Pulihora/Tamarind Rice

Pulihora/Tamarind Rice

Pulihora, Puliyodhara, or Chitrannam is a very common preparation in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka. Puli means sour in taste.

It is made with tamarind as an ingredient and is very popular in southern India.

In the districts of Andhra Pradesh, it is considered as a festival food. It is given as prasad in temples.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cooked rice or leftover rice(rice with each grain separate)
• 4-5 slit green chillies
• 2 dry red chillies
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 1 tea spoon finely chopped ginger
• big lemon sized tamarind
• 1 table spoon sesame seeds powder
• 1 table spoon roasted peanuts powder
• 1 tea spoon ready made rasam powder
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tea spoon sugar
• 3 table spoon raw peanuts
• 1 tea spoon urad Dal
• 1 table spoon chana Dal
• 1 tea spoon mustard seeds
• pinch of hing/asafoetida
• pinch of cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 tea spoon turmeric powder/haldi
• 3 table spoon oil

Method:

Soak tamarind in hot water and remove juice.

Heat oil in a vessel, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start popping add dry red chillies, cumin seeds, urad dal, channa dal and raw peanuts . Fry for a minute till they turn light brown in colour.

Now add  green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Stir fry for half a minute.

Add Tamarind juice, salt, sugar and rasam powder. let it boil for few minutes then add sesame seeds powder and roasted peanuts powder. Cook till oil separates and the masala paste becomes a bit thick. The masala should not be very watery nor too thick. Check the seasoning. Then add cooked and cooled rice. Mix well so that all the rice is coated with pulihora masala.

Cover the vessel and let the rice heat through. Then turn off the heat.

Pulihora is now ready.



Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 250 gms basmati rice or any good quality rice or 5-6 cups cooked rice
• 1/2 cup oil
• 10 beans finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots finely chopped
• 3-4 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 table spoon finely chopped cabbage
• 1 capsicum finely chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper
• 1 tea spoon ajinomoto (optional) (I have not used)
• 1/2 table spoon soya sauce

Method:

First wash and soak rice for 1/2 hour. Boil it with salt, 1 tea spoon oil and water till rice is more than half cooked. Drain water and spread the rice on a plate and let it cool completely or alternatively cook the rice in a rice cooker. The rice should be cooked a bit grainy.

Heat oil in a wok, add salt and pepper. Add beans, carrots, spring onions and cabbage. Saute on a high flame for 1 or 2 minutes.

Add the cooked and cooled rice. Mix it properly. Add soya sauce, ajinomoto and salt if required. Fry for 2-3 minutes on high flame.

Now add spring onion greens. Mix properly and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with any Chinese gravy dishes.

Masala Bhath



Masala Bhath

Masala Bhath is a popular Maharashtrian rice specially made during festivals, pujas and marriages. I love to eat this rice with ghee and freshly grated coconut.The speciality of this dish is the goda/kala masala which we use. Kaala masala is a Maharashtrian spice mixture which distinguishes Maharashtrian food from other aromas and flavours of India.

You can add any vegetables like cauliflower, beans, carrot, cabbage, tendli/Ivy Gourd, brinjal, potato or matar. In this recipe I have used cabbage, potato and matar/green peas.

You will find different recipes of masala bhath but this is how I make it.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 1 potato peeled and cubed
• 2 table spoon green peas
• 3/4 cup chopped cabbage
• 1 table spoon cashew nuts
• 2 tablespoon Maharashtrian goda masala
• 1-2 tea spoon red chili powder
• 1 table spoon Jaggery
• salt to taste
• 1 table spoon grated dry coconut
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 tea spoon black cumin seeds/shahi jeera
• 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder/haldi
• 1/2 tea spoon asafoetida/hing
• fresh grated coconut for garnishing
• finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
• 5 1/2 cups hot water
• 2-3 table spoon oil

Method:

Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes.Then drain off the water.

Heat 1 tea spoon ghee in a pan and fry the grated dry coconut and 1/2 tea spoon black cumin seeds. Cool it and then grind into a fine powder.

Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds when they splutter add asafoetida/hing, turmeric powder. Now add cabbage, potato, green peas and cashew nuts and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add rice and saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Now add goda masala, red chilli powder, jaggery, salt, dry coconut and cumin powder. Mix properly and fry for another 2 minutes and then add 5 1/2 cups of hot water.

Once it starts boiling, give a nice stir, then cover and cook till it is done. Keep stirring in between.

Serve hot garnished with ghee, coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut.

Palak Pulao/Spinach Rice

Palak Pulao/Spinach Rice

 There are various methods to prepare palak rice. But this is a unique recipe with flavours of fennel seeds, black cardamom. It is a one pot meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup basmati rice
• 2 bunch palak/spinach
• 3 table spoon cashew nuts
• 2 onions cut lengthwise
• 3 tea spoon sugar
• 3 tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut lengthwise
• salt to taste
• 2 table spoon oil

For paste:

• 1 inch ginger
• 8 green chillies
• 10 garlic cloves
• 2 tea spoon fennel seeds/saunf/badishep
• 4 badi elaichi/black cardamom
• 4 cloves/laung/lavang

Method:

Wash and soak the rice and keep aside.

