Lime Rice with Bell Pepper

Lime Rice or Lemon rice as it is called is a common dish in Southern Indian households.  It was invented to use the left over rice and it had nothing but the garnish of few lentils, peanuts and some lime juice with a bit of heat added. Even when it is so common, it is different from house to house. Some people add onions, garlic and some don't. My mother made it in an entirely different way - rich with mustard and coconut. When I started cooking by myself, I made a point not to make this without adding some vegetables every time I made it. I add at least frozen peas to it if not anything. This time, I had to use the bell peppers from the vegetable garden and here comes this dish.

One Year Back - Orange Creamsicles
Two Years Back - Salsa Vinaigrette
Three Years Back - Zucchini Chutney
Ingredients: 
Rice - 2 cups (if using sona masoori, use 1 1/2 cups)
Bell pepper - 6 seeded and chopped into chunks
Oil - 3 TBSP
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 10 slit lengthwise (or to taste)
Curry leaves - few
Asafoetida/hing - generous pinch
Turmeric - couple of generous pinches
Bengal gram dal / chana dal - 1 TBSP
Urad dal / Black gram dal - 1 TBSP
Peanuts - 2 - 4 TBSP
Salt - to taste
Lime - 1 if very juicy or 1 1/2
Grated coconut - 4 TBSP (optional)
Cilantro - 3 TBSP chopped

Method:
Wash and rinse rice. Cook with enough water ( 1:2 ratio). Let cool and fluff with a fork to separate the grains.  In a  pan, heat the oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add slit green  chillies, curry leaves followed by bengal gram dal, black gram dal, hing and peanuts. Let the peanuts get toasted. Add the bell peppers, turmeric, little bit of salt. Stir often to prevent burning. When the bell peppers are cooked, add coconut, and cooled rice. Mix well. Add cilantro and check and adjust the salt if needed. Turn off the heat. After about 10 minutes, squeeze the juice of lime and mix. Serve as one pot meal.
This post is written for weekend cooking post that I write with Srivalli  and  Vaishali.

Notes:
If using Sona Masoori rice, use 3 cups of water per cup of rice.

Enjoy.

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Vegetable Biriyani

One good thing about cooking at home is the ability to change the dish and make it your own. I love vegetable biriyani. Particularly when it is made in Hyderabad style. But there are few things I don't like. The fried onions they use in it is not appealing to me. Plus the amount of veggies is so minimal that you will be fishing for vegetables in a restaurant biriyani. So, I tweaked it to suit my taste. Go ahead and use about a cup of fried onions if you like them in this recipe. Use it while layering the vegetables and rice before baking or cooking for the second time. I added the nuts while toasting the spices so that they are crisp and not soggy.

One Year Back - Maddur Vada/Deep fried onion crackers
Two Years Back - Vegan Soudough Applesauce Pancakes
Three Years Back - Roasted Red Bell pepper Soup
Ingredients: 
For the Rice part:
Basmati rice - 2 cups soaked for an hour in enough water
Oil - few drops
Salt - 1 tsp
Black Cumi / Shah Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Green cardamom - 2 whole
Black cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1/2" stick

For the Vegetables part:
Potatoes - 3 medium peeled and chopped into large chunks
Carrots - 3 medium peeled and chopped into long thick sticks
Cauliflower - florets from a small head
Green peas - 1 cup frozen (optional - See Notes)
Cilantro and Mint leaves - chopped about 1 generous cup together
Oil - 4 TBSP
Shah jeera / Black Cumin - 1 tsp
Green cardamom - 2 whole
Black cardamom - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1"
Cashews - 1/4 cup (You could add some almonds too if you like)
Ginger - 1" piece peeled and grated
Garlic - 5 pods minced
Green Chillies - 5 - 6 chopped into big chunks (or make a paste of it)
Yogurt - 1 cup divided use
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 TBSP 
Biriyani Masala - 2 - 3 TBSP depending on how strong you want the flavor to be (you can use store bought)

Method:
To make the vegetable masala:
In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add black cumin, green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, cashews, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute till cashews are lightly golden and add potatoes, carrots. Mix well and sprinkle some salt. When potatoes and carrots are cooked for 5 minutes, add cauliflower. Mix well. Aim is to cook vegetables until they are tender but still have a bite to them. About 75 % of cooking. After 5 minutes of adding cauliflower, add green peas. Mix well and add biriyani masala. Stir well to coat all the vegetables with it and then add half a cup of yogurt. Mix well. Add sugar and cook till most of the water has evaporated from the vegetable mixture. Turn off the stove.

To make the rice:
In a pan, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil. Add few drops of oil, salt, and the whole spices mentioned in the For the Rice part: above. Add the drained rice that you had soaked in water and stir. When the rice is boiled for about 5 - 6 minutes, check if you can cut grain of rice. You should not be able to mash it. If you can mash it, you have over cooked the rice. Drain the rice reserving about 1/2 cup of the liquid.

To assemble:
Take a shallow dish (See Notes). Add the remaining 1/2 cup of yogurt to the vegetable mixture. Lay a layer of the vegetables in the shallow dish. Top it with a handful of cilanthro and mint leaves. Top it with a layer of rice. Do this until you finish all your vegetables and rice. Add the 1/2 cup of reserved rice water to the dish and cover with a tight lid. You can either bake in the oven at 400 F for 30 minutes or you can create a water bath on the stove and place this dish in it and cook for 20 - 25 minutes. When done, you should have a fluffy rice and after few minutes, mix it with a fork so that the whole masala and vegetables get mixed very well. Check for salt and adjust if needed. Serve with raita or your favorite side dish.

