Rasoi revels with Rice

Vegetable Biryani

Compliment the celebrations

2 cups Basmati rice

1 cup mixed vegetables (cauliflower, potato, carrot, french beans)

150 gms green peas and corn

3 onions, finely sliced

2 green chillies, finely sliced

Salt to taste

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp cinnamon, cumin seeds

4 cloves

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

4 tomatoes

1/2 cup yoghurt, beaten until smooth

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard Seeds

Handful of coriander

3 tbsp dried fruit (cashew nuts, raisin, almonds, sultanas)

Wash rice well, add 4 cups water with a little salt and some dried fruit and cook until the rice is done. Cut the vegetables into small pieces and fry each separately, including the green peas. In a saucepan, add mustard seeds, green chillies, cinnamon and cumin, cloves, black pepper powder and fry till the mustard seeds crackle. Then add onions and fry until soft and brown. Add salt, red chilli powder, chopped tomatoes and fry for about 5 minutes until fully cooked. Add yoghurt to the paste and stir well. Add fried vegetables. Add cooked rice and mix well. Cook for 3 minutes more, then garnish with dried fruit, coriander leaves and serve hot.

Manpasand Pulao

An ideal dish to enhance the festive table

2 cups Basmati rice

2 finely sliced onions

¼ cup sprouted moong beans

¼ cup sprouted black chana

¼ cup sprouted peas

1 cup coconut milk

4 tablespoons ghee

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1” ginger, minced

1-2 green chillies cut fine

8-10 cloves

6-8 pieces cinnamon

6-8 cardamoms

10 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Handful chopped coriander

Salt to taste

Wash the rice and soak for 15 minutes. In a saucepan, melt the ghee and fry onion till it turns golden brown. Remove half the quantity and keep aside. In the same pan, sauté the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns and bay leaves along with the remaining onions for a minute. Add all the sprouted pulses and mix well. Add the minced ginger, garlic, chillies and salt and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the coconut milk, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Now drain and add the rice, mixing well. Add enough hot water to cook the rice, until done. Serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander.

Nawabi Biryani

Give your tummy a royal treat

325 gms Basmati rice

1/2 kg. mutton or lamb (cut in pieces)

3 medium sized onions, sliced

1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala

3 small-sized red chillies

1 piece cinnamon

1/2 cup curd (beaten)

3 cardamom pods

5 peppercorns

5 cloves

½ tsp shahjeera

½ tsp turmeric powder

¼ cup milk, with a few strands of saffron

Small handful coriander/mint for garnishing

5 Dried Apricots

Handful dried fruit – Raisins, sultanas, cashewnuts, almonds

¼ cup ghee

Fry the dry fruits and apricots in a little ghee, adding salt to taste. Remove and fry onions until soft. Remove and grind the fried onions and red chillies, to make a fine paste. Marinate the mutton pieces with curd, ginger-garlic paste, onion paste, turmeric powder and salt for 2 hours.

In a saucepan, heat ghee, add the marinated mutton and cook till done. In another pan, heat ghee and fry the whole spices, adding washed and drained rice. Add salt and warm water and cook till done.

Remove the rice from a flame and spread on a tray to cool, pick out the whole spices. To assemble, coat the base of a heavy-bottomed saucepan with ghee, add the cooked mutton and sprinkle over with some garam masala. Cover with a layer of rice, followed by some melted ghee and the saffron milk. Lastly, add the fried nuts, cover tightly and slow-cook for 15-20 minutes, to allow the flavours to blend. Mix before serving hot, garnished with chopped coriander and mint.

Khara bhath

A South Indian breakfast treat 1 cup rice

Rice Kheer

Who says rice can’t be a dessert?

