PUDINA PULAO

Pudina Pulao 
Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients:
2 cups rice (  basmati rice)
2 cups fresh mint leaves / pudina, 
1 onion, chopped fine
3 to 4 green chillies
¼ cup grated coconut 
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
4 cloves
4 green cardamom pods
1" piece of cinnamon
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp ghee
12 roasted cashews for garnishing (optional)
Salt to taste

How to Make Pudina Rice or Mint Pulao:

1. If using basmati, soak the rice in 4 cups water for half an hour and cook in pressure cooker for 1 whistle. Once pressure leaves the cooker, spread out on a plate and let it cool without clumping. If using rice cooker or any other method, cook until the rice is done yet firm.

2. Grind the mint leaves with the coconut, green chillies and ginger / garlic (if using fresh) to a paste.

3. Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashews until golden brown (if using) and drain. Add the spices - cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and star anise - and saute for about a minute, taking care not to burn them. Then add the chopped onions and saute unil it turns transparent.

4. Add the ground paste to the pan and fry for about 2 to 3 mins until it turns fragrant. Again, take care not to burn! Add salt.

5. Mix in the cooled rice without breaking it too much. Garnish with the roasted cashews and serve with a raita of choice.

Carrot Rice

Ingredients

• Rice – 2 cups (uncooked, preferably Basmati)
• Carrot – 1 Cup grated
• Onion – 1 Big or equivalent size of small onions
• Powdered Peanut  – 1/2 cup
• Butter – 1 tbspn
• Turmeric Powder -  ½ tspn
• Coriander Powder  -   ½ tspn
• Cumin Powder – ½ tspn
• Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsnp
• Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 tspn
• Biriyani Leaf – 1
• Cinnamon – 1 piece

Recipe

1. First cook the rice separately.
2. In a frying pan add butter and fry Biriyani leaf and Cinnamon.
3. Add Onion and fry it till it reaches golden brown color.
4. Then add the grated Carrot and fry well.
5. Once the carrot is cooked well add the Masalas mentioned above and fry it for a minute.
6. Finally add the Peanut powder and fry it till it mixes well with other items.
7. Add rice and mix it well with the fried items.

Ghee Rice

Ingredients

• Ghee   -   2 tblspn
• Basmathi Rice  -  1cup
• Peas  -  100g
• Ginger  -  1tspn
• Garlic  – 7 pods
• Green Chilli  -  3
• Biriyani leaf  -  1
• Cinnamon  – 2
• Cardomon  -  2
• Cloves  -  2
• Cashew Nuts   -  7

Recipe

1. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilli as a fine paste.
2. Heat ghee in a cooker add all spices(Cinnamon, Cardomon, cloves, biriyani leaf) and cashewnuts , and fry it for 1/2 a minute.
3. Add Grinded masala and fry it till raw smell goes off.
4. Now add Peas and fry it for a minute.
5. Wash the rice and put it into cooker, mix it well with masala.
6. For 1 cup rice add 1 3/4 water  and  add required amount of salt , mix it well.
7. Stop the flame once  the cooker  gives 1 whistle.

Tips

Potato Kurma goes well with ghee rice.

Jeera Rice

Ingredients

• Basmathi rice  -  1cup
• Cumin Seeds  -  1tspn
• Ghee  -  1tblspn
• Big Onion  -  1/2
• Green chilli  -  2
• Biriyani leaf  -  1

Recipe

1. Cut the onion into lengthwise pieces.
2. Heat Ghee in a cooker. Add biriyani leaf, cumin seeds and green chilli  and fry for sometime.
3. Then add onion and fry it till turns into golden brown.
4. Wash the rice and put it in to cooker, fry it for a minute.
5. For 1 cup rice add 1 3/4 cup of water and add reqiured amount of salt .
6. Close the cooker and allow it to cook for 1 whistle and switch off the flame.

Tips

Jeera rice goes well with Vegetable kurma ..

