Vegetable Pulao/Pilaf

I had to spend about a month's time in Ireland on Business. It is unusual to make friends in such a scenario. But I have been lucky enough to have met K...

So when she invited me over to her home during my last week in Dublin I was unsure what to take along with me. A bottle of wine is customary but what along with it, I wondered.

Indian food though loved the world around is always synonymous with the word spicy. I wanted to shatter that opinion since not every Indian dish is spicy. So to suit the taste buds of my friend I came up with this recipe of a simple pulao made from scratch.

By the way for all the mothers who read my blog this can be good lunch box recipe.

You will need:

1. Mushrooms - 1 Packet
2. Carrots - 4-5 chopped
3. Onions - 2-3 Small
4. Green Peas (frozen) - 1 Cup
5. Beans - 1 Cup chopped
6. Corn (frozen)- 1/2 Cup
7. Tomato Puree - 2-3 tbsp
8. Garam Masala - 1 tsp
9. Kashmiri Chilli - 1/2 tsp
10. Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
11. Maggi Coconut Powder - 25-30 gms OR coconut milk - small packet
12. Salt - to taste
13. Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
14. Water - 4 cups
15. Olive Oil - 3-4 tsp

Method:
1. Wash the rice and boil it in salted water till cooked. For this recipe I generally have enough water such that the rice is entirely cooked and the water need not be drained. But you can boil the rice as per your choice.
2. Heat oil in a wok and add the chopped onions. Fry till they are slightly brown.
3. Now add the vegetables one by one and keep frying.
4. Once the vegetables are all fried add the tomato puree, salt, garam masala, coriander powder, and Kashmiri Chilli Powder. The masala should be well incorporated into the veggies.
5. Now add the coconut powder and mix one last time. Switch off the gas.
6. Stir in the cooked rice into this mixture little by little and mix well.
7. Garnish with fresh coriander leave (optional).
8. Enjoy the pulao with some homemade yogurt!

Cooking with Leftovers - Part 3 - Lemon Rice

This is a ice breaker post. Its been about a year or so since I blogged. Was out of India for close to a year and had no time for blogging. Now I want to restart this weekly activity again. Its like coming back from your hibernation after a long winter.

Anywhich ways, cribbing apart I have got a breather now. Though not quite as you think, I have logged into one of those office calls where no one has joined yet and no one may be joining :) and I thought there is no better time then now to blog about hmm.. let me see something simple.

Now today's dish is a no fuss dish that all of us may have made now and then with left over rice. I never used to like this transformation of rice from nothing to the tangy yellow version of what they call "Lemon Rice" till this once incident.

I was visiting this friends place one weekend and she had to attend a potluck dinner where the menu was "Anything South Indian".

My friend was initially quite unsure of what to take and then finally settled for "Lemon Rice". This was one of the best Lemon Rice I ever tasted and this made me a great fan of this dish. I must say this is an easy to make and yummy recipe to cook up for say a sunday morning breakfast or brunch.

You will need:

• Left Over Rice - 2-3 cups
• Chopped Onions - 1 cup
• Chopped Green Chillies, chopped -1-2
• Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
  
• Haldi - 1/2 tsp -
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Oil -2-3 tbsp
  
• Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp -

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a wok.
2. Throw in the mustard seeds and after they splutter throw in some hing and curry leaves.
3. Now add the chopped onions.
4. Put little bit of salt and let them fry. Once they are translucent add the haldi and coriander powder.
5. Fry for a couple of minutes more. Switch off the heat.
6. Now microwave the rice on a high for about 3-4 minutes. You may need to add salt into the rice and mix it well if the rice does not have any salt added when it was boiled.
7. Now mix the hot rice along with the onion masala till it is well incorporated and the rice gets transformed to a yellowish consistency.
8. Now comes the best part. Add lemon juice as per your taste and mix it one last time. Your lemon rice is ready to be served! Enjoy!