Brinji Rice Recipe – Tamil nadu Style Plain Brinji With Coconut Milk – Sunday Lunch Recipes-9

March 11, 2025 | By
Brinji rice

Brinji sadam / Plain Brinji Rice is a popular rice recipe in Tamil nadu. It is served with Vegetable kurma or Brinjal gravy as side dish in marriage feast and road side hotels. My friends in Chennai have told me about this rice. But I don’t have any idea as I have neither tasted nor seen it.

Last week I saw a picture of brinji rice along with brinjal gravy/Kathirikai kurma in facebook’s Food-fun-friends group. I really got tempted by the picture and asked the recipe. Special thanks to Edwin Edy for sharing the pictures of brinji rice & Brinjal gravy for biryani from a Tamil magazine.

I tried brinjal gravy by referring that recipe and Mye’s blog. For this brinji recipe,i referred many blogs,asked some of my friends and tried it. Its a very simple and easy recipe without any masala grinding job. Its more like simple pulao recipe. I am not sure whether this is the authentic brinji recipe that is served in Hotels & marriage feast because I found so many variations for this particular recipe. I did not add any vegetables here & I have made it as plain coconut milk pulao. It tasted awesome with this brinjal gravy. To enjoy brinji’s best flavor, you must try it with some spicy side dishes like kurma.

Non vegetarians can try with egg gravy, chicken gravy or prawn curry as mentioned by my friends. But vegetarians have few side dish like kurma, brinjal gravy, salna. I have shared a seperate post for brinjal gravy because this post will become too lengthy if  I share it here.

I have also shared another version of brinji using with vegetables and masala. Now lets see how to make plain brinji rice @ biryanileaf / bayleaf pulao recipe with stepwise pictures.

Brinji-rice-recipe

Plain Brinji rice recipe

Brinji rice recipe Plain Brinji rice recipe-a popular rice variety of Tamil nadu made using rice, coconut milk and spices. 

Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves: 2
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240 ml

  • Basmati rice – 1 cup
  • Water or coconut milk – 1.75 cups ( OR use equal quantity)
  • Salt – as needed

To saute

  • Cooking oil + ghee – 3 tbsp ( 2 tbsp+ 1 tbsp)
  • Cinnamon – 1 inch stick –  2 nos
  • Cloves – 4 nos
  • Biryani leaf/Brinji leaves – 3 nos
  • Cardamom /Elakkai – 2 nos
  • Ginger-Garlic paste – 1/2 tbsp
  • Green chilli – 2 nos ( slit it)
  • Big onion – 1 no ( finely chopped)
  • Mint leaves+coriander leaves – a fistful ( optional)
  • Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp ( optional)
HOW TO MAKE BRINJI – METHOD

  • Wash and soak the basmati rice in enough water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain the water completely and roast the rice in a kadai adding 1 tbsp of ghee for few minutes. I din’t roast the rice here.
  • Now heat oil+ghee in a cooker base and saute the whole spices one by one.Then add the finely chopped onions and slitted green chillies. Saute till onion turns transparent. Don’t allow the onions to turn golden brown because the color of rice may not come white. Lastly add the finely chopped coriander & mint leaves( optional) and saute well. Add turmeric powder if you wish. In some hotels,they add and in some places, brinji is white in color. Lastly add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute without burning it. 
Brinji rice recipe
  • Add the rice, water and salt. Check for taste and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. After the steam is released, open the cooker and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve with any kurma or gravy !
Brinji rice recipe

Enjoy !
Check out my Biryani Brinjal gravy HERE

Note

  • There are many variations for this recipe. Some recipes have used ground masala and some recipes call for chilli powder & dhania powder. Here I have shared a very simple version like plain pulao.
  • This rice tastes the best only with a spicy side dish like brinjal gravy which is said to be an ideal and most popular side dish for this brinji rice.
Try this brinji rice with brinjal gravy. Tastes yummy !
Brinji rice

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12 thoughts on “Brinji Rice Recipe – Tamil nadu Style Plain Brinji With Coconut Milk – Sunday Lunch Recipes-9”

  1. great-secret-of-life

    my mum makes this combo! super tasty combo it has been while since I made this combo.. U r tempting me too much

    Reply
  6. thelady8home.com

    Brinjals being my fav, this one bookmarking. Surely going to give it a try. Thanks a lot for sharing.

    —thelady8home.com

    Reply
  8. harini

    Hi chitra i was expecting this recipe in this one pot series.as u said there r so many variations.i have seen double beans and coconut milk being used .and brinji kurma is the popular combo.is that the same kurma we eat with chappathis?i dont remember.and thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  9. Chitra

    Hi Harini,
    Yes,u can use coconut milk instead of water or use half n half.This kurma is only for biryani and not with chapathi.Do try this combo.U will love it :)

    Reply
  10. Unknown

    We tried brinji rice & brinjal gravy today. Such an awesome combo! we totally enjoyed.We will definitely making it often for sure.Thank you so much for sharing this recipe

    Karthik

    Reply
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