Vallarakerai sadam / Indian Brahmi Leaves Rice

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice – 2 cups
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
• Salt to taste

To roast & Grind:

• Gingelly oil -1 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
• Red chillies – 6  Nos.
• Shallots – 5 Nos.
• Vallara Keerai / Indian Brahmi leaves – 2 cups

For seasoning:

• Gingelly oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Bengal gram | Kadalai Paruppu – 1 tbsp
• Red chillies – 2 Nos.
• Curry leaves – few
• Asafoetida | Hing – ¼ tsp
• Roasted ground nut – 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Cook rice until soft and spread in a wide bowl  and allow to cool with little oil sprinkled over.
2. Pluck the brahmi leaves alone, wash them thoroughly  in water, drain  and keep aside.
3. In a kadai, add a tbsp of oil and roast fenugreek seeds & red chillies. Drain from oil and transfer into a plate.
4. In the same kadai,, add shallots and fry till they become brownish in colour. To this add gongura leaves and sauté till the leaves get wilted and the raw smell leaves out. The leaves colour gets changed from green  to brown. Allow it to cool.
5. Grind  roasted fenugreek seeds and red chillies along with salt to a coarse powder. To this add the shallots and brahmni leaves and grind to a fine paste by adding little water, if needed.
6. In a non stick pan, heat oil and season with the items given for seasoning. Then add turmeric powder and brahmi leaves paste. Sauté  till oil oozes out from the paste & switch off.  It will take hardly 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Add  the required quantity of brahmi paste to the cooked, cooled rice and gently mix the rice using a  spatula without breaking/mashing the rice.  Check for the salt, if required, add straight to the rice and mix well.