Betel leaf rice

Betel Leaves gives lot of healthy benefits to our body. In India, we use it on special occasions and also as an offering to god.  I don't know what to do with them so just got an idea to explore how would it taste if i do some variety rice with it and  i decided to try it immediately. My husband was little bit hesitant before trying this rice. But then it has been included in our weekly menu. I’m sure most of us doesn’t know that we can prepare a lot of healthy recipes with this leaf. When i asked for 20 leaves in a shop, they asked whether there is any function in my home. I replied them that I’m going to use this to prepare rice. They were shocked. How could we use betel leaf to prepare rice?? This was the question on my mom face too  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup – Basmati rice (uncooked)
• 3 or 4 nos – Betel leaves / vetrilai (remove stalk and chopped finely)
• 4 or 5 nos – Garlic (chopped)
• 1/4 tsp – Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

For grinding:

• 1 tsp – Sesame seeds (i used white sesame)
• 1/4 tsp – Peppercorns
• 2 nos – Dry red chillies
• 3 pinches – Dry ginger powder / sukku

For seasonings:

• 1 1/2 tbsp – Sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp – Fennel seeds / sombu
• 1 no – Cinnamon stick (small)
• 5 nos – Fresh curry leaves

Preparation method:

1. Wash and soak rice for 30 mins. Pressure cook rice (raw rice 1:2 ratio) for 3 to 4 whistles or until well cooked. Spread the rice in a wide plate and allow them to cool completely.
2. Dry roast sesame seeds, peppercorns and dry red chillies in a pan and grind it along with dry ginger powder to a fine powder. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, season with items given in the list for seasonings. Add chopped garlic and saute for few seconds. Then add turmeric powder in the oil and immediately add cooked rice, mix everything well.
4. Finally add chopped betel leaves, ground masala powder and required salt, mix well everything together. Cover and cook for 5 mins or until well cooked, if needed sprinkle some water to avoid drying. Healthy rice is ready to serve.

Malabar Ghee Rice / Naichoru

Ingredients

• 2 cups biryani rice or use best quality basmati rice
• 3 1/2 cups hot water
• salt,as needed
• few fresh spices(cloves,bay leaves,star anise,cardamom)
• 1 tbs ghee / clarified butter
• 1 onion
• cashew nuts and raisins, to garnish
• 1 tsp fresh garam masala
• 1 drop rose essence

Directions

Heat ghee in a thick bottomed vessel. Fry onion slices on low heat till golden brown and set aside.Fry cashews and raisins in the same pan and keep aside.Throw some fresh spices and saute till nice aroma appears. Add rice to this and fry for 1 minute (just warm up only so that rice is covered with ghee). Add hot water,adjust salt and add 1 drop of rose water. Cook the rice at high heat till the water starts to boil, then lower the heat and cook covered till rice becomes soft .Sprinkle fresh garam masala ,cover with aluminum foil and bake at 300 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with ghee fried raisins,onions,cashews and some fresh cilantro leaves. Serve with spicy egg masala,chicken curry ,pickle,raita etc...I served it with Soya Chunks Gravy....

Chicken Pilaf

  Simpler to make than biryiani, and a variation of pilau rice, Chicken Pilaf is a tasty dish with origins in Southern India. 

INGREDIENTS

View Ingredients In:

• 3 cups (750ml) Basmati Rice
• 5 1/2 cups (1380ml) water
• 2 strands of Saffron
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves
• 2 tbsp yoghurt
• 1 pinch of chilli powder
• 3 chicken breasts, skinned and cut into cubes
• 2 cardamoms, pods should be crushed
• 1 tbsp sultanas
• 1 tbsp blanched almonds
• 1 tsp salt

• 1 Large Saucepan
• 1 Frying Pan
• 2 large spoons for stirring

Method: 

. Wash the rice until the water runs clear and then drain and set aside.
. Heat half of the ghee in a large saucepan and fry the onion until it has turned golden. Now add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pods.
. Now add the rice and ginger and garlic paste to the onion and ghee mixture and stir until the rice grains are well coated with ghee.
. Now add the water.
. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a very low flame and cook whilst covered for 20 minutes
. Heat the remaining ghee in a separate frying pan, add the sultanas, almonds, salt and also add the yoghurt, stirring often. Let the paste cook until it starts to split and release oil/ the melted ghee separates slightly from the yogurt.
. Now add the chicken pieces, the garam masala and chilli powder to the frying pan and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
. Stir the chicken mixture into the rice and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving

Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower:

• 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut or dried unsweetened coconut
• 2 to 4 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley or coriander, chopped
• 1/2 cup whole fat yogurt or coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons ghee or oil
• 1 small cauliflower, chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Rice:

