Pudina Rice (Mint Rice)
Fresh Mint is my favourite flavouring to food. They somehow make food so fresh and flavourful. Talking about flavours, these rice is packed with lots of it. I made a mint masala paste and mixed it with rice. The tempering which goes in this paste makes the difference. They make this rice unique and flavourful. This dish is similar to my mint chutney and pudina thogayal. You will love my pudina thokku too. If you are looking for easy lunch box recipes, you have to try this. In fact you can make a big batch of the masala and store in fridge for later use. We enjoyed this flavourful mint rice with potato roast and papad.
About Mint rice (Pudina rice)
Mint rice is a popular South Indian lunch dish which is enjoyed throughout the nation. It is also known as pudina rice or pudina sadam or mint pulao. The rice is so flavourful, it has the prominent fresh zingy mint flavour comes through. Flavourful fresh paste is made with mint leaves, coconut, garlic and ginger. Whole spices like chana dal, urad dal, cinnamon, green cardamom and cashews is tempered in ghee or oil. The mint paste is added and cooked till the paste is cooked down until oil separates. This is mint rice paste or pudina sadam mix. You can store this in fridge upto a week. If you enjoy this recipe, you have to check my tomato rice and onion rice. During the time of serving, you can toss cooked rice and pack either in lunch box or enjoy for lunch. For flavourful pudina rice, use ghee for tempering spices also fresh mint leaves adds so much flavour. It is also important at to taste the cooked mint mix and adjust with salt, jaggery and lemon juice.
Similar recipes
Coriander rice Lemon rice Garlic rice Coconut rice Tamarind rice
Watch Pudina Rice video
Pudina rice ingredients
Mint leaves - use fresh mint leaves, fresh pudina adds so much fresh flavour to your paste. Coconut - fresh coconut added in the paste provides thickness to the masala paste and also add flavour. Green chillies - depending on the spice level of the mint rice, add more or less green chillies to taste. Ginger and garlic - these two adds a hint of flavour to the masala paste without over powering the mint flavour. Whole spices - I used cinnamon, bay leaf and cardamom for tempering which adds a mild warmth without over powering the mint flavour. Lentils - split chana dal and split urad dal adds crunch to the mixed rice. Ghee or Oil - cooking the rice in ghee adds unbelievable flavour but you can cook in oil as well. Seasonings - salt, jaggery and lemon juice is used for taste. So taste and adjust the flavours.
Pudina rice mix (Mint rice paste)
Making in bulk - You can make this mint rice paste in bulk and store in fridge. If you are planning to store this mint rice paste for longer days. Add extra oil when cooking, also cook on medium heat till oil separates. This helps in preserving the mint rice paste. About coconut in mint rice mix - I used desiccated coconut in the paste, but you can use fresh coconut. Usually dishes with coconut tends to spoil faster. Since we are cooking this for longer time also the high amount oil and lemon juice helps preserve the paste. If you wish to store this paste at room temperature for few days, you can skip the coconut in the paste. If you skip coconut, you can keep this paste at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Alternatives - you can use gingelly oil instead of ghee. Tamarind can be added when grinding mint leaves for added tang. Extra green chillies makes this irresistibly spicy.
How to Make Pudina Rice (Mint Rice) in 4 Easy Steps
Mint Masala - Grind all the ingredients given in the list to a fine paste with some water. Set this aside till needed. Tempering Spices - Heat ghee or oil in a pan. Once oil gets hot, add in chana dal and urad dal. Cook on low heat till slightly toasted. Now add in cashews, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, curry leaves and dry red chillies. Let the spices sizzle in the oil. Mint Rice Mix - Now Add the ground mint masala and mix well. Cook till oil separates. It will take around 10 mins. Add salt, jaggery and lemon juice to taste. Mix well Mixing Pudina Rice - Add in cooked rice and mix well so the masala coats the rice well. Serve with any side dish of choice.
How to Make Pudina Rice (Stepwise Pictures)
Grinding Mint Paste
1)Take fresh mint leaves, green chillies and garlic in a blender. Green chillies are the only spicy ingredient in this recipe. So adjust and add as per your taste. 2)Add in coconut. I used desiccated coconut in the paste, but you can use fresh coconut. 3)Add little water and grind it into a paste.
Tempering Spices
4)Heat oil or ghee in a pot. Ghee adds flavour, but if you are preserving this for long time, you can add oil. Be generous with the oil. 5)Add in split chana dal and split urad dal. let these fry in the oil till light golden. Then we can proceed with the other ingredients. 6)Once the dal turns light golden. Add in cashews. 7)Add in the whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Add in dry red chillies, curry leaves. 8)Let the spices sizzle in the oil till light golden.
Cooking Mint Rice Mix
9)Now add in the ground mint paste. 10)Mix that with the spices. 11)Now cook this on low to medium heat till oil separates from the mixture. 12)Add in salt and little jaggery to taste. 13)Add in lemon juice. 14)Cook that on low heat for few more minutes. 15)Your mint rice mix is ready.
Mixing Rice
16)Add in cooked rice into the mint masala. 17)Toss well int the masala so each rice is coated with the mint mix. Serve.
Expert Tips
Use fresh mint leaves for bright green colour in the mint rice mix. You can add a portion of coriander leaves along with mint leaves. Add extra green chillies for spicy taste. Use extra oil which preserves the mint rice mix. Cook mint rice mix on low heat till oil separates. You can add any variety of cooked rice, basmati, ponni or Serra samba rice are good options.
Serving and Storage
Pudina rice taste best when served with potato roast, egg omelette and pickle. You can enjoy this with other side dishes like
Cauliflower fry Aloo pakora Cabbage pakora Ladies finger poriyal
You can store pudina rice mix in fridge for up to a week.
More Rice Recipes to Try
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