Potato And Capsicum Rice, Urulaikizhangu Kudaimilagai Saadam

          Potato and Capsicum Rice, this again is a very easy and quick dish, it can be put together in a breeze, especially if you have some leftover rice from the previous day. It's a perfect lunch box idea for your busy weekdays, uses the basic ingredients from your pantry and of course, potatoes and capsicums. Just serve it with some raitha or curd and some chips on the side for a delicious meal..

Need To Have

• Cooked Rice - 4 cups
• Potato - 1 big, diced
• Capsicum - 1 big, diced
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chillies - broken into 2
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoons
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the red chillies, asafoetida followed by the chopped onions and saute till the onions turn translucent. Then add the potato and capsicum pieces and saute for another minute.

          Now add the grated ginger and curry leaves and mix for one more minute. Then add the turmeric powder, salt and about 1/4 cup water, cover and cook on medium heat till the potatoes are almost cooked. Then add the chopped tomatoes, chilly powder and coriander powder, cover and cook till the tomatoes break down and the potatoes are cooked fully.

          Now add the chopped coriander and keep sauteing for another 5 minutes till oil oozes out from the sides.

           At this stage, reduce the heat, add the rice and mix everything together till the rice is warmed through.

Note
You can also add chopped garlic and leave out the asafoetida, or make it even without the chopped onions.
When using leftover rice from the fridge, just bring it to room temperature and mix, so that it'll be easy to warm the rice fast.
You can add some cooked chickpeas/ chana, double beans, bean sprouts or even lobia/ karamani/ black eyed peas to make the dish even more nutritious.

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Aval Upma, Poha Upma

          It's been a week since I checked on my blog, had been on a trip to Coorg and came back only on Saturday. It was a different kind of a vacation, very relaxed and peaceful, saw for the first time, a coffee estate, learnt a little more about what goes into that morning cup of coffee. We also visited Talakaveri, the place of origin of the river Kaveri, a holy pilgrimage for the Hindus. We also got to taste a little bit of the local Kodava cuisine, Coorg food, I would be trying out some of the dishes and posting them here later. Now coming to today's post, it's the simple aval upma or poha, this is one upma that my daughter likes and I have been trying out different versions of this simple and humble upma. I have already posted one, Pepper And Jeera Aval, and today it's going to be another one, here we are flavoring the rice flakes/ aval/ poha with lemon, ginger and green chillies. It's such a simple dish, can be put together in under 20 minutes and makes a good breakfast or an after school snack..

Need To Have

• Aval/ Poha - 2 cups
• Raw Peanuts - 3 tablespoons
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 2, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoons
• Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
• Sev - to garnish
• Salt to taste

Method

          Wash the poha a couple of times, drain and keep for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, heat some oil, add the peanuts and roast for 2 minutes, then add the urad dal and mustard seeds.

          When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the asafoetida, followed by the onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute till the onions turn pink, then add the turmeric powder and salt and mix for a few seconds.

          Now reduce the heat, add the drained aval and mix it well till it's slightly warmed up. Finally add the lemon juice and the coriander leaves, mix once and remove. Serve it garnished with some sev.

Note
I have used aval that's neither too thin nor too thick, if you use a very thick one, then you have to soak it for some time, then drain and use, don't use the very thin variety, it'll become very mushy.
Sev is deep fried chickpea flour noodles that can be made at home or it's readily available in Indian stores. You can also use aloo bhujia (potato noodles), I have used that only, instead of plain sev and if it's spiced up and has chat masala in it, then leave out the lemon juice.
We like the upma texture to be a little soft, so I just leave a tablespoon or more of water with the aval when draining it, this water is absorbed by the aval and makes it softer.
You can also add some cooked potato pieces or green peas and also some grated fresh coconut for extra taste and flavor.

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Zucchini Rice

          Every single day ( at least the weekdays), the first question that pops in my mind, ' what do I pack for lunch today ', invariably it's either rice or rotis. If it's rotis, then the next question, ' what should I make to go with it ', or if it's rice, ' what rice '. I know, many of us go through this, I also think, that I should plan for it, the night before, but that seldom happens and most of the time I make something that occurs to me at that moment. This zucchini rice is also one such dish, simple and delicious one pot meal that can be put together in a very short time..

Need To Have

• Raw Rice/ Pachai Arisi - 1 cup
• Diced Zucchini - 3 cups
• Tomatoes - 1 cup, chopped
• Garlic - 5 small cloves, chopped
• Chilly Flakes - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fennel Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Wash and keep the rice soaked till you use it. Heat some oil in a pressure pan, add the fennel and fenugreek seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the garlic and saute till golden. Then add the zucchini and tomato pieces and mix for a minute.