This post is written for weekend cooking post that I write with Srivalli  and  Vaishali,  

Notes:
Traditionally, people don't use peas in it. I like peas so used it. Also, the ratio of vegetables to rice that I have given is towards more vegetables. You get few pieces here and there in a restaurant biriyani. If you follow the method of using the oven to cook the final part, make sure the dish you are using along with handles is oven safe. Lot of people place fried bread pieces before baking or cooking for the second time. It just adds extra calories to the dish and I avoid such things.

Enjoy.

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Methi Thepla (Gujarathi flat bread using fenugreek leaves)

Thepla is a Gujarathi flat bread or roti. It has chick pea flour or besan added to the whole wheat flour which makes it very soft. I like to try different kinds of rotis since it adds variety to the food. Plus, this particular recipe uses greens which is an added bonus. My kids ate these happily with yogurt and it was one of the easier way to make them eat fenugreek leaves. Traditionally this recipe has lot of oil, but I used very minimal amount. It still tastes good. I prefer to eat this as a snack with some tea.

One Year Back - Shahi Pulav
Two Years Back - North Indian Cucumber salad - Chucumber
Three Years Back - Homemade vegetable broth
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour - 2 cups
Chickpea flour / Besan - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp or to taste
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp or to taste
Fenugreek leaves - just the leaves and tender stems about 2 cups
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Oil - 2 TBSP for the dough and more for cooking ( I brush both sides with oil lightly using a pastry brush)
Water to make the dough

Method:
Mix all the ingredients and make a soft dough. Cover and let it sit for 20 - 30 minutes. Knead the dough and dusting with more flour, roll into thin rotis or tortillas. Cook on the hot skillet smearing some oil on both sides. Serve with plain yogurt and pickles. This will taste good with any dal or curry that is not very spicy.

This post is written for weekend cooking post that I write with Srivalli  and  Vaishali, 
Enjoy.

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Cabbage Rice - Version II

My mother cooked a lot with cabbage. Not because it was someone's favorite vegetable or it is good for health. She cooked cabbage at least once a week because it was one of the cheap vegetables we could get at that time. I still remember my sister complaining that mom made cabbage again. For some reason, I never get bored of eating this veggie. Be it as a stir fry or as  sambar. I am notorious for making different kinds of rice dishes. There probably isn't any vegetable that I cannot convert into a rice dish. Here is one such recipe that got created without any thought. It was delicious I should say.

One Year Back - Vegan Applesauce Cranberry Bread
Two Years Back - Chocolate Strawberry Muffins, Honey Cardamom Ice cream
Three Years Back - roken Wheat Pongal
Ingredients:
Cooked Rice - 2 1/2 cups (completely cooled)
Oil - 3 TBSP
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cashews - 1/4 cup
Cabbage - chopped fine 2 1/2 cups
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - two generous pinches
Lime juice - from half a lime (or use one whole if not juicy enough)

To grind:
Garlic - 2 cloves
Cilantro - 1/3 cup
Mint leaves - 1/3 cup
Green chillies - 8  (as per taste)

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add cashews and fry them till golden. Add cabbage, salt and turmeric. Mix well and let it cook. Meanwhile, take all the ingredients mentioned in "To Grind" above and grind to a paste without adding any water. When cabbage is half cooked, add the ground paste to it and mix well. Lower the heat and let the cabbage cook completely. When the cabbage is cooked, add the cooled rice and mix well. Add lime juice, adjust the salt if needed and cover with a lid and let it sit on the lowest flame for 3 - 4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Either serve as is or with some yogurt or raita on the side.

Notes:
I used the left over jasmine rice which, I could not really separate the grains of. Use basmathi or sona masoori rice and separate the grains to make it look more presentable. This looks more like a kichadi because of the type of rice I used.

Enjoy.

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Creamy Lemon, Garlic Pasta

I am late by a day in posting this for my weekend cooking. This weekend was hectic. Even when I cooked, it was something quick, one pot meal that was nothing new. I love spring, summer (not so much heat) and fall but these also bring in more outside work. Yard work to be exact. This weekend was all about cleaning the landscaping beds, trimming the bushes, mulching. In another few weeks start the work of vegetable gardening. Do I love this extra work? yes especially when you see your hard work showing off in terms of beautiful flowers or shrubs or vegetables.
I made this pasta as a quick lunch and the surprising thing is my husband who hates the word pasta ate it saying it is very good. So, I am sure you would want to try it on 'not so much pasta lovers'. It is easy to make and pretty filling.

One Year Back -  Badam Milk / Sweetened almond drink
Two Years Back - Quinoa with Dill, Muffin Vs. Cupcake
Three Years Back - Penne with minty almond sauce
Ingredients:
Shell pasta - 2 cups (Or any medium sized pasta like bow tie or penne) See Notes
Spinach - 1 small bunch or frozen 2 cups (I used frozen chopped spinach 2 cups)
Olive oil - 3 TBSP
Garlic - 4 cloves minced or grated
Lemon zest - from 1 lemon
Lemon Juice - from half a lemon if juicy or use about 2 TBSP of juice (fresh only please, no bottled stuff)
Cream cheese - 4 Oz or half a block of the 8 Oz block (You can use half of this and add some cream instead)
Salt - to taste
Black Pepper - to taste (I crushed black pepper and used about 1 TBSP but I am Indian, remember that)
Water - for cooking the pasta

Method:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt generously. When the water is heating up, in another pan, heat olive oil. Add minced garlic, lemon zest and black pepper to it followed by spinach. Sprinkle very less salt and let the spinach cook.
When the water is boiling, add the dry pasta and cook it till al-dente.
Add cream cheese to the spinach mixture when the spinach is almost cooked. Add the juice of the lemon and drain the pasta well and add it reserving about a cup of pasta water. Add the water as needed to loosen the sauce. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes and adjust the salt if needed. Serve hot.

