Whole Masoor Pulao

I had seen this delicious looking kichadi/pulao at Delicious Adventures which she said is a popular Maharashtrian dish.  I also saw another recipe - with a few variations at another site which stated a similar type of rice as a Pakistani dish.  And this dish here is probably a combination of the two.  And it was good.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup *
Whole Masoor - 1/4 cup
Potato - 2 small to medium
Onion - 2
Red chilies - 4-5
Garlic - 4 pods
Ginger - 1/2 "
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Cloves - 2 nos
Cinnamon - 1/2" bark
Star Anise - 2 nos
Salt to taste
Oil /Ghee- 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

Soak the whole masoor overnight - or atleast for 4-5 hours.
Soak the rice for an hour and keep
Peel the potato and cut into medium sized cubes
Chop the onions.

Dry roast the red chilies and cumin and grind along with ginger - garlic. A little water can be added to make a medium smooth paste. Keep aside.

In the pressure cooker - cook rice with salt, cinnamon, clove and star anise till just done.
Cook the masoor till just done and also the potato pieces.
I put all the three in separator vessels in the cooker.  Just make sure you do not have too much water for both the rice and the masoor.  Usual cooking time of rice is enough for all the ingredients.

Take a pan, heat oil.  Add onions - keep till translucent.
Add the ground paste and fry a while
Then the masoor and potato.  Stir gently so that none of the ingredients get mashed.
Add turmeric, a little salt ( remember the rice is also cooked with salt), coriander powder
The mixture can be slightly moist for best results.
Divide into two portions

Take a microwave safe bowl ( this can be done in the oven also - use appropriate dish)
Put a layer of rice
Cover with the masoor mixture
And another layer of rice with another layer of masoor
Top with cooked rice.
Cover with a microwave safe lid and keep in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Gently mix with a fork
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Have with raitha. It is a meal by itself.

* I made it with plain rice.  I have also used oil sparingly and gone overboard with the garnishing :-)

Masala rice with Broad beans and Vangibath powder

I saw this recipe for Vangibath at Jeyashri's Kitchen.  But refrained from making it all this while because V does not eat brinjal.  But I had a few beans - Chikudukaya, Avarikay left from a curry and I thought I would adapt the recipe.  Logically it cannot be Vangibath  - since Vangi means Brinjal in marathi and Bath means Rice - but it does not matter.  The rice tasted good and I think it could be made with most kind of vegetables.  Especially if you have something that is too little to make a curry, it can be turned into a Vangiless bath!

Vangibath Powder:

Coriander seeds (Dhania) 1 ½ tbsp

Red chilies – 4 nos

Channa  dhal – 1 tbsp

Sesame seeds – 1 tsp

Clove – 1

Dry roast all the ingredients, cool and grind to a fine powder.  These can be made in larger quantities and stored for use.

Preparation of Rice

Rice – 1 cup – for better flavor use Basmati rice

Cook with just enough water to ensure that the rice is not mushy and the grains are separate

Spread in a plate and allow to cool

And the Beans

Flat beans (Chikudukai-Averakai) – 100 gms – cut to ½” pieces

Onion – 1

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – few

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Vangibath powder – 2-3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Peanuts – 20 gms – roast in little oil and keep aside

Heat oil.

Add mustard, urad dal – when the mustard splutters add curry leaves, hing.

And then the chopped onion

Followed by the beans

Sauté till the beans are tender

Add the vangibath powder

And salt

Mix well.

Take off the heat

And the final product

Add to rice and gently mix till well blended. 

Add the peanuts.

Enjoy with raitha and some fried papads.

Shevai - The Konkani Semiya

I have been dreaming of this for some time now.  And browsing through various food blogs led me to the recipe.  I have memories of this food as one being difficult to make.  Maybe in the past, with no mixie but the old stone grinder and then the shevai maker was not the easiest one to operate either.  But there was this ' I have to eat it now' factor that set the wheel in motion....

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup
Coconut - 1/4 cup - some recipes even have 1/2 measure
Salt to taste

Step 1
Soak rice for about 6 hours.
Grate the coconut.
Grind the soaked rice and grated coconut to a fine paste.
The mixture should be like dosa batter

Step 2
Take a wok and lightly grease it
Pour in the batter, add salt to taste
Keep on a low flame, stir it constantly till it comes together like a soft dough
Take off flame
With wet hands ( since it will be hot) shape into medium sized rolls

Step 3
Put this in a steamer or whichever method you may use for steaming
Steam for about 12-15 mins.  You can put a skewer in and it should come out clean

Step 4
Take the steamed roll out and put in a semiya/muruku maker
Pass it through and extract the final product - SHEVAI is now ready

Note - As you extrude one roll, make sure the remaining rolls are still in the steamer.  They should be hot when you put them through the semiya maker.

