Black Pepper Rice (Milagu Sadam)
on Mar 21, 2022, Updated Jul 12, 2023
Black Pepper Rice (Milagu Sadam) is a delicious South Indian-style rice dish flavored with freshly ground black peppercorns.
Here are a few more South Indian rice recipes that you can try: Raw Mango Rice, Indian Turmeric Rice, Palak Rice, Lemon Rice, and Curd Rice.
About Black Pepper Rice (Milagu Sadam)
Black Pepper Rice (Milagu Sadam) is a South Indian rice preparation in which leftover cooked rice is flavored with freshly ground black peppercorns, onions, curry leaves, and other simple ingredients.
It is super easy to make, comforting, and comes together in just 15 minutes.
Serve it on its own for a satisfying and simple weekday meal, or pair it up with a raita of your choice. It is also a great dish to pack for the office or school lunch box.
This pepper rice recipe is vegan and can easily be made gluten-free.
Ingredients
Rice – Leftover rice is the best choice for making milagu sadam. If made using fresh hot rice, it may turn mushy.
If you are making it with fresh rice, cool it down fully. The best way to cool down freshly cooked rice faster is to spread it on a baking tray and cover it with cling film. Then refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
It is traditionally made using short-grain white rice like sona masuri or ponni rice, but you can use any kind of rice that you prefer.
Cooked jasmine rice, brown rice, couscous, quinoa, cauliflower rice, etc. can be used in place of white rice to make this delicious rice dish.
You can cook the rice in vegetable broth or chicken broth instead of water for more flavor.
Black Pepper – Use freshly ground black pepper corns in this milagu sadam recipe. Readymade black pepper powder is not recommended.
Cashews – Cashews add a perfect crunch. You can replace them with peanuts as well.
Others – You will also need oil, brown mustard seeds, chana dal (Bengal gram lentil), white urad dal (split and skinned black lentils), curry leaves, asafetida (hing), onions, and salt.
Use light olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, or any other cooking oil you prefer.
You can skip adding onions to make no onion no garlic milagu sadam.
Skip adding hing for a gluten-free version.
Add vegetables of your choice, such as green beans, carrots, green peas, green peppers, yellow bell peppers, red bell peppers, spring onions, etc, to make it wholesome.
Scrambled eggs are also a great addition to this easy pepper rice recipe.
How To Make Black Pepper Rice
Add 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and grind to make a coarse powder. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the following ingredients and cook until they turn slightly brown (30-40 seconds), stirring frequently.
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon white urad dal
Add 10-12 curry leaves and ¼ teaspoon asafetida and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add ½ cup chopped onions and 10-12 cashew nuts to the pan and fry until they turn slightly brown (1-2 minutes). Stir frequently while frying.
Now add 2 cups of cooked and cooled rice, ground pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt and mix well.
Cook for 2-3 minutes. Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot.
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Black Pepper Rice Recipe (Milagu Sadam)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (Bengal gram lentils)
- 1 teaspoon white urad dal (split skinned black lentils)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 10-12 cashew nuts
- 2 cups cooked and cooled rice
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Add whole black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and grind to make a coarse powder. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, chana dal, and urad dal, and cook until they turn slightly brown (30-40 seconds), stirring frequently.
- Add curry leaves and asafetida and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add onions and cashew nuts to the pan and fry until they turn slightly brown (1-2 minutes). Stir frequently while frying.
- Now add cooked and cooled rice, ground pepper, and salt and mix well.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes. Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot.
Video
Great recipe! What can I replace hing with?
You can just skip adding it.