Notes:
This pasta has such a flavorful sauce that if the pasta shape is such that it can hold some sauce, it taste better. That was the reason for using shell instead of bow-tie as per my kid's request.
This post is written for weekend cooking post that I write with Srivalli  and  Vaishali, 

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Fried Brown Rice and Quinoa - Chinese Style (Vegan, glutenfree)

I don't know what it is with the names of ingredients that can repel people from even trying it. Quinoa, Brown Rice, Zucchini, Broccoli, Oats, Tofu are in the list so far in our house. Problem is I like almost every one of these and if I cook with these, I will end up eating it alone and I have to cook something else for others which is not something I want to do on a daily basis. I had some spare time between work and on an impulse, I made this dish. Inspired by a noodle recipe on the back of Nasoya Tofu - I was planning on adding tofu, but realized that the tofu had expired and I didn't want to use it.

One Year Back - Whole Wheat Orange Bread
Two Years Back - Eggless Chocolate chip oat cookies
Three Years Back - Making of mermaid cake
Ingredients: 
Quinoa - 1/2 cup (I used Red Quinoa)
Brown Rice - 1 cup
Oil - 2 TBSP (Use peanut oil or sesame oil or canola oil)
Garlic - 2 pods grated
Ginger - 1 " piece peeled and grated
Sesame seeds - 1 TBSP
Red Onion - 1 medium sliced to thin strips
Cabbage - Thinly shredded about 1 1/2 cups
Green beans - 1 cup french cut
Carrot - 2 medium peeled and sliced into thin long strips
Salt - to taste
Rice Vinegar - 3 TBSP
Soy sauce - 4 TBSP
Brown Sugar - 1 - 2 TBSP
Hot sauce like Sriracha - 1 - 2 TBSP as per the taste (I used 2 TBSP)
Cilantro - 1/4 cup chopped

Method:
Wash and drain brown rice and quinoa. Add 3 cups of water and cook it in a rice cooker. When done, turn off and let it cool. Have all the vegetables chopped and ready. In a skillet or a wok, heat oil. When hot, add grated ginger, garlic followed by sesame seeds. When the seeds pop, add the onions and sprinkle some salt and let it cook. When onions are half cooked, add the rest of the vegetables in the order of green beans, cabbage and carrot. Stir and let them cook. You will have to frequently stir to make sure they don't stick to the bottom and burn. Add a TBSP or two of water if it starts to stick to the pan. When the vegetables are half way cooked, add the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and hot sauce. Stir and let the vegetables cook to your level of crunchiness preference. Add the rice and quinoa mixture and mix well. Adjust the salt and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot, warm. Left over heats up very well .

Notes:
You can add green onions as part of the garnish. I didn't have any. You can add cubes of tofu that are sauteed.

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Lime Rice (Lemon Rice) / Kayi Sasuve chitranna

If Mac N Cheese, PBJ sandwiches are common in every household in U.S, lemon rice is one of the common dishes in Southern Indian households. This is actually Lime Rice and in India, limes are called lemons. (There were no lemon in India back then.) Anyways, most of the people make this in the same manner, but for my mother. I have seen people garnishing the lemon/lime rice with grated coconut, but never grinding the masala for it. It is actually derived from another recipe which is based on coconut and mustard seeds. But, this is the best lemon/lime rice that I have tasted in my life. - I meant the recipe. The ground paste adds tons of flavor and because of that reason, I never make the simpler version of this.

One Year Back - Chocolate Chip Bread
Two Years Back - Cream Cheese Sweet Bread, Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup uncooked ( you can use sona masoori, basmati or any long grain non sticky rice)
Water - 2 cups or more to cook the rice (Most sona masoori takes 2 1/2 - 3 cups for every cup of rice)
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 - 1 1/2 TBSP (Use only flavorless oil or peanut oil)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 2 broken
Curry leaves - few
Chana dal/Kadale bele / dehusked split chickpeas - 1 tsp
Urad dal/Uddina bele / Black gram dal - 1 tsp
Peanuts - 2 - 3 TBSP (Or use cashews)
Lime - half of a big juicy one or 1 small one
Cilantro - 2 TBSP chopped 

To grind:
Coconut - 1/2 cup grated
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida / hing - generous pinch
Green chillies - 5 - 6 or as per taste

Method:
Cook rice in enough water by adding the turmeric. Rice should be cooked but not mushy. Fluff it with a fork and spread on a platter to cool. Take all the ingredients mentioned under 'To Grind:' in a blender and make a paste without adding water. If it is too hard, you can use not more than 2 tsp of water.
Take the ground paste and place it on the cooled rice as a heap in the center. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add red chillies, curry leaves followed by the dals and peanuts. Let the dals and peanut get toasted well. Turn off the heat and pour the entire content of the pan on the ground paste sitting on the rice. Add salt to the entire mix and mix well with two spatula so that the whole thing gets mixed very well. Squeeze the lime juice and mix one more time. Adjust the salt if needed and add the cilantro and mix. This tastes better an hour or two after it was made. Serve as is or with yogurt rice and pickle.

Notes:
I sometimes add vegetables to the same base. My favorite ones to add are green peas. You can either cook the peas along with rice or saute it in a bit of oil and add.

Enjoy.

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Shahi Pulav

I am a South Indian. For me, Pulav means only one thing. It is rice with ground onion and cilantro paste with other spices, cooked with lot of veggies. You can read my regular pulav recipe here. When I heard of this pulav, which is more like fried rice, I thought let me try that. Not because of anything, but it gave me a reason to use my wildly growing mint. I am very pleased with this recipe though. This is actually perfect for parties to go with different kinds of dals or curries.

