Aloo Methi Bhath (Potato fenugreek rice dish)

Inspiration can come from anywhere - source unknown.
I don't know where I had read this line but it is so true. I was familiar with the dish Aloo Methi (Potato and fenugreek leaves side dish), I was familiar with aloo paratha, methi paratha. I had no idea that people make aloo methi paratha as a different dish altogether. I was watching a show and in that they serve aloo methi paratha for breakfast. The moment I saw that, this idea came and since I had the main ingredients on hand, I converted it as a rice dish. I might not know rocket science but I can make rice out of anything and everything that is vegetarian. This was delicious. The bunch of fenugreek leaves I used was small. Unless it is huge, you can actually use two bunches to enhance the flavor of methi or fenugreek.

One Year Back - Pumpkin Chocolate Bread
Two Years Back - Vegan Sourdough Chocolate Cake with peanut butter glaze
Three Years Back - Sourdough Pumpkin Spice CakeIngredients: 
Rice -  1 1/2 cups
Potatoes - 2 medium sliced into long thin slices (like french fries cut)
Red Onion - 2 medium sliced thin
Fenugreek leaves - 1 bunch cleaned and leaf and tender stem chopped (Or you could use any other greens of your choice)
Oil - 3 TBSP
Ginger - 1" piece peeled and grated
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cashews - 3 TBSP
Salt - to taste
Red Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp (Or to taste)
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder / Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Sugar - 1 TBSP

Method:
Wash and rinse the rice. Cook and cool. Fluff with a fork to separate the grains and spread it on a plate. In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add ginger followed by cashews. When the cashews turn a little golden, add onions. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric and let it cook. When onions are almost cooked, add potatoes and mix well. Cover a lid and let the potatoes cook till soft but not mushy (5 - 8 minutes based on your pan and how big you have cut them). Keep an eye on it since they will they stick to the pan and burn easily. When potatoes are tender, add the fenugreek leaves. Mix well. Now, add the red chilli powder, sugar, cumin powder, amchoor powder and give it another mix. Greens should cook in less than 5 minutes. When they have wilted, add the cooled rice and mix well. Check for salt and adjust if needed. Cover with a lid and lower the flame to the lowest and let it sit untouched for 4 - 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve as is or with a bowl of yogurt.

Enjoy.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

Carrot Rice

I love cooking. Duh, why else would I write a food blog?  But there are days I don't feel like doing any cooking/baking. This recipe is for such days. Since I cook every day, some times twice, I usually don't have any left overs. And if I don't feel like cooking, we will all have to eat either frozen naan and some curry or have to go out. This kind of recipe comes in handy for such days. You can add any vegetable you want as long as it cooks fine in a rice cooker along with the rice.

 
One Year Back - Chocolate Chip Chocolate Bread
Two Years Back - Zucchini Bread
Ingredients: 
Rice - 1 cup uncooked (Sona masoori or basmati is preferred)
Oil - 2 TBSP
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 stick of 2"
Cloves - 6 - 8
Green Chillies - 6 - 8 chopped fine
Cashews - 2 TBSP
Carrot - 6 - 8 medium peeled and chopped
Peas - 1 cup (frozen peas or pre cooked peas if using the dry ones) - optional
Salt - to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 1/2 cup grated
Cilantro - 2 TBSP chopped

Method:
Wash and rinse rice. Add drained rice and 2 cups of water to the pot of rice cooker. In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add cumin. When it splutters, add green chillies, cloves, cinnamon and cashews. When the cashews are toasted, add carrot pieces, green peas and mix well. Sprinkle salt and the spice powders. Mix well. After a minute or two, add coconut, cilantro and mix one more time. Add this entire mixture to the rice cooker in which water and rice are soaking. Mix and add enough salt for the final dish. Turn on the rice cooker. When it is done, turn it off and fluff the entire mixture. Add more cilantro if required. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Linking it to Srivalli's Blogging Marathon. 

Enjoy.

Pin It

Eggplant Coconut Rice

I don't know much about vegetable gardening or gardening in general. I have been growing vegetables for the past 3 years or so. There is one thing that I have been growing every year - Tomatoes. But apart from that, I try different things every year. This year was a trial of growing eggplants and Bell peppers. Needless to say, we are eating a lot of eggplant nowadays. Here is one rice using this veggie.

