Peas Pulao

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup- Basmati rice
• 1 Onion
• 3/4 cup Green peas
• 3 Green chillies
• 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• Black pepper – 1/2 tsp
• 3 Cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1" Cinnamon stick
• 2 Bay leaves
• 10 Cashew nut
• 2 tsp Oil
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup coconut milk

Method:

• Soak the basmati rice in water for 20 mins.
• Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
• Add the star anise, cinnamon and cloves together.
• Add them once the cumins splutter.
• Add bay leaves and toss for few seconds followed by pepper.
• Add the onions and split green chillies and saute and then add ginger garlic paste.
• Combine them well and toss them till you get rid off the raw smell.
• Now add the peas and combine with the masala.
• Remove from heat.
• Now heat ghee in a pan, add cashew nuts and toss till it turns light golden brown.
• Drain the water and add rice to the pan and toss till it gets the flavor of ghee.
• Add the peas masala to the pan and combine with rice.
• Remove from heat and add the coconut milk.
• steam cook adding water in the ratio 1: 1 1/2 cup (for 1 cup rice -1 1/2 cup water).
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Vegetable Dum Biryani

INGREDIENTS 15-20 medium Button mushrooms, quartered 1 1/2 cups Basmati rice, soaked 1 Bay leaf 4 Cloves 2 Green cardamoms 2 Black cardamoms 1 inch piece Cinnamon 1 blade Mace Salt to taste 2 teaspoons Oil 2 medium Onions, thinly sliced 1 Patoto 1 Carrot ½ cauliflower ¼ pound paneer 2 teaspoons Ginger paste 2 teaspoons Garlic paste 2 teaspoons Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon Coriander powder ½ tablespoon Black peppercorns, crushed ½ teaspoon Cumin powder ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder 3 tablespoons Tomato paste ½ cup Skimmed milk yogurt, whisked ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped ¼ cup Fresh mint leaves, torn a pinch Saffron (kesar) ¼ cup Skimmed milk

METHOD Bring four cups of water to a boil in a thick-bottomed vessel. Add bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cinnamon, mace and one teaspoon salt. When the water starts boiling rapidly, drain the soaked basmati rice and add. Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring frequently or until the rice is ¾ done. Drain in a colander. Boil another four cups of water and add the potato, carrot, cauliflower with some salt and cook it till it is ¾ done. Drain and store it. Heat some oil in a pan and add the chopped paneer and fry till golden brown. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add sliced onions and stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and sauté briefly. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, crushed peppercorns, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Stir-fry briefly and add the tomato paste. Continue cooking over high heat for another two to three minutes, stirring continuously or until masala is fairly thick. Add the whisked skimmed milk yogurt, garam masala powder and half the quantity of chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves. Stir well and cook for two minutes more. Add the quartered button mushrooms and the vegetables and salt to taste. Stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes and remove from heat. Arrange the cooked rice and mushroom masala in alternate layers in an oven proof dish (or Biryani handi), sprinkling the remaining chopped fresh coriander and torn mint leaves, and saffron dissolved in skimmed milk after each layer. Ensure that the top most layers is of rice. Cover the assembled biryani with a tight fitting lid silver foil and place it in a 350 degree oven for fifteen minutes. Break the seal and open the biryani, just before serving.

Spicy Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rice or 6-8 cups Cooked Rice
• 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
• ¾-1 cup Green Peas
• 1-2 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 3-5 large Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped
• 1 inch cube Ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 2-3 tbsp Mint Leaves, finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
• 3 Cloves
• ½-1 tsp Garam Masala
• ½-1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder

Tempering:

• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp Channa Dal
• 1 tbsp Urad Dal
• 1-2 Dry Red Chillies, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1-2 springs of Curry Leaves
• ¼ tsp Hing
• 2-3 tbsp Cashew Nuts
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• 1 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Cook rice in the method that is best suited for you.
• While rice is getting cooked, Take a large pan and add ghee to it. Add the broken cashew nuts and fry them on medium flame till they turn golden brown. Drain and keep them aside till needed.
• In a same pan add oil and heat it on medium flame. Add mustard seeds, once mustard seeds start to pop and splutter, add channa dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and broken red chillies. Sauté for a minute or two till lentils turn golden brown in colour.
• Next add hing and curry leaves and sauté for few seconds. Add in chopped onions, green chillies and ginger until onions turn translucent.
• Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, and red chilli powder and give it a good stir. Cook these tomatoes for about 5-7 minutes, on medium flame.
• Mix in tomato paste, green peas, garam masala and salt to taste. Simmer and let it cook for another 3-5 minutes.
• Turn off the gas and mix in cooled rice, finely chopped mint leaves and fried cashews and mix them well so that each rice grain is coated with spicy tomato base and every grain is heated through.
• Enjoy with curd or raita.

Vangi Bhath / Brinjal Rice

This is one of the dishes that I didn't enjoy until recently, I don't like eggplants at all. But this time when my mom visited me she made this for us and I realized how much I was missing.

I still don't enjoy eggplants that much, but considering all the benefits of eggplants I think I can at least eat it now and enjoy it.

Hope you guys like it too..

Here is the recipe for Vangi Bhath

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 tbsp tamarind
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 6 small eggplant
• 1 Carrot
• 1 cup of peas

For Spice Powder:

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1/2" stick cinnamon
• 2 cloves
• 4 dry red chillies
• 3 tsp Channa dal
• 2 tsp Urad dal
• 1 tbsp grated coconut (desiccated)

For Tempering:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida
• 1 dry red chilli, torn into pieces
• 1 sprig curry leaves

Direction:

• Put the tamarind in a bowl with 1/2 cup of water with salt and turmeric.
• Cube the eggplant and carrots and add to the tamarind juice and let soak for 15 mins.
• Heat oil for spice powder in a pan and add remaining ingredients for spice powder. Fry till spices are fragrant and the dals turn golden brown. Cool and grind to a powder.
• Heat oil for tempering in the same pan and add all the ingredients for tempering. When mustard seeds start popping, add the eggplant and carrots with the tamarind extract.
• Add the peas to this mixture, also add the spice powder to this and let it cook.
• Cover pan and simmer for about 10 mins till the vegetables are tender and water is almost completely adsorbed.
• Mix in the cooked rice with some oil so that the rice grains are separated.
• This can be eaten with curd.