A specialty from Uttar Pradesh cuisine, Tehri also known as Tahri or Tehari is a one-pot Vegetable Rice dish that is fragrant, spiced and made with basmati rice, mix vegetables and spices.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Awadhi, North Indian, Uttar Pradesh

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tightly packed chopped potatoes (- 200 to 210 grams or 2 large potatoes)
  • 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets (- 200 to 210 grams)
  • ½ cup chopped carrots (- 115 grams or 2 medium-sized)
  • ⅓ cup chopped french beans (- 50 grams or 12 to 14 french beans)
  • ½ cup green peas (- fresh or frozen)
  • 3 tablespoons ghee
  • 1 cup sliced onions ((heaped) - 175 grams or 3 medium-sized onions)
  • ¾ cup chopped tomatoes (155 grams or 3 medium-sized tomatoes)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or 1 inch ginger + 6 to 7 medium garlic cloves - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
  • 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
  • 3 green chilies (- slit)
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1.5 cups basmati rice (- 300 grams)
  • ½ tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon kewra water (or rose water, optional)
  • 2.5 to 3 cups water (or add as required)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 tej patta ((Indian bay leaf))
  • 4 green cardamoms
  • 2 black cardamoms
  • 4 to 5 cloves
  • 2 inches cinnamon

Method

Preparation

  1. Rinse basmati rice in water very well till the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.
  2. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain all the water from the rice and keep the soaked rice grains aside.
  3. Rinse and soak 2 cups medium-sized cauliflower florets in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. This blanching step is optional and only to get rid of any insects or worms in the cauliflower.
  5. After blanching the cauliflower, drain all the water. Set the blanched cauliflower aside. Also chop the rest of the veggies and set aside.

Making vegetable tehri

  1. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed deep pot or pan. Instead of ghee you can also use mustard oil or sunflower oil.
  2. Keep the heat to low so that the ghee does not burn.
  3. Next add the following spices and fry till the spices splutter and become fragrant - tej patta, green cardamoms, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
  4. Add the sliced onions. Stir and begin to sauté the onions.
  5. Sautéing the onions take a lot of time. Thus add a pinch of salt for quick cooking of the onions.
  6. Sauté till the onions become golden.
  7. Then add ginger garlic paste. Sauté for a few seconds till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
  8. Add chopped tomatoes. Sauté the tomatoes for a minute or two.
  9. Next add diced potatoes. Sauté the potatoes for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium heat.
  10. Next add chopped carrots, chopped french beans, fresh or frozen green peas and the cauliflower florets.
  11. Mix the veggies with the rest of the ingredients.
  12. Add chopped mint leaves, chopped coriander leaves, green chilies, red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder.
  13. Stir and mix to combine the ground spices. Add lemon juice.
  14. Then add the rice. Mix the rice grains gently and evenly with the masala and sauté for a minute.

Cooking tahri

  1. Pour 2.5 to 3 cups water. You can also add 1 teaspoon rose water or kewra water at this step. Season with salt as needed.
  2. Cover the pan with a tight lid. If you want you can also seal the pan with an aluminium foil and then cover the pan with a lid.
  3. On a low heat, cook the tehri till all the water is absorbed and the rice grains are fluffy and soft.
  4. If the rice grains are undercooked and all the water has been absorbed, add a about a few tablespoons of hot water or as needed. Cover and continue to cook.
  5. It took me 20 minutes for the rice to cook. Time will vary depending on the size and volume of pan, the thickness of pan, flame intensity etc.
  6. Once done, give a resting time of 5 minutes. Then gently fluff and serve vegetable tehri with a raita or plain curd.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.