Tri colour Capsicum Rice :

Capsicum flavoured one pot rice item, with added richness by coconut milk as well as lots of curry leaves and goes very well with any side dish of your choice. It is an absolute favourite at our office potlucks or any parties. It is rich in taste ,easy to make and nutritious too. I normally serve this with simple dhal fry .

I normally Use Basmati rice or small grain Jeera samba rice to make rice and all the three colours of capsicums.

Ingredients:

 Basmati rice – 2 cups

Onion – 1 big (sliced)

Green chilli – 1 (slit)

Ginger garlic paste – 1tsp

Ghee + Oil – 1 + 1 tablespoon

Bay leaves – 2

Cardamom – 2

Cinnamon – 1”

Clove – 2

Coconut milk powder – 2 tablespoons (I normally use Maggi brand)

To Garnish:

Red, Green and yellow capsicum – 1 each

Ghee or Oil – 2 tablespoons

Cumin – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Green chilli – 1 (slit )

Method:

-Wash ,soak rice for 10 minutes and drain.

-Take one cooker, add ghee and oil, Bay leaves, cinnamon,  clove and cardamom.

-Add sliced onion, green chilli and fry until it is golden. Continue frying with adding ginger garlic paste.

– Add drained rice, coconut milk powder ,4 cups of water ,salt and cook for one whistle ,keep it in a simmer for 3 minutes and switch off. 

To Prepare capsicum garnishing – dice all the three-coloured capsicum.

-Heat ghee, cumin ,curry leaves and slit green chilli and fry.

-Add capsicum ,toss for a while and sprinkle some salt and when it is done, add the ready rice and mix with a light hand and serve with your favourite side dish or simple dhal fry.

Vegetable Pulav (Bangalore Style):

Vegetable Pulav is very versatile and made in many ways. Each house or family has their own favourite recipes. But this one is found in any small darshini or small eateries in Bangalore. It is a native Bangalore style Pulav which is green in colour due to the usage of Pudina and coriander leaves. It is fried with onion and other masalas and ground to paste. Selection of the vegetable is also unique. With other vegetables, Knol khol, double beans as an added attraction, when compared to normal Pulav. Added to all this, we find deep fried bread croutons.  

Ingredients:

Basmati rice – 3 cups (small steel tumbler)

Beans – 10

Carrot – 1

Knol khol – 2

Green peas – ¾ cup

Double beans – ¾ cup

Lemon – 1

Bread slices – 3

For Masala: (please refer the picture)

Oil – 2 table spoons

Cinnamon – 4 to 5 small pieces

Clove – 4

Cardamom – 2

Black pepper – 10 to 15

Cumin – 1 table spoon

Onion – 2 (medium)

Green chillies – 5 to 8

Ginger – 2-inch piece

Garlic – 12 to 14

Mint / Pudina leaves – 1 fist full

Coriander leaves – 1 fist full

Fresh Coconut – 1 small cup

Seasoning:

Oil – 8 to 10 table spoons

Cumin – 1 tea spoon

Bay leaves – 3 half pieces

Marathi moggu – 2

Star anise – 2

Method:

-Wash rice a couple of times, soak and keep aside.

-Wash pudina, coriander leaves, Chop veggies, onions etc. If you are adding double beans and green Peas keep it ready.

-Now prepare ground masala: Take everything under masala and keep it ready by washing or chopping.

-Take one wok, heat oil, drop all the dry spices from cinnamon to cumin.

-Fry onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies when onion becomes transparent add pudina and coriander.

-Fry until it wilts. Add coconut and fry for 2 minutes and switch off the gas.

-Cool, grind into paste by adding very minimum water. Keep aside.

-Now we would move towards the main preparation. It is the time to drain the soaking rice.

-Take one pressure cooker, pour oil for the seasoning, drop all the dry spices from cumin to star anise, fry for 2 minutes.

-Now put all the veggies, green peas, double beans and fry nicely until raw smell vanishes and all the pieces coats with the oil.

-Next comes the turn of adding ground green masala and salt. Fry nicely and lastly add drained rice and fry for couple of minutes.

-Add water (I normally add 1: 2 for Basmati rice or Sona masuri rice) If you are using small grain (Jeera rice) Use 1: 1 ½ ratio for water. Here 1 is rice and 2 or 1 ½ is water.

-Use rice measured cup for water measurement.

-Check for salt and squeeze lemon and close the lid. Cook for 1 whistle and keep it in a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

-During this time, we can prepare bread croutons. Usually bread pieces will be deep fried, drained and added.

But, I normally avoid deep frying and make it like this.

-Take one tawa, drop couple of spoons of ghee or oil, when it is hot, drop the bread pieces and fry for 2 to 4 minutes, until all the bread pieces coats partially and half roasted.

