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While browsing through my recipe book I came across recipe for Cauliflower Pulao. Cauli is family favourite veggie and such simple yet delicious recipes are always on my radar. I adapted the original recipe from the book "Annapurna" and it tasted awesome.  You can prepare it with leftover rice and you may also add extra vegetables. This rice tasted even more delicious the next day.


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Pickles make a great and delicious side dish when eating Indian food. We all know they enhance the taste of food and excite our taste buds. So when I read Tarla Dalal's recipe to prepare a delicious chickpeas pulao using mango pickle, the achari twist was interesting and I immediately tried it. During my initial attempts I tried with basmati rice and mango pickle itself. Since then this dish has been regularly cooked at my place. Last weekend there was this urge to prepare and eat chana pulao. The pickle was mixed pickle that was store bought and so I just decided to adapt TD's recipe and try out the below variation. I have used sona masoori rice and mixed vegetable pickle here. Also I didn't use pressure cooker but prepared it in open pan.




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The below pulao is an easy rice recipe loaded with sweet corn. A complete meal by itself if you prefer one pot meal than you should try this. Its actually a recipe for Cauliflower pualo by Mrs. Mangala Barve, author of cook book "Annapurna". I tweaked her recipe by substituting cauliflower with sweet corn and adjusted spices to suit family taste. Hope you enjoy it, if you want to check other rice varieties click here.



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A favourite recipe of mine with fascinating fusion of flavors coming from juicy soya nuggets and burnt garlic! When JD from Jayanta's Home Kitchen posted his recipe for "Juciy soya nuggets with burnt garlic", I tried it the same day during lunch time [Any recipe with garlic and I cannot hold back myself, moreover his recipe looked so simple, had to try it that day itself]. 

The enticing aroma wafting through my kitchen fired up my hunger pangs and I ate to my heart's content, which meant nothing was left for my hubby :P. This rice is not only delicious but also healthy and quick. After my first attempt, I adapted his recipe by adding extra veggies and an extra dose of burnt garlic for that awesome flavor. Prepared it twice after that and both times my family enjoyed it. Below is the recipe that I adapted from JD's recipe.




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At times when the whole menu can not be cooked, making some variety rice comes to my rescue. I prepare it at least twice a week to go easy on everyday cooking and utilize other time to do other household chores. The dish is cooked specially or sometimes the leftover rice is jazzed up into a nice meal. Mix and match the vegetables depending on their availability and experiment with different spices to create a unique flavor combination. You can check different combinations for these rice varieties that I have prepared and posted here.






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Hello everyone, here's a simple, easy to make, nutritious and flavored rice and that's Carrot rice.  



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Have you ever tried making pulao that tastes bit sweeter than any other pulao? Yes, that's the Kashmiri Pulao with lots of fruits and dry fruits which makes this dish very unique. Fruits such as apple chunks, pineapple chunks, grapes, pomegranate, etc and dry fruits such as cashews, raisins, almonds can be added while making it. Kashmiri pulao goes well with paneer based gravies or simple raitas. Infact this is a satisfying meal in itself without any accompaniment too. Its an easy and quick recipe, which surely will be a hit menu at any potluck, party or picnics. 




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A quick and easy recipe for vegetable pulao which has no onion and garlic in it. Here I have used black cumin seeds in place of normal jeera that gives a unique and distinct flavor to the pulao.


2 cups basmati rice
2 cups mixed vegetables [ Beans, Carrot, Peas]
3 and 3/4 cups of water
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 inch piece of cinnamon
3-4 cloves
2-3 green cardamom
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
1/2 tsp black cumin seeds [shahi jeera]
2 green chilies, slit
1 tbsp cashew nuts
1 tbsp raisins
salt to taste
Olive oil + Ghee
2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves


Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes in lukewarm water [I would suggest you follow the packet instructions while cooking the rice] . Drain the water and keep it aside.

Heat oil + ghee in a wide pan. Once ghee gets melted, add shahi jeera and the whole spices one by one. Saute it on sim flame till you get nice aroma. Add cut green chilies. Follow it with the chopped vegetables and saute it nicely for 5 minutes on medium flame. Now add water and allow it to boil. Add in the coconut milk, soaked and drained basmati rice. Add salt as per the taste.

