Rice Pongal

Rice Pongal - also known as “Huggi” in my native.  This dish is very healthy, easy to make and can be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

Time Required –

30 mins

To Serve -

4

Ingredients -

1. Rice – 1.5 cups
2. Moong Dal – 1.5 cups
3. Coconut grates – 1/4 cup
4. Green chillies – 2 (split)
5. Pepper corns - 5 to 6
6. Jeera – 1 tsp
7. Clove – 2
8. Asafoetida(hing) – 1 pinch
9. Oil – 5 tsp
10. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
11. Curry leaves – 10 (chopped finely)
12. Coriander leaves – handful (chopped finely)
13. Salt to taste

Preparation -

1) Cook rice and moong dal in a cooker with adequate water.

2)  To the cooker add turmeric powder, salt and mix well in low flame.  After you see the first boil, put off the flame.

3) Prepare seasoning – In a kadai, heat oil.  Once the oil is heated, add pepper corns, jeera, clove, green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida.  Heat for 2 minutes.

4) Add seasoning to the cooked pongal.  Add coconut grates, coriander leaves and mix well.

Serve it hot with Raitha or Pulli bajji(Liquid dish made of Tamarind).  If you don’t want to make a side dish for this – add juice of one lime at the end of cooking and mix well.  I will publish the recipe for Pulli bajji soon.

Alternatively, you can make pongal out of rice flakes also.  In this case, just soak rice flakes and mix it with cooked moong dal.  Repeat all steps from step 2.

Lemon Chitranna

Time Required –

30 minutes

To Serve –

4

Ingredients –

• Rice – 150 grams
• Lemon juice of one lemon
• Ground nuts – 10 – 12
• Coconut grates – handful
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch
• Onion – 1 big (Chop to medium-sized pieces)
• Cooking oil – 3 tsp
• Green chillies – 3 to 5
• Coriander leaves – 1 cup

Preparation –

1) Cook rice with little water to ensure that the rice is not over boiled.

2) Heat oil in a kadai.  Fry ground nuts and prepare seasoning in the same.

3) Once the seasoning crackles, add onions and fry till golden.  Now, turmeric powder, green chillies, salt and mix the contents of the kadai well.

4) Add rice and lemon juice to the kadai and mix. 

5) Garnish with coconut grates and coriander leaves.

Kichadi

This is my favourite dish.  Just too delicious and considered the right food for health as well.  May be a north indian equivalent for our Bisi Bele Bath.

Time Required -

30 minutes

 

To Serve -

4

 

Ingredients –

• Rice – 1 measure
• Toor Dal – 1/2 measure
• Tindora (Thondekayi) – 1/2 kg (split into 2 or 4 pieces)
• Tomatoes (optional)– 1 finely chopped
• Onion – 1 big (chopped medium size)
• Cloves – 5 to 6
• Cardamom - 2 to 3
• Cinnamon – 2 inch piece
• Ginger Paste – 1 tsp
• Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
• Jeera Powder – 1 tsp
• Cooking Oil - 2 tsp
• Green Chillies – 5 to 6
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups of water
• Salt to taste
• Oil for seasoning  
• Coriander leaves - 1 cup
• Grated Coconut – 1 cup
• Lemon Juice of One lemon

Preparation -

1) Heat oil in a pan of pressure cooker.  Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and garlic paste, green chillies and wait it you see the oil crackling.

2) Add onion and fry till it changes its colour slightly.  Now add tindora and tomato and fry for another 2 minutes

3) Now add washed rice and dal.  Mix the ingredients well with jeera, salt and coriander powder in low flame.  Add 3 glasses of water and tomatoes and pressure cook the mixture until 3 whistles

4) Once the pressure cooker is ready to open, open the lid and leave it for 10 minutes allow the food to cool

5) Add coconut grates, lemon juice and coriander leaves and mix the mixture again.

Serve it medium hot.  It’s really yum!

Tamarind Rice

Time Required –

30 minutes

To Serve –

4

Ingredients –

1. Tamarind Juice – 1 cup
2. Rice – 200 grams
3. Onions – 2 to 3 (Chopped medium big)
4. Ground nuts – 15 to 20 (hand full)
5. Jaggery – 1 inch piece
6. Green Chillies – 5 to 7
7. Coriander leaves – 1 cup
8. Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
9. Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
10. Seasoning
11. Salt to taste

Preparation -

1) Cook rice separately and cool it. Please don’t over cook the rice

2) Heat a kadai and arrange for a seasoning. When the seasoning crackles, add ground nuts and onions and fry well in medium flame.

3) When the onions turn golden brown, add ginger garlic paste, green chillies, tamarind juice, Jaggery and salt. Keep stirring the mixture in medium flame until the mixture thickens.

4) Add salt for taste and mix it with rice. Garnish the same with coriander leaves.

Serve it hot !!!