-Now switch off the gas, spread those bread pieces in a baking dish, bake for 20 minutes or until it is crisp in a pre-heated oven or convection microwave at 170-degree C.

-When Pressure relieves, open the cooker lid and mix in bread croutons and mix well. Close the lid and leave for some time to soak all these bread pieces to absorb the aroma.

-Then serve with Onion raita at the side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steamed rice with Hot and sour vegetables:

Hot and sour veggies with some steamed rice works perfect for a winter night dinner. It is light, filling at the same time, very nutritious and tasty as well. It doesn’t need any major preparation and I love making it on winter nights when we need a tongue tickling hearty dinner.

It is very simple, usually I use some chunks of veggies which is tossed with chunks of onion and simmered with one packet of hot and sour soup powder with sufficient water. Yes!! It is such a simple affair. While serving I usually take a couple of spoons of cooked rice as well.

This quantity suffices for a 4-member family.

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How I make –

Ingredients:

Onion – 1 big

Green chilli – 1

Veggies – 1 bowl (veggie pieces in byte sizes)

Garlic salt or chopped fresh garlic – little

Oil – 1 table spoon

Hot and Sour Veg soup – 1 pack (Knorr Or Maggi brand)

Basil or Lemon grass – for an additional flavour (optional)

Method:

-Chop vegetables and onions into chunk size. Slit green chilli. If you are using garlic, chop that as well.

Ribbet collage 1

-I usually prefer French beans, carrot, broccoli or cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage or lettuce.

-Take one big wok, pour oil, when it is hot, if you are using garlic, add garlic, green chilli, onion and fry for a minute.

-If you want to use basil or lemon grass, add now.

-Add vegetable chunks and toss. If you are using garlic salt, add it now, otherwise you can also add plain salt.

-When veggies wilts, add one pack of soup powder and mix.

-Add 4 cups or more of water to adjust the consistency.

-Boil until gravy cooks up and becomes shiny.

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-Serve with plain steamed or cooked rice.

 

Fresh Pigeon pea and Methi Pulav:

Winter is that time of the year, where you can relish all the fresh produce from the bean family. One such bean is Thogari kayi/Fresh Tuvar/Pigeon peas. These are beautiful green pearls with maroon spots all over them and we can make so many varieties of dishes from them. This rice dish is a very easy, one pot meal which has the goodness of Tuvar dal, methi leaves with coconut flavour which will enhance the flavour of the dish to another level.

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Recipe goes like this-

Ingredients:

Rice – 3 cups

Onion – 2

Fresh Pigeon peas – 1 cup

Fresh methi leaves – 1 small bundle

Veggies of your choice – 1 cup (French beans, carrot)

Ghee /oil – 2 to 3 table spoons

Bay leaves -2

Cumin – 1 tea spoon

Mace – 1

Marathi moggu – 2

To grind: Little coriander leaves, Cinnamon one stick,3 to 4 green chillies and 1-inch ginger.

Coconut milk – 1 cup

Lemon –  ½

Salt

Method:

-At first take a fresh Tuvar bean pod, remove outer thick green skin and separate the green bean with the beautiful red spots. Collect all the shelled beans.

Ribbet collage 1

-Wash rice and soak for 10 minutes, drain and keep aside.

-Chop onions, methi leaves and vegetables of your choice.

-Grind a paste of coriander leaves, cinnamon, green chillies and ginger by adding little water and keep.

-Take one cooker, add oil and ghee or only ghee. Drop whole masalas like bay leaves, cumin and mace.

Ribbet collage 2

-Fry onions until brown and add methi leaves, fresh tuvar, chopped veggies and fry until it wilts.

-Add salt, ground masala and fry for 2 minutes and add drained rice and fry for a minute.

Ribbet collage 3

-Add coconut milk and 5 cups of water, juice of half lemon, boil, close the lid and cook until one whistle and 2 minutes into simmer.

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-Serve with any kind of raita.

 

 

 

 

 

Red Amaranth and Beet Pulav:

Red amaranth is very beautiful and a natural source of energy, rich in iron and a whole lot of micro nutrients and fibre. It is very high in calcium and very good for all ages, from infants to adults.

On the other hand, beets are also packed with anti-oxidants, Folic acid and Iron. Which is considered as a super food to fight anaemia.

When my home grown red amaranth is harvested, this rice dish is what we love to eat, by adding Beetroot chunks to enhance the nutritional value. One can enjoy this one pot super tasty dish with any form of yogurt based side dish or even with plain yogurt and pickle. One can carry this in a tiffin box as well. It is a very good idea to feed greens to those who don’t like them, without they even noticing 😉

This time, when I harvested red amaranth, I thought of using fresh ground masala and it really tasted divine, oozing with flavours.

