Khaana | भारत के स्वाद
Pahari

Tudkiya Bhath

chamba pahari rice cooked through with chana dal, potato and yogurt until every grain carries the masala

vegetariangluten freenut freehealthier
Prep20 min
Cook40 min
Total60 min
Serves4
Difficultymoderate

Contains: dairy

Ingredients

Quantities for 4.

  • 300g, rinsed and soaked 30 minutes Basmati Rice
  • 100g, soaked 2 hours Chana Dal
  • 2 medium, cut into 2cm cubes Potato
  • 150g, whisked smooth Yogurt
  • 3 tbsp Ghee
  • 1 tbsp Mustard Oil
  • 1 large, thinly sliced Onion
  • 8 cloves, crushed Garlic
  • 2cm, grated Ginger
  • 1 large, chopped Tomato
  • 2, slit Green Chilli
  • 2 Bay Leaf
  • 2 Black Cardamom
  • 1 piece, 3cm Cinnamon
  • 4 Cloves
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 2 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli
  • 3/4 tsp Garam Masala
  • 2 tbsp leaves Mintoptional
  • 3 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
  • to taste Salt
  • 600ml Water

Equipment

stovetop, pressure cooker

Before you start

  • Soak the chana dal 2 hours and the rice 30 minutes, separately. They cook at very different speeds and the soaking is what brings them together.
  • Drain the rice in a sieve for 10 minutes before it goes in the pan so it fries rather than steams.
  • Whisk the yogurt to a pouring consistency and keep it out of the fridge.

Method

  1. Heat the ghee and mustard oil together in a heavy pot until shimmering. Add the bay leaves, black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cumin and let them crackle for 30 seconds.
  2. Add the sliced onion and fry on medium-high for 10 minutes until brown at the edges and shrunken to a third of its volume.Real colour here is where the dish gets its depth. Pale onion gives a flat bhath.
  3. Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chillies and fry 1 minute until the raw smell goes.
  4. Add the turmeric, coriander powder and kashmiri chilli, then the tomato. Cook 5 minutes until the tomato collapses and oil beads at the edge.
  5. Take the pot off the heat for 30 seconds, then pour in the whisked yogurt on low and stir constantly for 4 minutes until it thickens and stops looking curdled.Straight from fridge to hot pan is how this splits. Room temperature yogurt, low flame, keep stirring.
  6. Add the drained chana dal and potato cubes with 150ml water. Cover and simmer 10 minutes - the dal should be half done, still with a bite.
  7. Fold in the drained rice as gently as you can and fry 2 minutes so each grain is coated.
  8. Pour in 450ml hot water, add salt generously and the mint, and bring to a hard boil. Taste the water - it should be a shade saltier than you want the finished rice.
  9. Cover tight, drop to the lowest flame and cook 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
  10. Rest off the heat 10 minutes, then fork through with the garam masala and coriander leaves. Serve with plain yogurt.Never stir with a spoon while it is hot - a fork lifted from the edge keeps the grains whole.

Storage

Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat covered with 2 tbsp of water sprinkled over, on low or in a steamer, so the grains soften rather than dry out.

Recipe v1.0.0, last updated 2026-07-31. Curated for Khaana and kept under version control.