          Now add the chilly flakes, coriander and turmeric powders and mix it, then add the drained rice and mix it for a minute. Now add about 21/2 cups of water and salt, cover and cook, after the first whistle, reduce the heat to the lowest and cook for 7 to 10 minutes and switch off. Open the pressure pan, once all the pressure has been released and serve it warm.

Note
If you are not comfortable with the pressure cooker, you can do the entire cooking in a regular pan, or after sauteing the rice, transfer it to a electric rice cooker, then add the water and salt and cook.
You can also use basmati rice in place of the raw rice.
Can also add a tablespoon of grated coconut and some curry leaves along with chilly flakes, will give a nice flavor.

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Mushroom, Baby Corn And Basil Risotto

          I had bought this box of Arborio rice some time back, wanted to make risotto with it, but kept putting it off, I thought I'll taste risotto first at a restaurant and then do it. But I never got a chance to taste it and luckily this arborio rice has a good shelf life, and that particular day I had all the ingredients needed, mushroom, baby corn and basil, so finally I just browsed, went through many recipes and decided to make it. I didn't have any idea about how long the rice was going to take to cook or whether the family would like it or not, but at the end, it was a big hit at home. If you like cheese and Italian food, then try this at least once, you'll love it..

Need To Have

• Arborio Rice - 1 cup
• Baby Bella Or Button Mushrooms - 16 oz, diced into big pieces
• Baby Corn - 8, chopped into 1/2" pieces
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped, big pieces
• Onion - 2 small, chopped
• Basil Leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
• Cream Cheese - 2 tablespoons
• Parmesan Cheese - 2 tablespoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cooking Butter - 1/2 tablespoon

Method

          Heat the butter, add the chopped onions and saute till they turn transparent, then add the baby corn and mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes.

          Now add the tomato and saute for a minute, then add the rice and mix. Add 2 cups of water, salt, cover and cook on low heat, checking at intervals. When the water is almost absorbed, add 1 cup more water, cover and cook. Again, when the water is almost absorbed, add one more cup of water and keep cooking, till the rice is done and there is very little water.

          At this stage, add the chopped basil and cream cheese and mix it nicely. Finally add the parmesan cheese and black pepper, mix it and remove. Leave it for 2 minutes and serve.

Note
Chop the basil leaves just before adding, it'll not turn dark green in color.
I have used Parmesan Powder, you can use fresh grated Parmesan.
Also you can use wild mushrooms instead of baby bella.
Add the salt sparingly, as the cheese would also be salty.
If you don't have cream cheese,use a little fresh cream in place, also remove the final dish, while it still has some liquid in it, as it'll become thicker as it cools a little.
If you can't find Arborio rice, use regular short grain rice or even basmati.

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Capsicum Pilaf

          Today's post is yet another rice dish, Capsicum Pilaf. I had noted down this recipe, long time back from a newspaper. It's different from the other pilafs, especially the flavor, might be from the ground paste, or from the capsicum and cabbage added to this pilaf. Just serve it with some raitha, I would recommend boondi raitha for this, perfect combination..

Need To Have

• Basmati Rice - 1/2 cup
• Capsicum - diced, 1 cup 
• Cabbage - shredded, 1 cup
• Potato - diced, 1/2 cup
• Green Peas - 1/4 cup
• Onion - 1 small, chopped
• Garlic - 1 clove, chopped
• Cashews - 1 tablespoon
• Clove - 1
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Cardamom - 1

To Grind

• Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup
• Chopped Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chilli - 1

Method

          Roast the cashews in a little oil or ghee. Grind together all the ingredients given under ' to grind '. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 1/2 an hour.

          Heat some oil, add the clove, cinnamon and cardamom, when it sizzles, add the chopped onion and garlic and saute till the onion turns pink.

          Now add the capsicum, cabbage, potato, peas and the ground paste, mix for a minute. Drain the rice, add to the vegetables and mix for one more minute. Add 11/2 cup water and salt, cover, when it starts boiling, reduce and cook till the rice is done. Switch off and don't disturb the rice for 1/2 an hour, garnish with the roasted cashews and serve it warm.

Note
Chop the vegetables into big chunks, especially the cabbage and capsicum, since it's being cooked along with the rice.
Can do the cooking with only oil, or a mixture of oil and ghee.
Once the rice is almost cooked, switch off and leave the rice covered, without disturbing for 1/2 an hour, this way the rice will not become mushy.