One Year Back - North Indian Cucumber salad - Chucumber
Two Years Back - Homemade vegetable broth
Recipe adapted from - Vahrehvah Chef.
Ingredients: 
Basmati rice - 2 cups soaked in enough water for 30 minutes
Water - 4 cups (Use 3 cups if using new rice and not aged basmati)
Oil - 4 TBSP
Shah jeera or kala jeera/ black cumin / caraway seeds - 1 tsp
Cashews - 3 TBSP
Golden or Indian green raisins - 3 TBSP
Cinnamon - 2 sticks of 1"
Cardamom - 2 - 3 whole
Cloves - 5 - 6
Sugar - 1 TBSP
Salt - to taste
Red Onions - 2 medium sliced into strips of 1"
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic - 2 pods
Green chillies - 5 - 8 as per taste
Cilantro - 1/2 cup chopped
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup chopped

Method:
In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add black cumin. When they pop, add cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves followed by cashews and raisins. Stir and add sugar. Stir and once the cashews are toasted, add onions and mix. Let it wilt. Take ginger, garlic and green chillies in a blender and crush them without adding any water. You could also mince them fine with a knife instead. Add it to the pot and mix. When onions are half done, add mint and cilantro. Add salt and mix well. When onions are done, add 4 cups of water. Drain the rice and add it to the pot and mix once or twice. Check for the salt. Increase the heat until the mixture starts boiling and has most of the water evaporated. Turn down the heat to very low and cover with a lid. Let it cook completely. It will take 5 - 8 minutes after you have covered with the lid. Turn off the heat and after 10 minutes, fluff with a fork. Serve warm with any curry of choice or raita. By the time I took pictures, I was not left with any raita, so here is a plain shahi pulav picture.

Notes:
You could make this in rice cooker too. After the onions are cooked, transfer the contents to a rice cooker, add water and rice and turn it on.
Enjoy.

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Almond Poppy Seed veggie rice

I know what you are all thinking. Another rice dish? Trust me when I say this, I didn't even want to post this recipe when I started making it. I thought people come to my blog to see baking recipes not some plain old rice dish. But, after eating it, I changed my mind about not posting. This was so awesome that I took a picture in a hurry to post it before the whole pot went empty.

One Year Back - Honey Cardamom Ice cream
Two Years Back - Spicy Dill Biscuits
Ingredients: 
Basmathi rice - 2 cups uncooked
Oil - 4 TBSP divided use
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Salt - to taste
Poppy Seeds - 3 TBSP
Whole raw almonds - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 10 or per taste chopped roughly
Cinnamon - 2" piece
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 2" piece peeled and chopped roughly
Onions - 2 large sliced into 1" strips
Veggies - any combination (I used 4 large carrots and a 10 Oz bag of spinach)
Lime - 1 juiced (optional - you could add about 2 tomatoes chopped instead)

Method:
Cook rice (I use 2 parts water to 1 part rice) and fluff it with a fork to separate the grains. Let it cool. In a pan, take 1 TBSP of oil. When hot, add cinnamon, almonds, ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute till almonds are toasted. Towards the end, add poppy seeds. They start to pop within seconds. Turn off the heat. When cool, take them into a blender jar and using as little water as possible, make a paste. Set aside.
To the same pan, add the remaining 3 TBSP of oil. When hot, add onions and add turmeric. Sprinkle some salt and let it wilt. When onions have cooked, add the other cut vegetables. When those veggies are almost cooked, add the ground paste. Mix well. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Adjust the salt if needed. Cover with a lid and keep on the low flame for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add lime juice if using. Mix and serve warm or at room temperature. Left over can be warmed up. There was no need for any accompaniment for this dish, but you could always serve it with raita if you wish.

Enjoy.

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Chickpeas and Tomato Rice

I know I have been missing in action. Kids don't have school and it is not easy to entertain them 24/7. Too many play dates, co-ordinating, dropping, picking them up and other summer stuff is keeping me busy. I do know most of you want to read just baking recipes, but this is something that is quick and easy to make for those who like one pot meals. I made a big batch to give it to my neighbor who is getting her kitchen flooring done and has no kitchen for a week.

One Year Back - Bisibelebhath, Savory Sourdough Aebleskiver, Minty Coconut Rice
Two Years Back - Sourdough Applesauce Spice Cake
Note: This is a big batch recipe. Scale it down as per your needs.
Ingredients: 
Dried chickpeas - 1 1/2 cups soaked overnight (Or use rinsed and drained 3 cans of chickpeas)
Basmathi rice - 3 cups
Oil - 4 - 5 TBSP
Onions - 3 large sliced thin into 1" strips
Tomatoes - 2 large diced
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - generous pinch
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchoor powder / dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cashews - 1/4 cup (optional)
Tomato paste - 4 TBSP (Or use 1/2 cup ketchup)

To paste/grind/mince:
Mint leaves - generous 1 cup
Green chillies - 20  or as per taste (I used thai green chillies)
Ginger - 2" piece peeled
Garlic - 4 cloves

Method:
Pressure cook the chickpeas in enough water till soft. Let it cool and drain. Cook the rice, cool and fluff with a fork to separate the grains. Set aside. Take all the ingredients mentioned above in 'To Paste/Grind/Mince' section and without adding any water, mince them in a blender jar. In a pan, heat oil, when hot add cumin followed by the paste, cashews. When cashews are toasted, add onions. Sprinkle some salt and let it wilt. Add turmeric and mix. When the onions are cooked, add tomatoes, tomato paste or ketchup, garam masala, amchoor powder and mix. After a minute or two, add the drained chickpeas and mix everything together. When the mixture starts bubbling, add the cooked and cooled rice and mix well. Adjust the salt if needed and cover with a lid and place on low heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature either as is or with some yogurt or raita.

Enjoy.

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Pasta with Sun dried tomato and almond pesto

I have been fortunate to have good neighbors. Those who aren't intruding but are there if you need and ask for help.  Yesterday, I started digging out the stump of a dead tree that I had cut last year. My plan was to dig enough to go underneath and slice off the chunk so that I can fill the hole with dirt and plant a flower plant. I was ambitious to make the hole as big as needed to plant a rose bush. After making enough room to get what I needed, I decided to borrow the power saw from my neighbor. But his tool was not for what I was looking to do and he wanted to come and see the stump to see if something else works. He helped me pull out the stump by cutting few side roots and it was very helpful. As a thank you gesture, I offered to make them pasta for lunch which I am sharing the recipe with you all.

