Stir Fried Colorful Chinese Rice with Nine Jems

This colorful chinese rice is a great treat during the cold windy winters. It is extremely healthy option as there so many vegetables go in preparing the stir fry. We usually buy vegetables from our local farmers market at Mountain View. Any vegetables available on hand can be used to make the stir fried chinese rice. But I buy vegetables in little quantities, like 4-5 beans, few flat peas and like wise for the stir fry. 

I use at least nine different vegetable to make this rice and hence the explosion of colors. This rice is a hit with the kids and is a great way to make children eat their vegetables. I have used carrots and red bell pepper for the red color. Green bell pepper, beans, peas and brocoli for the green color. Corn for the yellow color. Apart from this I also use cauliflower, onion and eggplant, cabbage and spring onions. 

Ingredients 
2 cups of rice (I use basmati)
1 medium onion (sliced)
half a piece of red and green bell pepper (julienne) 
2 bunches of spring onions
two - four tablespoons of chopped vegetables available on hand (choose from cauliflower, brocoli, cabbage, carrot, peas, corn, eggplant, beans )
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoon red chili sauce or optionally tomato ketchup
oil for frying 
2 chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon ginger (chopped)
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
salt and pepper for taste


Method 
Wash the rice well and cook it in 3 1/2 cups or water till it is 3/4 Th done. I usually pressure cook the rice. Heat oil (as required) in a pan and stir fry all the vegetables (excluding the onion, spring onions and bell pepper) on high heat. Keep aside. 
Add 3 tablespoon oil in another pan and add the ginger garlic pieces. Fry for a minute on high flame and add chopped chilies. Add sliced julienned bell pepper and sliced onions and stir well. Lower the flame and add soy sauce, red chili sauce and vinegar. Mix the rice and stir fried vegetables well with the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper. Garnish with finely chopped spring onions and cook till the rice is hot. Serve immediately.

Sweet Moong Dal Khichidi

This is another sweet khichdi which is made by my mom. She makes the moong dal khichidi and also the Sweet Chana Dal Khichidi as both are very healthy as they contain legumes or dals with high protein content. Many combinations can be used to prepare this dish. One can use 100% moong dal, or 100% whole moong, or 50 % basmati rice and 50% moong or moong dal. It turns out to be very tasty in any of the combinations. Whole moong needs to be soaked for 4-5 hours before making the khichidi. Here I have used 50 % basmati rice and 50% moong dal. I am sending this entry to Say "Thank You Mom" Event organized by Satya.  

Ingredients
1/2 cup moong dal

1/2 cup basmati rice

1 cup grated coconut

1 cup powdered jaggery
raisins and cashew nuts for garnish (optional)

1 teaspoon cardamom powder

2 tablespoon ghee

Method

Cook the basmati rice and moong dal in a pressure cooker or in a pan. The rice should only be cooked to 3/4th of its consistency and it should not be fully cooked. Keep aside till the rice cools down. In another pan heat ghee and add the nuts, raisins, jaggery and grated coconut. Mix well on low flame till both are combined well. Add the rice and moong dal to this mixture and mix well. Add cardamom powder and cook covered on low flame for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot with sliced banana slices and a teaspoon of ghee on top of the khichdi.

Sweet Chana Dal Khichdi

Hope everyone had a wonderful Diwali festival week. During the Diwali pooja this year I made chana khichdi as offering for the Gods. Chana khichdi is another sweet dish prepared at Konkani homes. I have heard of broken wheat and dal khichdi, but in my house we make it with rice. Moong or moong dal khichdi is also prepared in a similar manner and is a very healthy dessert. We also add sliced banana slices as topping on this khichidi.


Ingredients 
1 cup chana dal
2 cups basmati rice
2 teaspoon cardamom powder or elaichi powder
2 cups grated coconut
2 cups powdered jaggery (or use 50% jaggery 50% sugar)
cashew nuts and raisins for garnishing
3 tablespoon ghee for garnishing


Method 
Roast the chana dal till light brown and keep aside. Wash the basmati rice well. Cook both the chana dal and basmati rice with 2 1/2 cups water till rice is half done. Keep aside till it cools down completely. Mix jaggery or jaggery+sugar, which ever combination is used, grated coconut in a heavy bottomed pan. Cook it on very low flame till till the jaggery melts and mixes with the coconut. Mix in cardamom powder. Mix the cooked rice and dal into the coconut mixture and heat on low flame for 5-10 minutes till   sweetness of the jaggery is absorbed by the rice. Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew nuts and raisins. Top the khichdi with the dry fruits. Sliced banana slices can be placed on top as topping. Serve hot. 

