A plus of cooking only for yourself is the chance it gives you for daring experimentation. Do whatever. Relish it if it turns out brilliant, commit it to memory (and blog) for treating others in future. Shrug it off if it does not; it’s only one that suffered through it.

This is a kitchen experiment that worked big time. Use the recipe for mint cashew pulao and tell me what you thought.

You Need:

• Basmati rice – 1 cup
• Ginger – 1/2 inch piece, grated
• Peppercorns – a few
• Mint leaves – 1 bunch, plucked and chopped
• Cashewnuts – 1/2 cup
• Ghee – 2-2 tablespoons (yeah, this is not slimming food)
• Onions – 3, sliced
• Green chilies – 2, chopped
• Salt – To taste
• Jeera seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Paneer – a few small cubes

Flat-bottomed pan for cooking, with lid. I used a pressure cooker without locking the lid on. Don’t pressure cook this!

How To:

Wash and soak rice for 30 mins before cooking. Drain and keep aside.

In the cooking pan, heat the ghee. Add jeera, pepper corns. When they crackle, add grated ginger and green chilies.

Cashewnuts go in next. Let them just start turning golden, then add the sliced onions. Fry on medium-high till they brown. Keep some onions aside for garnish.

Tip in the drained rice and chopped mint leaves. Fry for a few minutes, taking care that they don’t stick to the pan. Put in 1 cup water (the same as the amount of rice), and salt to taste.

Let the mix cook on slow heat, with lid on but not locked. It’ll take around 10mins for the mix to dry and rice to get cooked. At the last stage, lock the lid and let it stand for 10 more minutes. This is important to let the flavours blend and the rice to cook fully without getting mushy.

To Serve

Just before serving, sprinkle the fried onions that you had kept aside and some lightly browned paneer cubes.

Dig into the lovely mint cashew pulao and feel close to heaven :)

Notes:

1. Basmati rice is important. The same dish with sona masuri will not taste as lovely. This needs long-grained, non-sticky rice.
2. The cooking time will depend on how long you soak the rice. Don’t skip soaking, else your rice will either remain undercooked or become lumpy.

The post Mint Cashew Pulao appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Tempering with cumin  seeds – a quick way to embellish your plain boiled rice.

You Need:

• Rice – 2 cups, boiled and cooled
• Ghee – 2 teaspoons
• Cumin seeds – 2 teaspoons
• Salt – a pinch
• Black pepper corns – a few (optional)

How To:

Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan. Add the cumin seeds and pepper corns.

When the cumin seeds begin to turn color, add rice and sprinkle salt over it.

Keep the heat on medium-high. Toss the rice gently till all of it gets coated with ghee and cumin tempering. When the rice turns piping hot, take it off the fire and serve with any curry.

Notes:

1. Use cool rice for this dish. If it’s warm, it’ll turn mushy.
2. To keep the rice grains separate and fluffy, toss – don’t stir!

The post Jeera Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Khichdi isn’t exactly the height of culinary sophistication – but sometimes we don’t want culinary sophistication. Hands up all men and women living away from family who, after a series of spice-laden oily meals outdoors or countless packets of instant noodles, crave for simple home-cooked khichdi?

On to this quick and easy recipe, a life-saver on days when your tummy asks for comfort and nothing more.

You Need:

• Rice – 3/4 cup
• Moong dal – 3/4 cup
• Water – 4 cups
• Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Ghee – 2 teaspoons

The above is all you need for the basic khichdi. I added a couple more ingredients for this meal:

• Onion – 1, finely chopped
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Dry red chilies – 2

How To:

Wash the moong dal and rice together in several changes of water, till the water is clear. Soak in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain.

In a pressure cooker, put the rice and moong dal with salt, turmeric and 4 cups of water. Cook till one whistle on high flame, then simmer for another two whistles.

Let the pressure release naturally.

For the basic version, pour ghee over the khichdi and serve immediately.

For the enhanced version, heat the ghee in another pan. Crackle cumin seeds till they change colour (this takes a few seconds only), then add dry red chilies and finely chopped onions soon after. Let the onions turn golden-brown.

Mix this in with the khichdi and serve. A picture of my khichdi with a dollop of pickle:

Khichdi Accompaniments:

There is a saying in Hindi:

Khichdi ke teen yaar
Papad, chokha aur achaar!

which means:

Khichdi has three friends – papad (crisp flatbread), chokha (potato mash) and achaar (pickle, usually mango).

These are the most popular accompaniments that add a burst of flavor to this otherwise plain food. A bowl of plain yogurt and some bhujiya (chopped vegetables fried to a crisp, such as brinjal or plaintain) go very well with khichdi too.

Notes:

1. Expand on the enhanced version if you like – add more vegetables. I like to throw in some peas and cauliflower florets after the onions.

2. Adjust the water used for cooking to change the consistency of the dish.

3. If you are having khichdi to soothe your delicate tummy, go for the basic version, cut down on the ghee and add more water during pressure-cooking.