One Year Back - Easy Pineapple Coconut Cake
Two Years Back - Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 1/2 cups uncooked (I used sona masoori, you could use basmati too)
Oil - 2 TBSP
Red Onion - 2 large
Eggplant - Long thin ones 3 sliced (Or use one medium big eggplant)
Dry Coconut / Kobbari - 1/2 cup  (If you can't find it, use dessicated unsweetened coconut flakes instead)
Garlic - 2 pods
Green Chillies - 5 - 6
Jaggery or brown sugar or white sugar - 1 TBSP (don't skip this)
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp (See notes if using regular tamarind)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2 broken
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Curry leaves - few
Chana dal / Bengal gram dal - 1 TBSP
Raw peanuts - 2 TBSP
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and rinse rice. Cook with enough water ( 1:2 ratio). Let cool and fluff with a fork to separate the grains. Slice one onion into chunks and the other one into thin slices. In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil. When hot, add the onion chunks, garlic, green chillies and coconut. Sprinkle some salt and let it cook. When cooked, set aside. To the same pan, add the remaining oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add broken red chillies, curry leaves followed by bengal gram dal and peanuts. Let the peanuts get toasted. Add the sliced onions, turmeric, little bit of salt. When onions are half cooked, add the eggplant slices and mix well. When this is getting cooked, take the contents you have set aside into a blender and blend into a coarse paste without adding any water. When eggplant is cooked, add the ground paste, tamarind paste, jaggery or sugar and mix well. After two minutes, add the cooled rice and mix well. Check and adjust the salt if needed. Turn off the heat. Serve as one pot meal.


Notes:
If you do not have tamarind paste, you can add about a small lime sized tamarind when you grind the onion, coconut and garlic mixture.

Linking it to Srivalli's Blogging Marathon.
Enjoy.

Pin It

Lentil Pulav / Masoor Pulav

Lot of people can do a lot of things. Some are natural at swimming or arts or music. Me? I am a natural when it comes to food. Not just the eating part, but making part of it. Oh yes, I love food. If not for the consciousness of getting wide and wider, I could live to eat good food. My mother and grand mother used to say that there is something in a person's hand that whatever they cook, becomes great tasting. I don't think it has anything to do with the hand. It has everything to do with mind - understanding flavors and understanding the math of how much to use for what. Here is a simple rice and lentil dish that serves as a main dish. A one pot meal to be exact.

One Year Back - Oatmeal Bread
Two Years Back - Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
Whole Masoor / Red or Green lentils - 1/2 cup
Basmati rice - 1 cup soaked in water for 30 minutes
Oil - 2 TBSP
Cumin - 1 tsp
Red onion - 3 medium or 2 large sliced thin
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 - 3/4 tsp
Amchoor powder / Dry Mango powder - 1/2 tsp (See Notes)
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - 1/4 cup chopped

Method:
Wash and rinse masoor. Add enough water and start cooking it till cooked but not mushy. Turn off the heat and drain the excess water. Save it for using while cooking the rice.
In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add cumin followed by onion. Sprinkle some salt and let it wilt. When onions are almost cooked, add red chilli powder, amchoor powder, cumin powder. Mix all well and add drained rice, cooked lentil. Mix one more time and add enough water to the reserved water to make 2 cups. Pour it into the pot and bring to a boil. Add more salt if required. When there is a full boil and most of the water has evaporated, add cilantro and lower the flame and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 - 10 more minutes till rice is completely cooked. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice after 10 minutes. Serve with raita or plain yogurt.

Notes:
If you cannot get dry mango powder, when the rice is done, add the juice of a lime and mix well.

Linking it to Srivalli's Blogging Marathon.

Enjoy.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

Simple Edamame and Greens Rice

There are many posts that I write here on the blog for myself, that is when I am very  happy with my creations in the kitchen or I feel my idea is a terrific one. There are some posts I write thinking it could help someone. This recipe is purely to help those non-Indians who love Indian food, but are scared of the long and elaborate process involved in making certain dishes. I have a colleague who tries to experiment many recipes if they seem simple for him and he loves Indian food. This recipe is for such people. Easy to make, not too many ingredients required and no roasting the spices and grinding them, etc. Adjust the heat (both chilli powder and garam masala) as per your taste. We eat moderately spicy food at home and it could be unbearable for some who are not used to spicy food.

One year back - Yeasted Olive Oil Pear Cake, Salad with italian dressing
Two years back - No knead Focaccia
Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Edamame - 10 Oz bag (I used frozen)
Fenugreek leaves - 1 big bunch Leaves and tender stalk picked and chopped (You could use any greens of choice like spinach, swiss chard, kale etc)
Oil - 5 TBSP
Cashews - 3 - 4 TBSP (optional)
Red Onions - 2 medium sliced
Tomatoes - 2 medium chopped
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp or to taste
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 TBSP

Method:
Wash and rinse rice. Drain. Add 4 cups of water and add frozen edamame to it. Add couple of pinches of salt and pressure cook. You could also cook it in a rice cooker or on the stove top. Let it cool a bit and fluff with a fork and separate the grains.
In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add cumin. When they splutter, add cashews. Let them get toasted. Add onions, sprinkle some salt and let it wilt. Add the chopped greens, chopped tomatoes. Mix well. When the greens are cooked, add garam masala, red chilli powder, sugar and mix all well. Add the cooked rice and edamame mixture and mix gently. Adjust the salt and cover with a lid and keep on low flame for few minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve warm with yogurt or raita or as is. This makes a quick meal that is perfect for lunch or weekend brunch.

