Tomato Rice / Takkali Saatham

Here is a quick, spicy and tasty comfort dish!



Prep time - less than 5 mins
Cooking time - 15 mins

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1.5 cups
Tomatoes - 3 medium sized, chopped
Onion - 1/2 of medium sized, chopped
Ginger - 1.5 tsp, finely chopped
Cilantro - 4 sprigs, finely chopped
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per taste
Green chillies - 2, chopped [ or as per taste ]
Oil - 1 tbsp

Seasoning :

Whole dry red chilli - 2, broken into 2 pieces
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 7-8, broken pieces
Curry leaves - 4 to 5 leaves
Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Procedure :

In a large sized pan ( on medium heat ) heat oil. Once hot, add in mustard seeds, once they splutter add cumin seeds and as they sizzle add in red chillies, chana dal and urad dal and stir till the dals turn golden in color. Then add cashew nut pieces, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves. Stir for few seconds and add in the onions and stir again till the onions turn transparent. Add in the green chillies, red chilli powder and tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes turn real mushy and soft. [ Since we are adding whole dried red chillies, green chillies and red chilli powder, be carefull of how much of each you add. You want it spicy but not too hot!]

Once the tomatoes are mushy add garam masala [ optional ] and turn the heat to low and slowly add the fluffed up rice and salt. Mix nicely. Add  cilantro and mix again. Serve warm with raita and papad.

Vegetable Biryani - 2

It was weekend time and I was in mood to cook something special. For a long time I wanted to try Chef Sanjay Thumma's ( vahrevah.com ) version of vegetable biryani. It was definetly easier than the previous version I had tried and the end result was also really delicious and satisfying.

  

Though both the recipes are similar, this biryani had these changes : 

1. I got readymade biryani masala from Indian store and used 3/4th packet [ for 2 cups basmati rice and 2 and 1/2 cups of vegetables ].

2. Instead of baking for 45 mins I cooked it in double boiling method.

Also for garnishing , I used fried breads ( pan fried ) which really enhanced the taste further. 

The biryani turned out tasty and the vegetable and rice were cooked to perfection!

  

I definetly would want to do repeat this wholesome dish on more occasions.For the complete recipe click here.

Gobi 65 with Peppered Rice

Here is a scrumptious dish that I cook every once in a while. Though it is an appetizer, we like to have it with buttered peppered rice.

Also, instead of deep frying the gobi, I pan fry it with little oil. Though it takes time to cook it this way, the end dish is less oily.

Prep Time - 10 mins
Cooking time -  20 mins

Ingredients :

For Gobi 65:

Cauliflower - 1 large sized, cut into small florets
Bell pepper / Capsicum - 1 medium , cut into long thin strips
Onion - 1 medium , cut nto long thin strips
Oil - 4 tbsp
Corn flour - 3 tbsp
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp or as per taste
Tomato sauce - 3 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp [ or as per taste ]
Chilli sauce - 1 tsp [ or 1/4 tsp of chilli powder ]
Salt as per taste

For rice :

Cooked rice - 2 cups
Pepper - 1 tsp or as per taste
Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Procedure :

For Gobi 65:

Wash the cauliflower florets and soak them in hot water for 5- 7 mins. Drain the water and transfer the florets into a big plate. Sprinkle the corn flour, red chilli powder and salt, mix them with your hands. [ To cover the cauliflower florets with the corn flour evenly, I also sprinkled some water ]

In a medium sized wok, heat oil on medium heat and add the florets and pan fry till they get golden brown in color. Take out the florets and keep aside. In the same oil pan fry the onions and bell peppers / capsicum till the onions turn transparent. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In the same pan add tomato sauce, soy sauce and chilli sauce ( or chilli powder ) and give a quick mix. Add the onions, bell peppers and florets and mix properly. Check for salt and serve with peppered rice.

For rice :

Heat a pan [ medium heat ] and melt butter. Fluff up the rice with a fork and add into the melted butter. Add salt and pepper and mix properly.

Serve hot.

Ellorai

Ellorai is usually made on the auspicious day of purattasi sanikazhamai for Lord Vishnu. It can be made in minutes and definitely tops my list of comfort foods.