4. In Bihar it is customary to eat khichdi on Saturdays. I have never understood why, it just is so.

The post Khichdi appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Leftover boiled rice gives us plenty of opportunity for reshaping into new avatars, doesn’t it? I had a tempting pack of button mushrooms with me and used it for this mushroom fried rice tonight.

I loved the result.

You Need:

• Boiled rice – 2 cups
• Carrot – 1
• Onion – 1
• Baby corn – 4 pieces
• Mushrooms – 250 grams
• Thai Kitchen red chili paste – 2 heaped teaspoons
• Olive oil – 2 teaspoons

How To:

Slice the onions from root to tip.

Scrape the carrot and cut it into matchsticks.

Chop the baby corn into disks.

Slice the mushrooms, sprinkle salt and saute them in a few drops of oil, till they give off water. Mix half a teaspoon of the Thai red chili paste and cook for another minute. Keep aside.

Heat the olive oil in a wide non-stick pan. Toss in the onion slices, carrots and baby corn and sauté for 5 minutes. Then gently mix in the remaining Thai red chili paste, salt and cold boiled rice. Cook for another 6-7 minutes on medium flame, shaking and tossing the pan to turn the rice.  Avoid aggressive prodding with the spatula – you don’t want the rice to crumble!

Add the mushrooms next, mix carefully and cook for another couple of minutes.

That’s it. Your mushroom fried rice is ready. Dig in.

The post Mushroom Fried Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

A one-dish rich rice meal bulging with flavors -whole garam masala, the heat and crunch of peppercorns, peas and cashew nuts, fried onions and ghee. On a Sunday afternoon at home, what more could I ask for?

You Need:

• Boiled rice – 2 cups, cooled
• Peas – 1 cup
• Onions – 2, sliced
• Salt – to taste
• Cashew nuts – 1/2 cup
• Cumin seeds – 2 teaspoons
• Pepper corns – 1 teaspoon, whole or coarsely crushed
• Cinnamon – 1-inch stick
• Cloves – 4
• Ghee – 1.5 tablespoons

How To:

In the non-stick pan, heat half a tablespoon of ghee. Add cumin seeds, pepper corns, cloves and the cinnamon stick. When the jeera turns dark, add cashew nuts. After half a minute, add the sliced onions. Fry on medium-high till the onions brown.

While the onions brown, do the peas in a second, bigger non-stick pan. Heat half a tablespoon of ghee and cook the peas till tender with a little sprinkling of salt. I used frozen peas that take around 5 minutes to get done on medium heat. Boiled rice goes in next, topped with 3/4th of the fried onion-cashew masala.

Mix it all together with a gentle hand, adjust salt and drizzle the remaining ghee over the rice. Toss and shake the pan every other minute, cook for a further ten minutes till the peas and cashew fried rice begins to give off a lovely aroma.

To Serve:

Sprinkle the remaining fried onion-cashew masala over the rice before serving.

Peas and cashew fried rice tastes great on its own, with maybe a tomato chutney or a sweet and sour ginger chutney on the side.

The post Peas and Cashew Fried Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

The very versatile spinach goes into this very green one-pot rice meal, making it a wholesome Sunday lunch option.

I normally keep coriander pesto handy in the fridge for a quick addition to salads or sandwich spread. Putting some pesto into spinach rice, along with the garnish of fried cashew nuts, worked wonders with the otherwise simple meal.

On to the recipe of spinac hrice with coriander pesto and cashew nuts.

You Need:

• Basmati Rice – 1 cup
• Water – 1.5 cups
• Spinach – 1 large bunch
• Onions – 1
• Salt – to taste
• Cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch
• Olive oil – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander pesto [recipe below] – 1 tablespoon

For coriander pesto:

• Coriander leaves – 1 bunch
• Garlic cloves – 10
• Salt – a pinch
• Olive oil – 1/2 teaspoon
• Extra virgin olive oil – 3 tablespoons

For garnishing:

• Cashew nuts – 10
• Green chili – 1 or 2 (optional)
• Olive oil – 1 teaspoon

How To:

Coriander pesto:

Peel and using a blender or mortar and pestle, grind garlic cloves and salt to paste. Finely chop (or coarsely grind) coriander leaves.

In a small pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil. Add garlic paste and after 30 seconds, add finely chopped coriander leaves. Cook for two minutes on medium heat, stirring continuously.

Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a dry container, pour extra virgin olive oil over it. Stir gently, making sure that the oil coats all of the coriander-garlic paste. Add more oil if needed.

This can be stored in the fridge for several days. I have used coriander pesto made this way for up to 10 days, I’m sure it stays good longer.

The rice:

Wash rice in several changes of water till the water runs clear. Spread out and keep aside for 20 minutes.

In the picture above : Washed basmati rice, onions, spinach leaves and coriander pesto.

Chop the onion finely. Wash, de-stem and chop spinach.

To cook rice, use a large non-stick pan, which has a close-fitting lid. Heat the pan with a teaspoon of olive oil. Add onions and cinnamon stick. When the onions turn golden, add chopped spinach and a pinch of salt. Set the heat to high and cook till the spinach wilts (5 mins).

Add rice and fry for two minutes so that the rice is well-coated with the spinach mix.