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Carrot Rice

          When you are bored of the regular sambar, rasam and curry routine, mixed rice or variety rice makes for a quick and tasty option. Other than the traditional, lemon, tamarind or tomato rice, I also make these vegetable rices. We can use almost any vegetable to make this and adding some freshly ground masala gives it a nice flavor. Serve it with some raitha for a complete meal..

Need To Have

• Cooked Rice - 3 cups, cooled
• Grated Carrot - 11/2 cups
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked, Split Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt - to taste

To Roast And Powder

• Peanuts - 1 tablespoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 4
• Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Clove - 1
• Cinnamon Stick - 1" piece
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon

Method

          Dry roast the peanuts, cool, remove the skin and keep. Heat a little oil, add all the ingredients given under ' to roast and powder', except for the peanuts and the grated coconut. Roast till the chana dal and coriander seeds turn golden, switch off and add the grated coconut and toast. Powder this, finally add the peanuts and pulse it into a coarse mixture.

          Now heat some oil, add the mustard seeds and urad dal, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and chopped onions. Saute it till the onions turn pink, then add the grated carrot and salt and saute for about 5 minutes, till the raw smell of carrot goes away and it becomes soft to the bite.

          At this stage add the powdered mixture and mix for 2 more minutes. Lastly add the cooked rice and mix on reduced heat, for 2 to 3 minutes till the rice is warmed through. Remove and serve with some raitha  and potato chips.

Note
You can add some cooked chickpeas or green peas along with the carrots.
Can make this with leftover rice. 

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Methi Pilaf/ Rice With Fresh Fenugreek Leaves

          Back in India, after more than a month's stay in the US, hardly had time to check my blog since last Friday, and again this weekend is going to be a busy one with house hunting in Bangalore. In the meantime, whenever I get a chance I am trying to do a post and visit other blogs. Today's post, Methi Pilaf, again something that I had cooked 2 months back, I haven't cooked anything for more than a month now. This is once again a very simple and flavorful dish and goes very well with almost any side dish or even a simple raitha or yogurt..

Need To Have

• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Chopped Methi/ Fresh Fenugreek Leaves - 1 cup, packed
• Fresh Or Frozen Green Peas - 1 cup
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped
• Broken Cashew Pieces - 1 tablespoon
• Red Chilly Flakes - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Cloves - 2
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Soak the basmati rice for 1/2 an hour. Heat some oil, add the cinnamon, cloves and cumin seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the chopped garlic, saute for a minute, then add the cashews and saute till both the cashews and garlic turn golden. 

          Now add the tomatoes and saute for a minute, then add the green peas, chopped methi, chilly flakes, coriander and turmeric powders, mix everything and cook till the tomatoes have turned mushy. Drain the water from the basmati rice and add it and mix it for about a minute. 

          Add 21/2 cups of water and salt and cover with a lid. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat and cook till done.

Note

Can use even frozen fenugreek leaves that you get in Indian stores.

When you cook the rice, once almost all the water has gone, switch off the stove and leave it covered and undisturbed for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Can replace green peas with some cooked chickpeas.

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Keerai Saadam/ Spinach Rice

          When I am not in the mood for cooking, or when I don't feel like doing the regular sambar, rasam and curry, I do some kind of mixed rice. I would cook rice, vegetables and dal together like in this Cabbage Pongal or cook rice separately and mix in with some sauteed vegetables. But whatever it is, I try to make it as wholesome and nutritious as possible, so that we get our daily dose of protein and vegetables. This Spinach Rice is one such attempt, I have used Mulaikeerai/ Amaranth Greens for making it along with some cooked chana dal and fresh ground masala. When served with some raitha or curd/ yogurt, it makes a complete and satisfying meal..

Need To Have

• Cooked Rice - 4 cups
• Chana Dal - 1/4 cup
• Chopped Amaranth - 5 cups
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

To Grind

• Dried Red Chillies - 4
• Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Coconut - 1 tablespoon

Method

          Soak the chana dal for an hour, cook it with the turmeric powder and water, till done but not mushy. Roast the red chillies and coriander seeds given under ' to grind ' and grind it coarsely with the coconut, without adding water.

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, followed by the chopped amaranth. Add some salt, reduce the heat and keep sauteeing till it gets cooked. Once it's done, add the cooked dal and mix.

          Then add the ground mixture and mix for a minute or two, then lastly add the rice and mix everything well. Switch off, add the lemon juice and mix one more time. Serve with some pappads or chips and curd or raitha.

Note
Don't cover with a lid while cooking the amaranth, that way, it stays green.
I have used amaranth greens, you can also use the regular spinach, to save time, you can use the frozen chopped spinach too.
Can replace cooked chana dal with cooked chickpeas.
Also instead of adding the lemon juice, you can add a small ball of tamarind while grinding the red chillies, coriander and coconut. 

