Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Kaleji Pulao
Kaleji Pulao (Liver Pulao)

Kaleji Pulao

Liver Pulao
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin NewPrep 15 minutesCook 20 minutes

A fragrant one-pot rice dish cooked with tender pieces of liver, sliced onions, and black pepper for a rich, savoury flavour.

Pulao spices

2.3 gAdded with the rice and aromatics (step 2)
01
Ground black pepper · Kali Mirch Powder
2.3 g1 teaspoon
spice
Leave ground; it goes straight into the pot with the rice.

Everything else

01
Pig's livercut into 5-cm / 2-inch pieces
500 g
meat
02
Basmati rice · Basmati Chawalrinsed and drained
600 g
grain
03
Onion · Pyazsliced
300 g2 onions
vegetable
04
Garlic · Lehsunchopped
6 g2 teaspoons
aromatic
05
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Put 500 g liver and 500 ml of water into a large heavy-bottomed pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add 600 g basmati rice, 300 g onion, 2 tsp garlic, the pulao spices, and salt to taste. Bring the liquid back to a boil.
  3. Lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer for roughly 20 minutes until the rice has cooked through and absorbed the liquid.

Don't have something?

Pig's liver
  • Liver

    Use the same weight, sliced thinly and cooked briefly; overcooking makes it dry and grainy.

Basmati rice
  • Plain boiled rice

    Use 2.5 times the weight if substituting pre-cooked rice. Fold in gently at the end of the recipe; grains will be shorter and less fragrant.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Ground black pepper
  • Black peppercorn

    Use 1:1 by weight; pulverise in a spice mill or mortar to a fine powder for immediate, punchy heat.

  • Coarsely ground black pepper

    Use equal weight; offers the same bite, though it gives a visibly speckled finish and firmer crunch.

Similar dishes

Qorma Pulao
Curried Lamb Pulao
Qorma Pulao is richer, more floral, and mildly tangy from yogurt and sweet spices, whereas this dish has a direct, peppery, and savoury flavour.
  • Same: Both are meat pulaos made with basmati rice and sliced onions.
  • Different: Instead of liver cooked with garlic and black pepper, Qorma Pulao uses pre-cooked mutton qorma layered with ghee, yogurt, saffron, and whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves under a dough seal.
Biryani (I)
Lamb Biryani (I)
Biryani (I) has a richer, tangier, and more complex spiced profile compared to the simpler, peppery flavour of this dish.
  • Same: Biryani (I) also combines basmati rice with meat, onions, and garlic.
  • Different: Biryani (I) uses lamb instead of liver, steams the rice and meat in layers sealed with dough, and adds ghee, yogurt, and a variety of whole spices like cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, and red chilli rather than relying solely on black pepper.
Basic Rice Recipe
Basic Rice Recipe tastes mild and clean, while this dish tastes rich, savoury, peppery, and liver-forward.
  • Same: Basic Rice Recipe and this dish both use basmati rice and salt, and both cook the rice by absorption so it steams dry.
  • Different: Basic Rice Recipe has only basmati rice and salt, while this dish adds pig's liver, onion, garlic, ground black pepper, and a one-pot cooking style with those ingredients.
Plain Rice
Plain Rice tastes clean and mild, while this dish is savoury, peppery, and rich from liver and onions.
  • Same: Plain Rice shares basmati rice and salt with this dish, and both are cooked as rice dishes.
  • Different: Plain Rice lacks pig's liver, onion, garlic, black pepper, and added fat, and it uses only rice, water, and salt with a simple steaming method rather than a one-pot liver pulao.