Tahari or Tehri is an ancient dish that dates back to Ayurvedic cooking. It is a dish of rice cooked with vegetables and other ingredients that can be traced back to ancient Ayurvedic treatises. The recipe for Tahari is mentioned in the Pakadarpana cookbook from 1200 CE, which includes meat from a hen. The Bhojanakutūhala Sanskrit book from 1675 CE also mentions Tahari, which was eaten with fried lentil cakes.
Another common origin story of tehri is that it was created for Hindu bookkeepers in the courts of Awadh, the Kayastha community. However, this theory cannot be substantiated in literature, but the prevalence of this dish in the regions associated with the Mughal courts is interesting.
While tehri is considered predominantly vegetarian, there are meat variations in Bangladesh and the Deccan region. “Bangladeshi tehri is a famous dish originating from old Dhaka, and traditionally made with beef — making it different from Indian or Pakistani tehri,” says food writer Dina Begum. She explains that it is neither biryani nor pulao, as it is neither layered nor cooked in yakhni stock. Dhakai tehri gets its flavour from beef cooked in copious mustard oil, and green chillies, creating a strong pungent flavour and rich aroma. The Deccan variant, too, is cooked with meat. “During the Battle of Plassey and Buxar, all the three forces — Awadh, Bengal and Hyderabad — were working together to keep the British East India Company at bay, so there was intermingling of soldiers”, says Shrivastava. It is believed that Tehri crossed over with the soldiers. For a more detailed history of the dish, click here.
This version is from Hyderabad and is lovely and delicate. The sourness from the tomatoes is mild and envelopes the long-grain basmati rice. The meat is fork-tender and flavours the dish superbly. This dish is soft and luxurious and can be enjoyed on its own or with traditional Hyderabadi fare.
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Ingredients:
3/4 cup oil
3 onions, sliced
5 green cardamom pods
8 black peppercorns
11 cloves
1-inch cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (Shah jeera)
30 curry leaves
2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
6 tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup yoghurt, whipped
Salt, to taste
1 lb boneless mutton leg or shoulder, cut into small cubes
2 green chillies
3 tablespoons cilantro. minced
2 tablespoon mint, minced
1 1/2 cups long-grain basmati rice, thoroughly rinsed
3 cups water
Heat the oil and add the onions. Fry on low heat until the onions are a lovely golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Add the cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon to the same oil and fry for 30 seconds. When they are lightly coloured, add the caraway seeds and curry leaves and give the mix a quick turn. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 minute until the ginger no longer smells raw.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes on low heat until the tomatoes have cooked through and form a thick sauce. The oil should have pooled over the sauce with a rich red colour. Add the chilli powder and turmeric and quickly turn the mix, cooking for 10 more seconds.
Add the yoghurt and salt and incorporate it into the sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the yoghurt is hot and cooked into the sauce. Add the meat and fry on medium-low until the meat is sealed. Add 1 cup water. You can now pressure cook the mix for 3 whistles, use an Instapot on the meat setting, or cook on the stove for 90 minutes. The meat should be very soft and shred easily between your fingers.
Add the rice and mix well. Add enough water to cover the mixture up to the first digit on your index finger. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked. Stir the mixture every 10 minutes—fluff after cooking.
Serve hot on a platter garnished with fried onions, green chillies, mint and cilantro.
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