The post Spinach Rice with Coriander Pesto and Cashew Nuts appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

An exotic rice kheer (pudding) that gets its sweetness entirely from jaggery and dried figs. A hint of saffron that elevates it to greater heights.

A dessert fit for royalty with the best kind of calories you can hope to get from such indulgence. Jaggery may come from the same source as white sugar – sugarcane juice – but it’s miles ahead in terms of nutrition. The process of refining strips white sugar of sugarcane’s mineral contents, while the simpler method of jaggery-making retains them.

Dried figs are rich in antioxidants, fiber and calcium along with a host of other minerals.

All I knew about saffron till a while ago was that it gives a unique hay-like flavour to a dish and is the most expensive spice in the world (besides being the color of a certain political ideology, but let’s not go there).

Some poking around the internet reveals that saffron helps to relieve pains like tummy ache and arthritic conditions. It contains carotenoids – powerful antioxidants that protect your body’s cells from damage, improve vision and make your skin glow. Just a few strands of saffron are enough to impart all their goodness and flavour a big-sized dish.

Bottomline: Saffron is totally worth the price :)

You Need:

• Milk* – 1 litre
• Rice – 1/4 cup
• Almonds – 10
• Raisins – 1 tablespoon
• Dried figs – 6 + 1 per serving for garnish
• Saffron** – 5 strands
• Jaggery powder – 2 heaped tablespoons (adjust to taste): I use Pro Nature powdered jaggery, a brown variety much tastier than light brown jaggery. Highly recommended.

*They say full cream milk tastes better in desserts.I use toned milk for kheer all the time and have never felt the need to switch to full cream. Try it if you like.

**Adjust the amount of saffron according to its quality. If you’re using powdered saffron or an inexpensive variety of the spice, it won’t be potent enough and you may have to add a few more strands.

[Serves 4-6]

How To:

1. Pre-cooking steps

4 hours or more before you start making kheer: Soak almonds in a cup of water.

1 hour before you start making kheer: Wash rice in several changes of water till the water runs clear. Soak in a cup of water for an hour.

Just before you start making kheer: Soak saffron in a tablespoon of hot milk. Saffron releases its flavor and color gradually when soaked in hot fluid; it will take about 20 minutes for the spice to be ready for use.

Cut six dried figs into 5-6 vertical strips each.

Slice soaked almonds into slivers.

Drain rice.

2. Making the kheer

Heat a litre of milk in a thick-bottomed pan, bring it to a boil. Set the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Now add soaked rice and let the mixture simmer till the rice has cooked and milk reduced. Should take 20 minutes or so.

Keep stirring every 4-5 minutes while the kheer cooks, making sure you scrape the bottom of the pan -  the kheer must not stick and char.

Add raisins, sliced figs + almonds, and saffron soaked in milk to the kheer. In a few minutes, the raisins will plump up and figs will soften and release their sweetness, while saffron will infuse the kheer with its pleasant flavor.

Add jaggery powder, stir until dissolved (1-2 minutes).

Add jaggery only towards the end, when the rice has cooked completely else the rice may not soften further.

Remove rice kheer from the fire. Let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Kheer thickens as it cools. If you want chilled rice kheer to be of pouring consistency, take it off the heat when it is slightly runnier than the way you like it served.

To Serve:

Serve rice kheer chilled in transparent bowls/glasses, garnished with dried figs.

The post Rice Kheer with Jaggery, Dried Figs and Saffron appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Every time I watch a rerun of Sooryavansham on TV (OK sue me for it but I enjoy that film quite a bit) I am struck by the scene in which Radha covers up for the lack of supplies in her kitchen by preparing meethe chawal. Celluloid can inspire us in unexpected ways, as this post is proof. My story may not be as dramatic as that of families reuniting tearfully after watching Sansar, but it’s still worth telling for those in a culinary quandary similar to mine.

I had to set off that evening for weeks of travel; the plan was to switch off the fridge leaving nothing behind. I had a bowl of boiled white rice remaining from the last meal. In a sans-Sooryavansham world I might have polished it off with chutney podi. Instead I made meethe chawal.

Here is the recipe I used, feel free to modify based on the status of your larder.

You Need:

• Boiled white rice – 2 cups
• Jaggery – 1 tablespoon, powdered
• Salt – a tiny pinch
• Nuts (almonds/cashew) – 2 tablespoons
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cloves – 2
• Cinnamon – 1 small stick
• Ghee – 2 teaspoons

How To:

Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add cloves, cinammon and bay leaf. Stir for a few seconds, then add nuts chopped or whole as you like them.

When the cashew turns golden, add rice. Stir gently to fry, taking care not to mush the rice grains. Cook till the rice turns crisper and darker (about 5-6 mins).

Add salt, stir once and then sprinkle powdered jaggery. Cook till the jaggery melts and coats rice grains evenly (about 3 mins).

Discard the whole spices. Serve hot garnished with almonds.

The post Meethe Chawal: Jaggery-Sweetened Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

One-pot meal lovers, this one’s for you. Vegetable pulao (or pilaf, as it is popularly spelled in some parts of the world) is a rice dish cooked with vegetables and spices, typically served with yogurt or raita for a complete meal.

