Masala Rice With Channa Powder

I have picked up this recipe from Show Me The Curry. It's really quite simple to make and tasty to eat either. It tastes similar to tamarind rice.

Serves:

As a main course: 2 people.
As one of items in the menu: 4-5 people.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of basmati rice
2 1/4 cups of water
3-4 Tblsn of Channa Masala (I used store-bought channa masala)
2 tblsn of oil
2 tsp of mustard seeds
1/4 cup of peanuts
1 Tblsn of finely chopped green chilies (around 10 small in no.)
a few curry leaves
a handful of chopped coriander leaves
and finally enough salt

Process:

Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 minutes in water. Drain the water from the rice and add 2 1/4 cups of water to it. Allow it cook till done.


Mix 3-4 Tblsn of channa masala when the rice is hot itself and keep aside.

Note: If you are going to make with left-over rice just mix the powder into it and sprinkle little water on the top of it and cover it with a wet tissue paper and microwave it for a minute. Give a turn nicely and sprinkle little water and cover it with a wet tissue paper and microwave it for 1 more minute.

Take a big pan and heat 2 Tblsn of oil to it. Add 2 tps of mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add 1/4 cup of peanuts to it and fry nicely till done.


Add 1 Tblsn of finely chopped green chilies and a few curry leaves to the pan. Let them fry till the green chilies turn slightly white in colour or wrinkle.


Add in cooked rice which is mixed with channa masala to the pan. Add in enough salt to it. Stir continuously for 3-4 minutes on medium-high.


Add a handful of chopped coriander leaves and mix well.


Transfer the rice to a serving bowl.


Serve with or without curd of ones choices.

Spinach & Potato Pulav / Aloo Palak Pulav

The combination of spinach and aloo is great. It is health, spicy, tasty and simple to prepare too.

Recipe Source: My friend Archana

Serves: As a main course for 2 people.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice --- 1 Cup
Water --- 2 cups
Spinach / Palak leaves --- a handful or (when chopped 1 ½ cup tightly)

Potato / Aloo --- 2 medium size
Onion --- ½ of the big one
Ghee --- 2 Tblsn
Cloves --- 4
Cardamom Pods --- 2
Cinnamon Stick --- 1 small
Bay leaf --- 2-3
Star Anise --- 1 (Optional)
Cumin Seeds --- ½ tsp
Ginger-Garlic Paste --- 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch
Salt --- to taste
Red Chilly Powder --- ¾ tsp
Garam Masala --- ½ tsp

Process:

Clean and soak a cup of basmati rice.

Take a handful of spinach leaves. Clean and chop them. When chopped it should come 1 ½ cup tightly. Keep it aside.

Slice half of a big onion. Keep it aside.

Peel and chop potatoes into cubes and keep them in water. So tht potatoes won’t discolour.

Heat 2 Tblsn of ghee or oil in a pan or in a pressure cooker.

Add 4 cloves, 2 pods of cardamom, 1 small cinnamon stick, 2-3 bay leaves, a star anise which is optional, ½ tsp of cumin seeds. Fry till cloves splutter or for a minute.

Add sliced onion and a tsp of ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till the onions turn to translucent.

Add chopped spinach. Fry till limp.

Add cubed potatoes. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add cleaned & soaked basmati rice, a pinch of turmeric powder, enough salt, ¾ tsp of red chilly powder, ½ tsp of garam masala. Fry for 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups of water and adjust salt at this stage itself and cook till done in the rice cooker or keep it for 2 whistles in the pressure cooker as Archana said.

Mix well and serve hot with curds or raita.

Sweet Pongal

‘Sweet Pongal’ is a very good ‘Nivedyam’. It is offered to the God at the time of festivals and some special occasions.

After coming back from India I have cleaned my pooja mandir. Whenever we clean the pooja mandir we will offer some sweet to the God. In this occasion I made this.

Sweet Pongal can be made with milk and without milk too. I like the ‘sweet pongal’ which Babitha makes the most. Whenever a festival comes she makes this and distributes this as prasadam to all of us. I used to wait for that.

My Mom makes this with milk.

Note: Whatever we offer to the God it should not be too hot. Wait till the vapours go off completely.

Learnt From: My friend Babitha.

Serves: 8 people. (Can adjust for 10 people)

Ingredients:

Raw-Rice --- 1 Rice Cooker Cup (120 ml)
Yellow Moong dal --- ¼ th Rice Cooker Cup (40 ml)
Grated Jaggery --- 1 Rice Cooker Cup (tightly)
Ghee --- ½ - ¾ th Rice Cooker Cup
Cardamom Powder --- ¼ th tsp
Shredded Coconut or Coconut pieces --- ½ Rice Cooker Cup
Cashews --- a few
Raisens --- a few

Process:

Fry ¼ th cup of yellow moong dal in an open pan till the colour changes. (This step is optional. This is to take off the stickiness from the dal.)

Wash a cup of raw-rice and ¼ th cup of raw or fried yellow moong dal with water. If you have fried the yellow moong dal wash the rice separately.

Add 3 cups of water (trice the qtty of rice) and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.

Wait till the pressure goes away. Remove the lid.

