A simple, easy to make and delicious preparation of rice which when accompanied by a raita tastes divine! I had loads of spring onion greens left over so have tried my best to use them up in a variety of dishes.
Ingredients:
250 gms Basmati rice
5 tbsps Ghee
2 inch piece cinnamon
5 cloves
3 cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
One bunch finely chopped spring onion greens
Salt
500 ml water.
Method:
Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker. Crush the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves lightly and tip them into the hot ghee. Add the spring onion greens and saute for a few seconds. Drop in 500 ml boiling water, rice and salt. Cover and pressure cook to one whistle. Allow to cool. Open the lid and gently fork the rice. Serve hot with raita and papad.
A fragrant Onion rice which is served with a Korma and a raita. It is invariably garnished with Beresta/ fried onions, cashews and raisins.
Ingredients:
250 gms Basmati rice
5 tbsps ghee
1 bay leaf
5 black peppercorns
2 green cardamom
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion sliced
300 ml water
Salt
15 cashews split in half
15 raisins.
Method:
Heat ghee in a pan. Add the bay leaf, cardamom, peppercorns and cumin seeds. Toss. Tip in the onions and saute until the onions are golden brown. Add the halved cashews and saute until they are golden brown. Drop in the raisins and saute till they fluff up. Add the rice and saute for a couple of minutes. Add water and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook till done. Garnish with Beresta and serve with raita.
Every household in the South of India has its own variation of the Okra rice. Today I am posting the one my mother always made with leftover rice.
Ingredients:
4 cups of left over rice
15 okra chopped as per one’s choice
5 green chillies
3 medium sized onions sliced
6 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
2 cardamoms
1 inch piece of cinnamon
3 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt
4 tbsps oil
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds.
Method:
Crush the green chillies, ginger and garlic coarsely. Keep aside. Crush the cardamom , cinnamon and cloves coarsely as well. Heat the oil and ghee in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and after they splutter add the cardamom , cinnamon and clove mixture. Saute for a minute on a very slow flame. Add the sliced onions and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the crushed ginger, garlic and green chilly and keep tossing till the onions turn translucent. Add the chopped okra and salt and keep tossing till it wilts. Add turmeric powder. Give it a good mix. Add the cooked rice, adjust salt and mix thoroughly. Cover and heat till done. Serve with raita of your choice.
Kashmiri Pulao is a flavourful and delicious pulao where matured Basmati rice is cooked along with milk infused with saffron and liberally garnished with dry fruits, fruits & whole spices. It is accompanied either by a spicy gravy for the spice lovers or with a raita.
Ingredients:
250 gms Basmati Rice
4-5 Saffron strands
1 tbsp warm milk
10 Cashew Nuts halved
10 Almonds
5 Walnuts
1 Bay Leaf
5 Cloves
3 Green Cardamom
2 inch piece of Cinnamon
1 Green chilly slit
1/2 teaspoon dry ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon Fennel powder
1 large onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup Pomegranate Seeds
1/4 cup chopped pineapple
4 tbsps Ghee
Oil for frying the onion.
Method:
Wash and soak rice for fifteen minutes. Drain and keep aside. Heat ghee in a pan add all the whole spices . Saute for a few seconds till they give out their aroma. . Drop in the green chilly, fennel and dry ginger powder and give a quick toss. Add the drained rice and gently mix. Soak saffron in warm milk and add it to the rice. .Add hot water, salt, cover and cook until rice is done. Fluff the rice and transfer to wide a mixing bowl. Set aside to cool a bit. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the cashews and almonds and roast till they turn golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the raisins . They immediately plump up. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a pan add thinly sliced onions. Fry until golden brown. Drain and set aside. Garnish with fruits just before serving. Garnish the Kashmiri pulao with fried onion, nuts, raisins, pomegranate, apple and pineapple . Serve hot .
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Tudkiya bhaath is a one pot meal from the Himachali cuisine. Lentils, vegetables and rice with the fragrance of spices make for a finger licking meal. It is served with a dal or a raita.
