30 Easy Rice Recipes for Lunch | Indian Rice Recipes | Easy Rice Dishes

This 30 Easy Rice Recipes for Lunch / Indian Rice Recipes, though there are hundreds and hundreds of recipes, made with rice, I have come up with the easy rice dishes that can be finished within 15 mins and even tasty pulao’s, delicious biriyani’s too.  Rice, is the most common/staple cereal both in North and South India and even we can tell it is an integral part of our daily meal, I have compiled all the simple rice dishes that, I have shared so far in one single post. Click on the pictures to go through the detailed recipe. Few recipes have youtube videos embedded in the post which you might find it easier to try and follow the procedure.

TOP 30 INDIAN RICE RECIPES

1. SESAME RICE – Sesame rice recipe is such a flavourful, perfect and even a quick lunchbox idea. This Ellu Sadam recipe is mainly prepared during Makar Sankranthi, Aadi 18. These sesame seeds have high iron content so people with Anaemia can have it at least twice in a week and it also strengthens the bones. Get the recipe here

2. KUSKA RICE – Kuska Biryani Recipe is a kind of Plain Biryani Recipe, specially made with Jeeraga Samba Rice, without the addition of vegetables. This biryani cannot be found in the fancy menu of big hotels, only in a small mess or canteen. Get the recipe here

3. CHOLE BIRYANI – Unlike, veg biryani there is not much chopping work needed for this Chana Biryani Recipe / Chole Biryani Recipe. I used my pressure pan, so done as a one-pot meal and completed the whole cooking within 20 minutes. You can pair it with a simple Cauliflower 65 or Aloo Gobi Fry. Instead of Chole you can use other legumes or bean variety and follow the same method. Get the recipe here

4. CURRY LEAVES RICE – Although it has innumerable health benefits, we usually throw away the curry leaves. To make use of the benefits to the fullest, I usually make this Karuveppilai Sadam Recipe / Curry Leaves Rice Recipe. Get the recipe here

5. JEERA RICE RECIPE – How to make Jeera rice is so simple, flavoured packed and perfect one-pot dish for working women and kids who are fussy to eat veggies. Get the recipe here

6. MUSHROOM BIRYANI – This famous Chettinad mushroom biryani recipe is a one-pot meal where there is no veggies chopping, peeling garlic pods or grinding part required. As all of us know, mushrooms are a  rich source of protein, it is a perfect meal for vegetarians and kids. Get the recipe here

7. CORIANDER RICE – Kothamalli Rice is a one-pot meal and ideal for lunch, as simple potato chips / easy aloo fry is enough to have this kothamalli sadam. I never waste coriander leaves as I love the flavour, either use it for coriander chutney or veg biryani or sometimes this kothamalli sadam. Get the recipe here

8. MOONG DAL KHICHDI – If you don’t have any veggies in your refrigerator, then this Moong Dal khichdi recipe is the apt choice to save your hunger pangs, just 1 onion and tomato is enough to finish this dish. It is such a nutritious and filling dish that it can be even fed to toddlers as it is easily digestible. Get the recipe here

9. BISIBELEBATH RECIPE – Bisibelebath with homemade bisibelebath powder tastes much closer to the one made in MTR restaurant. This bisi bele bath recipe is completely different from the sambar Sadam from Tamilnadu cuisine. Get the recipe here

10. TOMATO BIRYANI – Tomato biryani recipe is a tangy and tasty one-pot meal, perfect for lunch box, prepared with tomatoes only. Unlike, veg biryani or Hyderbadi biryani, this thakkali biryani recipe doesn’t call for a long list of ingredients. Get the recipe here

11. RAW MANGO RICE  – If you are a fan of Lemon Rice, then you will surely love this Raw mango rice recipe. It is so simple to prepare and if there is any leftover rice in your refrigerator, then you can make this maangai sadam recipe within 15 minutes. Get the recipe here

12. SCHEZWAN FRIED RICE – Veg Schezwan Fried Rice recipe is a mildly spicy, hot, flavourful and vibrant main course rice variety from the Indo – Chinese Cuisine. Get the recipe here

13. VEGETABLE PULAV RECIPE – A simple one-pot meal with loads of veggies and flavour of ghee especially a kids friendly dish. It is also known as pilaf, and it is simple, aromatic rice that can be seen in parties, buffets as it is liked by everyone irrespective of ages. This veg pulao recipe goes very well with aloo gobi, veg korma and masala papad. Get the recipe here

14. SAMBAR RICE – Sambar Sadam recipe / Sambar Rice Recipe is nothing but rice, dal, veggies cooked with tamarind water, with added spice powders and tempered with ghee. This dish is more or less similar or expanded version to the bisebele bath from Karnataka cuisine. Get the recipe here

15. BARNYARD MILLET CURD RICE – This barnyard millet is known as Kuthiraivali in Tamil, Jhangora in Hindi and Oodalu in Kannada. Simple curd rice that too prepared with millets, undoubtedly a perfect and healthy combo. It is high in fibre, good for diabetic patients, has low carbohydrate content which helps to accelerate weight loss. Get the recipe here

16. HYDERABADI VEG DUM BIRYANI – Hyderabadi Veg Dum BiryaniIt is considered as the royal food of Hyderabad Nizams and it is a fusion of Mughalai and Iranian cuisine. Don’t let back by just peeping into the ingredients list, I have shared the detailed step by step pictures for preparing this Hyderabadi Veg Dum Biryani recipe. Get the recipe here

