I love sesame seeds and this sesame rice is a delicious yet different South Indian rice recipe. Whenever a recipe calls for 1 tsp of it, I dunk in 1 tbsp. The same goes for coriander powder but that’s a totally different topic that should be discussed in a different context. For now, let’s stick to sesame seeds rice.
I am a huge sucker for different kinds of mixed rice recipes. I am very South Indian like that I guess. But this is one recipe I had never heard of until I was gifted Chandra Padmanabhan’s ‘Southern Spice’.
It’s a fabulous book on South Indian cooking and I am still wondering why it took me this long to finally get to it.
Ellu Sadam great to pack for a trip and tastes best at room temperature with some raita. Now, how many South Indian Variety Rice recipes can you say this for?

If you love easy rice recipes, then you must check out this easy egg biryani recipe, my favourite soya biryani, and this fabulous paneer peas pulao recipe.
Ellu Sadam / Sesame Rice Recipe
Source: Southern Spice by Chandra Padmanabhan
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice
Salt to taste
Salt to taste
For the Spice Powder:
1/2 cup white sesame seeds / til / ellu
2 tbsp grated coconut
4 dry red chillies
1 tsp oil
For Tempering:
2 tbsp gingelly oil / nallennai
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 tbsp shelled peanuts
1/2 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
2 dry red chillies, halved
1 tsp urad dal / ulutham paruppu
1 tsp channa dal / kadala paruppu
A few curry leaves
Instructions:
1. Dry roast the sesame seeds and grated coconut separately in a pan until nicely browned. Add oil for spice powder and lightly fry the red chillies, taking care not to burn them. Cool, grind to a fine powder and set aside.
2. Heat oil for tempering and add the roasted peanuts. When almost fried and brown, add the rest of the ingredients. When the mustard seeds pop and the dals turn golden, remove from heat.
3. Stir in the rice and the spice powder. Serve at room temperature with raita.
Hi Nags (want to know your full name though! )
I tried this recipe today and is yumm…though Im a very late entry to all your fans who has tried this way back in 2010
Will check out more of your recipes.
Im a great lover of cooking and keep trying lots of things to keep my hubby darling happy..As he loves what I do!
Cheers
Archana
it's never too late to make ellu sadam. glad you enjoyed it 🙂 thanks so much for the kind words for my recipes
hi i tried the sesame rice.. it is really good! i prepared it for a pooja and received good comments.
hi itried this recipie for tuesday poja everybody likes this and appreciate me thankyou
27 december 2011 10.45p.m.
by suganthi
hi…
it's very nice…i love sesame rice..thanks to given this recipes….
Fifty nine commentators prior to me have not noticed that the recipe does not include salt (proverbial add salt to taste)!. Anyway I made it and tasted it – with a pinch of salt – and result was fine.
Hi
Have yuu tried ELLU Sevai? Same recipe but instead of rice mix it with cooked sevai…
Radha
what a fantastic idea for ellu sevai Radha! I should customize this ellu sadam recipe and make it soon 🙂
Tried n tasted it ..it's delicious ..thanks for sharing 🙂
The flavour of this recipe with the roasted sesame is so delicious! (a French blogger)
Hey Nags,
this one is on my menu for this weekend…your version of corriander rice will probably jack up ur emails to 18!!!
How have you guys been??
Shobha
looks so good! perfect with appalam. i like the bowl.
You tried a different angle with your pics this time, didn't you. It is only getting better Nags. And sesame, I am a bigger one at that, lover of sesame I mean 🙂
Hi Nags, I have never had ellu sadam! Have to try it, looks great and simple enough:-) Love the pictures. None of the cookery books you mention seem to be available in stores here, I have tried to get some of them. Could you please have a link to all the cook books separately or provide them in your store?-Shreya
Hey Nags,
I love the flavour of Sesame..have never this rice.. bookmarked 🙂
A very versatile and healthy rice.. I remember one temple in Chennai where they give this rice as prasadam on Saturdays…You made me nostalgic! 😉
Btw, I hope you know about the ongoing event, "Cooking with seeds:Sesame" this month in Priya's blog. Just giving a bump! http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/cooking-with-seedsannouncing-new-event.html
Mitra, email me at naagu.v AT gmail DOT com 🙂
Ayoo I dont know from where took came!
Tempting ellu sadam dear….Beautiful clicks too.
great looking sesame rice, photo looks too tempting. We call this yellu pudi chitranna in Kannada & the change there is we use black sesame seeds. I wonder how you manage to take such wonderful pictures.
sush, wonder no more. check out the food photography link at the top of this page 🙂
yummy recipe! thanks! i've been dying to make this and now i know how!
great pics too!
Wow! I love rice very much. Thanks for its delicious recipe. It looks so yummy. So glad to have found this rice recipe.
yummy recipe! thanks! i've been dying to make this and now i know how!
great pics too!