Ingredients:
250 gms rice
125 gms masoor(whole)
1 onion chopped fine
2 potatoes cut into finger sized batons
½ cup thick curds whisked well
1 bay leaf
1 cardamom
1 black cardamom
1 inch piece of cinnamon
3 tbsps Ghee
To be ground to a paste:
1 tomato
1 onion
1 inch piece of ginger
6 cloves of garlic
A small bunch of coriander leaves
5 green chillies
1 green cardamom
1 black cardamom
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 star anise
2 stone flower
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
2 cloves.
Method:
Tip the ground masala into a big bowl.
Add the potato batons to the ground masala. Add salt and mix well. Let it marinate for about half an hour.
Wash and soak the masoor in water for about half an hour. Wash and rinse the rice. Soak for about 15 minutes. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the bay leaf, cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon and sauté till you get a nice aroma. Add the onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
Add the ground masala and roast till you get a nice aroma. Add the curds and keep roasting till the oil starts to separate. Add the drained rice and masoor and add three cups of boiling water. Add salt. Mix well. Pressure cook on high flame for two whistles. Let the pressure release naturally. Fluff up the rice gently and serve with dal or raita.
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Tehri Pulao is to Uttar Pradesh what Bisibele bhath is to Karnataka and Rajma Chawal to Punjab. It is a simple, easy to prepare and fragrant one pot meal which can be served with or without a raita. Today I decided to serve it with plain curd and some pickle.
Ingredients:
250 gms Basmati rice washed and soaked for fifteen minutes.
One large carrot cut lengthwise
12 bite sized Cauliflower florets
2 large potatoes chopped into chunks
A large fistful of peas.
In short, all the vegetables should be equal in quantity.
2 onions sliced
10 garlic cloves grated
1 inch piece of ginger grated
4 green chillies slit
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
5 cloves
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 tsp saunf/ fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cardamom
4 tbsps oil
2 tbsps Ghee
Salt
Method:
Heat a pan. Add the ghee and oil to it. Once it heats up drop in the cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cumin and cardamom. Give a quick stir and add the grated ginger and garlic. Drop in the slit green chillies and toss on a gentle flame for half a minute. Add the sliced onions and roast till translucent. Drop in the potatoes, carrot and peas and season with salt. Toss on a gentle flame for three to four minutes. Add the cauliflower florets, toss and pour in 500 ml of water. Bring to a boil. Add the drained Basmati rice and mix gently. Cover and allow to simmer for about four minutes. Switch off the gas and cover it with a tight fitting lid. The rice and vegetables get cooked in the heat. Allow to stand undisturbed for twenty minutes. Gently fork the rice onto a serving dish and serve hot.
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An extremely easy to make, delicious one pot meal, the Brinjal Pulav is ready in just half an hour. Serve it with some chilled raita or some sliced onions and a wedge of lemon. Wash it down with a glass of buttermilk… Divine!
Ingredients:
250 gms Basmati rice washed and soaked for twenty minutes.
250 gms Eggplant/ Brinjal/ aubergine cut into quarters leaving the stem intact
2 large onions sliced
1 large potato peeled and cut into fingers
1 tomato chopped fine
2 inch piece ginger
9 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp Everest Biryani Masala
1 tbsp chilly powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 heaped tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
Salt
3 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter
5 tbsps oil
Half a cup of curds
300 ml boiling water
Method:
Drain the Basmati rice and keep aside. Make a paste of ginger and garlic. Heat the oil and ghee mixture in a pan. Drop in the brinjal and saute for a few minutes. Remove and keep aside. Drop in the potato wedges and saute them too for a couple of minutes. Keep these too aside. Drop the sliced onions and ginger garlic paste into the ghee oil mixture. Saute till the onions turn translucent and the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears. Add the Biryani masala, turmeric, chilly, coriander and cumin powder and roast on a gentle flame for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and keep roasting. Whisk the curds and drop it inside this mixture. Within a couple of minutes the oil starts separating. Immediately add the drained rice and mix well. Pour in the boiling water, the eggplant, potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and allow the Pulav to on an extremely gentle flame. It is ready in exactly ten minutes. Check for salt and serve hot with a mixed veg raita.
Curd Sevai is a quick and easy dish that can be prepared in no time.. all one needs is to tip the rice sevai which is readily available at the grocers, into boiling water. Allow to stand for three to four minutes. Drain and spread in a plate to cool. While the sevai is cooling, one can prepare the curd and the seasoning which goes into it.