Eat it with a nice accompanying dish of coconut milk sweetened with jaggery,  or coconut oil with finely diced onions and green chillies,  or just pickle, or a nice prawn gashi or eat it just plain.  Have it for breakfast  or any meal that you wish.

For a step by step account you can check the pictures at CusineIndia

Sesame Rice

Or Ellu Saadam.  Recipe from Edible Garden

Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup - cooked - preferably to a stage where the grains are still separate.

For the spice powder:
Sesame ( Thil) - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - 3
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Roast till the coconut and the thil are golden brown, cool and grind to powder

Seasoning:
Oil - 2 tbsp ( Remember that sesame is an oilseed)
Groundnuts - 3 tbsp
Bengal gram dal - 1/2 tbsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Red chillie - 2 nos
Asafoetida - pinch
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste

Allow the rice to cool.  Add salt, spice powder and mix.

Heat oil.
Add the groundnuts, roast to a deep brown colour and keep aside.
Then the mustard, hing, dals, red chilie.
Allow the mustard to splutter and add the curry leaves.

Add the tempering and the groundnuts to the rice and mix and serve.

Pudina Rice

A nice flavoured rice. Simple and would go with any accompanying gravy.

Ingredients:

Pudina leaf (Mint) - One bunch / a cup of cut leaves

Rice - 1 1/2 cups

Cinammon - 1 "

Cloves - 2

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds (jeera) - 2 tsp

Green chilies - 2 -3 ( vary according to taste)

Bay leaf - 1

Cashew - few

Wash the mint leaves, drain

Take a pan, fry the cashew in ghee and keep aside.

In the same pan roast in the ghee, cumin seeds, cloves, cinamon, bayleaf, chopped green chilies for a little while.

Remove, cool and grind along with mint leaves.

Add to rice.

Add salt and cook with required amount of water.

Once done, gently mix and and garnish with fried cashew.

Here, we had it with curd, salad and fried goldfingers!

Recipes with Raw Mango

The mango tree ( neighbour's compound - unfortunately!) is full of mangoes.  Surprising, because the papers say the mango crop is poor. 

Well, here are three recipes made from raw mango -

1. Maanga Pachadi - Made for the Tamil New Year -

( the ingredients are all approximate – will depend on the size of the mango and the sweetness you would like to add – so make accordingly).

Raw Mango – 1 small
Jaggery – 150 gms
Cumin seeds ( jeera) – ½ tsp
Red chillie – 2
Mustard – ½ tsp
Oil for seasoning
Salt – pinch

Cut the mango into small pieces.
Add a little water and microwave for a minute. Just to make it slightly soft. I do not like the mango to be overcooked
In the meantime. Add a little water to the jaggery and make a thick syrup. Strain.
Add the slightly cooked mango to the syrup and simmer till the syrup thickens a little more. ( not to any string consistency, but should not be watery either)
Remove from fire – the mixture will cook a little even after you remove it from the heat.
Season with a little oil, mustard, cumin and red chillie.


2. Mango- Coconut Chutney/Thogayal
( excuse the picture)

Remember the mango is the sour component. Taste the mango and add accordingly. In the regular chutney, tamarind is added. The mango here replaces the tamarind and adds a tangy taste.

Coconut - ½ small
Raw Mango – small pieces – 50 gms ( to taste)
Urad dhal ( black gram dhal) – 2 tbsp
Red chillies – 2
Green chillies – 1
Asafoetida – pinch
Cumin seeds ( jeera ) – ½ tsp
Corriander leaves – ½ bunch ( optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning/ and roasting
Currry leaves/Mustard for seasoning.

Saute the urad dhal, jeera, red chillies in a little oil, till the urad turns slightly red
Grind along with coconut, mango pieces, salt.
Add a little water – this chutney should be slightly thick
Season.
Eat with hot rice / roti

* Recipe from Papukka
 
3. Mango Rice
( no picture for now!)


Cooked rice – the grains should be separate - 2 cups
Grated mango – ½ cup – more or less according to sourness desired
Bengal gram dhal ( channa dhal) – 1 tbsp – soak for a while
Black gram dhal ( urad dhal) – 1 tsp
Salt
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Corriander powder – ¼ tsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 2
Red chillies – 2
Curry leaves for seasoning.
Peanuts / Cashewnuts – sauté to golden brown
Oil – slightly generous – for seasoning

Heat oil in a wok
Add the soaked and drained channa dhal, urad dhal, red chillies, mustard.
When mustard splutters add curry leaves
Add the grated mango.
And the coriander powder ( dhania), turmeric powder, slit green chillies
A little water to cook the mango.
Add salt
When the mixture is semi dry.
Remove and cool.
Add to the rice, the peanut/cashe nut and mix well.

Serve.

