Tehri, Hara Dhania Chutney and Pyaz-Kheera Raita
This is a winter meal combo for lazy afternoons, savoured under the sun by most families in Uttar Pradesh. The uniqueness of this pulao lies in the usage of minimal spices and the strong flavour of desi ghee. It is usually served with Pyaz-Kheera Raita, fresh Hara Dhania Chutney and dolops of ghee over the piping hot Tehri.
VIEW INDIVIDUAL RECIPES
- Duration:30 minutes
- Serves:4 to 5 people
Authenticity Slice
To get that perfect taste, do not pressure-cook the Tahiri. Instead, cook it in a thick-bottomed vessel with a lid. The proportion of water to be added will depend on whether the rice that is being used is new-crop or aged. For new-crop rice, the amount of water should be 1.5 times in proportion to the rice. If it is aged, then the amount of water should be double than that of the rice.
Ingredients
- Basmati rice (1 cup)
- Potato, cubed (2)
- Fresh green peas (2 cups)
- Cauliflower florets (gobhi) (2 cups)
- Ginger-garlic paste (2 tsp)
- Onion, thinly sliced (3 medium)
- Fresh coriander, for garnishing (¼ cup)
- MTR Haldi Turmeric Powder (½ tsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch Chilli Powder (1 tsp)
- Salt (to taste)
- Garam masala (⅓ tsp)
- Water (3 cups)
- Ghee (4 tbsp)
- Bay leaves (tejpatta) (1)
- Cumin seeds (jeera) (1 tsp)
- Cloves (laung) (2)
Method
- Wash and soak the rice in adequate water for 20 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed vessel. Add the jeera, laung and tejpatta and stir-fry on a medium flame till the jeera turns dark brown.
- Toss in the onions and stir-fry till they turn translucent.
- Add in the vegetables and stir-fry for 3 more minutes.
- Next, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds.
- Drain out the water from the soaked rice and add the rice to the vegetables. Gently sauté for about a minute.
- Add in water and mix gently. Cover the vessel with a lid and allow the Tahiri to cook on a medium flame for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Open the lid and run a fork through the Tahiri. Press a rice grain between your fingers to check if the rice is cooked.
- If done, put the lid back on, let the vessel be on a low flame for a minute more and then turn off the flame.
- Serve hot with hara dhaniya chutney and pyaz-kheera raita.
- Duration:5 minutes
- Serves:4 people
Authenticity Slice
The best chutney is made using fresh and young coriander leaves. Remember to retain only the soft stems along with the leaves. In the absence of amchur (raw mango powder), one can use either lemon juice or tamarind paste as a souring agent.
Ingredients
- Coriander leaves (hara dhania), chopped (2 cups)
- Garlic (lahsun) (1 pod)
- Mint leaves (pudina), optional (8 to 10)
- Tomato, chopped (1)
- Salt (to taste)
- Cumin seeds (jeera) (¼ tsp)
- Green chillies (hari mirch) (1)
- Raw mango powder (amchur) (½ tsp)
- Sugar (¼ tsp)
Method
- Pluck the hara dhania patta from the stems. Discard the stems if they are hard. Wash thoroughly and chop.
- In a mixer-grinder, work up all the ingredients along with the hara dhania and a little bit of water, if required.
- Serve fresh with Tahiri.
- Duration:10 minutes
- Serves:4 people
Authenticity Slice
It is best to use baby cucumbers for this dish. But in case you have mature kheera in your kitchen, all you need to do is to slice them vertically and de-seed them. Though some people prefer to grate the kheera, the authentic recipe asks for finely-cut, cubed kheera.
Ingredients
- Curd (dahi), beaten (3 cups)
- Cucumber (kheera), de-seeded and finely chopped (1 cup)
- Onion, finely cut (½ cup)
- Green chillies (hari mirch), finely chopped (1)
- Coriander leaves (hara dhania) (for garnish)
- Salt (to taste )
- Roasted cumin (jeera) powder (½ tsp)
- Kala namak (½ tsp)
- Pepper (kali mirch) (¼ tsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch Chilli Powder (a pinch)
Method
- In a deep bowl, beat the curd with a fork till it turns smooth.
- Add in all the ingredients and mix well.
- Garnish with hara dhania and serve chilled.