Enjoy.

Pin It

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.

Pin It

Cranberry Kichadi / Spicy Rice and lentil with cranberries

If I were in India, I would never have used cranberries in cooking. But here I am living in a country where November is all about pumpkin, squash and cranberries. Do you blame me for using them in Indian cuisine? Seriously, if you ask people what are cranberries used for? there are only few names that you will hear. Dried sweetened cranberries, Cranberry sauce and cranberry Juice. For some reason, I feel these berries are not used to their full potential.

I use ingredients based on how I relate to them. Cranberries are tangy and they come in the line of limes, tamarind and anything that is sour. I made kichadi which is nothing but thick rice and lentil porridge with spices. Usually limes are used in giving them the tang required. I used cranberries for that purpose. They do the job and add color to the dish. They are rich in antioxidants so that is a plus. Don't you agree?

One year back - Whole Wheat Banana Pumpkin Bread, Cranberry Rice
Two years back - Akki Rotti/Rice flatbread, Glazed Sugar Cookie
Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups
Masoor dal /lentils - 1/2 cup
Water - 6 cups plus 1 cup more to adjust the consistency
Onions - 2 medium sliced thin
Garlic - 3 pods crushed or grated
Ginger - 1" piece grated
Cumin - 2 tsp divided use
Cashews - 1/4 cup (optional)
Black pepper - 1 TBSP coarsely powdered
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste (optional)
Methi seeds/Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Fenugreek leaves - 1 bunch cleaned and chopped (Or you could use spinach or chard)
Oil - 3 TBSP
Turmeric - 1 tsp divided use
Cranberries - 1 - 1 1/2 cups rinsed and drained
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and rinse the rice and lentil mixture. Drain. Add 6 cups of water. Add a pinch of turmeric, 1 tsp of cumin and pressure cook for two whistles. It will be a bit mushy.
Heat oil in a pan. When it is hot, add remaining 1 tsp of cumin, black pepper powder, garlic, ginger, fenugreek seeds and cashews. Let them all toast. Add chopped onions, remaining turmeric. Sprinkle some salt and let them wilt. When they are cooked, add cranberries, fenugreek leaves or any other greens of choice. Mix well and add red chilli powder. Let the leaves wilt and cranberries pop. Keep stirring occasionally. When all the berries have popped, add cooked rice and lentil mixture. Add about a cup of water to adjust the consistency if required and mix well. Adjust the salt and keep it covered on low flame for 3 minutes or so. Turn off and serve warm. It tastes great with a bit of ghee on top, but I never serve it like that. Or serve with some yogurt or plain as is. This makes an easy one pot meal which is loaded with flavors.

Enjoy.

Pin It

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.

Have a great weekend. Pin It

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.

Enjoy. Pin It

Minty Coconut Rice

"This is Coconut pulav". "No, it isn't. This is coconut rice". "No, it is neither". "OK, let me call it Minty coconut rice since it has mint".
This is what was going on in my mind when I made this rice. This is neither coconut pulav nor the traditional South Indian Coconut rice. I had eaten similar rice in someone's place years ago. When I asked the lady how she made it, she said she had cooked the rice in coconut milk. I used that inspiration and came up with this. Remember that if you use all the liquid as coconut milk, rice won't cook properly. That is the reason for using part coconut milk and major part water.

One Year Back -  Zucchini Kootu
Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Green peas - 2 cups (I used frozen)
Red Onions - 3 medium thinly sliced
Oil - 4 TBSP
Bay leaf - 2
Cashews - 4 - 5 TBSP
Green Chillies - 10 sliced thin or to taste
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Mint - Chopped and measured 1/2 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup (I used canned)
Water - 3 cups
Salt - to taste

Method:
Soak rice in water. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add bay leaves. When they get toasted, add chopped green chillies and cashews. Let the cashews get toasted. Add onions. Sprinkle some salt and let it cook. After about 3 minutes, add the green peas and mint. Stir and let the onions cook completely. Add Garam masala and stir. Drain the rice and add it to the pot. Stir. Add coconut milk followed by water. Bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and cover with a lid and let all the liquid get absorbed and rice cooked. Check for the salt and add if required.

After you switch off the heat, let it rest for 10 minutes and then fluff the grains with a fork. Serve with raita or plain yogurt.

Notes:
You can use any veggie of choice in place of peas or omit altogether.

Sending this to 'One Pot meals' event.

Enjoy. Pin It