My Grandmother's Vegetable Tahiri Recipe (UP Style)

Tahiri, also known as Tehri, is a fragrant one-pot rice dish made with fluffy basmati rice, seasonal vegetables, and a homemade spice paste of fresh ginger and warm & woody black Indian spices. Cooked on the stovetop, this aromatic dish brings together simplicity and comfort. I’m sharing a cherished heirloom recipe that I grew up eating at my grandmother's house. Easy-to-make, gluten-free, vegan friendly, and perfect for a weeknight!

Tahiri

I eagerly wait for cooler weather to arrive so I can make certain dishes, and Tahiri is one of my favorites during the winter and early spring months when sweet, fresh peas are in season.

A loved rice dish from regional cuisine of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Tahiri was a regular weekned meal in our home growing up. It is different from a simple pulao or a quick-fix meal. I always saw it as something special that was reserved for Sunday lunches and cooked low and slow with a lot of patience.

Like many rustic regional dishes, tahiri has countless variations. My grandmother’s recipe started with soaking whole spices such as cumin, black peppercorns, cloves, and black cardamom in warm water. She then ground them with ginger into a fresh masala paste.

This spice paste is the soul of this recipe and gives the rice its unique color. I’ve always known tahiri to have this natural hue, as my version doesn’t include turmeric powder or any ground spices. The trio of vegetables that define Tahiri are simple yet classic such as white potatoes, cauliflower, and green peas.

It truly needs no side dish, as it's flavorful on its own thanks to fresh ground masala, but we do need few accomaoying sides such as plain yogurt, green chutney, pickle, or papad.

More Than Just a Vegetable Pulao

We can categorize this as a type of pulao since it’s not a layered dish like biryani. However, this recipe has a far more complex taste, method of cooking and aroma compared to a simple pulao, which is often made with just whole spices and rice.

I’ve never made Tahiri in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, though I regularly cook pulao in an Instant Pot. My grandmother, on the other hand, would seal the cooking pot for dum cooking to deepen the flavors while making tahiri.You can do so too.

Ingredients

• Mustard Oil - My grandmother cooked tahiri in mustard oil and I do the same. You can cook it in ghee or any cooking oil of your choice.
• Vegetables - I cook tahiri with the 3 vegetables that I mentioned eariier. If you wish, you could add green beans or carrots.
• Tomatoes - There is a unique way our family added tomatoes to Tahiri. We would add them at the very end, just to steam them. I love their taste prepared this way! But you can skip the tomatoes if desired.
• Rice - Aged basmati rice is perfect to make this traditional rice dish. I use extra long grain basmati rice. But any kind of long grain rice will work in this recipe.

How To Make UP style Tahiri

Preperation

• Rinse basmati rice under cold water 3-4 times until water runs clear. Soak it in plenty of water for 20 minutes. This helps the grains stay long and fluffy and they also taste softer.
• While the rice is soaking, lets make the ground masala and chop the vegetables. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, black peppercorns, cloves and black cardamom seeds, along with roughly chopped ginger to a blender jar. Add ⅓ cup warm water and soak for 10 minutes. Then, grind into a smooth paste.

• Chop the cauliflower and potatoes, keeping in mind that they will cook along with the rice. Avoid cutting them too small, as they may turn mushy. Since potatoes take longer to cook than cauliflower, cut them slightly smaller to ensure even cooking.

Cooking

• Add mustard oil to a kadai or wide cooking pan on low medium heat. You would want to use a wide cooking pot for rice to stay fluffly and cook with seperate grains. I use indian kadai but braiser also works wonderfully.
• Heat oil until it begins to smoke slightly. Lower the heat, add the sliced onions and fry until deep golden brown.

• Stir in the cauliflower, potatoes, and peas. Sprinkle salt. Fry the vegetables with onions for 2-3 minutes.
• Then, add the spice paste along with ginger juliennes. Mix well to coat the vegetables in the masala. Sauté for 2-3 minutes to allow the raw taste of the spices to dissipate. There’s no need to fully cook or soften them at this stage.

• Drain the rice and add it to the cooking pot. Pour in water.Gently mixing it with the vegetables. Check and adjust the salt if needed. At this point the water should taste sharp salty. This will make perfectly seasoned rice.

• Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Uncover and layer the tomatoes over the cooked rice. You can add few ginger julinnes if desired. Sprinke 1-2 pinches of salt and cover again. Cook for additional 3-4 minutes.

Optional Step - In our family, we let the tahiri cook for an additional 5–10 minutes on very low heat to develop a crispy rice crust at the bottom, much like tahdig. This golden, crunchy layer adds a delightful texture and an irresistible depth of flavor(you can see it in few pictures)

• Switch off the stove and let the tahiri rest undisturbed for a few minutes before gently fluffing it with a fork. Add a dollop of ghee or butter before serving. Serve with sides such as yogurt or pickles.

Recipe Tips

• Please check your rice package for cooking measurements. The quantity of water that you need to add will depend on the quality and age of basmati rice.
• The only heat and color in this recipe comes from black peppercorns in the ground masala. My version isn’t too spicy but definitely has a kick. If you prefer it spicier, you can grind few green chillies when you make the spice paste.
• Don't skimp on oil else the proper texture of rice and taste won't come through.