Recipe- Aloo Matar Tehri For Lunch Is Just Perfect

Aloo matar tehri is a kind of vegetable pilaf especially popular in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in India. Even though I grew up in and around Delhi, my origins are from UP and so this was something mom would often make for dinner when she was not in the mood to make dal and roti. I was not the biggest tehri fan around but that has to do with the fact that I’m not a big fan of rice in general but even then I enjoyed this dish whenever mom made it. It’s funny how you start missing these small things as you grow up and move away from family. I mean I would have never thought that I would be craving for tehri one day but I did! Since past few weeks, I have been literally dying to make this.

Anyway determined to make this tehri, I decided to rely on my memory – memory of spices, aroma and taste. I thought of all the flavors present in this wonderful one pot meal. First there were tons of whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorn, mace, bay leaf. I am not sure if star anise was added or not but I went ahead with it anyway.

Ingredients

1.5 cups rice soaked for 15 minutes and drained
2 onions sliced finely
1 green chili sliced [adjust to taste]
1 potato cut into cubes [use 2 potatoes if using small ones]
1 cup green peas [i used frozen]
2.5 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
3 tablespoons oil
salt to taste
garam masala powder to sprinkle
cilantro leaves chopped, to garnish
2.25 - 2.5 cups water
7-8 small peppercorns
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
2-3 black cardamom
5 cloves
1 sprig of mace
2 small cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom pods

Method

* Soak rice in enough water for 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

* Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

* Add the whole spices - bay leaves, cloves, black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, mace, peppercorns and star anise. Saute for few seconds till you get a nice aroma of all the spices.

* Add the sliced red onions, sliced green chili and cook for 2 minutes or till they become translucent and there's no raw smell.

* Add ginger garlic paste [fresh is preferred] and cook for 2-3 minutes or till the raw smell goes away.

* Add the cubed potatoes and green peas and give a good mix.

* Now add turmeric powder, salt, coriander powder and mix.

* Cover the pan and let the potatoes cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

* Remove the cover , the potatoes will be slightly cooked by now. Add 2.25 - 2.5 cups of water and let it come to a boil.

* Once the water starts boiling, add the soaked and drained rice to the pan.

* Mix lightly till combined. Be gentle while mixing as you don't want to crush the rice grains.

* Cover the pan tightly with a lid and let the rice cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or till rice is soft and nicely cooked.

* Add chopped fresh cilantro leaves. You can also squeeze in some fresh lemon juice here.

* Serve aloo matar tehri hot with some yogurt on the side.