Tehri (Masala Rice) – Shack Saturdays Special

Mum-in-law and I wanted to go for something simple and quick this afternoon. We decided to make Tehri (Masala Rice) that is cooked in the pressure cooker with some veggies.

I made a special addition to the Tehri which was nutrela (soya) chunks. So, rather than a simple dish it turned into a flavoursome delicacy. Something that closely resembled a biryani. We relished it with natural yogurt and mint chutney (dip)! 🙂

Here’s the recipe for you.

Preparation Time 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time 20-25 minutes
Servings 2
Main Ingredients Rice & Nutrela (Soya) Chunks
Course Main-course
Level Of Cooking Medium

Ingredients

Rice 1 big cup (preferably basmati variety)
Nutrela (Soya Chunks) softened 1 cup
Onion 1 large chopped
Ginger 1 inch piece chopped
Garlic 4-5 cloves chopped
Tomato 1 medium chopped
Green Chilli 1 chopped
Chopped Coriander 1 tablespoon (optional)
Vegetables (whatever available) 1/2 cup – I used chopped green beans and capsicums/bell peppers
Cumin Seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves (laung) 2
Cinnamon 1 inch stick (optional)
Black Cardamom (badi elaichi) 1
Garam Masala 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder 1 teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder 1 teaspoon
Ghee (Clarified Butter) or cooking oil 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Method

Step 1
Clean and wash the rice and soak in water for 5 mins. before cooking. Drain and keep aside.

Step 2
To soften nutrela (soya) chunks – Just put them in the microwave for a minute with some water – then drain the water. Or, boil the chunks for 2-3 minutes on stove and drain the water. Keep aside.

Step 3
Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter) or cooking oil in a pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds, cloves, black cardamom and cinnamon (optional). When the seeds crackle, add ginger, garlic and onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Now, add tomato and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and half the garam masala powder. Mix well. Add nutrela (soya) chunks and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the veggies and saute for another 2-3 minutes. (Keep the flame from low to medium)

Step 4
Add soaked rice and mix. Add 1.5 cup (same size cup as the one used to measure rice) of water and chopped green chilli and mix well. Pressure cook for 5 whistles.

Step 5
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Add the remaining garam masala and 1 tablespoon of ghee (clarified butter) and give a stir. Check salt, add if required.

Step 6
Serve piping hot garnished with coriander leaves (optional), natural yogurt, green chutney (dip), onions or any pickle. I love it without any accompaniment too, just as is! 🙂