Wash and clean palak/spinach and grind with a bit of water into a puree. It makes around 1 1/2 cups of palak puree.Keep aside.

Grind ginger, garlic, cloves, fennel seeds and  black cardamom into a fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a vessel, add onions and cashew nuts fry till they become golden brown. Now add the ground paste and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the washed rice and saute for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in 1 1/2 cups palak puree add  2 3/4  cups of water and boil.

Once the rice is sauteed add in hot palak water, salt and sugar.

When it starts boiling add tomato pieces, cover and cook till the rice is done.

Serve hot with raita.

Note: In today's recipe I have not added any vegetables but you can add all types of vegetables to it like carrot, beans, potato, cauliflower and peas, fry them along with the onion and rest of the method remains the same.

 

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice 

Ingredients:

• 250 gms basmati rice or any good quality rice or 5-6 cups cooked rice ( today I have used sona masoori rice)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 10 beans finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots finely chopped
• 3-4 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 table spoon finely chopped cabbage
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper
• 1 tea spoon ajinomoto (optional) (I have not used)
• 1 table spoon soya sauce

Method:

First wash and soak rice for 1/2 hour. Boil it with salt and water till rice is more than half cooked. Drain water and spread the rice on a plate and let it cool completely or put rice in a rice cooker, the rice should be cooked a bit grainy.

Heat oil in a wok, add salt and pepper. Add beans, carrots, spring onions and cabbage. Fry very lightly on high flame.

Add the cooked and cooled rice.Mix it properly.

Now add soya sauce, ajinomoto and salt if required. Fry for 5 minutes on high flame.

Now add spring onion greens. Mix properly and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with any Chinese gravy dishes.

Moong Dal Khichdi

Moong Dal Khichdi

This is a Maharashtrian style of khichdi, It is a one pot meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1/2 cup moong dal
• 2-3 tablespoon Maharashtrian goda masala
• 1-2 tea spoon red chili powder
• 1 table spoon jaggery
• salt to taste
• 1 table spoon grated dry coconut
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1 tea spoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder/haldi
• 1/2 tea spoon asafoetida/hing
• fresh grated coconut for garnishing
• finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
• 5 cups hot water
• 2 table spoon oil

Method:

Wash and soak rice and moong dal separately for 20 minutes.Then drain off the water.

Heat 1 tea spoon oil in a pan and fry the grated dry coconut and 1/2 tea spoon cumin seeds.Cool it and then grind into a fine powder.

Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds when they splutter and cumin seeds,asafoetida/hing,turmeric powder.Now add moong dal and fry for 2-3 minutes till the dal is properly roasted.

Now add the rice and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

 

Now add goda masala, red chilli powder, jaggery, salt, dry coconut and cumin powder.Mix properly and fry for another 2 minutes and then add 5 cups of hot water.

Once it starts boiling, give a nice stir, then cover and cook till it is done. Keep stirring in between.

Serve hot garnished with ghee, coriander leaves and fresh grated coconut.

Jeera Rice




Jeera Rice


Little time or no time then its Jeera Rice time.....

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 table spoon ghee
• 2 tea spoon cumin seeds( jeera )
• 1/2 tea spoon black cumin seeds( shahi jeera )
• salt to taste
• 1 table spoon chopped coriander leaves
• 2 finely chopped green chillies ( optional )
• cashew nuts (optional)

Method:

Heat Ghee in a kadai, add cashew nuts, cumin seeds, black cumin seeds and green chillies. Fry till it gets light brown colour.

Now add rice, salt and coriander leaves and mix well. Let the rice heat through and then turn off the heat. Serve hot....

Your quick and easy jeera rice is now ready. It tastes best with dal tadka....

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice

Lemon rice considered to be one the simplest and most loved dish across South India. Whether it is temple or wedding, you will surely love it. Lets try this at home...so lets get ready for the ingredients.


Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked rice or leftover rice(rice with each grain separate)
• 3-4 slit green chillies
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 3 table spoon raw peanuts
• 1 tea spoon urad Dal
• 1 table spoon chana Dal
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
• pinch of hing/asafoetida
• pinch of cumin seeds/jeera
• 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder/haldi
• 2-3 table spoon lemon juice
• 2 table spoon oil
• finely chopped coriander leaves(optional)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add peanuts and roast it till it gets light brown.Then add mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal. When the mustard seeds start popping and the dal turns light brown, add cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder.Stir fry for 1/2 a minute.

Add rice and salt, mix well. Now squeeze lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Let it heat through and then turn off the heat.

If you need more sour ness in the rice, add some more lime juice.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it with yogurt or pickle.