Prep time - 5 mins
Cooking time - 5- 10 mins

Ingredients :

For ellu podi :

Sesame seeds (ellu ) - 1/4 cup
Udat dal - 1 cup
Dry red chillies - 5 to 6 or as per taste
Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp
Salt as per taste

Cooked rice - 2 cups ( I used regular rice )
Oil - 1 -2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5 to 6 leaves

Procedure :

In a small pan on medium heat dry roast sesame till it turns golden in color. Do not burn them and step back while roasting sesame seeds as they pop up everywhere .Keep aside.

In the same pan heat 1 tsp oil on medium heat. Add all the items under the "to grind" section except salt and roast properly till they turn golden brown and you get a nice aroma from udat dal. [ Do not burn them and also make sure that the udat dal do not remain raw ]. Once they turn golden brown turn off the heat, cool and grind with salt into semi coarse powder. The ellu podi is ready and can be stored for 4-5 days in an air tight container.

Now for ellorai, take a medium ssized wok on medium heat. Add mustad seeds and let them splutter, add curry leaves and give it a quick stir. Add cooked rice. [ Make sure you separate each grain and fluff up the rice before adding ]. Add in the required podi. I added about 4-5 tbsp of podi . Check for salt.

Serve with chips/ papad/ vattal.

Mint Rice/ Pudina Rice

During weekdays I prefer to cook and eat regular south Indian meals, but in the weekends I look forward to cooking something different. But - weekends also mean lazy days so coupled with constraints of laziness and enthusiasm to eat something different ( Lol.. ) , lead me into creating my own list of comfort foods. Mint rice/ Pudina rice is one among them. Its quite easy to make and yet tastes wonderful and is a pleasant change from regular meals.

   

Prep time - 10 mins

Cooking time - 10 mins

Ingredients :

Rice - 2 cups

Mint - 2 cups [ Rice : Mint = 1 : 1 ]

Green Chillis - 3 to 4 or as per taste

Coconut - 4 to 5 tbsp, shredded

Ginger - 1 inch stick

Garlic - 2 medium pods

Cashews - 1 to 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 medium, chopped

Salt to taste

Procedure :

Cook rice half an hour prior to cooking . Once cool fluff up the rice with a fork so that the rice morsels don't stick with each other.

Grind mint, green chillies, coconut, garlic, ginger without adding water.

In a pan heat oil , and once hot, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cashew nuts and stir till they turn golden brown, now add the onions and stir till they become transparent. Add the ground masala and salt. Turn the heat to medium and stir slowly till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes off. [ This should take 5-6 mins approx on medium to low flame].

Now add the rice and mix well. Turn off the heat. Serve hot.

Vegetable Dum Biryani

Vegetable Dum Biryani is one of the most wholesome and satisfying dishes that I have cooked in the recent past. Filled with veggies, lots of spices and rich in nuts, it is one festive meal that you should not miss!

Before going into the details of the Dum Biryani recipe, I would like to share something that I learnt recently, that is the difference between a Pulao and Biryani. In the former, rice is cooked along with all the spices and vegetables whereas in biryani the rice and the vegetables (along with spices ) are cooked separately till 70% is done and are then layered alternatively and cooked slowly. This slow cooking process is called Dum cooking.

Prep time - 1 hr approx
Cooking time - 30 mins
Baking time - 45 mins to 1 hr

Ingredients :

For garnishing :


Saffron - 1 tsp
Fried onions - 1/2 to 3/4 cup [ store bought, these may also be readily available in Indian grocery stores.]

For the rice :


Basmati rice - 1.5 cups
Mint - 2 to 3 tbsp, chopped
Cilantro / coriander leaves - 2 to 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Oil - 1 + 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Whole spices for rice:

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch stick
Cloves- 4
Cardamom - 1
Bay leaf - 1

For the vegetables:

Potatoes - 2 , cut into long  and thick strips
Carrots - 2, cut into long strips
Beans - 3/4 cups, cut into medium pieces
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup, cut into big florets
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onions - 1, medium, cut into long strips
Tomato - 1, medium and firm, cut into medium cubes
Paneer - 1/2 cup, cut into cubes
Walnuts - 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Yoghurt - 3/4 to 1 cup
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Mint - 3 to 4 tbsp, chopped
Cilantro / Coriander seeds - 3 to 4 tbsp
Kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 4 , slit
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Whole spices for the vegetables :

