Archive for June, 2008

• Vegetable biryani

  Date: 2008.06.20 | Category: Indian Recipes, Vegetable Recipes | Response: 0

  Vegetable biryani

  Ingredients: – 2 cups cooked basmati rice(long grain), 100 grams, cauliflower, 100 grams potato, 100 grams carrot, 100 grams French beans, 100 grams peas, 1 big onion, 1 green chilly, ½ teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ inch cinnamon, 2 cloves,1 pinch black pepper powder, 2 tomatoes, ¼ cup curd(yoghurt), 1 pinch mustard seeds, 2 tablespoons dry fruits, 2 tablespoons oil and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 20 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE: – Finely chop the onions, tomatoes and green chilly and set it aside. Wash the vegetables, drain them completely and then cut into thin long slices. Take a frying pan and keep pour some oil. Bring to heat and put in one vegetable at a time. Sauté each vegetable on full flame till it gets cooked. You can sprinkle a little water. Sauté continuously to avoid the vegetables from getting burned. Ensure that the vegetables retain their colour. If you pour too much water the colour will become lighter and so sauté and try to avoid water as much as you can. Then sauté the green peas. Now take another frying pan and pour 1 tablespoon oil. Now when the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, green chilly, cumin seeds and cinnamon. Let them all crackle first and then sauté briefly till they become golden brown in colour. Then add the cloves and black pepper powder and let it crackle too. Follow this by adding the onions and sauté them till they are soft and cooked. Add the red chilly powder, salt to taste and sauté well. Put the finely chopped tomatoes and cook it till the oil begins to leave the edges of the pan. Whip the curd in a blender just for 5 seconds so that is nice and fine. Pour this curd into the pan and stir well. Cook briefly and add all the sautéed vegetables. Put in the cooked rice and mix it very gently. Ensure you don’t break the grains or mash them up. Cook for five minutes on a low flame. Turn of the flame. Garnish the biryani with dry fruits and coriander leaves. Serve it hot with some onion and curd raita.

  Tamarind rice

  Ingredients : – 1 cup basmati rice(long grain), ¼ cup Bengal gram, 2 red chillies, 2 green chillies, 2 tablespoons black gram, few curry leaves, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, 4 tablespoons sesame seeds, 1 inch ginger cut into small thin slices, 1 pinch asafoetida, 1 tablespoon nuts, 30 grams tamarind, 7 big garlic flakes, 4 tablespoons oil and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 30 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE : – Slit the green chillies in the middle and break the red chillies into halves and set them aside. Wash the rice and Bengal gram separately. Drain the water completely. Then add three cups water and cook till the rice is done. Ensure not to over cook, all the grains must be separate from each other. Soak the tamarind in water for 15 minutes. Then squeeze out the water at least ½ cup. Now in a small pan pour the tamarind water and boil it till the water thickens into a nice paste. Just after the rice is done and is very hot add the turmeric, 2 tablespoons oil, tamarind paste, few curry leaves and salt. Mix it up well, cover with a lid and set it aside. Now take another pan and pour the remaining oil and bring to heat. When the oil is very hot add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Next put in the black gram, peanuts and garlic flakes. Sauté till the raw smell leaves and they turn golden brown. Then add the asafoetida, ginger, curry leaves, red chillies and green chillies. Turn of the flame and pour it into the rice. Sprinkle the sesame powder and then mix it all up. Cover with a lid and set it aside so that the masala will be absorbed by the rice well. Serve after an hour.

  Sambar rice

  Ingredients : – 2 cups cooked rice, 1 handful toor dal(split gram),1 small tomato, 1 carrot, 2 beans, few cauliflower florets, 1 teaspoon butter beans,1 pinch Bengal gram, 1 pinch coriander seeds, 1 pinch methi seeds(fenugreek), 1 pinch asafoetida, 1 pinch mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 5 pearl onions, 1 centimeter tamarind, 1 pinch turmeric, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon sambar powder, chopped coriander 3 tablespoon oil and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 20 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE : – Wash the split gram and soak it for 15 minutes. Peel the pearl onions and wash them. Now wash all the vegetables and cut it into 1 centimeter pieces and set it aside. Soak the tamarind in half cup water and set it aside. Take a pressure pan and put in the onions, drained split gram and 1 cup water. Add the asafoetida and pressure cook it. Simmer and cook till you get two whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to be released and then open it up. Remove the ingredients and rinse the cooker with water and bring it back to heat. When all the water evaporates pour in the oil and heat it well. Then add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add the Bengal gram, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and curry leaves and sauté. After a few second add the chopped tomatoes. Put in the turmeric, red chilly powder and sambar powder and mix it well. Cook till the oil begins to leave the edges of the cooker. Next drain the tamarind pulp from the water. Pour the water in and cook for a minute. Put in all the vegetable including the butter beans and cook for a minute. Then add the boiled split gram and onions and stir well. Pour half cup water, if it’s too thick add one cup water and bring to boil. When the water is boiling add the salt and stir well. Just before closing the pressure cooker add the coriander leaves. Cook on a low flame for one whistle. Slowly open the cooker and empty the sambar into a big bowl. Now add the cooked rice and set it aside for minute. Mix it up well and serve. If the sambar rice is left outside for too long the rice will absorb all the sambar and it will become dry and so mix up the rice and sambar just before eating.