Ingredients:
100 gms Sevai cooled
250 ml thick curd
100 ml milk
2 green chillies finely chopped
2 inch piece ginger grated
1 tsp Ghee/ clarified butter
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal/ split black gram
1 tsp jeera/ cumin seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsps grated coconut
1/2 carrot grated
Grapes halved
Salt
Method:
Beat the curd to a creamy consistency. Pulse the grated ginger, green chillies and coconut and tip it into the curds. Heat Ghee in a pan. Drop in the urad dal.. as it turns golden yellow add the mustard seeds. After they crackle add the cumin seeds followed by curry leaves. Drop the seasoning into the curd. Add the cooled sevai, milk and salt. Mix thoroughly. Finally add the grated carrot, coriander leaves and the grapes. Serve chilled.
This fragrant vegetable Biryani will leave your guests asking for more.. It is a complete meal by itself and one can serve it with a raita of one’s choice. I usually serve it with a Burhani raita.
Ingredients:
12 medium sized florettes of cauliflower
1 large potato chopped into cubes
2 medium sized carrots chopped into chunks
25 French beans chopped into one inch size pieces
200 gms paneer chopped into cubes
100 gms or one bowl of peas
1 cup thick curds
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilly powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Shah jeera
7 cardamoms and a piece of mace powdered together
A few strands of saffron
15 mint leaves
Salt
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 small fistful of Barista.
1 tsp Ghee/ clarified butter
250 gms Basmati rice
10 pepper corns
5 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 piece of mace
3 onions sliced and fried to a crisp in a mixture of ghee and oil .
For the seasoning:
Ghee and oil mixture used to fry the onions.
1/2 tsp Shahi jeera
5 cloves
1 large piece of cinnamon
For the saffron infused milk:
1 cup of milk
A few strands of saffron
2 green chillies slit
2 tbsps of the ghee oil mixture in which the onions were fried.
For the Barista:
Heat a mixture of ghee and oil. Fry the sliced onions till crisp and brown.
Method:
Wash and soak the Basmati rice for half an hour. Drain. Drop in a bay leaf, the pepper corns, mace and cloves in a pot of water along with a tsp of ghee and salt. Bring to a roaring boil and then add the drained Basmati rice. Boil it on a high flame for three minutes. Switch off, cover and keep aside for ten minutes. Drain and allow to rest in the colander.
Tip in the chopped vegetables, paneer mint leaves, curds, coriander powder, chilly powder, turmeric, Shahi jeera the ginger garlic paste and a small fistful of Barista. Add salt, mix well and allow to marinate for about fifteen minutes. Heat the remaining ghee oil mixture. Drop in the cloves, bay leaf, Shahi jeera and cinnamon. Once they splutter drop in the marinated vegetables and saute till around seventy percent cooked. Heat a wide pan with a lid. Tip in half of the vegetables into it and spread it. Top it with a layer of rice, the saffron infused milk , Barista and a few mint leaves. Pour the remaining vegetables over this and spread it all over. Again top it with a layer of rice, Barista, saffron infused milk and mint leaves. Cover and cook over an extremely gentle flame till all the flavours are absorbed and the Biryani is completely cooked. Serve hot with raita.
Ghee rice is a popular rice preparation prepared in the South of India and is accompanied by a korma or a spicy curry and raita. It is sans spice though one can add some ginger garlic paste for that slight punch. I have stuck to the original and authentic way of making it.
Ingredients:
250 gms Basmati rice
2 inch piece of Cinnamon
5 cloves
3 cardamom
1 star fennel
1 Bay leaf
10 cashews halved
2 medium sized onions finely chopped
Salt
5 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter
500 ml boiling water.
Method:
Wash and soak the rice for about twenty minutes. Drain and keep aside. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the whole spices and allow to splutter. Drop in the cashewnuts and roast to a golden brown. Drop in the onions and roast till translucent. Add the drained rice and roast for a couple of minutes. Pour in boiling water and allow it to come to a roaring boil. Cover and cook on a gentle flame till the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked and fluffy. Uncover and mix with a light hand with a fork. Serve it hot with korma or any spicy curry of your choice. Recipe link to the korma is given below.