In the mean while, grate 1 cup of jaggery. (tightly pack the cup with jaggery)

Add 2 cups of water to the grated jaggery. Micro-wave it for 2 minutes. Mix well to melt the jaggery.

Add pressure cooked rice and dal to a pan. Add 3 cups of water to it. Mix well and cook it for a while.

Add melted jaggery water to the rice. Cook it nicely till the dal mashes completely.

In the meanwhile, fry cashews, raisins & coconut in ½ cup of ghee.

Just before turning off the heat add this fried ones and ¼ tsp of cardamom powder to the rice.

Mix well.

Tomato Rice

Learnt From:Vahrehvah's Video (Sanjay Tumma)

Serves for:

As a full meal for 2 people.

Ingredients:

Ripe Tomatoes --- 3


Raw – Rice --- 1 Cup
Green Chilies --- 8 small
Ginger --- 2 inch pieces or 1 ½ tblsn when chopped
Onion --- ½ of the big one
Red Chilly Powder --- 1 tsp
Garam Masala --- a big pinch
Salt --- to taste
Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) --- 10-15 strands

For Seasoning:

Ghee --- 1 tblsn
Channa dal --- 1 tblsn
Black Split Gram Dal --- 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds --- ¾ tsp
Cumin Seeds --- ½ tsp
Broke Cashew nuts --- 10-15
Dry Red Chilies --- 2 halved
Curry Leaves --- 6-7
Hing --- a pinch

Process:

Clean a cup of raw-rice twice with water. Add 2 cups of water to it and cook it rice cooker or presser cooker as you cook rice normally.
Chop green chilies, ginger, onion and tomatoes.
Break cashew nuts to pieces.
Heat a tblsn of ghee in a pan.
Season it with channa dal, black split gram dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilly, broken cashew nuts, & hing.
Add curry leaves, chopped ginger and green chilies. Stir fry till the green chilies get white spots.


Add chopped onions. Fry till light transparent.


Add chopped tomatoes.


Add enough salt, 1 tsp of red chilly powder, and a big pinch of garam masala.
Cover it and cook till done.


In the meanwhile, chop coriander leaves.
Add boiled rice.


Mix well and adjust salt.
Add chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Closer view of Tomato Rice.

Have it with raitha.

Pongal

Learnt From: My Sister-In-Law (Lakshmi).

Serves:

As a full meal for 2 people.
As a break-fast for 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

Raw-Rice --- ½ cup
Yellow Moong Dal --- ½ cup
Water --- 6 cups
Salt --- 1 ½ tsp (adjust)
Ghee --- 1 tsp
Coriander Leaves --- 10 strands (chopped)

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 4 tblsn
Black pepper seeds --- 20 or 1 tsp
Ginger --- 2 inch piece or 1 ½ tblsn chopped


Cumin seeds --- 1 ¼ tsp
Black pepper powder --- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves --- 6-7

Process:

Take half cup of raw-rice and yellow moong dal to a pan.
Clean twice with water.
Add 6 cups of water to the pan.
Cover it and cook for a boil.
In the meanwhile, chop ginger and coriander leaves.
Remove the lid. Cook till the rice cooks (when you press a grain it should cut into two pieces).
Add approximately 1 ½ tsp of salt.
Cook till it becomes bit thick.
Add chopped coriander leaves. Stir well. Turn off the heat.
Heat 4 tblsn of oil in a pan. Stir fry Black pepper seeds, chopped ginger, cumin seeds, black pepper powder and curry leaves.
Add a tsp of ghee to the pongal. Mix well.
Transfer the seasoning to the pongal. Mix well.


Serve hot with dalia chutney or with tamarind chutney (it is made especially for pongal … soon will post tamarind chutney too).


Note:

As the pongal cools down it becomes thick. So cook till it is bit liquid consistency.

Vangi Bath

Learnt From:My friend's blog Archana

Ingredients:

Raw Rice --- 1 ¼ cup
Brinjals --- 3
Carrots --- 2 big
French beans --- ¼ cup (chopped)
Frozen Green Peas --- ½ cup
Onion --- ¼ of the big onion
Green chilies --- 4 (optional)
Tamarind --- 5-6 strands
Vangi Bath Masala --- 2 tblsn

Salt --- as per taste
Ghee --- 1 tsp
Cashew nuts --- a few

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 2 tblsn
Mustard seeds --- 1 tsp

Process:

Clean and cook rice with twice the water.
Slice green chilies and onions.
Chop carrots and beans.
Chop brinjals too and keep them in salted water. So that the colour of the brinjals wont change.

Heat 3 tblsn of oil in a pan.


Add mustard seeds. let them splutter.
Add sliced green chilies and onions. Stir fry onions till translucent.


Add chopped carrots, beans, brinjals and green peas.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder and enough salt to the vegetables.


Add ½ cup of water.
Cook till the vegetables are done ¾ th.
In the meanwhile, heat 5-6 strands of tamarind in little water.
Add tamarind juice and 2 tblsn of vangi bath masala to the pan.
Cook till the tamarind juice evaporates.


Mix it with the rice.


Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan. Add chopped cashew nuts … stir fry till light brown.


Add to the rice. Mix well.


Have it with raitha. Tastes Yummyyy…