South Indian Peanut Rice
Peanut rice coats rice in ground roasted peanuts, a dry South Indian dish that travels well.
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20 mintotal
Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Mild
Ingredients
Quantities are for 2 servings.
You'll need: Stovetop.
Method
Dry Roast the Peanuts: In a small pan, dry roast the raw groundnuts on low heat until the skins start to crack and they become crunchy. Let them cool, then lightly crush them into coarse pieces (do not make a fine powder).
Heat sesame oil in a wide kadai or pan on medium heat. Sesame oil provides the traditional South Indian aroma.
Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add the urad dal and chana dal. Sauté on low heat until the dals turn a deep golden brown.
Add the broken dry red chilies, fresh curry leaves, and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
Add the coarsely crushed roasted peanuts into the tempering and mix well for 10-15 seconds.
10 sec–15 sec
Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Add the cooked, cooled rice and salt to the pan.
Gently toss and mix everything together ensuring the tempered oil and peanuts evenly coat the rice grains. Cook for 2 minutes just to heat the rice through.
2 min
Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
5 min
How to tell it's done
Soft, separate rice grains combined with a highly satisfying crunch from roasted lentils and peanuts.
Nutrition
Per serving, from 2 servings.
479kcal
Where the calories come from
- Protein11.8 g10%
- Carbohydrate49.5 g41%
- Fat26.9 g49%
- Sugars
- 1.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.7 g
- Fibre
- 3.6 g
- Sodium
- 881 mg
- Potassium
- 282 mg
- Calcium
- 46 mg
- Iron
- 1.8 mg
Estimated by calculation from the ingredient list, using USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.
Getting it right
Tip
Coarsely crushing the roasted peanuts instead of leaving them whole releases their essential oils into the rice, vastly enhancing the nutty flavor profile.
What to serve it with
Perfect for lunchboxes as it tastes incredible even at room temperature. Serve with potato fry (aloo roast) or simple fryums/papad.