Simple Khichidi -2

This is an extremely easy and delicious khichidi recipe I tried recently. Consuming seeds and nuts like til or sesame seeds, flax, peanuts, almonds etc is good during the winter season. This khichidi is extremely light on the tummy and yet good for the cold winters as it uses sesame powder. Vegetables can be optionally used in this khichidi.This is a good upwas recipe as it doesn't use ginger, garlic or onions.

Ingredients  

1 cup basmati rice

1 cup moong dal

1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

2 tablespoon til or sesame seeds

1/2 cup cut vegetables (choose from potato, carrot,  peas, corn, beans)

1 tablespoon coriander-cumin powder (dhania jeera powder)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala or goda masala powder (omit if you desire less spicier version)

1 teaspoon gur(jaggery or mollases) or sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder or as per taste

pinch of asafoetida

1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoon grated coconut for garnishing

salt for taste

Method 

Wash the dal and rice and drain the water. Keep aside. Roast the sesame seeds till crisp and grind them into a fine powder. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start popping add sesame seed powder. Fry for a minute and add dhania-jeera powder, asafoetida, chili powder and turmeric powder. Add curry leaves and ginger. Stir a few times and add the vegetables and cardamom powder. Fry for 3-4 minutes and add the washed rice and moong dal. Saute till the spices blend completely with the rice. Saute on low flame for 5-8 minutes. Add 4 cups of boiling hot water and salt for taste. Cook on low flame till the rice and dal are well cooked. Garnish with ghee, coconut and coriander leaves.

Kachi Hyderabadi Chicken / Mutton Biryani

I am back from a long long blogging break and a great vacation. With all the unpacking and cleaning to do after returning back from my vacation I was a little tired and a little lazy to start blogging again. Last week I had lunch with my friend E and I had made Hyderabad chicken biryani and tandoori. She insisted that I start blogging again with these recipes to start with. Thanks E for the encouragement! This recipe also goes to the event Iftar Moments Hijri 1431 hosted by Umm and Joys from Fasting to Feasting  by Lubna.

When I was in India I was visiting my dear friend R in Bangalore his wife M made Hyderabad mutton biryani for lunch. I was awed to see her cook the biryani so delicately from start to finish. She used the dum method of cooking where the layered biryani is put in a pot whose lid is sealed with wheat flour dough to avoid the steam from escaping the vessel. She then keeps the pot on the tava or cast iron griddle and cooks on very low flame for 1 1/2 hours. This method retains most of the flavor and juices of the meat and makes it very tender. We have coil instead of gas in US so another option would be cook the biryani in a pressure cooker (with the weight/whistle on) on 2 or 3 range out of 9 (highest) range. I have tried this and it works great.

There is a lot of difference between the Hyderabadi biryani and the Lucknow biryani style of cooking. The Lucknow style advises that the meat and rice be half cooked before the layering process. My mom cooks the Lucknow version and formerly I also followed the same method. The Hyderabadi style of cooking leaves the meat more juicy and softer than the Lucknow style. It also reduces the cooking time I love that too :). Hyderabadi biryani is called kuchi (raw) biryani and Lucknow biryani is called pukki (cooked biryani). The spices used also vary a bit. Tamarind is used instead of tomato to impart sourness. Ground raw papaya can also added while marination to make the meat softer.

Biryani is a layered dish and fried onions, rice and marinated meat are used to create layers for the biryani. Traditionally ghee is added to make the biryani and oil while marinating the meat but I use as less oil as possible to make the biryani. Also check my Vegetable Biryani Recipe.

Marination:
2 pound chicken or mutton cut into pieces (If you have frozen meat then de-freeze it before marinating)
2 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 teaspoon salt
2-4 slit green chillies
1 teaspoon red chili powder or as per taste
2 tablespoon paste of green papaya (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder or as per taste (check recipe here)
1 handful of chopped fresh mint leaves (approx 1 cup) I also use 1 cup of dried mint leaves if I don't have fresh ones on hand
1 handful/cup chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk cream (If you increase the richness of the biryani; I usually avoid it :))
1/2 teaspoon concentrated tamarind paste or as per taste
1 1/2 teaspoon salt or as per taste

Wash the chicken well and make slits if the pieces are large. Mix the rest of the ingredients for the marinate. Add the chicken pieces and coat the chicken well with the marinate. Keep it aside for 2 hours or leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

For the Onions:
Slice 4-6 red onions finely and fry them in 2 tablespoon oil till they are caramelized or light brown in color.