Stir once [care should be taken to see that the rice grains do not break] and monitor the cooking. Cook it on medium flame until the rice absorbs the water. Lower the flame, cover the pan with a lid and cook it till done. Switch off the flame and allow it to rest for few more minutes.

Once done completely uncover the pan and garnish with fried cashews and raisins [optional] and finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve it hot with accompaniment of your choice.


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Hello friends ! I am back from vacation. With the post-vacation blues that we suffer every time after our return, this year we planned to come back at the time when weekend was around the corner. It was helpful as we managed to catch up on lost sleep, finish unpacking and cleaning. Now all rejuvenated to settle back into our daily routines as well celebrate the festive occasions that is spread over the whole month of Shravan.

Today is Narali Purnima known as Coconut day festival celebrated mostly by fisherman from Maharashtra, marking the end of monsoon season and beginning of new fishing season. They worship the samudra dev [Lord Varun] and coconuts are offered to sea God while worshipping for their safety and good fishing business. Narali bhaath aka sweet coconut rice is a sweet dish that is prepared mainly on this day. I prepared it making few variations to Mangala Barve's recipe from her book "Annapurna".



1 cup rice [I used sona masoori variety]
1/2 cup coconut. [I used dessicated coconut, fresh coconut is preferably used]
3/4 cup jaggery, grated [ If you prefer more sweet you can increase the quantity]
4-5 cloves
15-20 cashews
15-20 raisins
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2-3 tbsp ghee



Method:
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a deep pan. Add cloves and saute it for a minute. After this I transfer it to pressure cooker vessel, add 2 and 1/4 cups of hot water and allow the rice to cook till the grains are separate but not soft. Once cooked spread the rice on a plate and allow it to cool. Add grated coconut, grated jaggery to the rice, toss it gently with help of fork and keep it aside.

Now heat the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee in the same deep pan, fry cashews and raisins. Place them aside. Add rice, grated coconut and grated jaggery mixture in the pan. Add cardamom powder and mix gently. Cook it covered with a lid for 5 -10 minutes on sim flame [the jaggery should melt completely]. Garnish with fried cashews and raisins. Narali bhaat is ready to serve.

Narali Purnima coincides with rakshabandhan/rakhi purnima throughout India, to celebrate the bonding between sisters, brothers and cousins. Wishing all of you a Happy Rakhi purnima too !


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Raw mango is known as ambuli in konkani, mavinkayi in kannada or kairi in marathi. Though the season of mangoes is coming to an end, raw mangoes are still available on the shelves of supermarkets over here. Today's recipe is a delicious variety rice using these raw mangoes. Popularly known as Mavinkayi anna/ chitranna throughout South India, the recipe here is an adaptation of the recipe by Asha aunty. 



Ingredients

Basmati rice 2 cups
Oil 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Peanuts 1/2 cup
Cashews 1 -2 tbsp
Curry leaves few
Turmeric powder pinch
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste

For grinding
Coconut grated 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Methi seeds 1/4 tsp
Red chili [ Byadgi variety] 3 -4
Grated Mango 4 tbsp for grinding 

For garnishing
Grated Mango 1 tbsp 
Coriander leaves finely chopped 


Method:

Clean, wash and cook rice in enough water with salt. Take care that the grains remain separate. Spread on a large plate to cool.

Dry roast methi seeds. Grind coconut, red chilies, methi seeds, mustard seeds and grated mango to a fine paste. In a deep pan, heat some oil. Add mustard seeds, when they crackle add urad dal and curry leaves. Add turmeric powder, peanuts and cashews. Stir fry for a minute or two. Add the ground paste and saute it on medium flame for few minutes. Add cooked rice, salt, sugar and mix well. Cook it for 5 minutes over low flame. Garnish with some more grated mango and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve it hot with papad.


Happy Cooking !
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Soya chunks known as meal maker or soy meat is a defatted soy flour product [source wikipedia]. Everybody in family loves these chunks, so much that hubby keeps a special note to pick these packets from supermarkets.

