Cabbage-Peas Pulao

Ingredients:
Basmathi Rice/Long grain rice - 1 Cup(Boiled)(Rice:Water - 1:11/2, when rice soaked for half an hour, otherwise ,1:2)
Cabbage - Half, finely chopped
Onion - 2 (finely chopped)
Peas - 1 cup(Boiled)
Green chilli - 2(sliced across vertically)
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1"
Cardamom - 2
Cashewnuts - 7/8
Coriander - few leaves
Ghee - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat ghee in a kadai.
2. Add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon & green chilli and saute for 2 min.
3. Add onions and saute till golden brown.
4. Add chopped cabbage and sprinkle some water, and add salt to taste.
5. Saute till the cabbage is soft and add bolied peas to the mixture.
6. Add this mixture to the boiled basmathi rice.
7. Heat little ghee , fry the cashews till golden brown and add to the rice.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.
9. Cabbage peas pulao is ready.
10. Serve hot with some gravies like channa masala / vegetable kuruma.(Believe me, it tastes like star restaurant's dish)


Sending this to EC's Mixed Rice Varieties event

Main Course - Vegan Mexican Rice

When I hear of mexican food, I can only think of one of my favorite eateries, "The New Yorker".. we get almost all kinds of food - indian, mexican, italian, chinese.. I have had enchiladas there which is a popular mexican snack.. I wanted to make something for the main course to put it easier. Sometime back in the newspaper "The Hindu" , i read how to make mexican rice, salad, enchiladas...etc.. So, dusted my rack, found those bits which i had collected and tried the mexican rice .. It came out very nicely.. It was not typically tasting of pulao or biriyani.. Let me share the recipe here.. Try it and share its taste.. What inspired me to try out this recipe.. Ofcourse, our culinary bazaar event.

Ingredients:
Basmathi/long grain rice - 1 Cup(Boiled)
Onion - 3(chopped)
Tomato - 2(chopped)
Capsicum - 1(chopped)
Carrot - 2(grated)
Minced Garlic - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1/4 tsp
Soya sauce - 1/4 tsp
Rajma/Kidney bean - 1 Cup(Boiled with salt)
Oil - 3 tsp

Powders
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste


Method:
1. Heat oil in a kadai.
2. Add minced garlic, fry for 2 minutes, then add onions.
3. Add tomatoes once the onions turn golden colour.
4. Add the powders, carrots, capsicum and boiled rajma along with little water (preferably the beans-cooked water), vinegar and soya sauce.
5. Saute for 10 minutes till the gravy thickens.
6. Mix the gravy thoroughly with rice without breaking it.
7. Voila, Mexican rice.

Lunch Box Item 2 - Tomato Pulao & Mixed Raita

Today my mother in law had prepared usual kozhambu,rasam.. But i wanted to take something different for lunch.. the easiest and tasiest thing i could think of is tomato pulao.. it tastes best with this raita.. Here goes the recipe..



Ingredients:
Boiled Rice - 4 ladles(to mix wit the paste according to taste)
Tomato - 3(Medium-sized)(Chopped)
Onion - 2(chopped)
Cloves - 4
Bayleaf - 1/2
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Channa/gram dal - 1/2 tsp
Oil/Ghee - 2 tsp

Powders:
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat oil/ghee in a tawa.
Add mustard seeds to it and let them splutter(set aside some for raita).
Add channa dal and saute till golden colour.
Add cloves,bayleaf and chopped onions.
Saute for 3-4min till onions turn light brown.
Add chopped tomatoes and add the powders.
Add little water for tomatoes to soften and saute for 5 min till the paste thickens.
Put off the flame.
Spread boiled rice over the paste and keep aside for 5 min to let it cool.
Mix the rice with the paste thoroughly without breaking the rice.
Tasty tomato pulao is ready.

Mixed Raita:
Carrot - 1(grated)
Tomato - 1(chopped)
Green chilli-1(chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Thick curd - 1 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Add Carrot,tomato amd salt in a bowl.
Heat oil and let mustard seeds to splutter.
Add green chilli and mix it in the bowl.
Add thick curd and mix thoroughly.
Raita is ready to serve.

Vegatable Biriyani

It was a sunday. My mother in law is an expert in making vegrtable fried rice which is not chinese style,but indian..it tastes very rich and delicious.. we used to eat it definitely once in a week. so i tried to make something different for the weekend and tried this out..got different tips from different sites n tried it out.. to my luck, it came out very well.. my in laws liked it..here goes the recipe..
Ingredients:

Basmathi rice – 1 cup (Rice:water – 1:1½ )
Onion – 3
Tomato – 2
Chopped Carrot(2), beans(5),potato(2)
Cauliflower (flower)
Green Peas
Green chilli – 1
Coriander leaves – ½ bunch
Mint/Pudhina leaves– ½ bunch
Thick Curd – ½ cup
Oil/Ghee

To grind:
Cashewnut - 4
Fresh Ginger & Garlic - 6/7 pieces

Powders:
Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
Dhaniya Powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
• Soak Basmati rice in water for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil/ghee in a pressure pan and add sliced Green chilli.
• Add onions and sauté until light brown.
• Grind the ingredients under To Grind section and add them, sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and all the powders and thick curd.
• Sauté for 2 min and add all the vegetables and the soaked rice.
• Blend everything thoroughly and stir for few minutes.
• Close the pan with weight and put off after 10-12 min.
• Open the pan and garnish with Coriander and Mint leaves.
• Serve it hot with onion raita.

Lunch Box Item 1 - Coriander-Mint Pulao

Ingredients

Boiled Rice (1 Cup of raw rice to boil, Rice:water -1:3 for ordinary rice, 1:2 for basmati rice and if basmati rice soaked for half an hour then 1:1 ½ )
Onion – 7 (For cooking and for raita, use depending on the number of people at your place, I use 3 for cooking, 4 for raita )
Fennel Seeds/saunf/chombu – ¼ tsp
Chick pea/kadalai parupu – ¼ tsp

Oil/Ghee

To Grind:
Coriander/Cilantro leaves - 1 Bunch
Pudhina/Mint leaves - 1 Bunch
Green Chillies - 4
Cashewnuts - 6/7 (soak in water for 15 min and then grind)
Fresh Ginger/Garlic - 4/5 pieces
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 2
Bay Leaf - 1
Masala jeera/Roasted jeera - 1/2 tsp
Rock Salt to taste


Method:
• Grind the items finely under To grind section and keep aside.
• Heat oil in tawa, add fennel seeds and chick pea and let them splutter .
• Add the onions and sauté until light brown and transparent.
• Add the paste along with little water and stir for 5 min till it thickens.
• Now mix the paste with boiled rice thoroughly without breaking it. Add 1 tsp of ghee to the rice and mix it ( will )
• Serve with Curd/Onion raita.

Note: This recipe tastes great for lunch. I do it once in a week as it is simple and tasty too.