Egg fried rice

Ingredients

• Basmathi rice  -  1 cup
• Egg  -  3
• Ghee  – 2tspn
• Green Chilly Sauce  – 3tspn
• Capsicum  – 1
• Big Onion  – 1
• Green Onion (Vengaya Thal)  – 3tblspn(Chop it into small pieces)

Recipe

1. Beat the egg well and keep it aside.
2. soak the basmathi rice for 1/2 hour and cook it 3/4th . Dont cook it well. let the cooked rice to cool.
3. If you add 1tspn of oil with rice and let it to cool, then rice will be well separated.
4. Cut the onion and capsicum into lengthwise pieces.
5. Heat 2tspns of ghee in a pan. Add onion and capsicum and fry it for a minute.
6. Then add 1/4 tspn salt and chilly sauce fry it till the raw smell goes off. Then add beaten egg and fry it.
7. Once its half done(Dont allow the egg to cook well), then add rice and mix it well.
8. Fry it till the rice and egg cooked well. Seasoning it with green onion(vengaya thal) and serve hot.

Capsicum rice

Ingredients

• Raw Rice – 1cup
• Capsicum – 7 or 5
• Shredded coconut – 1 1/2tblspn
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4tspn
• Oil – 3tblspn

For Seasoning

• Mustard Seeds – 1/2tspn
• Urad Dal – 1tspn
• Channa dal – 1 tspn
• Dry Red Chilly – 2
• Curry leaves – little
• Cashew Nut – 8
• Roasted Peanut – 1tblspn

For Masala Powder

• Dry Red chilly – 6
• Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
• Coriander Seeds – 2tspn
• Cumin Seeds – 1/2tspn
• Urad dal – 1 1/2tspn
• Channa dal  – 1 1/2tspn

Roast the above given ingredients using little ghee or oil and grind it as a fine powder.

Recipe

1. Wash and cook the rice( each rice should be well separated) and let it to cool in a separate plate.
2. Add 1tspn ghee or oil with this rice.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add seasoning ingredients one by one and fry it till turns into golden brown color.
4. Now add cut capsicum and fry it till its half cooked.
5. Once its done, now add shredded coconut, turmeric powder and salt.
6. Now add cooked rice and mix well.
7. Finally add grounded masala powder and lemon extract, mix well..

channa dal rice

Ingredients

• Basmathi rice – 1 cup
• ChickPeas – 1/2 cup
• Big tomato – 3
• Small coconut – 1/2
• Peeled Small onion – 1/2cup
• Garlic small – 8pods
• Oil – 3 1/2 tblspn
• Coriander leaves – 1/2 bunch
• Green Chilly – 2
• Dry Methi leaves – 1tblspn
• Garam masala powder – 1/2tspn
• Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
• Cardomon – 2
• Cloves – 3
• Bay leaf – 1
• Ghee – 2tspn

To Grind

• Small Onion – 10
• Red Chilly – 4(up to taste)
• Cumin Seeds – 1tspn
• Garlic small – 5pods
• Shredded coconut – 2 tblspn

Except coconut, fry the remaining ingredients using 1tspn oil and grind it with coconut.

Recipe

1. Soak the rice for 10minutes. Then drain the water.
2. Heat 1tspn ghee in a pan. Add the rice and fry it till the water evaporates from the rice and keep it aside.
3. Soak chick peas for 10hours. Then cook it for 15 minutes in a cooker.
4. Put tomato in hot water for 10minutes. Then peel the skin, grind it and filter it.
5. Grate the coconut and grind it with required water. Filter the coconut milk and keep it aside.
6. Heat oil in a big pan. Add cinnamon, cardomon, bay leaf, garlic and fry it till turns into golden brown.
7. Add slitted green chilly and onion and fry it for a minute.
8. Then add ground masala , fry it till the raw smell goes off.
9. Add tomato puree, methi leaves, salt, garam masala powder and let it to cook for 2 minutes.
10. Add cooked chick peas, 1 3/4 cup coconut milk and let it to boil.
11. Once it starts boiling, then add rice and mix well. Keep the stove in medium flme.
12. Close the pan and let it to cook for 20 minutes.
13. Now chick peas rice is ready to serve.
14. If you want to cook it by using cooker, then reduce the amount of coconut milk to 1 1/2  and cook it for 1 whistle.