My Grandmother's Vegetable Tahiri (UP Style)
A fragrant one-pot ,vegetarian rice dish made with fluffy basmati rice, seasonal winter vegetables, and freshly ground, homemade spice paste. Makes for a perfect weeknight meal with raita!
Equipment
- Wide mouthed, heavy base pot with lid or indian kadhai with lid
Ingredients
Make the Spice Paste
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large black cardamom seeds only
- 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ inch fresh ginger
- 2 cloves
For The Tahiri
- ⅓ cup mustard oil
- 1 large bay leaf
- 180 g onions thinly sliced
- 140 g cauliflower florets
- 100 g potato peeled and cut into quaters
- 100 g green peas
- 1 cup basmati rice washed
- 1 tablespoon ginger julinnes divided
- 1.25 teaspoon salt adjust to taste (see instructions at which stage to adjust)
- 2 cup water
- 1 tomato sliced
- cilantro to garnish
Instructions
Preperation
- Rinse basmati rice under cold water 3-4 times until water runs clear. Soak it in plenty of water for 20 minutes. This helps the grains stay long and fluffy and they also taste softer.
- While the rice is soaking, lets make the ground masala and chop the vegetables. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, black peppercorns, cloves and black cardamom seeds, along with roughly chopped ginger to a blender jar. Add ? cup warm water and soak for 10 minutes. Then, grind into a smooth paste.
- Chop the cauliflower and potatoes, keeping in mind that they will cook along with the rice. Avoid cutting them too small, as they may turn mushy. Since potatoes take longer to cook than cauliflower, cut them slightly smaller to ensure even cooking.
Make the Tahiri
- Add mustard oil to a kadai or wide cooking pan on low medium heat. You would want to use a wide cooking pot for rice to stay fluffly and cook with seperate grains. I use indian kadai but braiser also works wonderfully.
- Heat oil until it begins to smoke slightly. Lower the heat, add the sliced onions and fry until deep golden brown.
- Stir in the cauliflower, potatoes, and peas. Sprinkle salt. Fry the vegetables with onions for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the spice paste along with ginger juliennes.
- Mix well to coat the vegetables in the masala. Sauté for 2-3 minutes to allow the raw taste of the spices to dissipate. There’s no need to fully cook or soften them at this stage.
- Drain the rice and add it to the cooking pot. Pour in water.Gently mixing it with the vegetables. Check and adjust the salt if needed. At this point the water should taste sharp salty. This will make perfectly seasoned rice.
- Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Uncover and layer the tomatoes & few ginger julinnes (optional)over the cooked rice. Sprinke 1-2 pinches of salt and cover again. Cook for additional 3-4 minutes. Optional Step - In our family, we let the tahiri cook for an additional 5–10 minutes on very low heat to develop a crispy rice crust at the bottom, much like tahdig. This golden, crunchy layer adds a delightful texture and an irresistible depth of flavor(you can see it in few pictures)
Notes
- Please check your rice package for cooking measurements. The quantity of water that you need to add will depend on the quality and age of basmati rice.I use 2:1 water to rice ratio.
- The only heat and color in this recipe comes from black peppercorns in the ground masala. My version isn’t too spicy but definitely has a kick. If you prefer it spicier, you can grind few green chillies when you make the spice paste.
- Don't skimp on oil else the proper texture and taste won't come through.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!