The protein content of these chunks is equal to that of meat and is highly nutritious especially for people who don't consume meat. They are also rich source of vitamin B, omega -3 fatty acids, fiber & carbohydrates. Having no particular taste they readily absorb any flavors that we dip in from different preparations.

Family being vegetarian, I always try to include soya in our diet and keep experimenting with different dishes such as variety rice, parathas, soups, side dishes etc in order to reap the health benefits from them. You can find here the SK recipe of soya golmatol that I had posted few months back.

Coming to today's recipe, its biryani using these chunks. This recipe is an adaptation of one that is shared by friend on food group of which I am a member. Thanks Asha for this aromatic and mouth-watering biryani recipe. My family enjoyed having it with plain curd and salads.


Ingredients

Basmati rice 1 cup
Cinnamon 1 inch stick 2
Cloves 2
Cardamom 2
Vinegar 1 tsp
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Soya chunks/ Meal maker 1 cup
Mixed vegetable 1/2 cup [I used frozen ones]
Onion large sized 1
Green chillies 2 [ You may adjust to suit your family requirements]
Tomatoes 2
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Coriander leaves fistful finely chopped.
Mint leaves fistful
Dahi 3 tsp
Salt as per the taste
Oil to use for soya chunks masala

To marinate half the quantity of above soya chunks
Ginger garlic paste 1 paste
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder 1/4 tsp
Rice flour enough to coat these chunks

For garnishing
Onion finely sliced 1
Finely chopped coriander leaves 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash and clean rice. Soak it for 20 minutes. In a deep pan, heat oil, add cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom and saute it for few seconds. Add 2 cups of water, vinegar, salt and allow the water to boil. Now add washed rice and cook it [To cook the basmati rice I followed the packet instructions]. Once done, spread the rice on plate, separate it with fork and keep it aside.

Meanwhile boil soya chunks in water with salt until they become soft. Allow them to cool and squeeze the water out completely from them. Now take half the amount of them, add chilly powder, turmeric powder, 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste and sprinkle little rice flour on it. Mix it well and then deep fry these chunks. Place them on kitchen tissue towel. In the same oil add finely sliced onions [I used one onion] and fry till they become brown/ caramelize. Keep these deep fried items aside which will be used to garnish the dish. [You can shallow fry both these items as an healthier option]

To prepare soya chunks masala, heat oil in a pan. Add finely sliced onions. Saute them till they become translucent, add ginger garlic paste and fry it till the raw smell disappears. Add slit green chillies, finely chopped tomatoes and saute them till tomatoes turn soft. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and fry it taking care the powders don't get burnt or stick to the base of the pan. Add chopped coriander and mint leaves [ Alternately you can grind the leaves with green chilli into paste and add it]. Finely add dahi, boiled soya chunks, thawed mixed veggies, few tbsp of water, and salt as per the taste. Adjust the salt keeping in mind that you have already added it to soya chunks and rice before. Cook it with covered lid for 2 minutes.


Now the final step.
Open the vessel where you have cooked rice. Add soya masala and mix the whole mixture with spatula in clockwise and anticlockwise direction each time, so that rice gets coated with masala partially. Cover the vessel with lid and keep it on sim flame for 5 -10 minutes. Once done switch off the flame. Serve it hot garnished with fried onions and fried soya chunks with choice of accompaniment like plain or boondi raita or salad.


Happy cooking !!!
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Tawa Pulao is another famous stall food [besides Masala pav] from the streets of Mumbai found especially on the carts selling pav bhajis. This is because the exotic pulao shares the same tawa/iron griddle in which the pav bhaji masala is prepared. I came across many recipes on different blogs, chef websites. Most of them had a basic recipe with variations and different proportions been used for the ingredients. The reason could be that street food recipes are not written down and hence the vendors must have come up with their own innovations and variations to attract the customers.

Finally, I decided to try out my version and adapted the Tarla Dalal recipe to cater the taste buds of my family.



