vegetable pulao

Ingredients

Basmati Rice -1 cup (soak it in water for 15-20 minutes and drain the water)
Carrot -1 big
Beans -6
Cauliflower - 4-5 florets (optional)
Potato -1
Onion -1
Peas - handful
Ginger – chopped 2 tsp
Green chilli -2
Pudina/mint leaves –handful
Lemon -1/2 a lemon
Oil -1 tbsp
Salt as required

For the seasoning

Cinnamon -1 inch piece
Cloves -4

 Method

Cut all the vegetables lengthwise and keep it aside.

Heat oil and add the ingredients for seasoning.

Sauté onion till they turn light pink, add ginger and all the vegetables including mint leaves, saute for a few minutes.

Then add rice, needed salt, 2 cups of boiling water and mix well.

Squeeze juice of half a lemon and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

 After it is done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or papads or any gravy of your choice. Pulao can be done with raw rice also, though tastes great with basmati rice.

Peas Pulav

 
Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Peas - 1 cup (Fresh/frozen)
Pudina/Mint leaves - 1 cup Finely chopped
Coriander leaves -½ cup Finely chopped
Onion - 2 medium size
Green chillies - 2
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 ½ tsp or (Grind 2 garlic cloves and a small bit ginger)
Oil -2 tbsp
Ghee - ½ tbsp
Salt to taste

For the seasoning

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 2
Cardamon - 1

Method

Wash and soak Basmati rice for 15 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil and ½ tbsp of ghee together, add the ingredients for seasoning.

Add finely chopped onions and sauté till it turns transparent, add ginger- garlic paste and fry for a few more minutes.

Add slit green chillies, peas, mint and coriander leaves and sauté a little.

Add basmati rice, 2 cups of boiling water, needed salt and pressure cook.

Your peas pulav is ready. You can serve it with potato chips, raita/pachadi of your choice, papads or any gravy.

CURD RICE

Ingredients

Rice - ½ cup
Curd- ½ cup
Milk – ½ cup ( I used toned milk)
Capsicum finely chopped – 2 tbsp
Tomatoes deseeded and finely chopped – 1
Carrots finely chopped – ½ a carrot
Chopped cucumber -2 tbsp
Finely chopped ginger – 1 tbsp
Green chillies – 1 deseeded
Salt needed
Oil – 1 tsp
Mustard – ¼ tsp

Method

Pressure cook the rice.

When done, mash it well with a masher and add milk to it.

After it cools, add curd and needed salt. Add all the vegetables.

Heat a tsp of oil, add mustard when it splutters, add ginger and green chillies. Sauté for a few seconds and add to the curd rice. Mix everything well.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander rice.

Yummy curd rice is ready.

You can add a little butter (optional) , a tbsp of pomegranates and few green grapes if you like. Since I do not prefer the sweetness of fruits in curd rice nor butter, I did not add those ingredients.

My kids do not prefer plain curd rice, may be because it is always available at home, but they enjoy the same curd rice if seasoned or presented differently.

Lemon Rice

 
Ingredients
Rice -1 cup
Lemon -1 (juicy one)
Cashewnuts- 5 -6
Salt to taste
Oil-3 tsp

For the seasoning

Mustard -1/2 tsp
Urad dal -1 tsp
Channa dal -1 tsp
Red Chillies -1
Green chillies -2
Finely chopped ginger-1 tsp
Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
Asafoetida -A pinch
Curry leaves -little
Finely chopped carrot -2 tbsp (optional)


Method

Cook rice. Spread it in a plate, mix a tsp of sesame seed oil to it, so that the grains will not stick together.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when mustard splutters , add urad dal, channa dal, red chillies and asafoetida .When dal turns slightly brown ,add green chillies, ginger, turmeric powder, curry leaves and finely chopped carrot (optional ).

Saute till the carrots are slightly cooked.

Squeeze lemon juice in a cup, add salt to it. Mix and add to the rice.

Add the seasoning to the rice and mix well. Add more lemon juice if required.

Add roasted cashewnuts and serve with papads or chips or curried potatoes.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

Raw rice -1 cup
Grated coconut –3/4 cup

Mustard seeds –1 tsp
Channa dal/Bengal Gram/kadalai paruppu – 1 tbsp
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Red chillies – 2
Green chillies -2
Curry leaves – few
Ginger (finely chopped ) – 1 tsp (optional )
Oil /coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida/Hing – a pinch
Cashew nuts -8-10

Method

Cook rice, spread it in a plate and keep it aside. You can use ordinary rice or Basmati rice. It should be cooked in such a way that the grains are separate.

Heat oil in a kadai/ pan, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add channa dal, urad dal, cashew nuts and roast till it becomes slightly brown. (add channa dal first as it will take time to get roasted, then add urad dal and cashew nuts)

Add red chillies, green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves and sauté for a few more seconds.

Add grated coconut and sauté for a few minutes till it becomes slightly brown. Add salt needed.

Add cooked rice and mix it well. Serve with papads or chips or any gravy of your choice.

Related articles

• Veg Pulav (Mixed vegetable Rice)

Tomato Rice

Ingredients needed
Basmati Rice -1 cup
Ripe juicy tomatoes -4
Onion -2 medium size
Green chillies -2
Ginger-Garlic paste -1 tsp
Chillie Powder -1 tsp
Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp
Salt as required
Oil -2 tbsp
For the seasoning
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - little
Method
Soak Basmati Rice for 20 minutes. Drain water and pressure cook rice adding 2 cups of boiling water.
Take juice of 4 tomatoes in a blender and keep it aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a kadai and add the ingredients for seasoning.
Add onions and saute till it turns translucent.
Add green chillies and ginger- garlic paste. Saute for a few more minutes.
Then add tomato juice, turmeric powder, chillie powder and salt.
Cook till oil separates.
Add the cooked rice to the tomato gravy and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with papads, potato chips or raita.
You might love my Tomato Biryani Recipe also.

Pudina rice with Paneer

 
Ingredients needed

Basmati Rice – 1 cup
Onion -2 (medium sized)
Paneer cubes -10 pieces (fry it in oil/ghee)
Oil -1 tbsp
Salt to taste

For the grinding

Pudina- 1 bunch
Green chillie- 3 -4
Ginger– 1 small bit
Garlic- 3 cloves

For the seasoning

Cloves -3
Cinnamon -1 bit

Method

Wash and soak Basmati Rice in water for 20 minutes.

Then drain water and cook rice adding 2 cups of boiling water in a rice cooker/pressure cooker.

Finely chop onions and keep it aside.

Grind pudina, green chillies, ginger, garlic to a fine paste.

Heat oil and add the ingredients for seasoning.

Add onions and sauté till they turn pink.

Add the grounded paste, salt required and fry till oil separates. It will take only a few minutes.

Add the cooked rice and paneer cubes and mix well.

Serve hot with any raita and appalam.