Peanut Rice is one of the ways I love having peanuts. Besides being super duper easy to make, this is a sumptuous South Indian style rice-based dish made with cooked rice, roasted peanut powder, lentils and a handful of spices. Peanut Rice recipe is popular as Verkadalai Sadam in Tamil Nadu, South India. This vegan rice takes a bit of a time to prepare, but cooks within a few minutes! You have to try it to know.
About Peanut Rice Recipe
Peanut Rice is one of the many rice based dishes that originate from the South Indian Cuisine. A spiced, nutty and fragrant peanut powder is made and mixed with cooked rice.
There are many ways this peanut powder is made with spices, herbs, and, with or without the inclusion of sesame seeds and coconut. This ground peanut spice mix decides the taste and flavors of the dish.
The USP of my Peanut Rice recipe is this ground powder of roasted peanuts, coconut, sesame seeds, lentils and spices. It is also made without onion and garlic.
This powder, which is added to the cooked rice, is also known as Verkadalai Podi in Tamil and has a nice nutty and earthy flavor to it. Making the dish with leftover rice is also possible.
If not leftover rice, you can save time by cooking the rice in a pressure cooker. This is what I’ve done too in this Peanut Rice recipe.
If you have ample time at hand, use a pot or pan to cook the rice. The choice of variety of rice depends on you as this dish can be made with any type of rice. You can also use basmati rice if you like.
In this recipe, the roasted peanuts are powdered. However, if you want some chunkiness and crunchiness, coarsely grind them.
Alternatively, you can reserve about 2 tablespoons of roasted peanuts and powder the remaining. Add the reserved 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts later to the rice while mixing.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to grind the peanuts too much, as then these nuts will release their oil.
If the podi becomes pasty due to the oil released from the peanuts or groundnuts, the rice will not taste good. You can also increase the number of dried red chilies for a spicier rice.
Enjoy this Peanut Rice as a main course or side dish. If serving as a main, accompany with some raita like Onion Raita, Boondi Raita or Cucumber Raita.
It also pairs well with a fresh salad made with raw veggies like cucumber, onions, tomatoes, beets, carrots etc. You could also pack the rice in a lunch box.
How to make Peanut Rice
Cook Rice
1. Rinse 1 cup rice couple of times in water and then soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Later, drain all the water and add the rice and ½ teaspoon salt or as required, in a 3 litre pressure cooker.
3. Add 1.75 to 2 cups water or add as required for regular white rice. For white rice, pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles on medium heat.
If using hand pounded rice, then add 2.25 to 2.5 cups water. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles.
If using brown rice, then add 3 cups water. Soak brown rice for about 30 to 45 minutes. For brown rice pressure cook for 8 to 9 whistles on medium heat.
4. When the pressure settles down naturally, remove the lid.
5. Take the rice in a large bowl or plate and let the rice grains cool completely. If there are lumps in the rice, break them.
Prepare Peanut Powder
6. Heat a small frying pan or a kadai. Keep the heat to a medium-low and add ½ cup peanuts.
7. Stirring often, begin to roast the peanuts.
8. Roast till the peanuts become crisp. You will see some blisters and black spots on the peanuts.
Cool a few peanuts and taste them. There should not be even a slight rawness in the peanuts.
9. Remove the roasted peanuts on a plate and keep aside.
10. In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon chana dal.
11. Stirring continuously, roast chana dal on low heat till the lentils changes color, turns golden and fragrant.
12. Remove the roasted chana dal and keep aside.
13. In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon urad dal.
14. Stirring continuously, roast urad dal on low heat till the lentils turns golden and fragrant
15. Then, add 3 dried red chilies (halved and seeds removed) and 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut.
16. Mix and continue to roast, stirring continuously.
17. Roast coconut till it is light golden.
18. Now, turn off the heat and add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
19. Then, add 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds and mix well. Keep this mixture in the pan till it cools down.
Sesame seeds can be skipped. If you want more flavor of sesame seeds, you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons.
20. Take the roasted coconut, urad lentils and spice mixture in a small grinder jar or a high speed blender. Also add roasted chana dal, which were kept aside.
21. Grind in small seconds to a coarse mixture. You can even use pulse option of the mixer-grinder and pulse at intervals of 3 to 4 seconds.
22. Then, add the roasted peanuts.
23. Using the pulse option for some seconds, grind to a semi-fine powder. Do not grind too much as then peanuts will release their oil.
Make Peanut Rice
24. Add the prepared peanut powder to the cooked rice.
25. Add more salt as per taste.
26. Mix very well.
Prepare Tempering
27. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil) in a small pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
28. Let them crackle.
29. When the mustard seeds crackle, add 8 to 10 curry leaves and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing). Turn off the heat and stir.
30. Add the tempering with the oil to the Peanut Rice mixture.
31. Mix again.
32. Serve Peanut Rice as a main course or side dish. You can pair it with raita or plain Curd and even a fresh veggie salad if you like.
