Matar Ki Tehri Recipe – Fragrant rice cooked with spices and fresh peas

Matar Ki Tehri Recipe is a traditional dish from Eastern UP, where rice is cooked with whole spices and fresh peas. Tehri is different from pulav as it is moist and a little sticky. There are two types of tehri, one with potato, cauliflower and carrot, and the other one with just peas. With the goodness of fresh peas, the aroma of desi ghee, luscious tomatoes and fresh coriander, this recipe has been handed down from generation to generation in UP. Course : One Pot Dish Ingridients : 1 cup Basmati rice 4-5 Cloves (Laung) 1 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) 1 tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns 2 Black cardamom (Badi Elaichi) 1 Dry Red Chilli 3 tablespoons Ghee 1/4 cup Onions , sliced 1/4 cup Tomatoes , sliced 1/4 inch Ginger , finely grated 1 cup Green peas (Matar) 1/4 cup Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , finely chopped 1 Bay leaf (tej patta) Salt , to taste Instructions To begin making Matar Ki Tehri, wash and soak the rice in enough water for 1 hour before cooking. Once it is soaked, drain the water and keep it aside.Soak the peas in a cup of water, so that it cooks faster and retain some of that 'plump' look.Heat ghee in the pressure cooker and add all the whole spices and red chilli and sauté it for 2 minutes on low flame.After 2 minutes, add the sliced onions and ginger and sauté it on low flame for 2-3 minutes till they begin to brown. Now add the tomatoes and peas and sauté it for another 2 minutes.After 2 minutes, add coriander leaves, bay leaf and the rice. Add salt according to your taste and mix it well.Add water and cook on high flame till the pressure cooker releases 1 whistle. Then simmer it down on low flame and let it cook for more 3-4 minutes.Once it is done, turn off the stove and let the cooker release steam and open on its own so that the Tehari is nicely cooked.Serve it hot, either on its own as a one pot meal or else with Lauki Raita, Beetroot Raita or any raita of your choice.