Seasonal vegetables layered with basmati rice, flavoured with light aromatic spices and ghee. This surprisingly simple and delicious dish from the ‘Awadhi cuisine’ tastes great with raita, papad and hari chutney. Tahiri or Tahri is a classic one pot rice dish from my State Uttar Pradesh. As a kid, dad making this for our Sunday lunch was a fond routine and the whole family enjoyed the preparation he would orchestrate. Luckily, I found the same ritual continued at my in-laws place.
Tahiri
Ingredients
- Long grain basmati rice – 250 gms
- Ghee – 3 tbsp
- Canola oil or any vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
- Sliced onions – ½ cup
- Potatoes – 2 medium sized, peeled and cut into cubes
- Cauliflower – 1 cup, in florets
- Chopped carrots – ½ cup
- Chopped tomatoes – ½ cup
- Green peas – 1 cup, shelled
- Ginger green chilli paste – 1 tbsp
- Bay leaves – 1-2
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Asafoetida (hing) – ¼ tsp
- Black cardamom – 2
- Green cardamom – 2
- Cinnamon – 1 small piece
- Black peppercorns – 6-8
- Cloves – 4-5
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Water – 2½ cups
- For the garnish – handful of green coriander and fried onions
Method:
- Heat ghee and oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Toss in cumin seeds, bay leaves, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns and stir.
- Add onions and fry till translucent. Add hing, mix it in, then add ginger green chilli paste and saute. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute. Now add all the vegetables and saute.
- Put in the dry spices and saute, then add the rice and water. Mix well.
- Cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes or till the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked through. Remove from heat.
- Garnish with fried onions and coriander leaves.
- Fluff up the rice with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Serve the tahiri with papad, raita and hari chutney.
Watch this recipe here – Tahiri
Shruti Dhawan is an Economics teacher turned food blogger. She belongs to a Punjabi Khatri family currently based in Uttar Pradesh. She started creating new recipes back in Lagos, Africa where Indian food options weren’t so easily available, and that’s how her journey to becoming a food creator started. Cooking innovative as well as traditional recipes that have been passed down through generations is her forte. She loves giving recipes a healthy turn with a twist of ingredients, all the while keeping the taste intact.
Translations and detailed descriptions are provided to give a better understanding of the story to people from different cultural backgrounds across the globe.