Cooking up some memories

Tahiri is one of those dishes that make me very nostalgic.  I think of it as my childhood comfort food. It reminds me of my grandmother, and childhood post-school lunches.

It's a very basic and versatile dish. This is the classic version, and the potatoes can be substituted with chunks of baked pumpkin or any other chunky vegetable. If you want some protein, you can add soy chunks or cubed, cooked chicken. The turmeric and chili give it a pretty yellow color that make it a nice fall dish.




Ingredients:

• A cup of rice (preferably Basmati)...... be prepared to wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes 
• 2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into large pieces
• 2-3 tomatoes, sliced
• A small onion OR 1/4 cup of the pre-fried onions
• 2 jalapeno peppers (optional)
• chili pepper (1/2 to 1 tsp; if you want a milder version, substitute with 1/2 tsp of paprika)
• tsp 1/2 turmeric
• 2 cloves
• 6 whole peppercorns
• 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste 
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• salt 1 tsp
• water
• oil 4 tbsp
• 1 cup frozen peas

Before you start, wash the rice until the water is clear, and let it soak for at least 15 minutes.

Saute the onions in the oil until they are a golden brown (7-8 minutes on high heat). If you have pre-fried onions, then skip this step and fry the other spices first and add the onions with the tomatoes.

Once the onions are golden, add a little water, and the ginger garlic. Let it saute for a few minutes on high heat, then  add the rest of the spices. Add some water if the spice is sticking to the pan.
Add the tomatoes. Let this mixture bubble and fry until the tomatoes have lost their shape. This step can take around 10 minutes. I keep some water on standby just in case the spices start sticking or burning.

After 10 minutes, add the potatoes and a little water. I add half the salt at this point. Let it cook for another 12 minutes. You basically want to cook the potatoes until they're half done. You may need to keep adding a little water to prevent sticking. If you're adding additional protein, this would be the step to do it.

At this point, the rice has been soaking for 15- 20 minutes. I give it a few more rinses, drain the water then add the to the pot. Add the rest of the salt.

Let it saute for 2 minutes and stir it carefully to mix the masala. Add the frozen peas.
Then add water.

Adding water is the tricky part. I add enough so that it's just above the rice. If you add to much water, you'll be left with mushy rice. I also turn the heat down to medium low at this point. Cover the pan.

In 10 to 15 minutes the water will be absorbed and the rice would have swollen.  If the rice is not done and there is no water at the bottom of the pan, add just a little, stir and cover the pan again. Repeat in 5 minutes. Smell the cinnamon? Mmmmm.

 Hopefully my kids will enjoy this as much as I used to!