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Vegetable Tehri or Tahiri, a rice pulao with veggies like cauliflower, carrots, potatoes and green peas
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5 from 11 votes

Vegetable Tehri

A tehri is a fragrant rice pilaf with chunky vegetables that's a specialty in parts of north India. This one pot recipe is extremely low in fat, easy to make, and delicious to boot. It's also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free, so it works for practically everyone.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course/Rice
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 234kcal

Equipment

  • Large saucepan with tight-fitting lid

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups basmati rice (covered in water and soaked for at least 30 minutes. Drain before using)
  • 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 green cardamom pods (whole)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-inch stick cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
  • 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 green chili pepper (like japeno or serrano. Leave whole with just a slit down the middle, or, for less heat, split into half, deseed, and then use. You can fish out the peppers before serving)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 medium tomatoes (pureed. Or use 1 cup canned tomato puree)
  • 3 medium potatoes (cut in a 1-inch dice)
  • 1 large carrot (cut into chunky 1 ½ inch slivers)
  • ½ head cauliflower (separated into chunky but bite-sized florets)
  • 1 cup green peas (I used frozen, but fresh work too)
  • 2 ½ cups vegetable stock (or water)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot. Add the cumin first, then the cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add in the fennel seeds and stir quickly.
  • Add the onions and saute until they are soft but not brown. You can add a little salt to help this process go faster. Stir in the ginger garlic paste, green chili peppers and turmeric and saute another minute over low heat so the ginger and garlic don't stick to the bottom.
  • Add the potatoes to the pot along with the carrots. Add a cup of the water or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and let the potatoes and carrots cook about five minutes or until fairly tender but not quite done.
  • Add the cauliflower and tomato puree and continue cooking the veggies for a couple more minutes. Add the green peas and stir them in.
  • Add the remaining water or stock, followed by the drained rice, mix everything well and bring it all back to a boil. Once it looks like the rice has absorbed most of the water, give it all a good stir, cover with a tight-fitting lid, turn the heat to low, and set the timer for 15 minutes.
  • Avoid peeking while the rice is cooking, and let it stand, undisturbed, for 10 minutes after cooking. After 10 minutes, open the lid and fluff the grains of rice with a fork before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 679mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2061IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 4mg