If you look up recipes of vegetable pulao, you’ll find that there is no standard way to cook this dish– the recipe varies by region, even by household. Here is a version of vegetable pulao that’s made in my home.

You Need:

• Basmati rice – 1 cup
• Water – 2 cups
• Cauliflower – 250 grams
• Potatoes – 2
• Peas – 1/2 cup
• Carrots – 1
• Onions – 1
• Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Salt – to taste
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons

How To:

1. Pre-cooking prep

Peel and cut potatoes lengthwise. Chop onions finely.

Cut carrots into 1-cm cubes. Break cauliflower into florets.

Thaw peas if using frozen.

Wash rice in several changes of water till the water runs clear. Drain and let it stand for 30 minutes.

2. Cook

In a skillet or kadhai, heat vegetable oil. When hot, splutter cumin seeds. Then add onions and sauté till they turn light golden.

Add potatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add carrots, peas and rice. Stir and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

You could add the cauliflower florets too at this stage, but I sauté the cauliflower florets separately since I want them to be firm in the pulao.

Add salt, cumin powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, garam masala to the skillet.  Follow with two cups of water. Bring to a boil on high heat, then set the heat to low.  If cauliflower was done separately, add it to the simmering pulao.

Cook covered on low heat till the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. This would take 5-7 minutes. Then let the skillet stand, covered, for another 10 minutes. Do not take the lid off at all during this time.

FAQ: If the lid is opaque and has to be kept over the pulao throughout. how will we know when it is time to switch off the heat? Ans: Do what you do when blindfolded – use your ears! When all the water gets absorbed into the rice, the sound coming from inside the covered pan changes from bubbling pops to tiny rustles and crackles. As soon as that happens, cooking time should stop and standing time should start.

That’s how the vegetable pulao looks when the lid is taken off – all the veggies buoy up and rest on the surface.

Mix very gently to separately the rice grains and spread the veggies evenly through the rice.

3. Serve

Serve with a yogurt-based side dish, and other accompaniments you fancy.

Our vegetable pulao with dahi vada, carrot and radish slices, and a tomato-green eggplant curry:

The post Vegetable Pulao appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Seeing that a nutty ingredient does a great job of taming the bitter notes of other ingredients (think curry leaf peanut chutney or sesame fenugreek chutney), I dared to make a rice dish seeped in curry leaf, with a load of cashews for good effect. And I loved the result.

Here’s my curry leaf pulao recipe – for those who share taste buds similar to mine :-) How many of you?

You Need:

• Basmati rice – 1 cup
• Curry leaves (fresh) – 2 packed cups when plucked
• Cashew nuts – 1 cup
• Milk – 0.5 cup
• Onions – 2
• Cloves – 3
• Cardamom – 2 pods
• Black peppercorns – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Jaggery – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Ghee – 1.5 tablespoons

How To:

1. Before cooking

Wash rice in several changes of water till the water runs clear. Soak in water for 30 mins. Drain.

Slice onions lengthwise into thin strips. Crush peppercorns, cloves and cardamoms together using a mortar and pestle.

Grind curry leaves to paste.

2. On the fire

In a non-stick pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee. Add cashew nuts, stir around till the cashew nuts begin to turn golden. Then add  sliced onions. Fry on medium heat, stirring regularly, till the onions turn brown. This could take about 10 mins.

When done, take the fried onions and cashew nuts out of the pan and keep aside. Pour a little more ghee to the same pan. Set heat to low, add cumin seeds and when they splutter, follow with crushed peppercorns, cardamoms, cloves.

In a few seconds the ghee will become fragrant with the freshly crushed garam masala. Add this stage, add soaked and drained rice and fry on medium heat for 3 minutes. Follow with freshly ground curry leaf paste. Mix it in and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring once very minute.

Add a teaspoon of jaggery and salt to taste. Top with 1.5 cups of water, half a cup of milk, and bring to a boil. Add half of the fried onions and cashew nuts back into the pulao being cooked.

Set heat to low, close the lid of the pan and let the curry leaf pulao simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or till the rice grains are cooked.

Use a non-stick pan with a close-fitting lid for cooking curry leaf pulao.

After the rice grains are cooked and have absorbed the excess water, close the lid of the pan tightly and switch off the heat. Let the curry leaf pulao stand and soak in its own flavors, for the next 5-10minutes.

Stir gently to separately out the grains of basmati rice, and mix in the fried onions and cashew nuts that had been separately out earlier. Serve curry leaf pulao with raita on the side.

Notes:

The quantity of water and time required for cooking can vary by the type of rice, the vessel being used, and source of heat, etc. Keep a watch on the pan and adapt the guidelines accordingly.

If, after cooking for a few minutes, you see the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan, this means the water wasn’t enough. To remedy the situation: Slide in a tablespoon or more of water as needed, from the side of the pan, and gently turn the pan around.

The post Curry Leaf Pulao appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Pineapple sweet corn rice doesn’t just taste delicious, it’s also a great way to finish off leftovers – boiled rice from last night’s dinner, sweet corn you did not add to that stir fry, the big chunk of pineapple sitting in your fridge – use them all in this recipe.