One Year Back - 5 Minute pizza/pasta sauce
Two Years Back - Eggless Mulberry Cupcakes
Ingredients: 
Rotini or penne - 1 box of 13 Oz ( I used the whole grain rotini)
Olive oil - 3 TBSP
Sliced almonds - 3 TBSP
Red pepper flakes - 1 TBSP or to taste
Salt - to taste
Italian seasoning - 1 TBSP
Onion - 3 medium chopped

For the pesto:
Sun dried tomatoes undrained - 12 - 15
Black pepper - 1 TBSP crushed (or to taste)
Garlic - 4 - 5 cloves
Almond butter - 1/3 cup (Or dry roast 1/2 cup of whole almonds and use it with other ingredients)

Method:
Make the Pesto:
Pour 1 1/2 cups of boiling water on the sun dried tomatoes in a bowl. Let it stand for 20 minutes or so. Drain reserving all the water (it has herbs and olive oil). Take the softened sun dried tomatoes in a blender jar or food processor jar. Add either roasted almonds or the almond butter, crushed black pepper, garlic to it. Grind into a smooth paste adding the reserved water from soaking sun dried tomatoes as needed. Set aside.

Prepare for cooking the pasta by boiling a big pot of water which is salted generously. At the same time, heat olive oil in a pan. Add sliced almonds and when they are toasted, add chopped onions. Sprinkle a little bit of salt (go easy on salt here since pasta water has salt and so does the reserved liquid from soaking sun dried tomatoes). Add red chilli flakes, italian seasoning (rub them on your palm before adding) and mix well. When the onion has wilted, add the pesto and remaining reserved water to make the sauce.

Cook pasta as per the box instructions - about 9 - 10 minutes. Drain and add it to the simmering sauce reserving about a cup of pasta water. Add enough pasta water to loosen the whole mixture. Check for the seasonings and add if needed. Serve immediately. If serving later, save some pasta water and adjust the consistency just before serving.

Enjoy.

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Vangibhath / Rice with eggplant and spices

It is closer to 2 years since I posted the recipe for 'Vangibhath Powder'. Even though I have made this dish so many times since then, I haven't had a chance to make that into a post. Without talking too much, I wanted to tell all of you a big 'Thank You'. This blog crossed the 700000th visitor yesterday. It feels good to know that the hours I put to maintain this is justified when I see so many reading or visiting the blog. So, Thank you for reading what I scribble here.

One Year Back - Strawberry Summer Cake
Two Years Back - Baking from the Book - Cookies Roundup
Ingredients: 
Rice - 2 cups uncooked
Eggplant - 1 large or couple of small ones to give you 2 cups of 1 - 1/2" slices
Bell pepper - 3 sliced to the same size as eggplants (You don't have to use all the colored ones)
Potatoes - 3 small or 1 large sliced similar to the other veggies
Oil - 4 TBSP (you can actually use a lot more than this)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 3 broken into pieces
Curry leaves - few
Bengal gram dal / dehusked split chickpeas / chana dal - 1 TBSP
Cashews - 2 TBSP
Salt - to taste
Tamarind paste - 3/4 tsp (Or use half a lime sized tamarind)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Vangibhath powder - 3 - 4 TBSP as per the desired spice level.
Dry grated coconut / kobbari - 1/4 cup or as per the taste

Method:
Wash and drain rice. Cook it in enough water (usually 1:2 ratio). Fluff with a fork and spread on a plate so the grains are separate. In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add red chillies, curry leaves, chana dal / bengal gram dal and cashews. Let the nuts be toasted. Add eggplants and mix. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric and mix again. After a minute or two, add the remaining veggies. Keep stirring frequently to prevent burning and let all the veggies cook, but not to mushy consistency. Add the tamarind paste. If you are using the regular tamarind, soak it in about 1/3 cup of water and extract very thick juice from it and use it. Add vangibhath powder, dry grated coconut/kobbari and mix well. Adjust the salt if necessary and cover with a lid and keep it on very slow flame for 2 - 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:
You can saute any vegetable and add a kind of cooked grain and use the vangibhath powder to flavor the dish.

Enjoy.

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Garlicky Quinoa and Brown Rice

I have a bad habit. I can spend hours together in the grocery store. Whether I want it or not, I sometimes pick it up and see what it is. No wonder nobody wants to go grocery shopping with me at home. But, that is perfect too. I get 'me' time like that. One day, I was at costco and saw a box of garlicky Quinoa with brown rice. It was the kind where you add water and microwave to get the stuff ready. I was wondering who would buy it if it is so easy to make it yourself. You are not really doing anything except adding a few things to the rice cooker. This way, you control the ingredients as per your taste and is lot lighter on your wallet too. Don't forget the freshness of the end product. So, here is my attempt to mimic that but with my few twists. I added kale to it. Quinoa and kale are super foods, so why not? The only down side is I am the only one who is eating it so I have left over for tomorrow too.

One Year Back - Dal Makhani
Two Years Back - Methi Malai Mutter
Ingredients: 
Quinoa - 1/2 cup uncooked
Brown Rice - 1/2 cup uncooked
Oil - 1 TBSP (I used olive oil)
Salt - to taste
Garlic - 4 - 5 pods minced or grated
Green chillies - 5 chopped very fine (optional)
Any leafy vegetable - 2 cups (I used chopped kale) this too is optional
Lime juice - from half a lime

Method:
Wash and rinse quinoa and brown rice together. Drain. Add 2 cups of water to it. Add the leafy vegetables, salt and place in a rice cooker. Heat oil in a small sauce pan. When hot, add garlic and green chillies if using. Add this oil to the pot of quinoa and rice. Close the lid and let it cook. When done, turn off the cooker and add lime juice and mix well. Add salt if needed and serve with some yogurt or any kind of dal or curry.