• Mustard rice

  Date: 2008.06.19 | Category: Indian Recipes, Vegetable Recipes | Response: 0

  Mustard rice

  Ingredients: – 2 cups cooked rice, 1 ½ tablespoons groundnuts, 1 tablespoon cashew nuts, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon black gram, 1 teaspoon Bengal gram, 3 dried red chillies, few curry leaves, 1 ½ tablespoons ghee, 2 tablespoons oil and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 5 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE: – Take the cooked rice and let it cool. Then with the help of a fork separate all the grains. In a blender add the groundnuts skinned and roasted, cashew nuts salt to taste. Make a fine paste. Now take a frying pan and pour the oil and ghee. Bring to boil and then add the mustard seeds. Let it crackle add the red chillies and curry leaves. Sauté briefly and add the black gram and Bengal gram. Sauté till the ingredients turn golden brown and put in the paste. Cook for two minutes or till the aroma begins to rise. Remove from flame and add the rice. Mix it up well and serve.

  Milk rice

  Ingredients : – 1 cup rice, 9 cups milk and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 20 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE : – Boil 7 cups of milk in a pot. Wash the rice and without soaking it add it to the pot when the milk begins to boil. Simmer and cook till the rice it cooked. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Boil the remaining two cups of milk and set it aside. If the rice begins to thicken before it’s cooked completely add the remaining two cups of boiled milk and stir continuously. When it’s done turn of the flame and add salt to taste. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts and onion slices and serve.

  Aaloo Gobi rice

  Ingredients : – 1 cup basmati rice, 1 big potato, 1 small cauliflower, ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 pinch garam masala, 1 big bay leaf, 3 cloves, 2 cardamoms, ¼ inch cinnamon, 4 tablespoons oil, ¼ teaspoon ginger juice and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 30 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE : – Wash, peel and then cut the potato into ½ inch cubes. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Wash the basmati rice and soak in water for 30 minutes. Take a frying pan and pour some oil. Bring it to heat and then add the cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamoms and sauté for a minute. Add the rice, cauliflower, potato and fry for sometime. Sauté for five minutes and add the turmeric, ginger water and keep mixing at regular intervals. Now add 3 cups of water, chilly powder, garam masala and salt. Stir it up well and then pour this mixture into a rice cooker and serve when it’s done.

• Tomato fired rice

  Date: 2008.06.18 | Category: Indian Recipes, Vegetable Recipes | Response: 0

  Tomato fired rice
  Ingredients: – 2 cups cooked basmati(long grain) rice, 3 big tomatoes, 1 pinch pepper powder, 1/4 teaspoon soya sauce, 1 pinch ajinomoto, 2 tablespoons oil and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 10 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE: – Take a frying pan and pour the oil. Bring to heat and add the chopped tomatoes. Sauté for a while and add the cooked rice. Mix well and cook for a minute. Add the pepper powder, soya sauce, ajinomoto and salt to taste and mix well. Turn of the flame, garnish with fried cashew nuts and almonds and serve.

  Baby corn rice
  Ingredients : – 2 cups cooked basmati rice, 8 baby corns, 1 big capsicum, 1 big onion, 2 cloves, 1 tomato, ½ teaspoon ground pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 pinch turmeric, 2 tablespoons oil and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 10 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE : – Wash the tomato and peel it. Finely chop only the pulp and set it aside. Finely chop the onions and cut the capsicum into ½ inch pieces. Next chop the baby corn into ½ inch thick roundels. Take a pan and boil two cups water. Add the turmeric, sugar and salt to it. Once it’s boiling add the baby corn roundels and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from flame and drain the water completely. Now take a frying pan and pour the oil. Bring to heat nicely and add the cloves and let it crackle. Add the onions and sauté till the onions turn golden brown. Put in the baby corn and capsicum. Cook for three minutes. Then put in the rice, tomato, pepper and salt. Mix well and cook it for another two minutes. Remove from flame and serve. Kids love to add tomato sauce to it just before eating.

  Ghee rice
  Ingredients : – 1 cup basmati rice(long grain), 2 cups water, ½ inch cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf and 2 cloves, ½ teaspoon pepper corns, 3 medium sized onions, 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) and salt to taste.

  Preparation time : – 20 minutes Serves : – 2

  HOW TO PREPARE : – Finely chop the onion into thin slices. Break the cinnamon stick and set it aside. Take two cups water and boil it and set it aside. Now take a pan and add the ghee and bring to heat. Add the cloves, pepper corns, cinnamon and bay leaf and let it crackle. Sauté till the colour of the bay leaf changes and add the onion. Till the onions turn soft and pink, sauté. Put in the rice and sauté briefly. Pour the warm water and bring to boil. When it begins to boil add the salt and stir well. Simmer and cook for fifteen minutes or till the rice is done. Ensure that all the water has evaporated. Ghee is a binding agent and so with a fork you will have to spread out the rice in such a way that all the grains a separate from each other.