Minty Tomato Rice and my very first Award

If this is not one of the easiest of rice dishes, what is? Not only is it easy, the handful of fresh mint makes it lipsmackingly delicious. Paired with Beets & Black eyed peas & plain curd, it makes a very lovely and healthy meal. This combination is one of our favorites for work night dinners. Minty Tomato rice is yummy with curd and papads for lunch at work. When I heat it up in the break room, hungry coworkers usually go, 'mmm, that smells gooood!'

Ingredients -
Basmathi Rice - 2 cups, uncooked
Tomatoes - 4 or 5 large, chopped
Onion - 1 large, sliced
Ginger - 1 inch piece, sliced
Garlic - 1 or 2 pods, sliced
Thai Green chillies - 5 or 6, according to your desired level of heat
Fresh mint - leaves from 7 or 8 stems, ~ 1 cup
Fresh Curry leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - according to taste
Whole Spices -
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
Cloves - 5 or 6
Cardamom - 5 or 6
Saunf(Fennel Seeds) - 1/2 teaspoon

Method -

• Add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the chopped tomatoes and mix well to coat. Leave aside. This will release the juices of the tomato by the time it is ready to be fried in the pan.
• Rinse the basmathi rice, pressure cook in 4 cups of water with 1/2 tespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon oil. Spread the cooked rice in a flat plate to cool it.
• In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. When sufficiently hot, add the saunf(fennel seeds), followed by the rest of the whole spices and toast without burning.
• Add the sliced ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves, fry well for a couple minutes.
  Chop the mint fine and add to the pan, sauté well.
• Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt, fry well until the onion turns transluscent.
• Add the chopped tomatoes with the released juices and a pinch of turmeric powder.
• Mix well, sauté for a good couple minutes and close with a plate or a tight fitting lid. Turn the heat to low and let the tomatoes get mushy in the pan. The low heat will also keep the juices in the pan without drying out the mixture. The juice gives the rice its pretty reddish orange colour.
• After the tomatoes have turned mushy, remove the pan from heat and cool the mixture for about 5 minutes. Add the cooled rice and mix well without any lumps, check for salt.

Tomato Rice is ready to be served with curd and papads. To make it a complete meal, pair it with a legume & veggie combination.

I am very happy to receive my very first award from my fellow blogger buddy, Jyoti. Thank you so much dear. Thanks for your encouragement. You made my day.

I would like to pass it on to Kalaivani, Sadhana & Muskaan, Usha, Parita & Hari Chandana. I love visiting your blogs and have learnt immensely from each one of you. Thanks a bunch for all your encouragement. It really means a lot to me.

Green peas, Mint and Soy Pulao

A few months ago on a Saturday night I found myself staring at the pantry, not finding anything that motivated me to make dinner. Among other things, there was this bag of soy granules (also known a Textured Soy Protein) that I had bought a few weeks ago to make vegetable cutlets. My refrigerator was pretty much empty except for a bunch of cilantro and mint, and some carrots. I remember putting together this pulao that evening and serving it with carrot raita and pappadum. It turned out very good.
My little one asked me a few weeks later on our way back from piano, if I was going to make the soy pulav for dinner. Excited at this, I said, sure why not? My refrigerator and freezer was slightly better equipped this time, so I made it that night with green peas added to the original recipe.
It is amazing how fresh mint takes an ordinary pulao to a whole new level. This pulao is a regular in my kitchen now, I have served it to my friends' kids a few times. I think most kids would like it.
For the adults however, make sure it accompanies some spicy curry/raita/pickle.
Alternatively, you could slice a few green chillies and throw them in the pan while sautéing. Some nights I'll just use the peppermill to my advantage. According to me, fresh ground pepper gives any rice dish an instant kick :)