This not only can be eaten as is, but makes a very nice filling for the wraps too. If you don't have a rice cooker, you can make this in a pressure cooker or on stove top too. Just cook it the way you would cook rice but a little longer since quinoa takes some time to cook well.

Enjoy.

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Methi Rice With peas and Ricotta /Fenugreek Rice

I don't know how your grocery list looks like. But it is pretty much the same list when I go to Indian grocery store. The vegetable part that is. And every time I visit that store, I bring home one bunch (at least) of Fenugreek leaves and one bunch Dill leaves. So, I can say this green is a staple in my home and many other Indian households. Since I buy this almost every week, we cannot possibly eat the same thing every week. So, I come up with different ways of using this wonderful greens. This rice dish is based on the well known 'Methi Malai Mutter' that is a curry served with roti or naan.

One Year Back - Quick Chocolate Cupcakes
Two Years Back - Palya Bun / Stuffed Potato Buns
Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups (I used jasmine rice, you could use basmati, uncooked)
Oil - 6 TBSP
Bay leaves - 2
Cinnamon - 1" stick
Cloves - 6 - 8
Black Cardamom - 3
Ginger - 1/2" piece peeled and grated
Garlic - 2 pods grated or minced
Cashews - 1/4 cup (optional)
Fenugreek leaves / methi - 1 big bunch washed, cleaned and leaves and tender stem chopped
Red Onion - 1 large sliced thin
Green Chillies - 10 - 12 (as per taste)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Sugar - 1 TBSP (optional, but recommended)
Amchur powder / Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp (Or use juice of 1 lime)
Ricotta - 3/4 cup (I used part skim)
Frozen Green peas - 2 cups
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and drain the rice. Cook it with enough water (1 part rice to two parts water) with a pinch of salt. When done, let it cool for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and spread it so that it cools down and the grains are separate. Heat oil in a pan.  When hot, add bay leaves. When the bay leaf gets toasted, add the cinnamon, cloves, black cardamom, green chillies. After a few seconds, add cashews, garlic, ginger and let the cashews get toasted. Add onion, sprinkle some salt and let them wilt. When onions are cooked, add peas and mix well. When the peas are half cooked, add the fenugreek leaves and mix everything. After a minute or two, add ricotta cheese or paneer and mix well. Lower the heat. You don't want cheese to burn. Add amchur powder and red chilli powder if using and check for the salt. Add sugar and mix one more time. After about 2 - 3 minutes, add the cooled rice and mix everything well. Adjust the salt if needed and keep it covered on low heat for 3 - 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve warm, at room temperature as is or with some yogurt.

Similar dishes - Methi Bhath,  Methi Pulav, Edamame and Greens Rice.

Enjoy.

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Cabbage Rice

I don't think that anyone can beat South Indians in making different varieties of rice. It is a staple in every house and the taste can be altered by changing just one ingredient. So, naturally I am notorious for making different kinds of rices. I have more than 35 rice dishes on this blog and there are a lot of rice dishes I make that I have not even posted on the blog. Rice is great for people who are on gluten free diet, is cheap and is very easy and quick to make. You could flavor it with anything and if you add a lot of veggies, it becomes a complete meal. Yes, it has lot of carbohydrates, but one has to make a compromise somewhere. What do you say?

One year back - Tomatillo Rice/Salsa Verde Rice
Two years back - Eggless Brioche, Tindora Pulav
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 1/2 cups uncooked (I used Jasmine rice. You can use basmati or long grain rice)
Cabbage - sliced thin into 2" strips (Or shredded) 4 cups
Peas - 1 1/2 cups (I used frozen peas)
Lime - 1 juiced
Oil - 4 TBSP
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 3  broken
Curry leaves - a few
Chana dal / Bengal gram dal / split chickpea dal - 2 tsp
Urad dal / Black gram dal - 2 tsp
Cashews - 2 TBSP
Asafoetida / Hing - generous pinch
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - chopped 3 TBSP

Method:
Wash and rinse rice. Drain. Add 3 cups of water to it and cook either in rice cooker or on stove top. Let cool for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread on a plate to cool completely.

In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add red chillies, curry leaves, both the dals, asafoetida and cashews. When the cashews and dal is golden brown, add the chopped/shredded cabbage. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric and let it cook. After a minute or two, add frozen peas. If you are using canned peas, you can add just before adding rice to the pot. Let the cabbage cook stirring occasionally. When the cabbage and peas are cooked, add cumin, red chilli powder and mix well. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Add the chopped cilantro and mix one more time. Adjust the salt if needed. Keep it on very low heat covered for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and after about 10 minutes, add the juice of the lime and mix well. Serve warm or at room temperature. This makes a great one pot meal that is perfect for lunch, brunch, dinner.

Variations:
You could add about 1/2 cup of grated coconut to it. Instead of lime juice, add tomatoes along with other veggies. If you are making this in a non-Indian kitchen, you can leave out mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies, both the dals and asafoetida. Just toast cashews in oil and add cabbage and peas to it. Use chilli pepper flakes or cayanne and proceed. You can use any other herb instead of cilantro. You could use black beans instead of green peas. Use 1 can (15 oz)  rinsed well and drained.

Enjoy.

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Vegetable Pulav

Pulav or pilaf is a wide known dish. It is in middle eastern cuisine, it is in Indian cuisine. If you search the internet for this recipe, you will get tons of them, but most of them do not call for ground masala paste. This, I believe is a version that is pretty common in Southern states of India. And, this is the same recipe which makes people remember me for the 'pulav' for many days, months and even years. I am not saying this is 'the recipe', but I am saying it is a damn good one if I may say so.

