Tehari Rice
A fragrant, spiced, yellow rice dish.
Ingredients
- 4 cups dried basmati rice
- 4½ cups water (+/-) for cooking rice
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 5 small potatoes peeled
- 1½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1½ teaspoon Pakistani red chili powder to your taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (optional)
- 3-4 teaspoons salt as needed
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 large tomato roughly chopped
- 2 green chilies, whole
- 2-3 whole cloves (optional)
- 4-5 whole peppercorns (optional)
- 2-3 cardamom pods (optional)
- cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- Start by preparing your rice. Place in a bowl and rinse in water. Add in water, stir it with your fingers so starch releases and then drain the water. Do this 3-4 times until water added is mostly clear. Once this happens completely submerge rice in water and allow to soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
- While rice soaks work on preparing vegetables. Start by dicing or thinly slicing your large onion.
- Add oil, onion, and pinch of salt into large pot that you will eventually cook rice in. Cook on medium to medium-high heat. Mix the onion every few minutes to prevent burning and sticking. You can cover to prevent splashing. But continue to keep on eye on them.
- Whilst the onions cook you can prepare the potatoes. Potatoes should be washed, peeled, and cut into eighths. If you are using a larger potato cut into small chunks mostly uniform in size.
- Once the onions have cooked down and are golden brown and translucent you can add in the potatoes.
- On top of the potatoes add in turmeric powder, pakistani red chili powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, and one teaspoon salt. The cumin powder is optional if you'd like it you would add it in here.
- Give it all a mix and add just a splash of water to prevent potatoes from sticking to pot.
- Allow the flavors to infuse potatoes for a few minutes (2-3 minutes) on medium heat.
- Keeping the heat on medium add in the diced or sliced tomato, green chilies, and (optionally) whole spices (peppercorn, cardamom, and clove).
- Add about 1½ cups water to this mixture to halfway submerge the potatoes. Cover the pot and allow the potatoes to cook halfway for about 5 minutes.
- Once potatoes have cooked halfway, drain the soaking rice and add carefully into pot.
- Add in remaining water (about 3 cups) to cover rice and inch above the top. You can check with your finger to see if the water line is about one segment above the rice.
- Give the rice a gentle stir to mix with potatoes.
- Cover the rice and bring to a boil on medium-high to high heat.
- Keep an eye on it and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes until rice absorbs water.
- Once water is mostly absorbs check the rice to see if cooked through. Turn the heat to low.
- First, check a grain near the bottom of the pot if it is long, soft, and tender it should be cooked. Try some to make sure.
- Second, check a few grains of rice on the top. If they are also cooked you are just about done.
- If the grains on top feel and taste a little firm they are slightly underdone. You can remedy this situation by using a few damp paper towels or a kitchen towel and placing them on top of rice, completely covering them. Cover the pot with lid. Place pot in a frying pan and place this all on the stove on a low heat. This is putting it on "Dum". The steam will finish cooking any under-cooked grains.
- You should put it on "dum" regardless of if the top grains are a little under-cooked.
- Place it on dum for as long as you'd like. It can be anywhere from 5-20 minutes. At this point if the grains are cooked they won't overcook they will just stay warm.
- I put my rice on dum for 15 minutes and this was perfect. The rice was long, fluffy, and tender.
- Once your rice is ready give it a gentle turn in the pot to help separate the grains. Use a large flat spoon/paddle to bring the rice from bottom to top.
- Now you are ready to serve! Tehari can be eaten on it's own or with plain yogurt on top or a raita. It also goes well with chutney or a salaan dish. Whatever you prefer!
- Enjoy!