Varicha Bhat/ Vrat ke Chawal in Instant Pot

Varicha bhat/ Vrat ke Chawal cooked perfectly in Instant Pot with peanuts and sweet potato Serves 6 people

Cumin scented small millet/ samo, dotted with peanuts and sweet potato! Farali, gluten free, vegetarian recipe!

Varicha bhat/ Vrat ke Chawal cooked perfectly in Instant Pot with peanuts and sweet potato Serves 6 people
Cumin scented Varicha bhat/ Vrat ke Chawal with peanuts and sweet potato, cooked perfectly in Instant Pot !

This small millet recipe brings back memories of my childhood. There are certain foods that are eaten on religious days and are called ‘upasache padartha’ in Marathi or farali foods. When the adults in the home were fasting, we had a choice of regular meals or these farali foods. I loved the farali foods and did not have to think twice about what I wanted to eat. This Varicha Bhat is one of the upasache padartha or farali foods. It is often eaten with a peanut curry called shengdanyachi aamti.

Vari or varai is samo seed or small millet. With millets being hailed for their nutritional value, I wanted to try this recipe. I added the sweet potato for extra flavor.

Also making this recipe in the Instant Pot was a breeze and the millets were cooked to perfection, fluffy and yummy in no time! Take a close look at this!

Cumin scented Varicha bhat/ Vrat ke Chawal with peanuts and sweet potato, cooked perfectly in Instant Pot !
Cumin scented small millet cooked so fluffy and yummy in Instant Pot!

Varicha Bhat /Vrat ke Chawal in Instant Pot

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients-

  • 2 cups samo seeds/ varai / small millet
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 3 Thai chili peppers, slit in the middle with stem end intact
  • ½ cup raw peanuts with skin
  • 1 big sweet potato peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
  • 4 cups hot water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar
  • Juice of ½ lime

To make Varicha Bhat /Vrat ke Chawal in Instant Pot

  1. Wash and drain the samo seeds through a fine sieve. Set aside.
  2. Heat the Instant Pot on Saute mode. Add the ghee, the cumin seeds and the chili peppers. Let the cumin seeds sizzle.
  3. Add the peanuts and sauté them for about a minute.
  4. Add the cubed sweet potato and the samo seeds and roast them for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the hot water, salt, brown sugar and lime juice. Stir and shut off the Saute mode.
  6. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the pressure valve on. Press the Rice button (12 minutes)
  7. After natural pressure release, open the Instant Pot, lightly fluff the cooked Varicha bhat with a fork and serve.
  8. Plain yogurt or shengdanyachi aamti (peanut curry) are favorite accompaniments for this Varicha Bhat.

Enjoy this Varicha Bhat during Navratri and other fun times and festivals!

Love,

❤

Sandhya

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