Wow! I love rice very much. Thanks for its delicious recipe. It looks so yummy. So glad to have found this rice recipe.
never had it..but it looks darn nice! i too am a sucker for sesame seeds..so will be trying this soon…
i love sesame seeds too, will make this recipe ASAP.
Nags, that's comfort in a bowl.
I don't cook much with sesame seeds but I must give this a try!
i love anything cooked with sesame! i think its such a festive seed, is it a seed or a nut??
Delicious rice,Want to taste
The nutty taste of sesame enhances any curry masala and is one of my favourites! I had forgotten about this – thanks for the reminded – looks amazing!
I love anything with Sesame seeds too. Your pics looks so gorgeous here. Loved the combinations of all colors actually. 🙂
Absolutely fantastic. Have made coconut rice without the sesame. Have to try this out.
I am a fan of sesame too !I love the nutty aroma!
Chandra Padmanabhan's recipes are great ( oh well, some bomb too) and this is a perfect rice for a simple dinner and potlucks.
great looking sesame rice, photo looks too tempting. We call this yellu pudi chitranna in Kannada & the change there is we use black sesame seeds. I wonder how you manage to take such wonderful pictures.
sush, wonder no more. check out the food photography link at the top of this page 🙂
I made it too..yet to post it though..but this one is defntly different that wat I made.
Nags – looks wonderful as usual. I was surprised that you had not heard about this before Chandra's cookbook. (Chandra is a not a buddy or anything btw)
I agree with you that there is something so south indian about a person when it comes to variety rice. It touches a south indian in levels that only a south Indian can know. To me, it brings back memories and smells of many things – like sunday lunches, with oil on the hair, and watching ramayan on tv and eating with a spoon so you dont have to get up to wash hands and mom can take the plate away. Well…I have many issues, I think.
I never tasted the sesame seeds rice- I am huge fan of rice variety! Lovely shots 🙂
Never tasted this one…i love the taste of the sesame seeds though, especially in the molagapodi…Must try this..
Lovely recipe and snapshots!
YUM! I made this Ellu rice last year, took photos and then deleted all the pics accidentally!!:D
Looks tasty, might make some later.
Despite loving variety rice, I've never eaten this before. Looks lovely.
I love mixed rice like this. blessed to be a South Indian I say .. I have never tried sesame rice. sounds super easy
Rice looks flavorful and definitely perfect for lunchboxes!
I have left over rice so I will try this. Thanks for the recipe.
– Cosmic Cook
The recipe looks good…
Need a help from u Nags.. Can u gimme more details on the Oven that u have.. U mentioned in an older post that u bought it from Ktym.. can u give more specific details as to what kind of shop it will be available in or the name of the product.. Not just the brand name but something like what it is referred to …
Thanks a lot.
-Mitra
me too love sesame seeds AND coriander powder! 🙂 I don't cook much with sesame seeds though, even though I have a full bottle sitting in my pantry. Good looking rice and love those papads!
Few days back i prepared my version of sesame rice, urs looks fantastic..
That is a beautiful and dleicous bowl of rice.
Hey Nags,
I love the flavour of Sesame..have never this rice.. bookmarked 🙂
Hi Nags, I have never had ellu sadam! Have to try it, looks great and simple enough:-) Love the pictures. None of the cookery books you mention seem to be available in stores here, I have tried to get some of them. Could you please have a link to all the cook books separately or provide them in your store?-Shreya
You tried a different angle with your pics this time, didn't you. It is only getting better Nags. And sesame, I am a bigger one at that, lover of sesame I mean 🙂
EVen I love sesame seeds……rice looks perfect..mine is slightly different version…and I want to give a try ur recipe soon
this is actually something i make frequently. love this.
looks so good! perfect with appalam. i like the bowl.
Tempting ellu sadam dear….Beautiful clicks too.
Ayoo I dont know from where took came!
I too love ellu sadam took,I think its good for health too!I remember a temple inside our college campus,provide this as prasadam on a specific day of a month not sure exactly when,but tastes divine,they hav used black sesame seeds 🙂
Mitra, email me at naagu.v AT gmail DOT com 🙂
A very versatile and healthy rice.. I remember one temple in Chennai where they give this rice as prasadam on Saturdays…You made me nostalgic! 😉
Btw, I hope you know about the ongoing event, "Cooking with seeds:Sesame" this month in Priya's blog. Just giving a bump! http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/cooking-with-seedsannouncing-new-event.html
Definitely will! Thanks for the great idea to make things easier, Shreya 🙂
HB, is the angle looking different? Well I try a gazillion different ones and whatever looks good after, I edit and upload 😀
Even I am fond of sesame seeds….my version coming up soon, not much of variation from urs! Perfect it looks!