For the Rice:
2 cups basmati rice (washed well an hour before using it)
3 cardamoms
1 stick cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
2-3 pieces of mace
1 teaspoon jeera or cumin
2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Boil the water in a large pan with all the ingredients except rice and lemon juice/vinegar. When the water comes to a boil, add the rice and the lemon juice/vinegar. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir it well. Drain the water in a colander.



Method to layer the biryani:
Wheat dough prepared from 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
marinated meat
prepared rice
fried onions
1 cup milk (i use fat free milk)
6-8 strands of saffron
2-3 chopped green chillies (optional/as per taste)
3 tablespoon oil (optional)
fried cashew nuts and raisins (optional)
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
2 tablespoon lemon juice

1) Warm the milk and add the saffron strands. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Line the pressure cooker or the vessel with a thin layer of oil.
2) Add 8-10 strands of fried onions at the bottom. Usually rice is added first but I find that the onions impart more flavor if added first.
3) Add half of the rice.
4) Add the marinated meat. If you are creating more number of layers add the larger meat pieces at the bottom layer.
5) Add half of the fried onions.
6) Add the rest of the rice.
7) Add the other half of the fried onions and green chillies.
8) Pour milk, oil and lemon juice evenly over the top layer.

Seal the vessel or pressure cooker or the vessel with wheat dough. If a stainless steel or aluminum vessel is being used then keep it over a tava or cast iron griddle. If the biryani is made in a pressure cooker, put the weight (or the whistle as it is called in India ) on the cooker. Cook on a very low flame for 1 hour to 90 minutes or till the meat is well cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves, cashew nuts and raisins. Serve with curd raita.

Masoor Dal Khichdi / Masoor Ni Khichri

Khichdi means "mixture" of rice, lentils and vegetables. It is a quick way of making a healthy meal. Read more about Khichdi here. Here is red masoor dal and rice khichdi and this recipe goes to the event hosted by RCI Celebrating Parsi Cuisine and Lakshmi .

Ingredients
1/2 cup basmati rice or other rice
1/2 cup masoor dal or moong dal
1 teaspoon jeera or cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
4-5 cloves
1/2 cup vegetables (potatoes, carrot, peas, beans, cauliflower)
1/2 teaspoon whole pepper corns
4-5 pieces of dalchini or cinnamon
piece of bay leaf
1 thinly sliced medium onion
coriander leaves or cilantro for garnishing
1 tablespoon oil
salt for taste

Method

Wash the rice and dal thoroughly. Drain the water and keep aside.


Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, cloves, pepper corns, cinnamon and bay leaf. Fry for a minute. Add onions and fry the onions till golden brown. Add vegetables and fry for 4-5 minutes till the vegetables are slightly caramelized on all sides. Mix in turmeric powder and chili powder. Add the rice and dal and mix well. Boil 2 1/4 cups of water and add to the rice. Add salt as per taste. Cook till well done. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with curd or raita.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Mango Rice / Kairi Rice

We would always wait for the kairi's to arrive in the market in the summer season. My favorite memories are going to the kariwalla-bhiya who used to sit on his cycle outside my college serving masala kairis. He would slice up the kairis, add a dash of his secret spice powder the kairi pieces and serve them with papdis made from flour. Me and my friends would visit him every day after college to taste his chatpata kairis. There would be a lot of activity going on in my home when the kairi season would start. My mom would make a fresh batch of Chunda or sweet mango pickle, Manglorean mango pickle, Punjabi achaar to last for the year ahead. She would als make panna and also clean and preserve many raw mangoes in boiled and salted water. We would then use these preserved mangoes to make chutney's in the winter and rainy season. We get kairis all year round at our local indian store and I make this rice very often. It is a great main course and also a great low calorie tiffin recipe.

Ingredients
1 raw mango or kairi
1 cup rice
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon chana dal or bengal gram
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 green chilies
2 tablespoon grated coconut (optional)
salt for taste

Method
Cook the rice and cool it down. Salt the rice and keep it aside. Skin the raw mango and grate it. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add the dals and roast till they are light brown. Add turmeric powder and slit green chillies. Fry for a minute and add grated raw mango. Cook for 5-8 minutes till the mango is soft. Once the mango cools down mix the rice well with the mango. Season with grated coconut.