One year back - Carrot Almond Kheer/Pudding
Two years back - Vegan Banana Brownies
Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Chopped vegetables - 2  cups (I used green beans, green peas, lima beans, potatoes, carrots) You could use cauliflower too
Oil - 4 TBSP divided use
Salt - to taste
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 3 - 4
Bay leaves - 2
Black cardamom (bada elachi) - 2 (optional)
Water - 1 1/2 cups

To grind into a paste:
Onion - 1 medium chopped into big chunks
Cilantro - 1/3 cup (could add few mint leaves too)
Green chillies - 6 or as per taste
Garlic - 1 - 2 pods
Ginger - 1/2" piece peeled and chopped
Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1/2" stick
Green cardamom - 2

Method:
Soak rice in enough water (not the 1 1/2 cups I have mentioned above). Grind all the ingredients mentioned in 'To make a paste' without adding any water. In a pan, heat 3 TBSP of oil. When hot, add the ground paste. Sprinkle some salt and let it cook stirring frequently. When it is cooked, the raw smell of the onion should be gone and the oil should separate from the sides. When this happens, add all the chopped vegetables. Mix and cover with a lid and let the veggies cook for sometime. You are not trying to cook them completely here. They will cook with rice. Meanwhile, in another pan, heat the remaining 1 TBSP of oil. Drain the rice completely. When hot, add bay leaves, followed by cinnamon stick, cloves, black cardamom. When they pop, add the drained rice and saute for a minute or two. You are not trying to change the color of the rice, but you should coat the rice with a thin layer of oil. Turn off the heat.

Mix the contents of the pan with veggies and add the rice to it. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water and mix well. Adjust the salt and bring it to a boil. When it starts boiling, cover with a lid and lower the flame and let it cook till done. If I have to take care of other things when this cooks, I usually transfer the contents to a pan and put it in the pressure cooker. If you are using pressure cooker, don't wait for it to whistle. When it starts the hissing sound, turn off the heat and open when the pressure is completely down. Fluff with a fork. Serve with raita or even plain yogurt.

Enjoy.

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Kale and Pineapple Rice

When we went to Indian grocery store, we met my husband's ex-colleague. He is not Indian, but eats a lot of Indian food. He is Vegan by choice and has to follow gluten-free diet. When we were talking, he said he loves to eat different kinds of rice dishes but does not know how to make different kinds at home. Here is one dish that he could or anyone could make since it doesn't use too many spices or prepared spice powders. This is actually a good dish for a weekend brunch. Quick, easy and filling.

One year back - Savory/Salt Pongal and Sweet Pongal
Two years back - Moong Dal Halwa
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 1/2 cups (basmati or jasmine rice are better here)
Oil - 4 TBSP
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 pods minced
Green chillies - 10 slit lengthwise (Or per taste)
Curry leaves - few
Red onion - sliced thin 3 medium or 4 small
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Salt - to taste
Kale - 8 Oz bag (I used pre-washed, cut kale)
Pineapple chunks - from a 20 Oz can drained (Or about 1 cup fresh cut chunks)
Kidney beans - One 15 Oz can drained and rinsed (or any other beans. You could increase the quantity if desired)
Lime juice - from half a lime

Method:
Cook rice and spread on a plate to separate the grains. In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add slit green chillies and curry leaves. When they pop, add garlic and cumin. When cumin pops, add onion, turmeric and some salt and let it wilt. When onion is cooked, add kale, kidney beans or any other beans of your choice, pineapple and stir. Cover and let the kale cook completely. Add cooled rice, mix well and adjust the salt if required. Let it sit on low flame covered for 3 - 4 minutes or until rice is heated up. Add the juice of lime and mix well and turn off the heat. Serve warm, at room temperature.

Notes:
You could increase the beans as per your taste. You could also make this with some other greens like spinach. Want to add different veggies, go ahead. Whatever you do, this is a no-fail recipe.

Enjoy.

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Hakka Noodles

I loved indo-chinese dishes when I was in India. But, I am too scared to eat at any Chinese or Thai places because of some of the sauces or ingredients they use which, they call 'vegetarian'. Come to think of it green curry paste or red curry paste is not vegetarian, and neither is oyster sauce that is used in many sauces that they serve. Lot of sauce recipes call for stirring some shrimp paste into it which is scary for a vegetarian. So, those restaurants are out of my 'to go' list of restaurants. Here is a simple way of making those noodles that I loved back at home. Is this recipe authentic? I do not know. I just went by the flavors and my imagination and they taste the same as I remember eating them. You can use any combination of veggies that does not get mushy when cooked.

One year back - Tofu Butter Masala, Whitebread with tangzhong starter
Two years back - Eggless Almond Brownies
Ingredients:
Hakka noodles - 1 pack (500 gms quick cooking one was what I used)
Peanut oil - 4 TBSP divided use
Salt - to taste
Soy sauce - 3 TBSP
Rice vinegar - 4 TBSP
Hot sauce - 1 - 2 TBSP or per taste (I used Sriracha)
Brown Sugar - 2 TBSP
Green Onions - 4 - 5 both green and white parts chopped
Carrots - 3 peeled and sliced into thin strips of 2"
French cut green beans - 1 cup (I used frozen)
Cabbage - sliced thin and into 2" strips (1 - 1 1/2 cups)
Baby Corn - 1 cup (I used canned, but frozen should work better)
Garlic - 4 pods chopped fine
Ginger - peeled and chopped fine about 1 TBSP
Cilantro - Chopped 3 TBSP for garnish

Method:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it slightly. When it comes to a boil, add the noodles. Boil for 2 - 3 minutes. (Refer to the package for directions. Mine were quick cooking ones so needed only 2 - 3 minutes) Drain and toss with 1 TBSP of oil to prevent them from sticking. Heat the remaining oil in a wok. When hot, add ginger, garlic and all the veggies together. Trick is to cook it on high flame for very less time. Sprinkle some salt and keep stirring. You could toss it if you are adventurous the way they show in cooking shows. When the veggies have softened a bit, add brown sugar, soy sauce, hot sauce. Mix well. After a minute or two, add rice vinegar and toss. Now, add the noodles and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if required. Garnish with cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve immediately. If you have all the veggies ready, you can make this in about 15 minutes.  Left overs can be reheated and served.

