Peanut rice recipe – Simple, aromatic and delicious rice made in South Indian style with roasted and ground peanuts. This is one of the rice recipes I make for the lunch box when ever I am short of time in the mornings. I usually make a vegetable salad or slice some carrots and cucumbers to go with this peanut rice.
This is one of my favorite recipes for kids school box. This can also be served to toddlers. I have used basmati rice here since we prefer this for the lunch box. However it can also be made with regular non sticky rice like sona masuri or ponni.
To make peanut rice, cooked and cooled rice is required. While the rice cooks, I roast the peanuts and other ingredients. Cool them and powder. You can also prepare the spice powder on the previous night and just mix it with the freshly cooked rice in the morning which saves a lot of time.
Curry leaves, chana dal and urad dal are the main ingredients that add a good aroma to the peanut rice, so do not skip them.
How to make peanut rice
1. Dry roast dals until golden on a medium to low heat and set aside. I usually roast the chana dal and urad dal in bulk for my breakfast chutney. So I just used them up.
2. Dry roast peanuts well along with garlic until half roasted. Garlic is roasted here to remove the pungent smell.
3. Then add curry leaves and red chilies. Roast until the peanuts emit a nice good aroma. Curry leaves and red chilies should become crisp.
4. Add cumin, coconut or sesame seeds at this stage and switch off the stove.
5. Cool them completely and add to a blender or mini blender jar. You can also set aside some peanuts for garnish.
6. Powder coarse or finely to suit your taste. We like the coarse texture so I powdered the chana dal and urad dal first to a fine powder. Then coarsely ground the rest of the ingredients.
7. Cook and cool the rice as you would do regularly. There are 2 ways you can make the peanut rice.
First method: Heat oil in a kadai and temper with half tsp mustard seeds, 1 broken red chili, curry leaves and then hing. Later add the powder along with salt and switch off the stove. Mix the cooked and cooled rice.
Second method: This is the method I most often follow for the Lunch box. Cool the cooked rice completely. Add the peanut powder, salt and oil. I use either cold pressed organic sesame, peanut or olive oil.
Mix everything well.
Serve peanut rice with a vegetable salad.
For more simple Rice recipes, you check
Curry leaves rice
Coconut rice
Methi rice
Curd rice
South Indian style peanut rice
Peanut rice recipe | South Indian style peanut rice recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for peanut rice
- 1 ½ cups rice (regular or basmati)
- ¼ cup peanuts or 4tbsp
- 1 ½ tbsp chana dal
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- 2 to 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 2 to 3 red chilies (adjust to suit your taste)
- ½ to ¾ tsp cumin / jeera
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut or sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 tbsps oil (sesame, olive oil or coconut oil)
Instructions
Preparation for peanut rice
- Wash and soak rice for sometime. Cook it without making mushy. Spread it on a plate and cool completely.
- While the rice cooks, roast the dals on a medium to low flame until golden. Set them aside.
- Roast peanuts and garlic until half done. Add curry leaves and red chilies. Continue to roast until the peanuts are roasted well and the curry leaves turn crisp.
- Add coconut or sesame seeds if using along with cumin. Saute for a min. Switch off and cool completely.
- Powder chana dal and urad dal finely. Add peanuts and other roasted ingredients. Powder finely or coarsely as per your liking.
How to make peanut rice
- Method 1: Heat oil in a pan, add half tsp mustard seeds, 1 broken red chili and hing. When they splutter, add the powder and salt. Switch off. Add the cooled rice and mix.
- Method 2:Sprinkle the powder over the cooled rice along wit salt & oil . Mix well.
- Serve peanut rice with vegetable salad or a stir fry.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Meethi says
Hi Swasthi I tried this and it came out really good. Easy and healthy recipe. Only one thing- they are a little dry. What would you eat with?
swasthi says
Hi Meethi,
Thanks for trying. Yes it does come out on the drier side. We usually eat with plain curd or some veggie salad.
Meethi says
It came out really good. Very tasty and healthy too. Only it’s a little dry. What would you eat with?
Aisha says
Hi, this is a quick, tasty rice recipe. Jazaak Allah.
The way you detail the process is also very clear and helps with getting the fish right.
swasthi says
Thanks Aisha
Divya says
Hi swasthi your dishes are amazing and yummy. I tried your carrot almond recipe for my eight months old daughter and she loved it. It was delicious.
swasthi says
Thanks for trying Divya
So glad your baby liked it
supriya says
Hay I tried it was yummy ray ..the dal gives a crunchy flavour in the rice..ur an amazing cook swasthi
..next I wanted to try curry leaves rice ra .
swasthi says
Thanks Supriya
Do try the curry leaves rice too
supriya says
Thank u for the reply swasthi today I’m going to try out and tell u how it tasted .
swasthi says
Sure Supriya
🙂
supriya says
Swasthi can i fry urd and Channa dal along with peanuts and dry chillies together ra .
swasthi says
Hi Supriya, when the peanuts are half roasted then you add red chilli, chana and urad dal and fry until golden.