I love the fresh twist pineapple adds to savoury dishes. And I love the happy color of this dish.

You Need:

• Boiled rice – 2 cups, cold or at room temperature
• Pineapple – 1 cup of small chunks
• Boiled sweet corn – 1 cup
• Ginger – 1 inch stick
• Green chili – 1 or 2
• Salt – to taste
• Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
• Fresh coconut, grated – 1 tablespoon
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped – 1 tablespoon

In the picture above (clockwise from top): Pineapple pieces; sweet corn, ginger and green chili; boiled rice.

How To:

Cut pineapple to small pieces of about 1-cm.

Thaw sweet corn if using frozen.

Chop green chilies and ginger into fine strips.

Heat olive oil in a large flat-bottomed non-stick pan on medium-high heat.

Add green chilies and ginger, fry till the ginger starts to turn brown. (about a minute)

Add boiled sweet corn and stir fry on high heat for a minute. Add pineapple next and stir fry for another minute.

Mix salt into rice, fluff it with a fork and make sure there are no lumps. Add rice to the pan and continue to cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add grated coconut to the pan.

Cook for another minute, till all the flavors have merged. Top with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot or cold.

Flavorful and wholesome on its own, pineapple sweet corn rice needs no accompaniments. Dig in!

Notes:

Make sure the rice isn’t hot when you add it to the pan and be gentle while turning it around. This will ensure the rice retains its shape and does not turn mushy.

The post Pineapple Sweet Corn Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

A summertime favorite inspired by a recipe I saw on the TV show Turban Tadka. Mango phirni gives a seasonal twist to the conventional rice phirni. Serve it in silver bowls for a classic feel, or layer it in glasses western-style with nuts and mango pulp.

As I write this, the last mangoes of the season are to be found all around – fully ripe, fleshy and sweet. Just what we need for this mango phirni.

You Need:

[Makes 4-6 servings]

• Brown rice* – 4 tablespoons
• Milk – 1 liter, preferably full cream
• Ripe mangoes** – 2 (or as much as would give 1.5 cups of puree)
• Cream*** – 1 tablespoon (optional)
• Sugar – 3 tablespoons (adjust to taste/sweetness of mangoes)
• Raisins – 1 tablespoon
• Toasted almonds – 1 tablespoon, slivered

For the layering (optional):

• Digestive biscuits – 6

*I use the long-cooking brown rice for this recipe, as it brings a beautiful dense taste to mango kheer. If you don’t have this rice available, white rice will work too.

**Any variety of sweet, pulpy mango is good for this recipe. In the photos witht he post, you see mango mallika.

How To:

1. Grind the rice

Wash rice in several changes of water till the water runs clear. Soak the rice in two cups of water for 4 hours.

Drain the rice, and grind it coarsely in a chutney grinder.

2. Make mango puree

Peel the mangoes and carve out the mango flesh, transfer to a blender. Sprinkle some sugar if the mangoes are not sweet enough. Discard the mango seed.

Pulse for a few seconds to make thick mango puree.

3. Cook the phirni and ‘mangofy’ it

In a thick-bottomed pan, heat a liter of milk till it boils. Set the heat to low and add ground rice to it.

To prevent ground rice from lumping, mix some hot milk into the ground rice and make a smooth thin paste of it, breaking lumps if any. Then add the rice paste to the simmering milk.

Cook while stirring the milk at regular intervals and rice till the rice is done and the milk has thickened. Be watchful about two things while the milk and rice simmer together:

• don’t let the rice stick to the bottom of the pan
• don’t let rice clump together

After about 30 minutes of slow cooking and regular stirring, the milk will begin to bubble thickly. That’s the time to stir in sugar, raisins and slivered almonds.

Cook for another couple of minutes (by this time the milk will be bubbling in splatters), and remove from heat.

Stir in a cup of mango puree and cream (if using) into the phirni.

Note: be cautious with the quantity of sugar you add to the phirni while it cooks, as mango puree added at the end contributes to its sweetness too.

4. Layer and Serve

Place 6 digestive biscuits in the grinder. Grind.

[This will also help clean up the mango puree in the grinder :-)]

Note: Let the phirni cool to almost room temperature, before assembling it for individual servings.

For each serving take a small glass. Add a layer of mango phirni at the base of the glass. Spoon a thin layer of powdered biscuits over the phirni. Top with another layer of phirni.

Decorate the surface with mango puree. Cover the glasses and refrigerate mango phirni for at least 3 hours before serving.

Serve mango kheer chilled as dessert or snack.

Notes:

Alternative layering ideas:

• sandwich a layer of mango puree between the crushed biscuits and phirni
• top the surface with almond slivers
• use mango cubes instead of puree for layering

The post Mango Phirni: Classic Dessert, Fruity Twist appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

This colorful bell pepper rice is really quick to put together, especially if you have plain boiled rice made ahead.

I have broadly followed Divine Taste’s stir fried brown rice recipe for it – I used no onion or garlic and loved the touch of almonds.