Enjoy.

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Green Beans Rice

Have you ever felt like you don't want to do anything? Today was such a day for me. Didn't want to cook or clean or go out either. Whenever I say I am bored to cook, there is always the same reply. "Let's go out to eat then". As I said, I was in the least of the mood to get dressed and go out to eat. I opened the refrigerator and saw a bag of green beans that I had bought other day. Necessity to use up that green beans lead to this dish.

Rice with any kind of vegetables is a no brainer for a South Indian. Because, you mix veggies with some rice and add Vangibhath Powder, add some lime juice and you are done. One pot meal is ready in no time. But, I had no powder on hand and I came up with a different variation of spice powder without roasting any spices. Result was a delicious one pot meal. If you use frozen green beans, you save the time on chopping it too. Anything to make a lazy day lazier...

One year back - Corn Salad, Carrot Raisin Bread
Ingredients:
Rice - 2 Cups uncooked (Sona Masoori or Basmati)
Green Beans - Chopped about 4 cups (2 pounds before cleaning - See Notes)
Oil - 4 TBSP
Salt - to taste
Red Chillies - 3 broken into pieces
Curry leaves - few
Mustard - 1 tsp
Cilantro - chopped 4 TBSP
Lime - 1
Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 3 TBSP

To make a powder:
Roasted peanuts - 2 TBSP (dry roast peanuts and then use or use already roasted ones)
Cumin - 1 tsp
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Cloves - 1/2 tsp (not powdered)
Coriander seeds - 10 - 12
Cinnamon - 1" stick not too wide

Method:
Cook rice in enough water with a pinch of salt. When completely done, fluff with a fork and let it cool. In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add broken red chillies, curry leaves, peanuts. When peanuts are toasted, add chopped green beans. Sprinkle some salt and mix. Let it cook.
Meanwhile, make the spice powder ready. When the beans are cooked and tender to bite, add the spice powder, coconut and stir. Lower the heat so that the raw smell of spices mellow a bit.  Add the cooled rice and mix it all very well. Adjust the salt and add chopped cilantro. Keep it on low heat for couple of minutes with lid closed. Turn off the heat. Squeeze the lime juice on the rice and mix well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:
You could use french cut frozen green beans too. If you don't want to make the spice powder, you could use red chilli powder mixed with some garam masala and grind that with roasted peanuts. But, garam masala has different proportions of the spices so it will taste differently.

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Charred Green Bell Pepper Rice

If there was a challenge of making different kinds of rice dishes, and if there were a South Indian competing in that, he/she would definitely win.  I have not seen any other country/culture's cuisine anywhere closer to what South Indians can make with rice as the main ingredient. Then again, I am nowhere closer to being 'Alton Brown'. So, if I am wrong, forgive me.

I was flipping through the pages of this book that happens to be in Kannada. There was a rice dish called 'Masala Rice'. I modified it quite a bit and added charred green bell peppers to it. Why did I use bell peppers? Because I had lot of them on hand. You could try using grilled zucchini or grilled eggplants instead of bell peppers too. This dish wasn't very spicy for me but then again you need to remember that I am Indian. Go easy on chillies if you cannot handle heat.

One year back - Vangibhath powder, Fenugreek/Methi rice
Inspired from a book called 'Paaka Rasayana' which specializes in North Karnataka Cuisine (A southern state of India)
Ingredients:
Green Bell Peppers - 5 huge ones (Or use 8 smaller ones)
Rice - 2 cups (I used sona masoori. If using Basmati, use 2 1/2 cups)
Oil - 4 TBSP divided use
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cashews - 3 TBSP (optional - could also use peanuts)
Cilantro - chopped 3 TBSP
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - two generous pinches
Lime - 1 (to get about 4 TBSP of juice)

To grind into a paste:
Red Onion - 1 huge chopped into chunks (Or use 2 medium ones)
Green Chillies - 9 - 10 per taste
Garlic - 2 pods
Ginger - 1" piece peeled and chopped into chunks
Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 5
Cinnamon - 2" stick
Cumin - 1 tsp
Coriander - 1/2 tsp (whole not powder)

Method:
Wash and rinse the rice very well. Cook in enough water with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Sona masoori rice that I used takes 2 1/2 cups water per each cup of rice. Use water depending on the type of rice. Let it cool a bit and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
Seed the bell pepper and chop into chunks. On a large shallow skillet preferably cast iron one, spread about 1 tsp of oil. Heat it. When really hot, add the chopped bell pepper so that they are in one single layer. You will have to do this in batches. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and let it charr. If you have a grill, you can use that for this purpose. Place an aluminum foil on the top of the bell pepper chunks and place another cast iron skillet on the top to get that burnt texture. Stir once so that all the sides get cooked. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining bell pepper chunks.
Meanwhile, grind all the ingredients mentioned in 'To grind into a paste' section above. Set aside. In a pan, heat remaining 3 TBSP of oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cashews. When they are golden, add the ground paste. Sprinkle a bit of salt and let it cook till the raw smell of onion is completely gone. You will have to stir frequently to avoid burning. Add the charred bell pepper chunks to the pan. Stir. Add the rice and mix very well. Adjust the salt if needed. Turn off the heat and add cilantro and lime juice. Mix well. Serve as the main dish as is or with some yogurt on the side.

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