Ingredients-
Rice - 2 cups, uncooked (I use basmathi, any rice should be fine)
Green Peas - 1 cup, fresh or frozen
Soy granules - about 3/4 cup
Onion - 1 large, sliced
Mint - 1 - 1 1/2 cup, chopped coarsely
Ginger - 1 inch piece, finely minced
Garlic - 1 or 2 pods, finely minced
Coriander powder - 1 or 1 1/2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoons
Oil/ghee - 2 tablespoons (I like to use ghee in my rice dishes- they taste reallly good :)

Whole spices -
Cloves - 4 or 5
Cardamom - 3 or 4
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Saunf or Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Method-
Cook the Soy granules -
In a medium sized saucepan, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the Soy granules and boil for another 2 minutes. Remove from the fire and strain immediately using a wire strainer. Sqeeze as much water out as possible and set aside.

(If I don't have the granules handy, I have used cooked soy chunks. After cooking them in boiling water, I just chop them up as small as I can).

Cook rice like you normally do and set aside on a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, in a smaller pan, heat the spices separately without burning and make a fine powder. Heat oil/ghee in a thick bottomed pan, add the onions about 1/4 teaspoon salt, sauté until the onions almost brown, 6 or 7 minutes.
Add the minced ginger, minced garlic, and saute for a couple minutes. Add chopped mint, saute for another minute. Add the turmeric powder, the ground masala powder and coriander powder. Stir fry for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the cooked soy granules, the frozen green peas, and another 1/4 teaspoon salt, saute for another 4-5 minutes. Combine everything well.

Remove the pan from heat and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Add the cooled rice, mix well and check for salt.
Remove to a serving dish and garnish with fresh mint. Sending this to JFI-Mint, conceptualized by Indira of Mahanandi and hosted by Ashwini of Ashwini's spicy cuisine.

Since this is my own original recipe, I am also sending this to the Culinarty Original Recipes #12 hosted by Lore.

Cilantro Vegetable Rice

A popular, quick and easy rice for busy work nights. This is typically my kids' dish for parties. If I am not sure whether my little guests can handle heat, I just omit the green chillies and make sure the raitha is extra spicy for the adults. Kids can eat it with simple plain curd and of course, papadums. Makes my little guests happy and mommies smile :)

Ingredients-
Rice - 2 cups, rinsed
Fresh Cilantro - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large, sliced
Green beans - 10 or 15, sliced, thin long strips
Carrots - 2 or 3, sliced, thin long strips
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 1 large pod
Green chillies - 3 or 4

Whole spices-
Cardamom - 5 or 6
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
Cloves - 5 or 6
Saunf (Fennel seeds) - 1/4 tsp

Method -
Cook rice with a little bit of salt and spread on a plate, allow it to cool. For me, pressure cooking for 4 minutes does it.
While the rice cools, heat a pan, and add about 2 tbsp oil/ghee. Add the whole spices to the oil and fry for about 2 minutes in medium to high heat.
Add the onions and sauté for about 5 or 6 minutes. When the onions are soft and transluscent, add the green beans and carrots, a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Continue to sauté them for another 4 or 5 minutes on medium heat.
Meanwhile, add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and the cleaned and chopped cilantro to a blender jar. Add about 1 tbsp water and grind to a smooth paste.
Add the ground paste to the veggies and incorporate the paste well into the veggie mix. Fry in medium to high heat for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat, cover the pan and cook for another minute or two. When you open the lid, you should see that the vegetables are reasonably cooked in the spice mixture. Remove from fire and cool for 4 or 5 minutes.
Meanwhile the rice would have cooled enough to be mixed in. Add it to the pan and mix to combine well. Check for salt.
Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy. We like to have this with beets raita.
I recently saw that the deadline for JFI-Cilantro has been extended to May 10th. Sending this yummy easy rice dish to JFI-Cilantro, hosted by Cilantro.

My first entry to an event. Hope I didn't miss anything!