Easy Recipes - Peas Pulao and Vegetable Khorma

Peas Pulao ( serves 3-4 persons)

Ingredients:

Rice – 2 cups ( Use Basmati for extra flavour)
Peas – 200 gms
Green chillies – 4
Cinnamon – 1
Cardamom – 4 pods
Star Anise – 3
Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp

Heat the ghee,.

Add jeera, when it is browning add the whole cardamom,Cinnamon stick, star anise and the green chillies.

Add it to rice

Mix in peas.

Add salt.

Pour in 4 cups of water.

Cook.
( As simple as that !)

Vegetable Khorma ( easy method)
Ingredients:
Vegetables – 2 capsicums, carrots -2, Beans - 25 gms (Chop to even sized pieces)
Onion – 1 big - dice
Potato – 1 big ( cube)
Garlic pods – 6 - finely dice
Cummin seeds ( jeera) – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder ( dhania) – 1 tbsp
Tomato Purée – 50 ml ( about 3 tbsp - can vary)
Almonds – 1 tbsp – powder
Chillie powder – to taste
Chole masala powder ( or substitute with garam masala powder) – 1 tbsp
Salt
Oil – 2tbsp

Heat oil

Add jeera and allow it to brown.

Add onions and garlic, brown
Add the diced vegetables
Sauté, add enough water to cook
Add turmeric, coriander powder

When vegetables are cooking, add tomato Purée, almond powder, masala and chillie powder.

Salt to taste.
Simmer till gravy thickens.

PS: Made at home but not by me!

Ven Pongal - Tamilian Kichidi

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Moong dal ( green gram split) - 1/4 cup

Ginger - 1/4" - finely chopped

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Ghee - 50 gms ( at least)

Curry leaves - few

Cashew nuts - 25 gms

Salt to taste

Cook rice and mung dal together with finely chopped ginger.

Cook with a little more water than required to make a soft mushy consistency.

Add salt to taste - mix well.

Once cooked, mash it well to make a soft mass.

Heat the ghee, add cumin, saute, add coarsely ground pepper, and cashew nuts.

Brown the nuts, add curry leaves and add to the mashed rice mixture.

Serve hot, with chutney and ginger pickle

Note: The greater the quantity of ghee, the tastier it will be.

Gujarati Kichidi

We had lunch the other day. A Gujarati meal. I particularly liked the Kichidi that was served and tried it at home. It was very good.

Rice - 1/2 cup
Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
ginger - 1/2" chopped finely
cinnamon stick - 1"
green chilli - 2 finely chopped
whole black peppercorns - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - leave it to you. ( use wisely)
salt to taste


Wash and soak the rice and dal together for 15 minutes.
Drain.
Heat the ghee in a wok
Add the cumin seeds , brown.
Add the chopped ginger, green chillies, cinnamon, peppercorns, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Fry a while on low heat.
Add the drained rice-dal mixture and salt.
Mix well.
Put in a vessel. Add about 3 cups of water.
Pressure cook.
It should be cooked very soft.
Remove from cooker, mash lightly.
Serve hot topped with a lop of ghee

Ideally served with Kadi.
It could be had with pickle, raitha, papad.

Chinese Fried Rice & Noodles ( Indian style)

Rice - 1 cup
( All other ingredients - especially vegetables - approximate)
Carrots - 2 medium
Beans - 20 gms
Spring Onions - 2
Soya Sauce - 2-4 tbsp ( use your discretion)
Ginger - 1/4"
Garlic - 6-8 pods
MSG - optional. ( adds to the taste, but I did not use it)


Chop vegetables very fine. also ginger - garlic
Cook rice in 1 3/4 cup of water or a little less ( to 1 cup of raw rice), with a little salt. Rice should be just cooked. Grains should be separate and not too soft.
Parboil all the cut vegetables
Take oil in a wok. Add finely cut garlic, ginger, onions and saute till transparent.
Add parboiled vegetables. You can also add raw vegetables and saute till just done and crisp.
Add the finely cut stem of the spring onion.
Add cooked rice. Toss ( if you know the technique :-) )
Add soya sauce, salt ( if required, since you have already added salt while cooking). Mix. Serve hot.

Finely chopped cabbage can also be used.
And rice can be garnished with scrambled egg.

Chinese Noodles

The same vegetables as that used for rice. But the vegetables are sliced lengthwise.
Cook the noodles in excess water, with oil and salt. Drain. Hold under cold water to remove excess starch and so that the noodles do not stick to each other.
Take oil in wok.
Add the chopped ginger, garlic, parboiled vegetables. Saute
Add salt, soya sauce - make a slight semi solid mixture and add the noodles.
Mix. Toss.
Serve hot.

Mushroom Risotto

A recipe that was adapted after some online searching, and YouTube watching! Tasted good!