Ingredients

2 cups Basmati  rice 
1 onion large sized  
1 capsicum medium sized finely chopped 
2 tomatoes medium sized finely chopped 
1 tsp cumin seeds 
1 cup mixed vegetables [used frozen boiled them separately]  
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste  [U can used freshly crushed garlic ginger instead of paste]
1/2 tsp chili powder 
1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
1 tbsp pav bhaji masala 
1/2 tsp garam masala 
2 tbsp butter + oil 
Salt as per the taste
Sugar as per the taste.
1 tbsp lemon juice 

Method:



Cook the rice separately and keep it ready.

In a wok, heat butter + oil. Add cumin seeds and when they crackle add ginger garlic paste, finely chopped onions. Saute on medium heat till the raw smell disappears. Add chopped tomatoes and saute them till they turn mushy. Next add finely chopped capsicum and saute it for a minute. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala, pav bhaji masala powder saute for few minutes. Add boiled veggies and mix well till the veggies get nicely combined with spice mix. Sprinkle some water if the mixture starts sticking at the base of the wok. Add cooked rice, chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice, salt as per taste and sugar [optional step I usually do for my kids]. Mix everything well and cook it with covered lid on sim flame for 5 minutes. Switch of the flame. 

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves, raw chopped onions [optional] and lemon wedges. Serve it hot with raita as seen in below pic.




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We at home just love Middle eastern cuisine. It was only after our relocation to this region I got to taste and discover my love for this cuisine.  Hubby introduced me to hummus, falafel in the initial days itself. Once I joined work, got to taste veg fatayers, different salads, dips, arabic sweets at my office parties. I craved for these foods during both my pregnancies and inspite of having severe morning sickness I used to rush to my office cafeteria to enjoy having these foods. No wonder kids jump with excitement at the sight of these foods and enjoy eating it till date.

Usually, its the takeaway option and we pick arabic foods (veg) from nearby restaurants. On a particular weekend, hubby came home with a plan to visit an arabic restaurant. He wanted us to taste this particular dish "Kusheri/Kosheri". Glad that he made the right plan because after this visit, one more dish got added to our favourite list. I loved the combination of rice cooked with brown lentils mixed with boiled macaroni, sauces finally garnished with caramlized onions

Back home, googled for its recipe. While doing so came across recipes for Mujaddara, a recipe similar to Kusheri but mujjadara does not have macaroni in it. A popular dish throughout the Arab world , this also consists of lentils either brown or green cooked with rice, garnished with sautéed onions and as a variation it can be seasoned with cumin, coriander or mint. I felt that this dish was a combination of our Indian khichadi + Mughlai Biryani and decided to give it a try instead of Kusheri. I chose this recipe from My Diverse Kitchen. Please note that this may not be the traditional/authentic recipe for this dish, but my family enjoyed having it. 


Ingredients

Whole green gram 1 cup [You can also use brown lentils]
Rice 1 and 1/2 cup [ Have used Basmati Rice]
Onions 4 medium sized
Ginger garlic paste 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp [optional]
Red chilly flakes 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves and Coriander leaves chopped for garnish
Lemon Juice 1 tbsp
Olive Oil + Ghee

Method:

Boil the whole green gram [ Note: I pressure cooked them for 2 whistles and then boiled it in a vessel for 5 minutes by adding salt] Try not to overcook the lentils [an important step for this recipe] and take care that they are cooked enough to be consumed. Cook rice separately by adding oil and salt. Once cooked separate by fork and allow it to cool. Keep it aside.

Now in a wok, heat olive oil+ ghee, add salt and put finely slice onions. Saute them on medium heat till they become soft and brownish/caramalized. {Note: Onions will reduce in quantity after this process so if you want to have more quantity you need to take more no of raw onions than mentioned above}. Drain them on a paper napkin and keep them aside.

In the same wok, add oil, gg paste, saute it for half a minute. Add cumin powder, cinnamon powder, red chilli powder, garam masala [optional] stir it. Add half of the fried onions. Toss it and add cooked rice and cooked lentils. Add red chilli flakes, chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, salt as per taste. Squeeze lemon juice, mix everything gently. Switch off the gas.

Transfer this to serving dish and sprinkle the remaining fried onions and chopped mint leaves. Serve it with plain/flavoured yoghurt or sauce.