One key difference is that I went for white basmati rice instead of brown. I did try the recipe with brown rice once but I have this dark variety of brown rice with me, with which the appearance of the final dish wasn’t as appetizing. So I switched the rice – this version is really pleasing to the eye.

You Need:

[for 2-3 servings]

• White basmati rice – 1 small cup
• Green bell pepper/green capsicum – 1
• Red bell pepper/red capsicum – 1
• Salt – to taste
• Almonds – 1 tablespoon
• Ginger – 1/2-inch stick
• Coarsely ground black pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Oil – 1/2 tablespoon
• Fresh coriander leaves – for garnishing

In the picture above: raw basmati rice, almonds, ginger, green and red bell peppers.

How To Make Bell Pepper Rice:

1. Boil the rice

[Do this at least 3 hours before you plan to cook bell pepper rice.]

Wash the rice in running water till the water runs clear.

Soak the washed rice in 2 cups of fresh water at room temperature.

After 20 minutes, drain the water from the soaking rice. Put the rice in a thick-bottomed pan with lid. Add two small cups of water to the rice (that is, two parts of water for one part of rice).

Bring the pan to a boil. Simmer on low heat with lid on for about 10 minutes, or till the rice is almost cooked and the water has been absorbed. Switch off the heat and let the pan rest covered for 15 minutes.

Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork, very gently.

Put the lid back again and let the rice cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the boiled rice till you plan to proceed to the next step.

2. Prepare the other ingredients

Peel, chop and crush the ginger.

Slice almonds into slivers.

Wash and core the bell peppers. Chop them into tiny pieces.

3. Put it all together

Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, set the heat to low and add asafoetida to the pan. Immediately follow with crushed ginger, stirring all the while to prevent burning.

When the ginger starts to turn golden, add coarsely ground black pepper and almonds slivers.

Let the almonds change to a darker hue. Add the chopped bell peppers to the pan.

Cook on medium-high heat, stirring periodically.

Continue to cook for 5-6 minutes or till the bell peppers no longer feel raw. Keep the pan uncovered – this helps the bell peppers retain a fresh color.

Stir in salt and the boiled rice.

Fluff the boiled rice gently with a fork before adding it to the pan on heat. This help to prevent breakage in the delicate grains of rice while stirring the contents of the pan.

Continue to cook the rice for another 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat, tossing regularly. Adjust salt and pepper.

Garnish with a tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Bell pepper rice is ready to eat.

This works well as a one-pot meal. Easy to carry in the lunchbox to work too.

My meal today: bell pepper rice, mango raita, potato adzuki bean curry.

Notes:

For more quick meal ideas, try red capsicum curry, dahi aloo and keep makeahead food parts handy.

For another recipe inspired by the always lovely Divine Taste, check out gur atte ka halwa.

The post Bell Pepper Rice: Prettiness on a Plate! appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

A nutritious one-pot meal in which fenugreek leaves, peanuts and ghee add their charm to rice. Methi moongphali chawal is just the answer for you if you *want* to consume fenugreek for its health-giving properties but find its – shall we say, potent – taste unpalatable.

This recipe is really quick to put together if you have the boiled ingredients and the spice base – methi chutney – ready beforehand. Do as I do – make a big batch of methi chutney, use it as side dish on Day 1 and in fenugreek peanut rice on Day 2. Ek panth do kaaj.

You Need:

[For 2-3 servings]

• Boiled rice – 2 cups
• Boiled potato – 1
• Raw unsalted shelled peanuts – 1/2 cup
• Methi chutney – 2 tablespoons: follow the link for steps
• Salt – to taste
• Ghee – 2 teaspoons

To prevent mushing, use boiled rice and boiled potatoes that have been cooled to at least room temperature. If refrigerated – even better.

In the picture above (from top clockwise): boiled potato cubes, methi chutney, raw shelled peanuts, boiled rice.

How To Make Methi Moongphali Chawal:

Skin and chop the boiled potato into small cubes.

Heat ghee in a pan or kadhai.

To the hot ghee, add raw unsalted shelled peanuts. Fry the peanuts on low heat for 7-8 minutes or till they have turned a deeper hue. Stir every minute so that the peanuts cook evenly.

Add the chopped boiled potato and a pinch of salt.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring periodically, till the potatoes start getting golden-edged.

Break the lumps in the boiled rice if any. Add the rice to the pan along with methi chutney.

Stir everything together – very gently – we want the delicate rice grains to retain shape.

Cook on low heat for another 4-5 minutes, till the rice is hot and everything looks well-blended.

Methi moongphali chawal (fenugreek peanut rice) is ready.

Serve methi moongphali chawal hot, on its own or along side yogurt/raita.

Meal in the pic below: methi moongphali chawal with pomegranate raita.

Notes:

Want to try more one-pot rice meals? Check out pineapple sweet corn rice, curry leaf pulao, peas and cashew fried rice.