Scaling & Storage
The peanut rice recipe is easily scalable for making larger batches. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for a day only.
To reheat, gently sauté the rice in a pan or steam for a few minutes until warm in a steamer or an in an Instant Pot.
Expert Tips
- Rice: Make the Peanut Rice recipe with leftover rice or rice cooked in pressure cooker, instant pot or pan. Any variety of rice can be used.
- Water quantity: For white rice, add 1.75 to 2 cups; for hand pounded rice, add 2.25 to 2.5 cups and for brown rice, add 3 cups water.
- Cooking time: For white rice, pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles; for hand pounded rice, pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles and for brown rice, pressure cook for 8 to 9 whistles. All on medium heat.
- Peanuts: Since peanuts are one of the main ingredient here, ensure to use peanuts that have a nice sweet taste and within their shelf-life. Do not use peanuts that are bitter, rancid or stale.
- Ground Peanut Mixture: Grind the peanuts to a semi-fine texture. But if you want a chunky texture, grind them to a coarser texture. Do not make the ground peanut mixture pasty by grinding the roasted ingredient for a long time.
- Spicing: For this recipe, it is best to use red chilies which are not very hot or pungent. For a spicier version, add 4 to 5 byadagi or Kashmiri red chillies.
- More Variations: To increase the flavor of sesame seeds, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of it. You can also add some veggies like finely shredded cabbage, grated carrots, bell peppers or green peas if you prefer. You will have to sauté or steam the vegetables before you mix them with the cooked rice.
More South Indian Rice Recipes To Try!
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Peanut Rice Recipe (South Indian Style)
Ingredients
For cooking rice
- 1 cup rice
- 1.75 to 2 cups water or add as required
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
For peanut powder or verkadalai podi
- ½ cup peanuts
- 1 tablespoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
- 1 tablespoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
- 3 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed (can use byadagi or kashmiri red chilies)
- 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds – optional
For tempering peanut rice
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida
Other ingredient
- salt as required, to be added later
Instructions
Cooking rice
- Rinse the rice a couple of times in water and then soak in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. If using brown rice, then soak for about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Later drain all the water and add the rice in a 3 litre pressure cooker. Also add ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
- Add 1.75 to 2 cups water or add as required for regular white rice. If using hand pounded rice then add 2.25 to 2.5 cups water. If using brown rice, then add 3 cups water.
- For white rice, pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles on medium flame. For hand pounded rice, pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles and for brown rice pressure cook for 8 to 9 whistles on medium heat.
- When the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid.
- Take the rice in a large bowl or plate and let the rice grains cool down completely. If there are lumps in the rice, then break the lumps.
Making peanut rice
- Heat a small frying pan. Keep the heat to medium-low. Add the peanuts.
- Stirring often begin to roast the peanuts.
- Roast till the peanuts become crunchy and crisp. You will see some blisters and black spots on the peanuts.
- Remove the roasted peanuts in a plate and keep aside.
- In the same pan, then add chana dal.
- Stirring continuously roast chana dal on a low heat till they change color and become golden. They will also become fragrant. Remove and keep aside.
- In the same pan add urad dal.
- Stirring continuously roast urad dal on a low heat till the lentils become golden and aromatic.
- Keeping the heat to a low, add the dry red chilies and the desiccated coconut.
- Mix and continue to roast stirring continuously.
- Roast coconut till it is light golden.
- Now turn off the heat and add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and white sesame seeds. Sesame seeds can be skipped.
- Mix well. Keep this mixture in the pan till it cools down.
- Take the above roasted spices, urad lentils and coconut mixture in a small grinder jar. Also add the roasted chana dal.
- Grind in small seconds to a coarse mixture. You can even use pulse option of the mixer-grinder and pulse at intervals of 3 to 4 seconds.
- Then add the roasted peanuts.
- Using the pulse option for some seconds, grind to a semi-fine powder. Do not grind too much as then peanuts will release their oil.
- Add the ground peanut powder to the cooked rice. Add more salt as per taste and mix very well.
Making tempering
- Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil) in a small pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
- Let them crackle on medium-low heat.
- When the mustard seeds crackle, then add 8 to 10 curry leaves and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Turn off the heat and stir to mix.
- Add all the tempered ingredients in the peanut rice mixture. Mix again.
- Serve Peanut Rice as a main course or as a side dish. You can also serve it with a side of plain curd (yogurt) or raita.
Notes
- Recipe can be halved or doubled or tripled.
- Use red chilies which are not very hot or pungent.
- For spicy peanut rice, you can add 4 to 5 byadagi or kashmiri red chilies.
- For more flavor of sesame seeds, you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons.
- You can also use leftover rice.
- If you want some chunkiness and crunchiness, then coarsely grind the peanuts.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Peanut Rice recipe from the archives first published on February 2018 has been republished and updated on October 2023.