Garlic Lemon Yoghurt
Yoghurt 1 cup  
Garlic cloves grated 4-5
Lemon juice 1/2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves + red chilli flakes

Combine all in a bowl and stir to mix the ingredients well. Serve it with main dish. You can cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Happy cooking !!! 

Note: Recipe for Kusheri will come asap.


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Chole pulav is an easy and quick recipe, a complete meal by itself where rice is cooked with chickpeas and variety of spices.




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I usually have truckloads of mint and coriander leaves sitting in my fridge. Most of the time these leaves are used for garnishing or preparing green chutney. This time I decided to prepare variety rice using these fresh leaves. 




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"Dhaiyn" is Konkani word for curds/yoghurt. Yes, today the recipe is "Curd rice" also known as "mosuranna", "thayir sadam" in other languages. Its a comfort food for many, a rescuer to me when I am in no mood to cook after a long tiring day at work. The ingredients and measurements gets adjusted as per its availability. This is the version which I prepare most of the times.


Rice cooked 1 cup
Thick curd [chilled] 2 cups
Water/Milk to adjust the consistency
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds few
Coriander leaves to garnish
Cashews roasted for garnishing

For tempering
Ghee 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few leaves
Green chillies finely chopped 1-2
Asafoetida a pinch

Method:

Whisk the yoghurt and add it to cooked cooled rice. Add salt and mix well. Keep this aside.
Roast cashews and keep them aside.

Heat ghee in a wok. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter add curry leaves, chopped green chillies and asafoetida. Switch off the flame and pour the tempering on the mixed curd rice mixture. Mix it well. Adjust salt as per the taste and add few tsps of water or milk to adjust its consistency.

Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy the rice with any pickle of your choice.

Note: Addition of some milk to the curd rice may remove the sourness of the curd if it is there before serving.
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Bhasbhaata/ Bhaazbhatte is an aromatic variety rice from Kashmir cuisine. It is a mildly spiced pulao prepared using mixed veggies, whole garam masala and dry spice powders. I was introduced to this dish by my fellow foodie friend, SB who shared her preparation on FB. I did follow her recipe for quite a number of times. Recently, I came across Kaushi Bhatia's way of making this dish in her book "Favourite dishes of India" which is somewhat similar to my friend's recipe but with chana daal added as an extra ingredient. So here is my attempt to make this rice with chana dal. 




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Namma Karnataka special Bisibele Huli anna aka Bisibele bhaath is favourite at our place. 


Ingredients

Rice 1 1/2 cup
Turdal 3/4 cup
Mixed vegetables 1 1/2 cups [ I have used bite sized carrots, french beans and green peas]
Onion large 1 finely sliced
Tamarind golf-ball sized soaked in water, later juice squeezed out.
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Peanuts fistful [ optional]
Cashewnuts fistful roasted in ghee [ optional]
Salt to taste
Jaggery 1 tbsp
Ghee 3 tbsp
Bisibele bhaath masala powder MTR brand - 2 tbsp

Seasoning ingredients
Curry leaves few leaves, 
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp , 
Broken chilly 1, 
Asafoetida 1/4 tsp

Method:

Wash rice and dal separately. Place rice, dal [add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp of oil] and vegetables  in separate containers and cook it in pressure cooker up to 3 whistles. I prefer rice to be soft in this dish unlike other rice dishes. Mash the dal to smooth paste and mix it with rice. Meanwhile squeeze the tamarind juice and finely slice the onion.

Now in a pan, heat ghee. Add mustard seeds, once they start popping add broken chilly pieces, peanuts [optional], asafoetida and curry leaves. Next add sliced onions and sauté it till they become soft. Add remaining turmeric powder, bisibele bhaath masala powder, jaggery, tamarind juice extract. Bring this to boil on a low flame for 5 minutes. Add salt and adjust as per the taste. Now mix in the cooked rice dal vegetable mixture. Stir it well [You can add water to adjust the consistency of the rice]. Continue stirring to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once it turns soft porridge like consistency, switch off the flame and garnish with roasted cashews. Serve it piping hot with ghee, fried cubed capsicum, chips, boondi or raita.

Happy Cooking!!!
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