Pulav-1

Time required –

1.5 hours

To Serve -

4

Ingredients -

For pulav

1. Onion – 2 large sized (1 & 1/2 finely chopped)
2. Beans – 100 grams (cut to 1 inch pieces)
3. Carrot – 2 medium sized (cut to 1/2 inch pieces)
4. Fresh green peas – 200 grams
5. Potato – 1 large sized (cut to 1/2 inch pieces)
6. Cauliflower – 200 grams
7. Ginger – 1 inch piece
8. Green Chillies – 4 to 5
9. Cinnamon – 2 inch piece
10. Clove – 5
11. khus – khus – 3 tea spoons
12. Cardomum – 1
13. Rice – 200 grams (wash the rice and leave it moist for 10 – 15 minutes)
14. Vegetable Oil – 2 table spoon
15. Sugar – 3 tea spoons
16. Coriander leaves – 4 table spoons (chopped)
17. Grated Cocunut – 1 cup
18. Salt to taste

For Raitha

1. Cucumber – 1 (finely chopped)
2. Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
3. Tomato – 1 (finely chopped)
4. Green Chillies – 2 (cut into small pieces)
5. Curds – 1/2 litre
6. Salt to taste.

Preparation –

For Pulav

1) Grind 1/2 onion, cloves, cinnamon, cardomum, grated cocunut, green chillies, coriander leaves and ginger.

2) Heat 1/2 table spoon of vegetable oil in a pan. Fry the onions until golden brown. Once the onions turn golden brown, add the ground paste and keep stirring the mixture until it boils properly and becomes a green paste. (Frying/Boiling this pastle saperately is important for the flavor)

3) In the pan of the pressure cooker, heat 1 table spoon of vegetable oil. Add rice and khus-khus and fry it for approximately 3 – 5 minutes. Add all cut vegetables, paste prepared, salt and sugar in the cooker. Add appropriate amount of water for boiling (around 1 litre of water). Pressure cook for 2 whistles.

4) Mix well before serving.

For Raitha

1) Mix tomatoes, cucumber and onions in a bowl with green chillies and curds. Add salt for taste.

2) Season it with ghee.

Indian women have found out different ways of making pulav. This is just one of the varieties. Will add other varieties in days to come.

Pulav -2

Time Required –

45 mins

To Serve –

4

Ingredients –

1. Onions(Big) – 3 [Chop into long pieces]
2. Tomatoes(Big) – 4 [Chop into medium pieces]
3. Green Peas – 250 grams
4. Rice – 200 grams [Wash and drain all water and keep it for 10 mins]
5. Green Chillies – 5 [Slipt into two]
6. Garam Masala Powder – 1 Tea Spoon
7. Vegetable Oil – 1 Table Spoon

Grind together

1. Onion(Medium) – 1
2. Garlic flakes – 10
3. Ginger – 2 inch piece
4. Cardamom – 3
5. Salt to taste

Preparation –

1. Heat Oil in the pressure cooker pan. Fry the chopped onions in the same for 2 minutes.
2. Add the green chillies and the ground paste and fry this mixture for 5 minutes
3. Add tomatoes, green peas, garam masala powder and rice to the same and fry it for another 2 minutes.
4. Add water enough to boil the rice and pressure cook it.
5. Mix well before serving.

A seasoning of raisons and cashew can be given to enhance the taste.

Serve it with Raitha!

Capsicum Rice

Time Required -

1 hour

To serve -

5

Ingredients –

1. Capsicum – 2 Big (Cut into medium sized pieces)
2. Rice – 200 grams
3. Green Chillies – 4 to 5 (split into two halves)
4. Lemon – 1 Big (squeeze the juice and keep aside)
5. Cumin seeds – 2 tsps
6. Black gram – 1 tsp
7. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
8. Red chillies – 3 (cut into small pieces)
9. Aesofetida – 1 pinch
10. Curry leaves – 5 leaves
11. Corriander leaves – 1 small cup
12. Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
13. Sugar – 1 tsp
14. Oil – 1 Tsp
15. Coconut grates – of 1/2 coconut
16. Salt to taste

Preparation –

1) Boil rice so that the rice grains remain saperate. Cool it in a open pan.

2) Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram, and red chillies to it.

3) When the mustard seeds crackle, add curry leaves, green chillies, aesofetida and capsicum and fry it well.

4) Add turmeric powder to the same and close the lid of the pan. Keep it in medium flame for 5 minutes

5) Now add rice, lemon juice, cocunut grates, sugar, salt and mix it well in low flame.

6) Garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

Alter1 – Can add one spoon of garam masala to the oil after the mustard seeds crackle.

Alter2 – Can season the capsicum rice with mildly roasted cashews and raisens.