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Thakkali Saadam/ Tomato Rice

          My daughter is not a big rice eater, anytime, she prefers rotis, idlis or dosas to it, the only exception being a couple of mixed rice varieties, like the lemon, tomato and tamarind and of course thayir saadam. Tomato rice is an all time favorite as far as my family is concerned. There are a couple of versions of it, I follow my mother's, no masala items, the green chillies give an unique flavor to it, a simple but extremely delicious one..

Need To Have

• Rice - 2 cups
• Tomatoes - 13 medium
• Green Chillies - 10 chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram - 2 tablespoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 20
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Chop the tomatoes finely. Cook the 2 cups rice and cool it. Heat some oil, add the chana dal and the mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, green chillies and curry leaves.

          Mix for a few seconds, then add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Keep cooking till the tomatoes become mushy and all the moisture dries up and oil starts leaving on the sides. This takes anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes, depending upon the quantity, the pan used and the amount of heat. Cool the mixture and mix it with the cooled rice. Serve it at room temperature.

Note
Use ripe, juicy tomatoes.
When I was in the US, I used to add a couple of tablespoons of canned crushed tomatoes, if the tomatoes were not sour enough.
Also once the moisture dries up, do the last part of the cooking on low heat, then only the tomatoes will start leaving oil, otherwise it will start sticking to the pan.
Mix in the masala, a little at a time to the rice, taste and add more.
I recommend raw rice or parboiled rice ( at Indian stores), or long grain jasmine rice, not basmati rice, the flavor from the basmati rice spoils the dish.

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Baby Corn And Green Peas Rice

          The last two days has been really hectic, what with my daughter going on a field-trip, away from me for 4 days for the first time, and my parents and sister with my little nephew at home to give me company. I barely had time to open my blog, with the little time I had, I am just posting a simple dish, Baby Corn And Peas Rice. An easy dish, yummy way of finishing up leftover rice, a tasty preparation with baby corn and fresh peas and flavored with spring onions..

Need To Have

• Cooked Rice - 4 cups
• Sliced Baby Corn - 2 cups
• Fresh Or Frozen Green Peas - 1 cup
• Spring Onions - 11/2 cup, chopped
• All Spice Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• White Pepper Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the chopped spring onions, saving a little of the green part for garnishing. Saute for about 2 minutes, till you get a nice aroma. Now add the corn, mix, then add the peas and salt. Cover and cook till the peas and corn are done.

          Then add the all spice powder and the white pepper, mix it well. Garnish with the spring onions, mix and serve it warm as such or with any side dish of your choice.

Note
All spice powder is available in many grocery stores, if you don't find it, replace it with garam masala or five spice powder.
Also black pepper can be used instead of white pepper.

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Sakkarai Pongal / Indian Rice Pudding With Jaggery

          Today is Pongal, the harvest festival celebrated in India, similar to Thanksgiving in US. It's an important festival for farmers, so it's celebrated grandly and more traditionally in the villages. This dish Sakkarai Pongal, which goes by the name of the festival itself, is a rice pudding made with the newly harvested rice ( for people who have their own paddy fields, for others, we do it with the raw rice we have at home). Rice is cooked with moong dal, milk and jaggery and flavored with cardamom and ghee, a very tasty and rich sweet or dessert..

Need To Have

• Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
• Moong Dal/Split Green Gram - 1/4 cup
• Chana Dal/Bengal Gram Dal - 1 tablespoon
• Jaggery - 1 cup powdered
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Broken Cashew Pieces - 1 tablespoon
• Golden Raisins - 1 tablespoon
• Ghee - 10 teaspoons
• Cardamom - 4 powdered

Method

          Pressure cook the rice along with the moong and chana dal and 2 cups of water, add the 1/2 cup milk to the cooked rice and mix.

          Heat the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water, till the jaggery dissolves.
       

          Strain and add this to the cooked rice and dal mixture and put it back on the stove. Keep stirring till it comes to a porridge consistency.

Add the cardamom powder and 8 teaspoons of ghee ( add 2 teaspoons at a time and mix). Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of ghee in a skillet, add the raisins and cashew pieces, roast till golden and add to the rice. Mix and serve it warm.

Note
The rice and dal can be cooked entirely in a regular pot and we can use entirely milk or half milk and half water to do it.
Also you can reduce the amount of ghee or increase it even more for a much more richer pongal.
You can either remove the seeds from inside the cardamom and pound it, or powder some cardamoms with a little sugar and add add about 1/2 teaspoon of it.
Edible Camphor, another flavoring agent is also added, I left it out.

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