17. MINT RICE – This Mint rice recipe is such a flavourful and also a quick lunch box rice variety, which can be easily prepared in a jiffy. If you have any sudden cravings for biriyani, just add some veggies like carrot, beans, cauliflower etc to this pulao and you can call this as an instant version of biryani. Get the recipe here

18. TAMARIND RICE – Tamarind Rice recipe / Puliyogare recipe is my all-time favourite, to say the truth if given daily also, I can have it happily. Puli Sadam / pulihora by whatever name you may call it is a very famous dish all over South India, that it is offered as prasadams in temples also. Get the recipe here

19. PEANUT RICE – This Peanut Rice recipe / Verkadalai Sadam is prepared from roasted peanuts, red chilli’s and dry coconut ground into powder. As all of us know peanuts are protein-rich, it is the best kids friendly dish and an easy lunch box recipe also. I prefer this rice for its simplicity with a burst of flavours and it would be useful for kaanum pongal rice varieties. Get the recipe here

20. COCONUT RICE – Thengai Sadam is a very easy rice variety prepared with freshly grated coconut, tempered with chilli and dal(s). Addition of cashews and ghee lends a nice flavour and taste to this coconut rice recipe. This rice is less spicy compared to other rice varieties. It is also offered as prasad in temples. Get the recipe here

21. KOVIL PULIYODHARAI – In Kovil Puliyodharai, Coriander seeds, peppercorns and groundnut is a must which differentiates this puliyodharai from regular Tamarind Rice. Though we could not recreate the same taste as done in temple madapalli, we can try this Temple Style Puliyodharai which at least near that taste. Get the recipe here

22. COCONUT MILK RICE – Thengaipaal Sadam Recipe / Coconut Milk Rice is a variety of plain biryani cooked in coconut milk. It can also be named as kuska rice / Coconut Milk Pulao. This is an authentic dish of Tamilnadu mostly know to people in the southern part of Tamilnadu. It is also a one-pot meal, very flavourful with the taste of coconut milk and tastes delicious when paired with a spicy veg kurma. Get the recipe here

23. TOMATO RICE – Tomato Rice Recipe / Thakkali Sadam Recipe in Tamilnadu or Tomato bath in Karnataka is a quick lunch which can be made in a hurry. Whenever I run out of lunch menu ideas or feel lazy to cook my immediate rescuer is this Tomato bhath. We can have this rice with simple raitha and surely have a hearty meal. The flavour of the garlic, the tanginess in the tomatoes, added ghee at last and also the vibrant colour makes this South Indian tomato rice tastes great. Get the recipe here

24. VANGI BATH – Vangi Bath Recipe or Brinjal Rice Recipe is a signature recipe from Karnataka cuisine. During free time, just prepare the Vangibath powder and when running out of time, this powder comes to rescue. This powder can also be used to prepare Tindora rice and brinjal curries. This recipe tastes well with long green brinjals or small purple brinjals. Get the recipe here

25. VEG FRIED RICE – This Vegetable Fried Rice / Chinese Veg Fried Rice is the most popular and common Indo – Chinese Recipe found everywhere as a fast food and street food also. Though it is loaded with veggies, kids have this rice without any complaints because of its amazing taste. The greatest thing about this rice is that you can alter the ingredients and use the available veggies in hand. Olive oil, MonoSodiumGultamate / Ajinimoto and shredded cabbage lend a great flavour to the rice. But never add Ajinimoto (due to its side effects) which is the main ingredient in the Chinese cuisine. If you have chopped veggies and any leftover rice, this recipe can be prepared within 10 minutes. Get the recipe here

26. TOMATO PULAO – Tomato Pulao with mint leaves is a very delicious one-pot meal. You can name this as Tomato rice bath or Tomato Biryani also. We can prepare this pulao in two ways, either chop the tomatoes or puree it. For a simple version, just chop the tomatoes, skip coconut milk and go on, but the final result is the same with the nice flavour and tanginess of the tomatoes. If you don’t have the time to prepare vegetable biriyani as it calls for a bit lengthy procedure, but this simple pulao will surely satisfy your taste buds. Get the recipe here

27. CURD RICE – The Curd rice recipe is also known as ‘Thayir Sadam’ in Tamil Nadu. Thayir Sadam recipe is very popular in South India as the lunch or dinner is incomplete without this rice. It is such an easy and comforting dish which tastes divinely with simple seasoning and any pickle. Get the recipe here

28. LEMON RICE – Lemon Rice Recipe / Easy Elumichai Sadham is very simple variety of rice next to curd rice. In Tamil Nadu cuisine, we make this Lemon Rice Recipe for Kaanum Pongal and Aadi 18 along with other variety rices. This is also known as ‘Elumichai Sadham’ in Tamil and it is an apt recipe for travel too with any pickle. Get the recipe here

29. PANEER FRIED RICE – This Paneer Fried Rice Recipe is more or less similar to the preparation of vegetable fried rice. For kids and all paneer lovers, this is an apt easy paneer recipe. This is also a kid’s friendly dish which tastes great with any leftover rice. Get the recipe here

30. BRINJI RICE – Brinji Rice Recipe / Bay Leaf Pulao is a kind of variety rice or vegetable pulao popular in Tamil Nadu. This Vegetable Brinji Sadham is served in hotels and marriages. This is a one pot meal, loaded with veggies and filled with flavors, with a mild taste of coconut milk. It tastes awesome with spicy kurma or any raithas. Get the recipe here

31. PEAS PULAO – Peas Pulao Recipe / Matar Pulao Recipe made with frozen peas is the quickest, most aromatic, one-pot meal and an easy lunch box recipe too. Get the recipe here