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch stick
Cloves- 4
Cardamom - 2
Bay leaf - 1
Oil - 3 tbsp

For the Biryani Masala [ You can also use store bought biryani masala ]

Whole dried red chillies - 6
Whole dried cloves - 6
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp


One hour prior to cooking :

1. Wash and soak the rice in water .
2. Soak the saffron in 2-3 tbsp of water.
3. Prepare paneer if making at home .
4. Prepare Biryani masala if necessary -  Dry roast the coriander seeds, red chillies and cloves till the coriander seeds turn golden brown. Cool and grind this mixture.

Procedure :

Marination of the vegetables:

In a big bowl mix ginger and garlic paste, coriander powder and turmeric properly. Add in the vegetables, mint leaves, coriander leaves , Kasuri methi and little salt. Mix properly taking care that the vegetables do not break during mixing. Cover and keep the vegetable mix aside.

Cooking the Rice :

Take a big vessel and boil about 7-8 cups of water. Drain the water from the rice and when the water comes to a rolling boil add the drained rice along with the whole spices , mint leaves, coriander leaves,a tsp of oil and salt. We want the rice to be cooked only 70 % so keep stirring in between and check that the rice doesnt get overcooked. This should take less than 5 minutes on medium heat . Also keep stirring to prevent rice from sticking in the bottom.

Once cooked drain the water from the rice in a colander . The drained rice would have a very nice aroma from the whole spices, cilantro and mint leaves . Add another tsp of oil and with a fork fluff up the rice while mixing the oil. Keep the rice aside.

Cooking the vegetables :

Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat.In the hot oil add cumin seeds and whole spices. Stir for few seconds and add in the onions and fry till golden brown.

Once the onions turn golden brown sprinkle about a tbsp biryani masala and turmeric , give it a good stir and add in the vegetables. Add more salt if you want to. Cover and cook the vegetables till the potatoes and carrots are 70 % done. Take a potato and carrot and cut them with a knife, they would get cut yet not easily, [ same as in when you cut refrigerated butter] This should take approx ten mins or less on medium heat.

While the vegetables are getting cooked, in a small pan heat a tbsp of oil and shallow fry the cashew nuts, walnuts and paneer respectively.

Once the vegetables are done switch off the heat and add in the fried walnuts and cashew nuts, fried paneer, tomatoes and curd and mix gently and keep it aside.

Layering the Biryani:


Preheat the oven at 400 F.

Grease a baking pan, there will be 2 layers of vegetables and 3 layers of rice so choose a baking pan big enough for  5 layers.

1st layer (rice):

Spread a layer of rice ( as we will have 3 layers of rice, use rice here by keeping aside enough rice for the other two layers)

 After spreading the rice sprinkle about 1/2 to 1 tsp of biryani masala.

2nd layer (vegetables):

Now layer the vegetables over the rice. ( as we will have 2 layers of veggies, use half veggies in this layer keeping the other half of veggies aside.)

Press the veggies gently with a large spoon to make room for other layers. Now sprinkle some fried onions over the veggies.

3rd layer (rice):

Spread another layer of rice over the veggies.

Sprinkle the biryani masala.[ I avoided sprinkling the masala in the 3rd layer as i didn't want  it to be too spicy.]

4th layer (vegetables):

Spread the remaining half of vegetables over the rice.

Sprinkle some fried onions and press the veggies gently with a large spoon.

5th layer (rice):

Spread the remaining rice over the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle the fried onions  and finally sprinkle the saffron over the rice.

Cover the baking pan with an aluminum foil and bake for 45 mins.

[ This baking step can also be done by double boiling. For this, heat water in a large skillet on medium heat and place the steel pan ( with the layers of veggies and rice ) over it for 45 mins]

When done the fried onions would turn dark brown in color. Do not over-cook in the oven as the rice might turn hard. 

Serve hot. Since the Biryani is a wholesome meal by itself, it can be served with a plain raita.


