It is found that by 400 AD, Chinese traders near Uzbekistan shared a rice dish cooked in stock of spices sourced from India and called it: HUALAO. This dish, later came to be known as Pilaf in Uzbekistan, marking the culinary roots of Pulao. For Pulao both meat and rice were cooked together. Later in the Veg Version also both were cooked together with spices.

This came to Indian through Persians that is Hualao to Pilaf to Pulao: A spiced rice journey across cultures.