Palak (spinach) pulao

Palak is very nutritious but any has to be consumed in moderation. A variety of dishes can be made with palak. It goes well with Indian and also continental. It is easy to cook and tastes good.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice,500g palak, 150g tomato puree, 2 onions, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste,1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 3 green chillis, ½ cup chopped hara dhania (coriander),2 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cook rice with enough water and keep aside. 
2. Wash and microwave palak for 10 min and drain off the water, chop finely and keep aside.
3. Chop onions finely. 
4. Heat oil in a pan, put chopped onions and fry till golden brown, and to this, add all the spices. 
5. After frying for a while, add tomato puree and fry till it leaves sides. 
6. Now add palak and cooked rice and cook for a little while or microwave for 10 min.

Serve hot with plain curds or cucumber raita.

Grated coconut Rice

Ingredients:

 2 cups rice, 1 grated coconut and salt to taste.

For tempering:
 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp chana dal 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp black pepper corns, 4 red chillis, 2 green chillis, 2 twigs curry leaves.

Preparation:

1. Boil the rice with enough water and keep aside. 
2. Break the coconut and grate the kernels. 
3. Heat oil in a pan put dals and other spices. 
4. After frying till golden brown put off the flame and fold in the cooked rice and  grated coconut, mix well.

Can be had plain and also with mixed vegetable korma.

Coconut rice

This can be made in two different ways. One is made with coconut milk and the other with grated coconut. The latter one can be had plain but the one with coconut milk need be eaten with gravy vegetable or korma. Coconut milk can be extracted from the fresh coconut or can be bought readymade.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice or any small grain rice, 1 coconut, 1 onion, 3 green chillis, 5 elaichi (cardamom), 5 laung (cloves), ½ tsp black pepper corns, tej patta, 2 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Break the coconut , take out the coconut pieces put in the mixer with water and grind it. 
2. Stain the stuff for milk and discard the coconut roughage. 
3. Wash the rice and keep ready for use. 
4. Slice the onion finely. 
5. Heat oil in a pan put the spices and sliced onion, fry a little, add the rice, salt and coconut milk. the ratio is 2:3, that is 2 rice and 3 coconut milk. 
6. Transfer the ingredients into the rice cooker and cook till done. 

Serve hot with mixed vegetable korma

Vegetable Biryani

This one is made in almost every household and very simple to make and also loved by all. This can take sumptuous vegetables and becomes a wholesome meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice, ¼ kg french beans, 2 carrots, 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 2 tbsp khus khus, 3 green chillis, 1 inch ginger piece, 6 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon piece, 3 green elaichi (cardamom), 1 pinch grated jaiphal, 3 bits javitri, 3 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Soak khus khus in a little water along with 7/8garlic cloves, green chillies and ginger. 
2. Wash the rice and keep aside. 
3. Peel the potatoes and carrots. 
4. Slice onions finely and cut all vegetables into even size so that they get cooked uniformly. 
5. Grind khus khus with the other spices into a fine paste. 
6. Heat oil in a  big heavy bottomed kadhai/ pan, put tej patta/bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, elaichi, javitri, jaiphal and fry, to this add sliced onion , fry till brown, add the vegetables and stir fry a little and add the washed rice, stir for a while and put off the gas. 
7. Take a small pan and heat a little oil, add the khus khus paste and fry well. 
8. Once the oil starts leaving the sices add this to rice and vegetable mix. 
9. Heat 31/2 cups of water in the electric rice cooker and to this add the prepared rice and vegetable mix.

Cook till  done and  serve hot with bagara baingan and raita. 

Spicy rice

This recipe is very simple and goes well with continental menu. In Chinese  menu we have fried rice likewise spicy rice can be made for continental menu. It is encouraging for the rice eaters.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice,4 cups tomato puree, 2 onions, 2 capsicums, 1 tsp garlic paste, ½  cup chopped parsley, 2 tbsp olive oil,2 pinches of grated jaiphal (nutmeg) 1 tsp of red chilli powder 100 g cheddar cheese and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Boil rice till soft and keep aside. 
2. Finely chop onions and capsicum keep ready for use. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put chopped onions and fry till golden brown. 
4. To this add garlic paste and fry a little, now add  capsicum and tomato puree and keep stirring. 
5. After cooking for a while, add jaiphal, chilli powder, salt and parsley. 
6. Once the gravy starts leaving sides fold in the soft boiled rice to the gravy. 
7. Transfer the rice into a microwave dish, cover it up with grated cheese and heat it for 8 minutes or till the cheese melts.

Serve hot!!

Pulihora

This is predominantly a south Indian delicacy. Puli in tamil means tamarind, hence it is also called tamarind rice. This is one of the prasadam varieties made at Tirupati Balaji Temple. It has a typical taste of its ingredients and is generally made during special occasions like festivals and marriages.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups raw rice (small grain),125g seedless tamarind, 100g oil, 2tsp Bengal gram dal, 2tsp black gram dal, 2 tbsp ground nuts/ cashew nuts 1 tsp mustard seeds, 5 red chillis, 5 green chillis, 2 twigs kadi patta(curry leaves) ¼ tsp hing(asafoetida),1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder) and salt to taste.

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in a cup of water to get pulp out of it.
Boil the rice with enough water so that rice grains remain separate and non-sticky and allow it to cool.
Heat oil in a pan, add the pulses, nuts, red chillis, mustard seeds and hing (asafoetida).
Keep stirring and once mustard starts spluttering add green chillis, kadi patta, tamarind pulp, haldi and salt.
Cook this on slow flame and the indication for it is done is when the gravy leaves oil and also it should not get burnt at the bottom hence it needs stirring in between.
Once the gravy is ready mix it well with a ladle into the rice.

This can be served plain or with curds and kurkure bhindi.