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bowl of podi rice on the table with cilantro on top
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5 from 6 votes

Podi Rice (South Indian Chili Garlic Peanut Rice)

Podi rice made with a dry chili garlic peanut podi chutney, is a super flavorful Indian fried rice. One-pot gluten-free meal, nutfree option
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: dinner, Main, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
Keyword: podi chutney rice, podi rice
Servings: 4
Author: Vegan Richa

Equipment

  • food processor

Ingredients

For the podi chutney:

  • 8-10 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 tablespoons raw peanuts or roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 10 curry leaves fresh or frozen or dried
  • 2 dried red chilies or one large Kashmiri red chili. The Kashmiri chilies are less spicy. Use cayenne or Indian red chilies for hotter.
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

For the rice:

  • 3/4 cup White Indian Basmati rice
  • 1/4 cup quinoa or use more white basmati rice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups water

For the chutney rice stir fry:

  • 2 teaspoons oil divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 6 fresh or frozen curry leaves
  • 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu pressed and cubed
  • 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper red or green or a mix of both
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots and peas
  • 1/2 cup other chopped vegetables that you like such as cauliflower, green beans or edamame
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce , use tamari for gluten-free, coconut aminos for soyfree
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

For garnish:

  • cilantro and more lemon juice
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the podi chutney:

  • Add the garlic, peanuts, curry leaves, red chili, salt, and sugar to a food processor and process until the garlic and the peanuts are chopped up into a course meal kind of texture. You want to pulse it or process it for 15 seconds, then scrape the sides and then process again. Depending on the size of the chili, it can get stuck in the food processor, and so can the garlic cloves. I'm using a mini food processor. If your food processor is much larger, and you're having a tough time processing the mixture, you can also use a smaller blender to do this or just double the recipe for your food processor.

Make the rice:

  • Wash and drain the rice and quinoa and add to a saucepan with the salt and water and cook it over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes or until the water is rapidly boiling. Then, reduce the heat to medium low, partly cover the pot, and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the rice and quinoa are cooked to preference. Switch off the heat, fluff really well, and set aside.

Make the podi stir fry:

  • Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once hot add the mustard seeds and let them start to pop or change color significantly. Then add the curry leaves and the tofu and cook until the tofu is golden around the edges. Stir once or twice to get more of the edges of the tofu to turn golden.
  • One tofu is cooked, add all of the garlic-chili-peanut podi chutney mix into the pan and mix really well. Add another teaspoon of oil and cook until the garlic does not smell raw. This will take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. Then add in the peppers, vegetables, coriander, turmeric, and salt and mix really well. Add in the soy sauce and mix in and cook until the veggies are tender-crisp to preference, then add in the cooked rice-quinoa mixture and lemon juice and mix really well.
  • Reduce the heat to low and cover with the lid. Let it steam for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat, open the lid, and fluff the rice mixture again.
  • Close the lid and let it sit for a few minutes for the podi flavor to meld and get stronger, before serving. Garnish with cilantro and more lemon juice, as needed.

Video

Notes

Store: store in a closed container refrigerated for upto 3 days.
Serve: You can serve this rice on its own, as it is very flavorful with all of the garlic, or you can also serve it with some coconut chutney, sambar, or any dal or raita or just plain, non-dairy yogurt spiced with salt and cumin.
Brown rice. Just cook your brown rice however you like and add 2 cups of the cooked rice into the pan when the veggies are done cooking, mix well. Add a bit more salt, if needed.
To make this soy-free omit the tofu or use soy-free tofu, such as pumpkin seed tofu or mychickpea tofu.. You can also use a cup of cooked chickpeas instead.
To make this peanut-free, use other nuts, such as cashews or almond slivers. To make it completely nut free, use sunflower seeds.

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 613mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2616IU | Vitamin C: 147mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 3mg