1/2 cup Basmati rice, pre-soak for 15 mins

10 tbsp sugar

A few strands of saffron

6 cups milk

1 tsp ghee

1 cup water

1 cup moong dal

10 cashewnuts

3 chopped green chillies

Handful chopped coriander

3 cups water

2 tbsp dry coconut flakes

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp pepper powder

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Wash rice and moong dal and keep aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and sauté cashewnuts. Remove and keep aside. Add cumin and mustard seeds to the oil. When the seeds start crackling, add chopped green chillies and ry. Add dal and fry. Next add rice and fry briefly. Add water and mix thoroughly. Add turmeric powder, coconut and salt. Close the pressure cooker and cook until third whistle. Cool down the mixture and add cashew nuts, pepper powder and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Rice Khichdi

Take a break from rich food

2 cups rice

1 cup toor dal

5 cloves

1 cinnamon

5 cardamom pods

2 finely sliced onions

6 to 8 small size tomatoes

4 chopped green chillies

12 to 15 mint leaves

1/2 bundle coriander leaves, chopped fine

1 tsp garlic paste

1 1/2 tsp ginger paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp raisins

1 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 cup cashew nuts (thinly sliced)

Pour milk in a thick bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Gently add raw rice to the boiling milk. Cook rice until half done, adding a little water if the

1/4 cup oil

A few curry leaves

3 cups water

A pinch of turmeric powder

Wash and cook dal with a pinch of turmeric powder.

Keep aside. Fry onions, cloves, consistency is too thick. Add sugar and cashew nuts into the semi-cooked rice. Continue cooking, stirring continuously until the rice is fully cooked. Dissolve a few strands of saffron in milk. Now add raisins, cardamom powder, ghee and the saffron milk. Mix well and serve. Can be served warm or chilled. soft and brown. Add chopped green chillies, mint, curry leaves and half of the coriander leaves and fry. Add salt, ginger and garlic paste and fry for two minutes. Add washed and drained rice and chopped tomatoes. Fry for 5 minutes. add the water. Cook for 1012 minutes or until the rice is done. Garnish with the balance coriander and serve hot.

Mango rice

Something summery and seasonal

2 cups cooked rice

3 cups grated raw mango

3 red chillies, break into half

2 finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp each channa and urad dal

10 cashew nuts, broken into halves

Few curry leaves tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai, add urad and channa dals, and cashew nuts. Fry till golden brown, remove and keep aside. Add rest of the oil to the same pan and heat. Add curry leaves, green and red chillies. Saute for a few seconds, then add grated mango and fry for a few minutes until the mango turns tender. Remove and keep aside. Now mix thoroughly with the warm cooked rice and roasted nuts. Serve hot.

Chicken Fried Rice

Add the exotic to traditional fare

1/3 kg chicken, diced

1 finely chopped onion

3 garlic pods, finely chopped

2” piece ginger, peeled and

3 nos spring onions

11/2 cup frozen peas, corn, carrots

3 eggs, lightly beated

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Few drops soy sauce (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups cooked and cooled long-grain rice, white or jasmine with grains separated

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy-bottomed wok or kadhai, on high heat. Add chicken and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and fully cooked. Add onions, salt and pepper, (optional 2-3 drops soy sauce) cook till onion turns soft. Add garlic, ginger and spring onions and stirfry for 30 seconds. Add frozen vegetables, cook until just defrosted but still crisp. Transfer mix to a large bowl. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan, add beaten eggs, season with salt and pepper. Stir eggs continuously until fully cooked but still moist. Transfer eggs to the same bowl. Heat remaining oil in the same pan, add rice, breaking up lumps, if any. Add salt and pepper (2-3 drops optional soy sauce) to lightly season and stirfry to evenly coat the rice with oil. Let the rice cook for about 2 minutes until slightly crispy, remove and add to bowl. Stir together until all ingredients are

1 kg prawns

1 tsp each pepper, turmeric and chilli powders

2 tsp each coriander and cumin powders

Salt to taste

800 gms Basmati rice

¼ cup oil

250 gms potatoes, evenly sliced

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ tsp black lemon powder

2 large tomatoes, chopped

Marinate prawns with ½ tsp each turmeric and chilli powders, 1 tsp each coriander and cumin powders and salt. Keep aside for 30 minutes. In a pan, heat oil and fry prawns until light brown. Remove and keep aside. Boil rice with salt until nearly cooked. Remove and strain. In a pan, heat remaining oil and sauté onion, chopped green chillies and garlic till light brown in colour. Add cinnamon, pepper powder, remaining and stir. Cook well for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt and cook for 3 minutes more. Take off fire and keep aside

Layer the bottom of a saucepan with potatoes. Add a layer of friend prawns followed by the gravy and finally the rice. Tightly cover and cook on very low fire for 15 minutes or until done. Mix and serve hot.