Button mushrooms- 10 nos
Rice - 3/4 cup - wash and keep soaked till use.
Cheese - recipes said various varieties. I had Cheese cubes - 2 nos
( use one more if you want it cheesier)
Olive oil - liberal use
Butter
Onions - 2 large
Garlic - 6-8 large pods
Pepper
Red chillie flakes
Oregano



Slice the mushrooms.
Dice onions and garlic fine
Grate cheese


Heat a pan.
Add butter and olive oil. Add the onion and garlic( half of what is diced) .
Saute but do not brown.
Add the mushroom slices and saute , add a little water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add some pepper powder and salt.
Remove and keep aside.



Take the pan and now add butter , olive oil
Add the onion, garlic
Drain the rice from water and add to the oil.
Saute till slightly translucent. The rice is now coated with oil/butter
Now add water ( recipes call for chicken stock - was not available! )
Water is to be added a little at a time. Stirring all the while. Requires you to be at the stove all the while.
As the water gets absorbed, keep adding little more.
This process goes on for about 20 minutes.
Meantime, add oregano, pepper, chillie flakes.
Stir, add a little more water. The recipe uses water which is about thrice the quantity of rice ( approximately) if not more.
The rice should be 'al dente' - tender but firm/crisp
At this stage salt is added.
Keep stirring. Add the grated cheese. Mix till creamy.
Add the mushroom mixture. Blend. Remove from fire.
The risotto is now done.
Some recipes tell you to serve the rice on a plate and then place the mushroom mixture on top. Either way, it will taste good.
Serve hot.

Meal Idea - 6

Meal Idea - Cabbage Rice, Mixed Vegetable Curry and Onion Raitha.

Recipe for Cabbage Rice:

Rice - 2 cups

Cabbage - 2 teacups

Onions - 2 medium

Dhania seeds - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 4-5

Jeera - 1 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Garam masala - whole - 2 cloves, dalchini

Coconut - 5 tbsp (grated)

Oil

Salt to taste

Wash rice and keep in rice cooker. Add twice the amount of water

Shred cabbage. Blanch - or parboil the shredded cabbage for 2 mins in microwave. Drain water.

Take oil in a wok. Add the dhania, red chilles, jeera , ginger -garlic paste- roast a while

Add sliced onions, and brown slightly.

Grind the dhania-red chilli- jeera - onion-ginger garlic mixture to coarse paste.

Add to the rice.

Slightly saute the whole garam masala and add to rice.

Also add turmeric, salt, and parboiled/blanched cabbage

Cook.

Garnish with grated coconut. Serve

Tomato Rice with a twist....

I have made tomato rice before. But I thought this was my best effort. So here goes...

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - do not cook the rice too soft. - 2 cups

Tomato - 1 medium

Tomato puree - 1/4 cup

Spring onions - 2

Onion - 1 large

Garam masala - 2 cloves, a little cinnamon

Jeera - 1 tbsp

Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste.

Chop onion, spring onion and the green part of the onion too.

Dice the tomato fine. I have used part tomato and part puree. If you use all tomatoes make sure you blanch and peel them otherwise the peels can ruin the final product.

Heat oil in a wok

Add the jeera and the garam masala

Add the onion, spring onion - both the onion part and the green stalks, saute add the diced tomato, and the garlic paste

Saute till the mixture turns thick.

Add tomato puree. turmeric.

Keep on fire for a while - the mixture should be thick.

Take off fire.

Add to the rice ( which should be slightly cool to avoid the grains getting mashed while stirring in the mixture)

Add salt and tomato mixture

Blend gently.

Serve hot.

( the younger one does not see 'any twist' to the recipe, but I like the sound of it - so the title stays!)

Quick gun murugan bise bele bhat

This is a quick method with the help of ready made masalas. Other wise it is a more elaborate method like the aracha vita sambar. Serves 3-4

Vegetables:
Cut into 1" pieces - drumstick, carrots, beans.
Onions - into 4-5 pieces each
peas
even capsicum can be added.

Procedure:
Cook rice ( 1 measure), Tuvar dhal ( 1/4 measure) with extra water ( for these amounts maybe 3 1/2 cups water) till very soft in pressure cooker

Take some oil ( only ghee is generally used)but you can use oil at this stage.
Add seasoning - mustard seeds, couple of red chillies, curry leaves. And saute the vegetables.
Add water
Add MTR Bisebhele powder - 3-4 tbsp ( or add sambar powder, dhania powder, turmeric, pinch garam masala)
When vegetables are almost cooked add tamarind ( 4 tbsp of paste or a lemon size ball of tamarind soaked and pulp extracted)
Cook till raw flavour of tamarind is lost and vegetables are cooked.

Add to the mashed soft rice, dhal mixture.
Mix well

Take large helping of ghee ( that conscience permits)
Add also many cashew nuts ( as above). Once they turn golden brown add to the rice.

Serve hot with papads or chips and a good raitha.