Methi Rice / Fenugreek Rice

I have been trying to make dishes which contain both rice and vegetables. This saves me time as I don't have to make two or three items to take in tiffin for our lunch. This dish includes the goodness of fenugreek leaves and the rice also cancels out the extra bitterness. Methi is also known to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar. Peas, soaked groundnuts, corn kernels can also be added to this rice dish.

Ingredients

1 bunch of fenugreek leaves or methi
3 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoon sambar powder
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate or tamarind water as desired
3 tablespoon gur or jaggery
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1 teaspoon oil
red chili powder for taste
salt for taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida. Add sambar powder, tamarind water, jaggery and one cup of water. Get the mixture to a boil. Add chopped methi leaves and cook till the methi leaves are soft. Add chili powder and salt as desired. Mix cooked rice and mix well so that the rice gets coated well with the masala. Serve hot with papad and curd.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2

Curd Rice

In south India it is often a part of the everyday meal and it helps in soothing the stomach after having a spicy meal. We had been to Annapoorna recently and I found their curd rice to be delicious. The other items on the menu were also mouth watering and have very less spice. The food there is much less oilier than other restaurants. Their chutney's, sambar and pepper rasam also are worth trying. Their pineapple keshari and beetroot halwa deserve a special mention too. So I decided to make curd rice today for dinner and post my version of the curd rice. Curd rice is usually made with left over cooked rice. But I usually cook rice, cool it and make curd rice instantly and I find this version much tastier. Also to give it a green attractive color, a handful of coriander leaves can be ground with a little curd and added to the rice.

Ingredients
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup curd
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
6-7 curry leaves or kadipatta
pinch of asafoetida
one pinch of ajwain seeds
2 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts(optional)
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
salt for taste
2-3 green chilies or as desired
1 tablespoon ghee

Method
Mix rice, curd and milk and keep aside for around 30 minutes till the rice absorbs the curd. Mash the rice lightly. Add salt as per taste. Heat ghee in a seasoning pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add asafoetida, coriander leaves, curry leaves and ajwain seeds. Now add green chillies and ginger. Add this to the rice. Fry the cashew nuts in ghee till brown and then add raisins and fry for a minute. Garnish the curd rice with the nuts and raisin. 

Serve with papad and pickle.

Yellow Rice / Phodni Bhat

This is another quick recipe for using the left over rice. It makes a filling breakfast dish as well as great for tiffins.

Ingredients
2-3 cups of cooked rice
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard
pinch of heeng
1/2 teaspoon haldi or turmeric
chilli powder or green chillies as per taste desired
salt for taste

Variations:
curry leaves (optional )
lemon juice (optional)
chopped coriander leaves(optional)
boiled vegetables like carrot, peas (optional)
roasted peanuts (optional)

Method
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters add asafoetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves and red chili powder or green chillies. Mix the rice, peanuts, and vegetables in the seasoning. Sprinkle handful of water if the rice sticks to the pan. Add salt and stir fry it till it is hot. Remove from heat and mix in lemon juice and coriander leaves. Serve with curd.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2

Vegetable Biryani

This is my mom's recipes. She would always make this dish mostly on weekends as it takes quite some time to create. We were introduced to biryani in Bhopal which is also very famous for its chicken and mutton biryani. You may try biryani at any number of restaurants, but the flavor and the taste of this dish is incomparable when make at home from the freshly ground spices and vegetables. The difference between pulao and biryani can seem like a thin line, but they are both differently prepared. Pulao is vegetables and rice cooked together. Biryani is a dish made with layered vegetables or meat, onions and rice. Read more about biryani here.

