yogurt rice

here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

2 C boiled tukda rice or basmati rice

2 C yogurt

1 tbsp roasted chana

1/2 C peanuts

1 tsp rai

1 strand of kadi patta (curry leaves)

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

a pinch of hing

1 tsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

1) Boil rice a little more than usual because we dont want the rice to be grainy.

2) Let rice cool. Mix yogurt in rice. Ad more yogurt if necessary for a semi liquid consistency.

2) For Tadka, in a small pan, add oil, let it heat up, add hing and peanuts.

3) Once peanuts turn brown, add salt, rai, chana, kadi patta, ginger garlic paste and let them cook for about a minute.

4) Add this tadka to the yogurt and rice mixture and mix very well.

5) Serve with pickles.

Serves: 2

Beetroot Pulav

This recipe is just combining some of favorite ingredients, rice , beetroot and spices :)

I love the color of this dish and the taste is fabulous plus it is healthy because of the antioxidants in beetroot and nutrients of the veggies. You can combine veggies of your choice as well.

Here it is..

Ingredients:

1C basmati rice

2 C vegetable stock

1 small beetroot

1 small onion

1 small carrot

1/4th cauliflower

1/4th C peas, thawed

1/4th C paneer

1/4 C green pepper

1/2 tsp jeera (cumin)

2 cloves

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

2 bay leaves

salt to taste

Method:

1) Cut all the veggies in thin slices.

2) In a pressure cooker, add oil and let it become hot.

3) Add cumin seeds, cloves and bay leaves to the oil. When jeera starts to splutter, add all the veggies. Lt them cook for about 5 mins.

5) Add rice to the veggie mixture. Add stock and seasonings and pressure cook until you hear a whistle.

6) Serve hot with raita and papad

Serves: 4

khichdi

My husband, CJ, is a khichdi expert and i could never make a khichdi as tasty as his. So whenever I feel like having khichdi, i ask him to cook it. I thought of putting his recipe in the blog because this is really simple. Everybody can make it because of it's precise measurements. As for me, i just refuse to learn it, coz i have CJ to make it for me ;-)

Ingredients:

1/2 C basmati rice
1/4 C split moong daal (green)
1 tsp jeera
2 tbsp oil
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 C chopped onion
1 tomato finely chopped
4 C water
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a pressure cooker, heat oil and add jeera. When it starts to splutter, add green chillies and onions. Let it turn brown.

2) Add tomatoes, let it cook for 2 minutes. Add garam masala.

3) Add the mixture of rice and daal, pour in water and add salt and black pepper.

4) pressure cook until one whistle and turn off the heat. Let the khichdi cook until all the pressure goes off by itself.

5) Serve hot with achar and papad

Serves: 4

Palak pulao

Palak pulao is something that you can make with the leftover spinach. This is a great way to feed greens to people who do not like them. i discovered this dish a few days back when i was bored with the usual sabji-roti and wanted to make a different kind of rice dish ;) I experimented and it turned out pretty well. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch spinach, chopped
1C basmati rice
1/2 onion, sliced
1 potato, chopped
2-3 cloves
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp jeera
2-3 bay leaves
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder (optional)
1 tbsp oil or ghee
2 tbsp yogurt
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a pressure cooker or a deep pot, add oil and let it heat. After it is hot, add jeera , cloves and bay leaves.

2) When jeera starts to splutter add onions and potatoes. Saute them for about 5 mins. Add spinach and saute for 2 mins.

3) Add yogurt, rice, garama masala, coriander powder, salt, pepper and turmeric powder. Mix well.

4) Add water, double the quantity of rice and cover the rice with a lid. Let it cook on medium high until a whistle comes. Let the steam come out on its own.

5) If cooking in a pot, add water, 3 times that of rice. and let it cook on medium low until all the water evaporates.

6) Serve hot with raita and pickle.

Serves: 2

Vegetable Biryani

Vegetable Biryani, hmmmmm, the first time i ate it, i fell in love with it. This was in hyderabad at a local biryani house. It was so delicious and i never got that taste later. Then once, years latermy roommate at work made it and it tasted the same....i asked her the recipe and got to know her secret ingredient. I never thought mint would taste soooo good in rice.
Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

2C basmati rice, boiled
1/2 bunch mint
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 onions
3-5 cloves
3-4 bay leaves
1C cauliflower, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2C peas
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/2C paneer, chopped
1C milk
2 tbsp ghee
1 green chili
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste

Method:

1) Boil the rice with a spray of oil and salt until they are half cooked.

2)In a pan, heat ghee and let it melt, add cumin, cloves and bay leaves. Let them fry for a while.

3) meanwhile in a grinder add, 1 onion, mint, cilantro and green chili. Grind to form a paste.

4) Add this paste to the saute pan with ghee and let it roast for about 2-3 mins. To this add, salt, garam masala, turmeric powder, chili powder and all the chopped vegetables except for paneer.

5) Simmer, add milk and let the vegetables cook , add paneer when vegetables are half cooked. Simmer and cook for about 15 mins till the vegetables are completely cooked and the milk is reduced to half.

6) Pour the masala into the boiled rice and mix it well. The rice will become moist because of the mik. Cover the biryani and cook on low flame until the rice is completely cooked.

7) Serve hot with yoghurt

Serves:4-5

Tamarind rice

Although we are a punjabi family, our neighbours were south indian. When i was a kid, i used to love tamarind rice prepared by Subramanium aunty. My mother learnt the authentic recipe from aunty and passed it on to me. I still relish the sweet and tangy flavor of this dish.

Here's the recipe.

Ingedients:

1C boiled rice, cooled.
1 tsp rai
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp roasted chana
a pinch of hing
2-3 tamarinds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 green chili
a strand of kadi patta leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) Soak tamarind in a cup of water for about an hour. It starts to form a pulp. extract all the pulp and throw away the seeds.

2) In a pan , heat oil, add peanuts, let them roast for a while. Add chana and stir for a while. Add rai, hing, kadi patta, chopped green chili, turmeric powder and tamarind water.

3) Once the mixture starts to boil, add sugar and salt.

4) Mix the masala into the rice and let it sit for half an hour. This way the rice will soak all the masala and become moist.

5) Serve with yoghurt

Serves: 2