[ To watch the video of the complete recipe of Vegetable Dum Biryani from showmethecurry.com click here.]

Aadi Perukku kalantha saatham [Mixed rice]

On this special day - Aadi Perukku (18th day in the month of Aadi on the Tamil calendar), the lunch menu consists of any three mixed rice items. In this blog, I am posting one such menu with these three - Lemon, Coconut and Curd rices.

 

Prep Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 10 -15 mins

Ingredients :

Cooked Rice - 3 cups (1 cup for each rice item)

For Lemon Rice :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tsp

Cashews - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 2 [ or as per taste ] , chopped

Curry leaves - 5 to 6 

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

For Coconut Rice :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tsp

Red Chillies [ Dried ] - 2 [ or as per taste ] , broken into medium pieces

Curry leaves - 5 to 6

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Coconut [Shredded] - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Peanuts - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

For Curd Rice :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Green Chili - 1 finely, chopped

Curry leaves - 3 - 4 leaves

Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped

Curd - 3/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

 

Procedure :

Separate and fluff up the rice with a fork.

Lemon Rice :

Heat oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter, add chana dal, urad dal and cashews and give it a quick stir. Then add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric stir for few seconds till you get a nice curry leaves aroma [ make sure that you don't burn ] . Add one cup of cooked rice and salt and mix properly. Switch off the heat and pour in the lemon juice and mix again. 

Serve hot.

Coconut Rice :

Heat oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter, add chana dal, urad dal and add peanuts and stir for few seconds. Add the red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and stir for few seconds till you get a nice curry leaves aroma . Add coconut, mix and turn the heat to low. Add rice and salt. Mix and serve hot.

Curd rice :

Heat oil in a small pan , when hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter , add the green chillies and curry leaves. Switch off the heat and pour the mustard seeds and green chillies over the rice.Take a large spoon and mix so the rice gets mashed up. Now add milk , curd and salt and mix again. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Bisibelabath

Prep time - 30 mins
Cooking time-  20- 25 mins

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
Thuvar dal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil
Shallots / baby onions
Water - 6 cups
Ghee - 1- 2 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Coconut - 3 to 4 tbsp
Tamarind - one small lemon sized


Vegetables:

Potato - 1 cut into cubes
Carrot - 2 medium, cut into cubes
Peas - 1/2 cup
Beans - 1/2 cup cut into 1 inch
Chow chow / Chayote - 1/2 cup cut into cubes
Any other vegetable of choice can be added except okra / ladyfinger , beetroot


For the paste:


Chana dal - 2 tsp
Thuvar dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds / Saunf - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilies - as per taste ( I used 7)
Cinnamon stick - 2 inch stick
Cloves- 5 pieces

For the seasoning  :

Mustard
Urad dal
Chana dal
Asafoetida 
Curry leaves

Procedure 

Boil all the vegetables  and cook rice, thuvar dal and turmeric in 6 cups of water .
Soak tamarind in hot water ( 2 cup ) and squeeze the pulp into the water.

Take a large pan and heat oil. Once hot add in the mustard seeds, let them splutter and then add urad dal , chana dal and asafoetida. Give it a quick stir and add in the curry leaves and baby onions and keep stirring till the onions become translucent. At this stage add the tamarind water and boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off.

Now in another small pan take a tsp of oil and add all the ingredients mentioned under "for the paste" section and roast till the dals turn light orange in color. Cool and grind this mixture along with coconut and little water.

Add this paste to the boiled tamarind water and cook till there is enough water for both vegetables and rice .
(Bisibelabath should have a semi-solid consistency; so you should add enough water considering the quantity of both the vegetables and rice)

Now add the vegetables and salt and mix it properly..

At this stage take the rice and tuvar dal mix. Take a large spoon and mix the rice and thuvar dal so that they both get mashed enough and add it to the vegetables. Mix it nicely.Turn the heat to low.

The following step adds to the taste of Bisibelabath:

Heat ghee in a small pan and add cashew nuts, fry till they turn golden in color. Switch off the heat and add this ghee-cashew nut mix into the Bisibelabath and mix .

Serve hot with onion raita and papad/vattal.