi also. As my son doesn’t prefer savory and sweet mixed together, I served it along with milk as sweet milk rice. So I did not include any green chilies or other spices. I did add some ginger but not much. You can include some green chilies and some veggies for the crunch.

My version is very mild and more like a dessert pulao. You can drizzle some diluted condensed milk and add a dollop of ghee and serve this as a dessert.

Now without any further ado, here is the mishti pulav recipe that I made in the Instant Pot.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ghee, unmelted
10 cashews
20 raisins1 bay leaf
2-inch cinnamon stick
3 cardamom
2-inch ginger, thinly sliced
3 cloves
1/8 tsp saffron
1/8 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
a pinch of turmeric
3 tbsp sugar
1 cup Gobind Bhog rice, rinsed and drained thoroughly
2 cups water

Steps:

Set the Instant Pot in the saute mode and when the display shows “HOT, add the ghee and let it melt.
Then add the cashews, raisins and saute for 20 seconds. Immediately, add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, ginger, and cloves. Cook again for 20 seconds.

Add the water and now add the sugar, salt, turmeric, and saffron strands.
Let the sugar dissolve and then add the rice. Mix gently.

Press the cancel button and then close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.

Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulav to cool for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork.
Serve it hot with a dollop of ghee and milk or with any spicy curry.

Recipe Notes –

You can adjust the salt and sugar according to your preference. I made it sweeter and reduced the salt. But you can add up to 3/4 tsp of salt if you are planning to serve it with dal or mild curries. Also, you can add one green chili.
Ginger is optional, but it adds good flavor.
If you can’t source Gobind Bhog rice, then you can use the regular basmati rice or if you seeraga samba you can use that as well.

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Mishti Polao | Instant Pot Bengali Sweet Rice

Gobind Bhog:

My Mishti Pulav Version: