Veg tehri recipe made with basmati rice, mixed vegetables, basic spices and coriander leaves. Also known as tehari or tahari, this is a one pot dish originated from the Awadhi cuisine. Tehri is mildly spicy, delicious & flavorful. It is most commonly eaten for a meal in North India. This is a variation of the Veg pulao recipe, but includes spice powders too.
Tehari can be made with vegetables or meat. This recipe of veg tehri uses mix vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, beans and peas. Potatoes and cauliflower lend a unique aroma & taste to this dish. So don’t skip them.
Making veg tehri doesn’t take much time. So you can enjoy it often for a meal. It also goes well in the lunch box. It can be served with a raita and papads. This can be also be made in a pot if you don’t have a pressure cooker.
How to make vegetable tehari
1. Wash rice a few times. Drain the water. Soak for 30 minutes and drain it to a colander. Set this aside.
2. While the rice soaks, you can wash & cube the veggies. Do not chop them too small.
3. Heat a pressure cooker or pot with oil. Add bay leaf, cumin, cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves.
4. Allow the cumin to splutter. Then add chili & onions. Fry them until golden to light brown.
5. Add ginger and garlic paste. Saute for a minute.
6. Regulate the flame to low. Add all the spice powders – garam masala, jeera powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt.
7. Saute just for a minute. Do not burn this.
8. Add all the veggies – tomatoes, potatoes, beans, cauliflower, carrots and peas.
9. Fry them on a medium flame for 2 to 3 mins.
10. Drain the rice completely and add it. Fry stirring gently for 2 minutes. Do not over stir, the rice can break.
11. Pour water. I have used aged basmati rice so I used 1.5 cups water for 1 cup rice. Mix and check the salt. Bring the water to a rapid boil on a slightly high flame.
12. Regulate the stove flame to medium. If cooking in a pot – Cook covered until the rice is done.
13. If cooking in a cooker, cover and cook for 1 whistle. (Medium flame).
14. When the pressure goes down, open the lid.
15. Add coriander leaves. Fluff up the rice gently with a fork mixing the leaves. Keep covered for another 10 minutes.
Serve veg tehri with raita & papad.
For more Rice recipes, you can check
Ghee rice
Pulao recipe
Lemon rice
Recipe card
Veg tehri (tahiri recipe)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup basmati rice (I used aged rice)
- 2 tbsps oil
- 1 onion (sliced or chopped)
- 2 potatoes (small to medium) (cubed)
- 1 tomato (small to medium)(cubed)
- ½ cup cauliflower (gobi florets)
- 6 beans (cut to 2 inch long pieces)
- 1 carrot (small one, cubed)
- ¼ cup green peas (matar)
- ½ tsp salt (use as needed)
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 green chili (slit, optional skip for kids)
- 2 tbsps coriander leaves (daniya patta)
- 1½ cups water (adjust if needed)
Whole spices
- 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- ½ tsp cumin (jeera)
- 4 cloves (laung)
- 2 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
- 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 4 green cardamoms (elaichi)
Spice powders to make veg tehri
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder (daniya powder)
- ½ tsp cumin powder (roasted jeera powder)
- ½ tsp garam masala
Instructions
How to make veg tehri
- Wash rice and soak it for about 30 mins. Later drain it and set aside.
- While the rice soaks, wash and cube the vegetables.
- Heat oil in a pot or cooker.
- Add cumin, bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
- When the cumin begins to splutter. add onions and chili. Fry until they turn golden.
- Add ginger garlic paste. Fry just for a min.
- Lower the flame. Add coriander powder, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, jeera powder and salt.
- Fry these just for a minute.
- Add all the vegetables including tomatoes.
- Fry all these for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the drained rice and mix gently.
- On a slightly high flame fry the rice for 2 mins. Occasionally stir. Do not over do else the rice will break.
- Pour water and mix well. Taste the water and add more salt if needed.
- Bring the water to a boil on a high flame. Reduce the flame to medium. Cook covered until the rice is done completely.
- If using a cooker, cover the lid and cook for 1 whistle. The flame has to be medium.
- When the pressure goes off, open the lid.
- Add chopped coriander leaves. Gently fluff up the rice and mix the coriander leaves.
- Keep covered for 5 mins. Serve veg tehri with raita and papad.
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
Turned out delicious. Thank you Swasthi
Welcome Malika
Super hit recipe
Thanks Zeba
I tried this recipe it came out very well
Welcome Vijay
Thank you
Hi. Made it for my family and they loved it. Thank you so much. I made the recipe in the instant pot. After the rice, I put the pressure for 7 mins and then natural released it. Taste and the look was wonderful
Hi Hira,
You are welcome. Glad you all liked the Tehri. Have a great weekend!
🙂
Hi,
I would like to cook your vegetable tahari recipe in the Instant Pot. How long should I put it on pressure for? And would it be a natural release or quick release? Please explain the last step of your recipe using the instant pot. Thank you so much!
Hi Sar,
You are welcome. For 1 cup rice, use only 1 & 1/4 cup water. Go with high pressure for 5 mins. Then natural pressure release. I will update the instructions in the recipe card. Thanks for rating.
Awesome
Thank you
Do you need both coriander powder and coriander leaves or just one of the two
Yes both lend different flavors. You can skip coriander leaves if you don’t have. If you don’t have coriander powder, then just add little more garam masala.
Hi Swasti
I tried it. Was very very good. Thanks for the easy recipe.
Welcome Preeti
Thanks for trying
Ok. Will try out.
Thankss…..
Dear Swasthi,
I have never added coriander powder in a rice recipe. Does it lend a good flavour??? Do u prefer to put coriander powder in ??
Hi Poorvi,
Coriander powder is one of the ingredients in garam masala. In this recipe, we are using less garam masala, So coriander powder and cumin powder are used additionally to add a mild flavor. Using less garam masala & more coriander powder, cumin powder prevents the tehri from turning too spicy but yet flavorful. Go ahead and try it.