Mixed Veg Tehri – Quick & Easy Dinner Recipe

A simple yet comforting one-pot meal that is made with rice and some fresh vegetables or with any veggie that is lying in your refrigerator. It is a cuisine that crossed many borders and became a part of their home. Every region has its own variation of making Tehri. Some make it with mustard oil, some don’t add onions. Some temper in the end and some make it with the meat. But I will share my special family recipe of Tehri with you which you are going to love. It is absolutely perfect for the days when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen but still want some heart-warming and comforting meal.

If you liked this recipe, you must try our other rice recipes too. We have a collection from a simple spinach khichdi to the fancy burrito bowl.

Story Time

I am from UP (Uttar Pradesh), a state in northern India. Although I never lived there because my father had a transferrable job and for the most part of my life, I was in Delhi. My parents are from Allahabad and that’s why I have grown up eating traditional UP-style food. There are many different cuisines to explore and today I am going to just talk about our all-time favorite recipe – Allahabadi Tehri.

This is one recipe that suits many occasions. You are not hungry enough but want something light and comforting, make tehri. You don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen and still want to have something good, make tehri. Winter is here with some fresh produce, let’s make tehri. This recipe even charmed everyone during the wedding season.

I remember I was at my friend’s place in Lucknow for her wedding. It was the month of December and we were shivering in cold. We all smushed in one cozy blanket, shelling some fresh green peas and taking a sip of hot ginger tea in between. What amazed me there is that despite being a wedding home where mostly some lavish and fancy food is served, they cooked tehri. It was so delicious, loaded with ghee (what else to expect in an Indian home), mushy rice, and some fresh winter veggies. The mildly sweet flavor of fresh green peas and the aroma of whole spices were just wao. We were all eating with our hands and not with the spoon. Because that makes it tastier. It felt like home there.

What is Tehri?

I tried to look for the origin of Tehri and found out that there is no confirmed proof for that. Everyone has their own fascinating origin story. I checked an article at Goya and that sounded quite promising. If you are interested, you must check that out. It is about Tehri – A dish that crossed borders and connects communities.

Tehri is a rice recipe that is made with a lot of different kinds of veggies – mostly winter veggies like cauliflower, carrot, french green beans, potatoes, and green peas – and whole spices. It is not a pulao, khichdi, or vegetable biryani. It has its own identity. Even if we ignore everything and focus just on the taste, it tastes different. It doesn’t taste like pulao or biryani despite having almost similar ingredients in all these recipes. Its texture is slightly on the mushy or softer side and it is quite light which makes it a perfect dinner meal.

How to serve Tehri?

Tehri tastes best when served hot. You can serve it with the following side dishes:

1. Kachumber salad
2. Boondi raita or salted curd
3. Pickle
4. Top it up with some ghee or vegan butter

Easy Swaps

1. Veggies: Use any veggie of your choice but the important veggies for this recipe are – cauliflower, carrot, and green peas. I never make it if I don’t have these three.
2. Rice: You can make it with brown rice, dalia (broken wheat), millets, or quinoa. They all will taste different but you will enjoy each one of them.
3. Cooking Oil: Use ghee or butter instead.

Is this recipe spicy?

This recipe contains some whole spices like cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, etc. but it is very mildly spicy. The quantity of water and the texture of the recipe makes it more flavorful than spicy.

Is this recipe Vegan?

Yes. This UP-style tehri recipe is totally plant-based and vegan.

Check out more vegan recipes from our collection: UP Special Sattu Paratha (roasted black chana flour flat bread), Tomato Pesto Pasta, and One-Pot Green Moong Dal Pulao.

More Dinner Recipe Ideas

1. Kung Pao Tofu
2. Vegan Red Thai Curry
3. Stuffed Spinach Cheela

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this Indian vegetarian/vegan meal at home. It is perfect for lunch or dinner. If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love from us

Richa & Jatin