South Indian Vegetable Rice | Easy Lunchbox Recipe - Cook with Kushi (2024)

South Indian Vegetable Rice is a delicious flavor-packed one-pot rice recipe prepared using vegetables of your choice along with sambar powder. Serve it with a quick yogurt salad (raita) for lunch, lunchbox, or dinner.

Recipe card

Simple South Indian Rice

This is a simple and easy-to-make rice recipe packed with South Indian flavor. The flavor comes from sambar powder instead of the regular garam masala used in pulao or biryani.

Veg rice is an easy one-pot meal that people of all age groups will love. Leftover rice can also be used to make this rice dish. Instead of making pulao or bisi bele bath, for a change, try this for your next meal.

Ingredients

Rice:You can use basmati, jeera, jasmine, or even sona masuri rice.

Vegetables:Use any veggies of your choice, like carrots, potatoes, green beans, capsicum, cauliflower, green peas, sweet corn, etc.

Other ingredients:Cashews, onion, ginger, and green chilies for flavor.

Sambar powder:Use homemade or store-bought. Some powders have strong flavors, while others are mild. So adjust accordingly in the recipe.

Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.

Step-by-step instructions

• Wash the basmati rice in water 3 to 4 times and soak for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add cashews, hing, and dry red chile broken and saute until cashews turn light golden.
• Add the onion, Ginger, and green chilies and saute until the onion becomes translucent.
• Now add the chopped vegetables, salt, sambar powder and saute for 2 minutes.
• Drain the soaked rice and add it along with 2 cups of water. Once it comes to a boil, cover it with the lid, switch the flame to low, and cook for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed and the rice is cooked completely.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve with yogurt salad or raita and enjoy.

For the yogurt salad

Add yogurt, coriander leaves, onion, green chilies, and salt to taste and mix well in a bowl. If yogurt is very thick, add 2 tablespoon of water to it and mix well.

Tips

• Today, I used MTR sambar powder to make this rice recipe. If I find time, I will make my own sambar powder. Always add sambar powder in increments and adjust to your liking as the taste of each store-bought sambar powder varies.
• To make this vegetable rice, vangi bhat masala can be used instead of sambar powder.
• Adjust all ingredients to taste.
• Add vegetables to your choice. You can add cauliflower, beans, etc.
• If you are serving this for kids, you can skip green chilies, deseed them or slit and add them.
• If using leftover rice, after adding veggies and sambar powder, add ¼ cup of water, cover with lid, and cook until veggies are cooked; then add the leftover rice and cook until heated through.

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Note: We originally posted this South Indian vegetable rice recipe in Aug 2015. It has now been modified in March 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.

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