Chickpea Biriyani

This is a simple recipe, although verrry yummy.
How can I thank you enough, Chithi for this simply wonderful recipe! My Chithi(my mom's younger sister) is an amazing cook. I remember the almond halwas she brought us once when she came to visit us. Literally melts in your mouth. My salivary glands were suddenly in fifth gear. Makes your cheeks hurt.

My first taste of bagara baingan was when she made it along with my youngest chithi in my grandmother's kitchen. Then came another delicacy - stuffed bhindi masala, oh I won't even start.

So one day I beleive 3 or 4 years ago, she sends this handwritten & scanned recipe of her channa biriyani in an email. I jumped on it instantly. All the little monkeys that I served this dish to have loved eating it. I don't let their mommies leave without telling them how easy it is to make it. Kudos to you Chithi!!

Ingredients -
Basmathi Rice - rinsed and drained - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium or large
Garlic - 1 or 2 pods, sliced
Ginger - 1 inch piece, sliced
Green chillies - 1 or 2 or more according to taste
Tomatoes - 2 medium, diced
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
White Kabuli chana - soaked in water overnight - 1 cup
Salt - according to taste

Whole spices -
Clove - 6 or 8
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cardamoms - 5 or 6
Saunf - 1/2 tsp, optional

Method -
Heat about 2 tbsp ghee and add the whole spices. When they slightly brown, add the onions, ginger and garlic, and green chillies. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and cover with a tight fitting lid for about 2-3 minutes.

After the tomatoes are partially cooked, add the soaked channa and mix well. Now, to this mixture, add the rice and saute. To make sure the grains don't get broken, do this quite gently. Saute for about 4-5 minutes, then transfer to a pan (that you can put inside a pressure cooker).


Add 4 cups of water, check for salt, and pressure cook like you do rice. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Lil Miss Bubbly looves to pick out the channa and eat them first. Then she mixes up the rest with curd and enjoys it, with the proclamation - yes, you guessed it. Makes Mommy smile :)

LOL. Enjoy!

Lip Smacking Methi Rice

This recipe is from a very sweet motherly lady I met at the Indian store last month. She was telling me it is a Mangaloroean dish. I hope I meet her again so I'll be able to thank her for this simply wonderful delight.

Ingredients-
1.Basmathi rice- 2 cups - raw, washed & drained
2.Fresh Methi (Fenugreek-leaves and fine stems) cleaned well and coarsely chopped - 1 or 2 cups
3.Onion - 1 medium or large - sliced
4.Garlic - 1 or 2 pods - sliced
5.Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1 tsp

Method-
Add ghee/oil to a pan, saute sliced onion and garlic. Saute them for a good 3 or 4 minutes, until the raw smell disappears. Now add jeera and saute for another good 3 or 4 minutes.
Add the chopped methi, turmeric powder, and a few pinches of salt. Saute for another couple minutes until the leaves are wilted.
Add the basmathi rice and saute for another 5 minutes. (To make sure the grains don't get broken, do this quite gently).

Once the rice has been sauteed for a good 5 or 6 minutes, transfer this mixture to a pan (that you can put inside a pressure cooker) and add 4 cups of water.
Check for salt, and pressure cook this like you do rice.
Serve with anything you like (plain curd and papads - YUM YUM).

This was her basic recipe. In my very first trial, I added chopped tomatoes & chilli powder (while stirfrying) to the basic recipe. I also had some fresh mint leaves in the fridge which I chopped up with the methi leaves. It came out so very yum. Lil Miss Bubbly proclaimed 'Mommy is the best cook in the world!'. Mommy smiled and thanked the sweet lady she met at the Indian store.

Another time, I made this on a work night. I didn't have the patience so I did just the basic recipe. It came out so very yum. Lil Miss Bubbly loooved it and proclaimed - yes, what all Mommies love to hear. (Added bonus- this time I didn't have to hide the leaves inside the rice - Lil Miss Bubbly was hunting for the leaves - yyay!!)

And O, btw, making this entirely with ghee takes it to a whole different level. Thats what I did the first time.

Enjoy!