Beet Root Pulav

Time Required -

1 hour

To Serve –

4

Ingredients -

1. Rice – 200 grams
2. Beet Root – 250 grams
3. Onion – 2 Big (Chopped to medium size), 1 Small(cut into half)
4. Green Peas – 200 grams
5. Tomatoes – 1 Big
6. Green Chillies – 5 (split it to halves)
7. Ginger – 2 inch piece
8. Garlic – 10 flakes
9. Pudina leaves – 1 Bunch ( mint leaves)
10. Cardomom – 1
11. Cloves – 5
12. Cinnamon – 2 inch piece
13. Veg. oil – 2 table spoon
14. Sugar – 3 tsp
15. Salt to taste

Preparation -

1) Boil beet root well after peeling its skin.

2) Grind together – 1 small onion, 1 tomato, garlic, ginger, cardomom, cinnamon, cloves. Make it a smooth paste.

3) Wash rice and drain water completely. Keep it aside for 10 minutes

4) In the pressure cookers’ pan, heat oil. Add onions and pudina leaves to the same and fry it for 3 minutes in medium flame.

5) Add the ground mixture, green chillies and green peas to the same and fry it further on medium flame for 3 minutes.

6) Add sugar, salt and rice to the pan and further fry it for 2 mins. Now add approximately 750ml of water and pressure cook until 2 whistles.

Serve it hot with curds or raitha…

Bisi Bele Bath

Bisi bele bath is a famous karnatik delicacy. A delicacy that is spicy, sweetish tinge and yummy…. this happens to be my favourite too…

Time Required –

1.5 hours

To serve –

4

Ingredients –

1. Mix vegetables cut into long peices – 1kg (carrot, beans, knol-khol, potatoes, green peas)
2. Onions – 1 big (chop into long sized pieces)
3. Capsicum – 1 big (chop into medium sized peices)
4. Tomatoes – 2 big (chop into medium sized peices)
5. Toor Dal – 150 grams
6. Rice – 150 grams
7. Bisibelebath powder – 2 tbsp (MTR made powder is good)
8. Thick tamrind juice – 1 cup
9. Jaggery – 1.5 inch peice
10. Green chillies – 2 to 3 (split into two)
11. Ground nuts – 10 to 15 (can use cashews also)
12. Ghee – 1 tbsp
13. Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
14. Salt to taste

Preparation –

1) Cook rice and dal together in a pressure cooker.

2) Boil mix vegetables saperately in pressure cooker.

3) Take a big vessel and keep it on low flame. Heat tamarind juice, jaggery, tomatoes and keep stirring until the jaggery melts. Add turmeric powder, salt, green chillies, 1 cup water and boil the mixture for 30 more seconds.

4) Add cooked vegetables into the mixture and boil it for 2 mins. (Vegetables absorb the taste during this process)

5) Add rice, dal, 1 cup water, bisibelebath powder and mix well and cook it it boils. Add adequate water whenever the mixture gets thick. Keep the mixture aside.

6) Take a kadai and heat ghee in low flame. Add ground nuts, onions and capsicum and fry it until onions turn golden in colour. Add this to the made mixture, bisibelebath is ready…

Serve this hot with potato chips. Cocunut fans can add grated coconut to the same…

If you choose to make the bisibelebath powder at home, here is how to make it –

Bisibelebath powder –

1. Bengal gram(channa dal/ Kadle bele) – 2 tsp
2. Urad dal – 1 tsp
3. Chinnamom – 3 to 4 peices of 1 inch each
4. Cloves – 5 to 6
5. Cardomom – 1 to 2
6. Fenugreek seeds(menthe) – 8
7. Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
8. Dry red chillies – 10 to 15 (depending on how spicy you like your food to be)
9. Curry leaves – 7 to 10 leaves

Heat a kadai with 1/2 tsp of ghee. Add the ingredients in the same order and heat it until they become crispy in nature. Cool it to normal temperature and make powder of the same.

Enjoy the traditional rich delicacy of Karnataka…

Capsicum Rice

Time Required -

1 hour

To serve -

5

Ingredients –

1. Capsicum – 2 Big (Cut into medium sized pieces)
2. Rice – 200 grams
3. Green Chillies – 4 to 5 (split into two halves)
4. Lemon – 1 Big (squeeze the juice and keep aside)
5. Cumin seeds – 2 tsps
6. Black gram – 1 tsp
7. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
8. Red chillies – 3 (cut into small pieces)
9. Aesofetida – 1 pinch
10. Curry leaves – 5 leaves
11. Corriander leaves – 1 small cup
12. Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
13. Sugar – 1 tsp
14. Oil – 1 Tsp
15. Coconut grates – of 1/2 coconut
16. Salt to taste

Preparation –

1) Boil rice so that the rice grains remain saperate. Cool it in a open pan.

2) Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram, and red chillies to it.

3) When the mustard seeds crackle, add curry leaves, green chillies, aesofetida and capsicum and fry it well.

4) Add turmeric powder to the same and close the lid of the pan. Keep it in medium flame for 5 minutes

5) Now add rice, lemon juice, cocunut grates, sugar, salt and mix it well in low flame.

6) Garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

Alter1 – Can add one spoon of garam masala to the oil after the mustard seeds crackle.

Alter2 – Can season the capsicum rice with mildly roasted cashews and raisens.