The post Methi Moongphali Chawal: Fenugreek Peanut Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

The southern states of India excel in the art of making various types of podi: literally ‘powder’, the word is used to describe ground dry spice blends. One really smart use of podi is as a ready-to-eat mix for plain boiled rice. Within seconds, a swirl of podi transforms plain boiled rice  into a fancy one-pot meal. The traditional podis I’m familiar with use a legume such as toor dal or chana dal as the base; this very simple 3-ingredient podi uses peanuts instead.  On days when there’s no time to cook a set meal of rice-dal-curry, this podi-based peanut sesame rice is a lifesaver.

You Need:

[for ~1 cup of peanut podi]

• Peanuts – 1 cup
• Sesame seeds – 1/3 cup
• Dry red chilies – 4
• Salt – to taste

[for 1 bowl of peanut sesame rice]

• Plain boiled rice – 1 bowl
• Peanut podi – 1 tablespoon
• Ghee – 1/2 teaspoon

How To Make Peanut Sesame Rice:

Make 3-ingredient podi:

In a thick-bottomed wide pan or tava, dry roast these ingredients one by one: peanuts, sesame, dry red chilies. Keep tossing or moving the ingredients around as they roast to allow even roasting. Take them off the heat when they turn a darker and give off a toasted aroma.

Let the roasted peanuts, sesame, dry red chilies cool to room temperature.

Grind the ingredients together, along with salt, to a coarse paste.

Remember not to continue grinding after the ingredients have reached a dry powder consistency. Peanuts and sesame release their oils after prolonged churning, which we don’t want – we are making peanut podi, not peanut butter.

Assemble the rice:

For each serving, add a tablespoon of peanut podi and some ghee to one bowl of hot cooked rice. Mix gently with a fork till the podi and ghee merged well with the rice.

Meal in the pic below: peanut sesame rice with raita.

Notes:

You might also enjoy these rice recipes: methi moongphali rice, bell pepper rice, vegetable pulao.

The post Peanut Sesame Rice: 3-Ingredient Podi Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Lightly fried brown rice with basil walnut pesto made fresh at home. A filling and nutritious one-pot meal.

The flavor of walnuts complements the nuttiness of brown rice beautifully. I tried this recipe with white rice as well, which was fine except that it missed the distinctive quality that its rougher sibling brings to the dish. Go brown for this one.

You Need:

• Brown rice* – 1 cup
• Olive oil – 2 teaspoons

*I have used the slow-cooking variety of brown rice. Adjust the cooking time/method according to the brown rice you are using.

For the basil walnut pesto:

• Fresh basil leaves – 1 cup, packed
• Walnuts kernels – 1/3 cup
• Garlic – 4 cloves
• Salt – to taste
• Pepper corns – 1 teaspoon (adjust to taste)
• Extra-virgin olive oil – 1/4 cup

How To Make Brown Rice with Basil Walnut Pesto:

1. Cook the rice

Wash and soak a cup of brown rice in two cups of water overnight (or for 7-8 hours). Cook till done.

Indian pressure cooker method of cooking brown rice: For one cup of brown rice, add two cups of water. Lock the lid the pressure cooker. Cook on high heat till two whistles. Reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes. Switch off the heat and let the cooker release steam naturally, till the lid can come off.

Unlock the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and close the lid again for 5 minutes.

Let the rice cool to room temperature before using it further for this recipe.

2. Make basil walnut pesto

Grind together garlic cloves, pepper corns and walnuts with a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. When well-crushed, add salt, basil leaves and the rest of the olive oil. Grind everything together to a coarse pesto.

3. Bring it all together

In a pan, heat two teaspoons of olive oil. On high heat, add the boiled brown rice and cook for two minutes, moving the rice around regularly. Add the basil walnut pesto to the rice. Toss and remove from heat.

Cover and let the pesto rice stand for 5 minutes, to allow the flavors to infuse.

Brown rice with basil walnut pesto is ready to eat. Dig in.

Notes:

Looking for more pesto recipes? Try coriander parsley pesto and dishes you can make with pesto.

For another rice-pesto rice combination, see spinach rice with coriander pesto and cashew nuts.

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Have boiled rice in your fridge ? Congratulations – you can have your dinner ready in seven minutes flat, with this lemon rice recipe. Tangy, tasty, superquick – it’s a blessing on days when there is just no time to cook.

You Need:

[Serves 2]

• Boiled white rice – 2 cups
• Green chilies – 2 or 3
• Salt – to taste
• Peanuts (raw, unsalted) – 1/3 cup
• Chana dal – 1/2 tablespoon
• Urad dal – 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoons
• Asafoetida powder – a pinch
• Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Oil – 2 teaspoons
• Juice of fresh lemon/lime – 1 tablespoon (adjust to taste)
• Coriander leaves for garnish

In the picture above (anti-clockwise from top): peanuts, chana and urad dal, green chilies, lime, coriander leaves.

How To Make Lemon Rice:

Heat two teaspoons of oil in a wide non-stick pan.

When the oil is hot, add to it mustard seeds and let them splutter.

Set heat to low, and add asafoetida powder and raw peanuts.

Turn the peanuts around to coat them with the seasoned oil.

After a minute, add chana dal and urad dal.

Continue to cook till the dals turn a shade darker (1-2 minutes: keep a watchful eye, the dals go from raw to charred in a matter of seconds).