Ingredients

For the rice (Step 1):
2 cups basmati rice
2-3 star anise or badal phool
1 teaspoon jeera or cumin seeds
2- 3 pieces of cinnamon or dalchini
3-4 cardamom or elaichi
1-2 bay leaf or tej patta
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 medium onion
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon oil

For the Garnishing(Step 2):
5 medium red onions (thinly sliced)
handful coriander leaves or cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
10-12 broken roasted cashew nuts(optional)
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 tablespoon raisins (optional)

For the Vegetables (Step 3)
2 cups mixed vegetables (beans, carrots, potato, peas, sweet corn, cauliflower)
1/2 cup paneer (optional)
2 medium red onions paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon green chili paste (or as per taste)
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves or 3-4 fresh leaves
5 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves or cilantro
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3-4 cloves
1/2 inch cinnamon piece
3 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon turmeric power
1/4- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (or as per taste)
salt as per taste

Method
For the rice: (Step 1)
Wash and soak the basmati rice in warm water for around 45 minutes. Drain the water and leave aside. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Add anise, cardamom pods, cinnamon and bay leaf. Fry for a minute and add finely sliced onions. Fry till onions are brown. Add the rice and fry for 4-5 minutes. Heat water double the quantity of rice - 1 cup. For 2 cups of rice use 3 cups of hot water. Add salt for taste. Add the hot water to the rice and cook till the rice is half done. Keep the juice of 1 lemon aside for final step.

For the garnish:(Step 2)
Finely slice the onions and fry them in 3 tablespoons of oil till they are brown. Mix in raisins, roasted cashew nuts,salt and chopped coriander leaves. Keep aside.

For the vegetables:(Step 3)
Chop the vegetables. If you are using cauliflower, then fry it in a teaspoon oil till it is brown on all sides. Follow the same procedure with the paneer. Saute rest of the vegetables. Roast coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Grind the seeds into a fine powder with cardamom, cinnamon,cloves and dried mint leaves if using.
Heat oil in pan and add ginger -garlic paste. Fry for 2 minutes on medium flame. Add green chili paste. Fry for a minute. Add onion paste and fry till the raw smell goes away. Add chili powder, turmeric powder. Add milk and chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Add the vegetables, paneer and coat the vegetables well with the masala. Add salt for taste and cook covered for 10 minutes.

For the biryani:
Put 1 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker or a pan with tight fitting lid.
1) Put 1 tablespoon of the garnishing from step 2.
2) Add a layer of vegetables from step.
3) Then add a layer of rice from step 1.
4) Add some lemon juice and sprinkle a little (around 2 pinches) garam masala powder.

Repeat step 1 to 4 for all the vegetables, rice and garnishing. Cover lid and cook on a low flame for 25 minutes or till the rice is cooked. Cooking on a low flame (i use the range2 or 3 out of 9 on the coil) is important to ensure that the biryani is not burnt at the bottom of the cooker. Serve hot with dahi raita.

Preparation time: 1 -2 hours
Serves: 3-4

Pongal

I was introduced to Pongal by one of my friends from Bangalore. I had always thought that pongal was a sweet dish until I had Pongal at her home. She informed me that there was a sweetish pongal recipe for festive occasions and a kichidi-type rice recipe for main course. I often make pongal for dinner as it provides both proteins and carbohydrates in the same dish. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice or any other rice which you prepare for dinner
1 cup moong dal
1 teaspoon pepper corns
2 green chilies or as per taste
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon ghee (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts
2 tablespoon raisins
5-6 kadipatta or curry leaves
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon oil
salt

Method
Wash the rice and dal thoroughly and cook it with green chilies, pepper corns, salt and ginger. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Fry for 30 seconds and add cashew nuts, raisins and curry leaves. Fry till the cashews are light brown. Add the cooked rice and dal and mix thoroughly. Add the milk and adjust salt. Serve with turai chutneyor dahi.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Peas Pulao / Vatana Bhat

This is one of my husband's recipe. During his bachelor days, he would make this vatana bhat with kadhi. The other day when I was busy with my studies, he made Kadhi and Vatana bhat for dinner. I was very surprised with the simplicity of this lovely recipe. It is a great comfort food for winters when one cannot eat cold curd. Vatana Bhat can be prepared within minutes and it is a great recipe for lunch tiffins. I am sending it to the “Think Spice: Think Turmeric” event organized by Sudeshna and Sunita.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
1 cup peas
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder or maharashtrian kala masala
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 pinches of asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoon coriander leaves for garnishing
1 tablespoon oil
salt for taste

Method
Wash the basmati rice and leave it for aside for 20 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Mix in peas and basmati rice and saute for around 5 minutes. Add chili powder and garam masala. Boil 3 cups of water and add to the rice. Put lemon juice and salt for taste. Adding lemon juice keeps the rice grains from sticking. Cook covered till the rice is done. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with kadhi .


Preparation time:40 minutes
Serves:2-3