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!

Lil Miss Bubbly's favorite (no sugar added) granola

Lil Miss Bubbly won't eat raisins.
She has eaten them before, but won't eat them no more.
'No raisins!' she tells her mommy. 'Nonono, not in my lunchpack!'
(and mommy sighs)
Now how do I make her eat a fiber packed snack!

So Mommy came up with this sneaky idea -
Mommy knew how much Lil Miss Bubbly loved granola.
Mommy had an adapted recipe, thanks to Molly, which was a big hit in her house.
She re-adapted it adding raisins. That's all.

Ingredients-
Sesame seeds - 1 cup
Rolled oats - 1 cup
Raw sunflower seeds - 1 cup
Unsweetened applesauce - 1/4 cup
Canola oil - 2 -3 tbsp
Salt - 1 pinch
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Raisins -1/2 cup
Maple syrup - 1/2 cup

Method-
Soak raisins in water for a few hours or overnight. The raisins bulge up, absorbing the water.
(Did you know, back in India, moms used to sqeeze these soaked raisins using their hands and mash them up without any lumps and spoon feed it to infants who had baby tummy blues like constipation. This apparently made the baby blues go bye bye). I have not tried this, though.

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the dry seeds. Combine to mix it uniformly. In a blender jar, add the soaked raisins and applesauce, salt, cinnamon powder, maple syrup. Blend well. Now add the canola oil and blend well. Add the puree to the dry ingredients.
Mix thoroughly until evenly coated. Break lumps if there are any.

Spread the mixture evenly on the cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it after about 30 minutes. Mix it a few times in 10 minute intervals. When mixing, make sure to incorporate all the corners and mix evenly. When it is slightly crisp, remove and allow to cool.

When it has cooled, store in an airtight container. Snack as it is, or with homemade curd.
So Lil Miss Bubbly with her granola
Sat by the windowside snacking,
And went dreaming, flying as far as mmm.. Minneola.
(and mommy rejoices)
'Yum, I'll have fun granola-packing!'

LOL. Enjoy!