Variety Rice Recipes | South Indian Variety Rice | 5 easy to make Lunchbox Recipes

I have shared a collection of delicious easy to make healthy variety rice recipes from this website in this article. 

 Puliyodharai

Puliyodharai or Tamarind Rice is one of the best lunchbox recipes which tastes yummy. Here I have given you the traditional Iyengar Style Puliyodharai which is served in Perumal Kovil.

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Kovil Puliyodharai

Ingredients for making Iyengar Style Kovil Puliyodharai

Raw rice - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 5 cups
Red chillies - 8
Coriander seeds - 1 handful
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Pepper - 1 tsp.
A pinch of hing
Channa dal - 1 handful
Roasted peanuts - 1 handful
Tamarind - lemon size
A sprig of curry leaves
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Gingely oil as required.
Salt as required.

Method for making Iyengar Style Kovil Puliyodharai

1. Wash and cook rice in a vessel. Avoid overcooking.

2. Transfer the cooked rice to a big plate and mix with gingelly oil and salt.

3. Heat oil in a iron kadai and fry the red chillies. Now grind this to a coarse powder in a mixie or you can even use your hands. Spread this on the cooked rice.

4. In the same kadai roast the coriander seeds, channa dhal, cumin seeds and pepper and grind this to a coarse powder and spread this to the cooked rice.

5. Soak tamarind in water and make a thick paste. To this add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and hing.

6. Heat oil in a pan, splutter the mustard seeds, add 2 red chillies and curry leaves. Add the peanuts and the tamarind water and allow this to boil.

7. Mix the above paste to the cooked rice using a wooden ladle.

Now the tasty Spicy Iyengar Style Kovil Puliyotharai is ready to be served with any of the following:
Spicy Potatato Masala fry
Palakottai / Jackfruit seed curry
Karunai Kizhangu Fry
Chettinad Vazhaikkai Varuval

Pudina Sadam

Pudina Sadam or Mint Rice is one of the easy to make mint flavoured tasty rice delicacy of South India which is very healthy and tasty lunchbox recipe. This aids in good digestion and also increases appetite or the sense of hunger. Here in this recipe we prepare a chutney for Pudina Sadam which can be refrigerated for 5 days and can be just tossed with hot white rice whenever needed. Try this and enjoy with your family.

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Ingredients for making Pudina Sadam 

Cooked Rice - 2 cups.

Mint leaves- 2 cups
Green chillies- 4
A handful of garlic

A sprig of curry leaves

Thick Tamarind juice - 5 tbsp.

Chopped Onions - 1 cup
Salt to taste

For seasoning

Groundnut oil- 2 tbsp.
mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp.
curry leaves- a few

Method for making Pudina Sadam 

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the add the urad dal when the dal turns brown add the slit green chillies and the curry leaves saute well. 

2. Now add peeled garlic and saute well till they become light brown in colour. 

3. Add the cleaned and chopped pudina leaves with the stems removed and saute well in high heat till you get a good flavour of pudina. At this stage add 5 tbsps of thick tamarind juice. Saute well and switch off the flame.

4. Allow the ingredients to cool and then grind this with required salt to a smooth chutney.

5. Heat oil and ghee in a kadai splutter the mustard seeds, add the urad dal and when it turns brown add curry leaves and finely chopped onions, saute well add the cooked rice and then add the required amount of chutney and mix well.

 Serve Pudina Rice with any South Indian Varuval or Vadai.

Tomato Rice / Thakkali Sadam

Tomato Rice / Thakkali Sadam is one of the  Popular and simple Lunchbox recipe of South India made using cooked rice, tomatoes, onions and a blend of spices. This tomato sadam is served in many places all over Tamil Nadu this is one among the Traditional variety rice recipes served in seemandam functions (pregnant women's ceremony) and also offered to Lord Venkatesha as Puratassi Thaligai. Tamilnadu style tomato rice can be prepared easily in the busy mornings and can be packed for lunch. Tastes good with with pappad. 

You can also have a look at other recipes in our website

Variety Rice Recipes:  Karuveppilai Sadam,  Bread Biryani, Peanut rice, Pudina sadam, Kovil Puliyodharai

Varuval Recipes: Baby Potato Roast, Seppankizhangu Roast, Kalyana veetu karunaikizhangu varuval

 

 

                                                          

Ingredients for making Tomato rice/ Thakkali Sadam

Cooked Rice - 1 cup

Onions - 2

Tomatoes - 4

Dry Red chillies - 4 nos.