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Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 3 cups

Beet root – 1 big

Red Amaranth – 1 Small bunch

Onions – 2 (sliced)

Ghee/oil– 3 table spoons+1 tea spoon

Cumin -1 tea spoon

Bay leaves – 2 (small)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon

Milk – 1 cup

Curd -1 cup

Brown Bread – 3 slices

For Fresh masala:

Coriander – 1 tea spoon

Cumin – ½ tea spoon

Cardamom -2

Cloves- 2

Cinnamon – 1”

Black pepper – 8

Nutmeg – 1 pinch

Dried Red chillies – 2

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

Method:

-Wash rice and soak for 15 minutes.

-Wash Beetroot, chop into bite size pieces.

– Wash Amaranth greens, chop.

-Dry roast fenugreek seeds. When it is slightly brown, add all the other ingredients under masala and fry.

Ribbet collage 1

-Make a powder and keep it.

-Now take one pressure cooker. Add ghee or oil, fry cumin and bay leaves.

Ribbet collage 2

-Add sliced onion, fry until it is brown.

-Add ginger garlic paste, fry for 2 minutes.

-Add beetroot, chopped greens, fry until green wilts.

Ribbet collage 3

-Next add fresh ground masala powder, drained rice, salt.

-Mix everything and add milk, curd , 4 cups of water and 1 tea spoon of ghee,close the lid.

-After one whistle, keep it in a simmer for one/two minutes and switch off the gas.

Ribbet collage 4

-Now make small square size pieces of brown bread and deep fry and drain out excess oil.

-When pressure releases, add bread croutons and lightly mix everything.

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– serve with any raita or plain curd and pickle.

 

 

 

Thai Clay Pot Rice with Vegetables:

This recipe is my entry for BetterButter Contest in collaboration with SPRIG.

SPRIG is a brand that scours the world to get the finest gourmet ingredients into kitchens of people who love to experiment in their kitchen.

It was basically an introduction to SPRIG’s range of unique spice blends, to be used in our dishes covering cuisines from Europe to the Middle east to Asia.

To participate, at first there were four choices of spice blends and they made us select one spice blend from the lot and asked us to create a dish and recipe.

I chose Malacca: Oriental spice Blend.

This spice blend is a symphony of fragrant herbs and spices, inspired by the orient. It captures the rustic richness of South East Asian curries, with a twist. Flavourful chilies make for a delightful fusion, best enjoyed when sprinkled into curries, sauces, salad and stir fries. This versatile ingredient can be used as rub, marinade, glaze, paste, crumb, sprinkle or dressing!

We relish Thai food, lemon grass flavour, one pot meals. Being a Mangalorean, we love our dose of coconut milk too. So, I tried my hand in creating Thai flavoured rice, using clay pot. The dish turned into a super tasty, mildly flavoured one pot meal.

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Ingredients:

Rice – 2 cups (small grain rice/ Jeera samba variety)

Vegetables – 1 bowl

Tofu – 100 grams

Onion – 1 medium

Ginger – ½ inch

Thai chillies – 3

Lemon grass – 4 sticks

SPRIG MALACCA spice blend – 2 table spoons

Thick Coconut milk – I tetra pack or 200 ML

Water – 3 ½ cups

Salt – as required

Oil – 2 table spoons (any refined oil)

Sesame oil – 1 table spoon.

Clay pot – for cooking

Method:

– Wash rice and drain the water and keep aside.

– Chop vegetables according to your choice.

pic 1

– I have used Broccoli, cabbage, three colours of capsicum and baby corn.

– Chop onion, slice chillies, sliver ginger and keep aside.

– Make 3-inch pieces of lemon grass, make a bunch and tie it with a small piece of cord.

-Take a clay pot and smear it with Sesame oil.

– Sesame oil will act as a non-sticky coat for clay utensil while cooking for long.

collage 1

-Now take oil for seasoning. When it is hot, add onion, chillies, ginger, lemon grass and fry until onion is glossy.

-Add all the vegetables and fry for a while.

-Now add tofu, Malacca spice, salt and mix everything thoroughly.

collage 2

– Next proceed with addition of drained rice and fry for 2 minutes.

-Add coconut milk, water.

collage 3

-Cook the mixture by closing the lid, in a very low flame for 20 to 30 minutes or until done by mixing twice in between.

-Serve hot by discarding lemon grass sticks. (Used to enhance flavour, since they can’t be swallowed)

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NOTE:

  • If Thai chillies are not available, one can use any variety of chilli.
  • I have used bird eye chilli.
  • If sesame oil is not there, one can use refined oil to smear the clay pot.