Verkadalai rice is a one-pot healthy rice recipe. The Tamil Name for peanut is Verkadalai. In India, we call it groundnut in English. Groundnuts are the best source of protein for vegans and vegetarians. I have already shared another version of verkadalai sadam in which I used the peanut powder. But, this Verkadalai rice is cooked in a pressure cooker and made with fresh peanuts. This method is almost similar to Biryani recipe but a milder version. It is a perfect lunch box recipe. You may also like other lunch boc recipes like Tomato biryani, Thakkali sadam.
I usually serve the verkadalai rice with cucumber raita or potato chips and, boiled egg. Please, Checkout my mother’s Verkadalai kuzhambu here.
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Ingredients :
- 1 cup of seerga samba rice
(soak the rice in the water for an hour) - 1- large onion chopped
- half cup of fresh peanuts/groundnuts/Verkadalai
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 2 tsp of ginger paste
- 1/8 tsp of fennel seeds
- 1-bay leaves
- 2 tsp of garlic paste
- 1- small tomato-sliced
- 1/4 cup of mint-chopped
- coriander leaves-chopped
- 1/4 tsp of homemade garam masala-optional
- 2.5 cups of water
- 1.25 tsp of salt
Procedure:
- In a 4-liter pressure cooker heat required oil and then, fry the fennel seeds and bay leaves for a second followed by onion until golden.
- Once the onion has become golden, saute the ginger and garlic paste for 2 minutes then, saute the tomato until mushy. Add the required salt while sauteing the tomato. Add in the mint and coriander leaves and saute until well cooked, about a minute or so.
- When the onion and tomato are well cooked and become one like a paste, add the required chili powder and the peanuts, saute for 3 minutes. Then, add the required water and let the peanuts cook until tender about 20 minutes are so.
- Drain the soaked rice, make sure the peanuts are well cooked and then add the soaked rice to the cooker. Adjust the seasoning and mix well, let the rice boil until the rice appears on the top over medium heat.
- When the moisture 3/4 absorbed and the rice appears on the top, mix the verkadalai rice well and close the pressure cooker, put the whistle on. Immediately, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the verkadalai(peanuts) cook for 7 minutes exactly.
- Seven minutes later, turn off the stove and let the cooker rest on the burner for ten more minutes.
- After the 10 minutes rest period, make sure the pressure is required if any then, open the lid. Verkadalai rice is ready.
Serve the verkadalai rice with raita/potato chips/boiled egg.