Groundnut - 4 tbsp.

Cashews - A handful

Coriander Leaves - A handful

1 sprig Curry leaves

Gingely oil - 1 tbsp.

Cashewnuts - A handful

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp.

Gram dal - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

Salt as needed.

How to make Thakkali Sadam Recipe 

1. Slice the onions and tomatoes to fine pieces. Slit the green chillies lengthwise.

2. Cook the rice to a fluffy texture and allow it to cool.

3. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds allow this to splutter and then add cumin seeds and gram dal, cashews and grounduts.when the dal turns brown add the red chillies.

4. Next add the finely chopped onions and saute till it becomes transparent. Add the curry leaves and garlic and saute well for 20 seconds. 

5. Next add the tomatoes and saute till tomatoes becomes half cooked.

6. At this stage add turmeric powder and saute till everything gets blended well.  Saute till the raw smell disappears and the content becomes thichk thokku like consistency

7.  When the mixture becomes thick add the cooked rice and mix well.

Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Tangy Tomato Rice is ready to be served with Potato Curry.

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Coconut Rice Thengai Sadam

Pudina Sadam Mint Rice

Peanut rice 

Peanut rice is an aromatic South indian Rice recipe made using freshly roasted groundnuts, lentils and spices. This flavorful delicious Verkadalai sadam will be loved by kids and is an excellent lunchbox recipe which can be prepared very easily. Here roasted peanuts are ground with some lentils and spices and then mixed with white rice. Read the recipe and try this tasty peanut rice.

Ingredients needed for making Groundnut / Peanut rice

Cooked rice - 2 cups

Peanuts - 1/4 cup

Urad dal - 1 tsp.

Chana dal - 1 tsp.

White sesame seeds - 1 tsp.

Dried red chillies - 3 nos.

A sprig of curry leaves

Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.

salt to taste

Oil as required

Ghee - 1 tsp.

For tempering peanut rice

Oil as required

Peanuts - 1 tbsp.

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.

Urad dal - 1 tsp.

cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.

A sprig of curry leaves

a pinch hing

Method for for making Peanut rice

 

1. Heat oil in a kadai and roast peanuts, urad dal, channa dal, sesame seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves on low flame till dals turn brown and aromatic. 

2. Now add grated coconut and roast for another minute.

3. Cool everything and grind it all together to fine powder without adding any water in a mixer. 

4. Now in a large kadai heat oil and add peanuts, mustard seeds and urad dal and saute till peanuts are roasted well.

5. Next add curry leaves, cumin seeds, and asafoetida and saute for a minute.

6. Then add cooked rice I usually prefer raw rice for variety rice recipes. Add the finely ground peanut powder, required salt and mix well.

7. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes till the groundnut powder blends well with the rice.

8. Now add a teaspoon of ghee and switch off the flame.

Peanut Rice is ready to serve with papad, Pakoda or Potato fry.

Notes: You can use left over rice for this recipe. You can also add cashews. 

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Crispy Onion pakoda

Crispy Round Potato Fry

Lemon peanut sevai 

Lemon peanut sevai is one of the easy to make lunchbox recipe which will be loved by kids and people of all ages. The main ingredient is semiya flavoured with lemon juice and powdered peanuts and cashews. This is a simple lunch box recipe can be prepared within minutes.

Ingredients for making Lemon semiya

Vermicelli – 1 cup

Oil – 2 Tbsp.

Peanuts – two handfuls

Mustard seeds,

curry leaves,

Urad dal (split black gram – 1 tsp)

Turmeric – a generous pinch

Green chillies – 1 or 2 (optional if made for kids)

Onions – 1 (finely minced)

Salt – to taste

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp.

Method for for making Lemon semiya

1. Dry roast the peanuts and powder them coarsely, keep some whole peanuts for garnishing.

2. Boil about 2 cups of water with oil and salt.

3. Heat 1 tsp. of oil and roast the vermicilli, then add this to the boiling water.

4. Cook for about 5 minutes or wait till the water gets absorbed. Keep this aside.

5. Heat oil in a kadai, splutter the mustard seeds, add urad dal let it become golden brown, add the chopped onions, curry leaves, chillies and then add the lemon juice, turmeric powder and the required amount of salt. Allow this to boil.

6. Next add the peanut powder and peanuts.

7. Now pour this to the cooked vermicilli and mix well.

Now the Lemon peanut sevai is ready. You can also use rice vermicilli for this.