• 1 cup white basmati rice soaked in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes
• 3 tablespoons ghee or a mixture of butter and oil, or oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• generous handful of dried curry leaves
• 3 black cardamon pods, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• a few pinches asafetida
• 1 scant teaspoon jaggery or brown sugar (optional)
• lime wedges for garnish

Instructions:

• Begin by preparing the cauliflower. In a food processor (or your trusty magic bullet) pulse together the coconut, chilies, ginger, parsley, yogurt or coconut milk, turmeric, salt and black pepper.
• Heat the ghee or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the cauliflower pieces and stir for 5 to 7 minutes or until they begin to brown. Now add the coconut mixture to the pan and continue to stir for another few minutes until the cauliflower is just tender and the sauce has mostly evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• 
  Now drain the rice, reserving the soaking water. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ghee or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, toss in the mustard and cumin seeds and stir and for 30 seconds or until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to splutter and pop. Add the curry leaves, cardamom pods, ground coriander, cayenne and asafetida, and stir for another minute. Add the rice to the pan and stir for one more minute. Now pour in the reserved soaking water, stir in the jaggery or sugar, and bring to a boil. Stir in the prepared cauliflower, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining ghee, butter or oil, fluff with a fork, and serve hot or warm garnished with lime wedges.

Corn Pilaf / Makai Pulov with Chicken65

This is a signature dish of my mom!! This has always been a favorite at my place when we were kids. When mummy use to make this me and ma bro looked at each others plates just to check if the other has got a bigger portion. I couldn’t believe that the preparation was so easy. Without more chit chatting, I bring to you the recipe for Corn Pilaf…thanks mommy
Ingredients

Corn kernels – ¼ cup
Ghee – ¼ tbsp
Oil – ½ tbsp
Onion medium size- 1 chopped
Cardamom – 1
Cashewnut -6
Raisin 8-10
For Steam rice

Basmati Rice – 1 cup
Water – 2 cups
Salt – to taste
To Temper

Cumin seeds ½ tsp
Musturd seed ½ tsp
Cinnamon – ½ inch piece
Cloves -2
Bay leaves 2
Masala

Ginger garlic paste  - ¾ tsp
Garam Masala powder  – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric ¼ tsp
Coriander powder ½ tsp
Directions

Wash rice and soak for 15 minutes.
Add water and salt to the pot. Use double the amount of water as rice.
Bring rice and water to boil over high heat with the pot uncovered.
Cover the rice after boiling and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the rice steam for 10 minutes before checking it. Test the consistency to see if it’s soft enough. If the rice is too hard, cover it and add a few drops of water.
Remove the rice from the heat and keep it aside to cool.
In a frying pan heat oil and ghee add the items under ‘to temper’ with ginger garlic paste.
Add onion and saute till slightly browned. Then add the masala and saute till raw smell leaves and it turns color as shown below and add corn.
Add required salt, keep in mind we have already added salt in steam rice.
Add corn mix to the steam rice.
Serve hot with raita or kadi.

MUSHROOM PEAS PULAO/PILAF

MUSHROOM PEAS PULAO

A Simple and delicious pulao for Mushroom lovers.I always love to prepare one pot dishes as it is quick and easy with very less chopping,less ingredients and no grinding. I have not used any powders for this pulao, so if needed add according to your taste and enjoy.

This is one of my daughter's favorite.:)

For this pulao you need
6- 7 nos. of Button Mushrooms 1 cup of peas 1 onion 1-2 nos. of green chillies(acc. to ur taste) 1 tsp. of ginger-garlic paste 2 nos. of cardamom 1 Bay leaf 1" cinnamon stick 2 nos. of cloves 1 star anise Salt Ghee

MUSHROOM PEAS PULAO

Oil

Preparation

Wash and slice the button mushrooms, chop the onion and split the green chilly lengthwise.

Heat oil and ghee in the pressure cooker. Add bay leaf, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon and cloves. Saute for a min.

Add the ginger-garlic paste, saute it until the raw smell extracts from it . Add the mushrooms and peas and saute it for 5 mins. Meanwhile wash the rice. Drain the water and keep it aside.

After 5 mins, add rice with these mushroom and peas , saute it for a min. 

Now add two cups of water along with salt and allow it for 2 whistles.

When the pressure is down,this delicious pulao is ready to be tasted...................

 

MUSHROOM RICE

Here’s an easy and quick recipe of mushroom rice. this mushroom rice recipe i had made for lunch and everyone liked it.
the most amazing thing is that, it is not an elaborate or complicated recipe. easy for bachelors, students and single people. if you have leftover rice than you could use it right away to make this recipe.