Peanut Rice

For cooking rice

• ▢ 1 cup rice

• ▢ 1.75 to 2 cups water or add as required

• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt or add as required

For peanut powder or verkadalai podi

• ▢ ½ cup peanuts

• ▢ 1 tablespoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)

• ▢ 1 tablespoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)

• ▢ 3 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed (can use byadagi or kashmiri red chilies)

• ▢ 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut

• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

• ▢ 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds – optional

For tempering peanut rice

• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil)

• ▢ ½ teaspoon mustard seeds

• ▢ 8 to 10 curry leaves

• ▢ 1 pinch asafoetida

Other ingredient

• ▢ salt as required, to be added later

INSTRUCTIONS

Cooking rice

• Rinse the rice a couple of times in water and then soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. If using brown rice, then soak for about 30 to 45 minutes.

• Later drain all the water and add the rice in a 3 litre pressure cooker. Also add ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.

• Add 1.75 to 2 cups water or add as required for regular white rice.

  If using hand pounded rice then add 2.25 to 2.5 cups water.

  If using brown rice, then add 3 cups water. 

• For white rice, pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles on medium flame.

  For hand pounded rice, pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles and for brown rice pressure cook for 8 to 9 whistles on medium heat.

• When the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid.

• Take the rice in a large bowl or plate and let the rice grains cool down completely. If there are lumps in the rice, then break the lumps.

Making peanut rice

• Heat a small frying pan. Keep the heat to medium-low. Add the peanuts.

• Stirring often begin to roast the peanuts.

• Roast till the peanuts become crunchy and crisp. You will see some blisters and black spots on the peanuts.

• Remove the roasted peanuts in a plate and keep aside.

• In the same pan, then add chana dal.

• Stirring continuously roast chana dal on a low heat till they change color and become golden. They will also become fragrant. Remove and keep aside.

• In the same pan add urad dal.

• Stirring continuously roast urad dal on a low heat till the lentils become golden and aromatic.

• Keeping the heat to a low, add the dry red chilies and the desiccated coconut.

• Mix and continue to roast stirring continuously.

• Roast coconut till it is light golden.

• Now turn off the heat and add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and white sesame seeds. Sesame seeds can be skipped.

• Mix well. Keep this mixture in the pan till it cools down.

• Take the above roasted spices, urad lentils and coconut mixture in a small grinder jar. Also add the roasted chana dal.

• Grind in small seconds to a coarse mixture. You can even use pulse option of the mixer-grinder and pulse at intervals of 3 to 4 seconds.

• Then add the roasted peanuts.

• Using the pulse option for some seconds, grind to a semi-fine powder. Do not grind too much as then peanuts will release their oil.

• Add the ground peanut powder to the cooked rice. Add more salt as per taste and mix very well.

Making tempering

• Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil) in a small pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.

• Let them crackle on medium-low heat.

• When the mustard seeds crackle, then add 8 to 10 curry leaves and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Turn off the heat and stir to mix.

• Add all the tempered ingredients in the peanut rice mixture. Mix again.

• Serve Peanut Rice as a main course or as a side dish. You can also serve it with a side of plain curd (yogurt) or raita.