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Tamil Nadu – Coconut Milk Rice (Thengai Paal Sadham)

Soft, fragrant, mildly sweet – perfect for special days.

Ingredients

  • Ponni rice – 1 cup
  • Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
  • Water – 1 cup
  • Ginger – ½ inch
  • Green chillies – 2
  • Ghee – 2 tsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 inch
  • Cloves – 2
  • Bay leaf – 1
  • Onion (optional) – 1, sliced
  • Salt – to taste
  • Cashew nuts – few

Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1 – Temper

  • Heat ghee.
  • Add cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaf.
  • Add ginger and green chillies.
  • If using, add onions and sauté lightly.

Step 2 – Add Rice

  • Add washed rice and sauté for 1 minute.

Step 3 – Add Coconut Milk

  • Add 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup water.
  • Add salt.

Step 4 – Cook

  • Cook covered on low flame for 15 minutes until fluffy.

Serve with: Vegetable kurma or spicy potato masala.

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Karnataka Udupi Style – Tomato Masala Bath

Ingredients

  • Rice – 1 cup
  • Tomato – 3 (ripe, chopped)
  • Onion – 1
  • Green peas – ½ cup
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
  • Garam masala – ½ tsp
  • Turmeric – ½ tsp
  • Salt – to taste

Tempering

  • Oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard – 1 tsp
  • Jeera – 1 tsp
  • Cloves – 2
  • Cinnamon – ½ inch
  • Curry leaves – few

Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1 – Temper

  • Heat oil.
  • Add mustard, jeera, cloves, cinnamon, and curry leaves.
  • Add onions and sauté until pink.

Step 2 – Add Tomatoes

  • Add tomatoes and cook until mushy and oil separates.

Step 3 – Add Spices

  • Add turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, and salt.

Step 4 – Cook Rice

  • Add rinsed rice and green peas.
  • Add 2 cups of water.
  • Cook covered for 18 minutes on low flame.

Serve with: Curd raita.

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 Karnataka Style – Bisi Bele Bath (Authentic Mysore Version)

A royal, aromatic, one-pot dish with a unique spice blend.

Ingredients

For Cooking

  • Rice – 1 cup
  • Toor dal – ½ cup
  • Vegetables – carrot, beans, peas, capsicum, potato
  • Tamarind – 1 small lemon-sized ball
  • Jaggery – 1 tsp

Bisi Bele Bath Masala (Homemade)

Roast in 1 tsp ghee:

  • Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Chana dal – 1 tbsp
  • Urad dal – 1 tsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 inch
  • Cloves – 4
  • Kapok buds (marathi moggu) – 1
  • Red chillies – 4
  • Poppy seeds – 1 tsp
  • Grated coconut – 3 tbsp

Grind to a fine powder.

Tempering

  • Ghee – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard – 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Cashews – 6
  • Hing – pinch

Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1 – Cook Dal and Rice Separately

  • Pressure cook dal until mushy.
  • Cook rice slightly soft.

Step 2 – Cook Vegetables

  • Boil vegetables with turmeric and salt.

Step 3 – Add Tamarind & Jaggery

  • Add tamarind extract and jaggery to the vegetables.
  • Boil for 5–6 minutes.

Step 4 – Add Masala Powder

  • Add the freshly ground Bisi Bele Bath masala.
  • Simmer until aromatic.

Step 5 – Combine Dal + Rice

  • Add dal and rice to the vegetable masala base.
  • Mix well until creamy and thick.
  • Add hot water if too thick.

Step 6 – Tempering

  • Heat ghee and add mustard, cashews, curry leaves, and hing.
  • Pour over the bath.

Serve with: Boondi or potato chips — classic Karnataka pairing.
(Maga sahōdara, idu nimge sure ishta agutte)

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Tamil Nadu Style – Lemon Rice (Elumichai Sadham)

Simple, refreshing, and ideal for lunchboxes.

Ingredients

  • Cooked rice – 2 cups
  • Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
  • Turmeric – ½ tsp
  • Salt – to taste
  • Peanuts or cashewnuts – 5–6

Tempering

  • Oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard – 1 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1 tsp
  • Chana dal – 1 tsp
  • Green chillies – 2 slit
  • Peanuts – 2 tbsp
  • Ginger – ½ inch, chopped
  • Curry leaves – few
  • Hing – a pinch

Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1 – Fluff the Rice

  • Spread cooked rice on a plate with ½ tsp oil and let it cool.

Step 2 – Prepare Tempering

  • Heat oil.
  • Add mustard, urad dal, chana dal and let them turn golden.
  • Add peanuts, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, and hing.
  • Fry until peanuts are crisp.

Step 3 – Mix

  • Switch off the flame (important to prevent bitterness).
  • Add turmeric and salt.
  • Add cooked rice and mix gently.
  • Pour lemon juice on top and mix again.

Serve with: Coconut chutney or sambar and potato curry
(The founder just loves this combination – Adichukka Mudiyadhu).

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Tamil Nadu Style – Sambar Sadham (Hotel Style Mixed Sambar Rice)

A comforting one-pot meal famous in temples and mess-style hotels.

Ingredients

For Pressure Cooking

  • Rice – 1 cup (Langhar ponni rice)
  • Toor dal – ½ cup
  • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  • Water – 4.5 cups

Vegetables (any of these)

  • Drumstick – 1
  • Brinjal – 2
  • Carrot – 1
  • Beans – 6
  • Potato – 1
  • Small onions – 10

Tamarind

  • Lemon-sized ball soaked in warm water

Masala for Grinding

  • Oil – 1 tsp
  • Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Chana dal – 2 tsp
  • Dry red chillies – 4
  • Fenugreek – ¼ tsp
  • Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

Tempering

  • Ghee – 2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Jeera – ½ tsp
  • Hing – 1 pinch
  • Curry leaves – few

Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1 – Cook Rice & Dal Together

  • Wash rice and dal together.
  • Add turmeric and pressure cook for 4–5 whistles until mushy.
  • Mash lightly and set aside.

Step 2 – Prepare the Fresh Masala

  • Heat 1 tsp oil.
  • Roast coriander seeds, chana dal, red chillies, fenugreek.
  • Add coconut at the end and switch off heat.
  • Grind into a thick paste.

Step 3 – Cook the Vegetables

  • In a large kadai, boil vegetables with salt and turmeric.
  • Add tamarind water and boil until raw smell disappears.
  • Add the ground masala paste and cook for 7 minutes.

Step 4 – Combine Everything

  • Add the mashed rice-dal mixture into the sambar gravy.
  • Add hot water if needed to get a semi-thick consistency.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 5 – Tempering

  • Heat ghee.
  • Add mustard, jeera, curry leaves, hing.
  • Pour over the sambar rice.

Serve with: Appalam, pickle, and Cucumber Raita
(Semma taste idhu – we have tasted it).