Mix in a pinch of turmeric powder.

Slit the green chilies diagonally into strips. Add the green chilies strips and cook for another few seconds, or till the dals are golden-brown.

Mix salt into the boiled rice.

Tip the salted rice into the pan, fold it in gently, taking care not to mash the delicate rice grains.

Let the rice cook along with the seasoning on low heat, spread out on the pan undisturbed for a minute.

Stir again and continue to cook for another two minutes.

Sprinkle fresh lime juice and mix well. Turn off the heat.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Lemon rice is ready.

Serve lemon rice hot, with a lemon wedge on the side.

Notes:

This recipe uses what we call kagzi nimbu in Hindi, which is ‘key lime’. So technically this recipe should have been named ‘lime rice’ except nobody calls it that. Right or wrong, ‘lemon rice’ it is.

curry leaf pulao, methi moongphali chawal, mushroom fried rice.

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A round up of easy vegetarian rice dishes that you can whip up with little time and effort. The addition of vegetables, dals and condiments ensures that you get a range of flavors and nutrients with your meals.

Many of these recipes call for cool boiled rice. A tip for the busy ones among you: cook the rice en-masse one day and refrigerate for use in these recipes over the next couple of days.

Also keep accompaniments stocked. Plain yogurt, chutney, pickle, papad – all make an Indian one-pot meal more interesting.

On to the vegetarian rice recipes…

	Khichdi: Rice and Moong Medley
	Brown Rice with Basil Walnut Pesto
	Mushroom and Carrot Fried Rice
	Methi Moongphali Chawal: Fenugreek Peanut Rice
	Colorful Bell Pepper Almond Rice
	Spinach Rice with Coriander Pesto and Cashew Nuts
	Vegetable Pulao
	Quick Lemon Rice
	Curry Leaf Pulao
	Pineapple Sweet Corn Rice
	Peanut Sesame Rice: 3-Ingredient Podi Rice
	Peas and Cashew Fried Rice

Notes:

You might also be interested in 3 Makeahead Ideas for Weeknight Dinners.

Check out other round up posts on The Steaming Pot:

The post 12 Vegetarian Rice Dishes appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Grape and walnut fried rice – a treat to the senses! Revel in the flavors of tart-sweet grapes, toasted walnuts, caramelized onions studding fried rice.

This dish is really easy to put together when you have boiled rice handy. It’s as convenient to carry around as it is to cook: pack grape and walnut fried rice into a lunchbox for work, school or picnic.

You Need:

[Serves 2]

• Boiled white rice – 2 packed cups
• Black grapes – 1 cup
• Walnuts – 1/3 cup, shelled and broken
• Onions – 1 large or 2 medium
• Fennel powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar – 1/3 teaspoon (optional)
• Salt – to taste
• Pepper – to taste
• Olive oil – 2 teaspoons
• Butter – 1 teaspoon

How To Make Grape and Walnut Fried Rice:

1. Roast the walnuts

Dry roast the broken walnuts on low heat, till aromatic.

Take the roasted walnuts off the heat and keep aside.

2. Brown the onions

Peel and slice the onions thinly.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter in a wide pan. Spread the onions in a thin layer on the pan.

Let the onions turn golden-brown leisurely on low-medium heat. The trick to doing this well is to not stir around too much – let the onions heat side down turn a dark hue, then stir before they char.

This process would take around 20 minutes.

Remove the onions from the pan.

3. Saute the grapes

Slice the grapes into halves or quarters if they are large.

Deseed the grape halves if required.

In the same pan used for frying onions, heat another teaspoon of olive oil. Add to it the grape halves.

Sauté the grapes on medium-high heat along with a pinch of salt and sugar (if using – adjust the quantity depending on the tartness of the grapes).

Continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, or till the grapes take on a shiny-brown hue and ooze out their juices.

4. Put it all together

Once the grapes are ready, add to the pan 1/3 teaspoon of fennel powder, 2 cups of cool boiled rice and salt to taste.

Mix gently, making sure the delicate rice grains do not crumble.

Continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat, or till the rice has taken on the flavors from the grape and fennel.

Add pepper to taste, the fried onions and roasted walnuts.

Mix well and take the pan off the heat.

Grape and walnut fried rice is ready.

Enjoy hot….

…or pack it in the lunchbox for later.

Notes:

Looking for other interesting walnut recipes? Check out adzuki bean salad with walnuts and pears, brown rice with basil walnut pesto, eggless coffee pudding.

You might also like this round-up of one-pot rice meals.

The post Grape and Walnut Fried Rice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

No fuss no spill – coconut rice is great in the lunchbox. Keep boiled and cooled rice handy to put this together easily on time-pressed mornings. Add a side of crispy spiced plantain or quick potato dry sabzi for some kick.

In many recipes , it’s quite done to substitute fresh coconut with dry without much loss (capsicum sesame curry is a case in point). Make an exception here – for coconut rice, try to procure fresh coconut. The primary flavor in this dish comes from coconut, and switching to dry doesn’t do full justice to it.

This recipe is adapted from Veg Recipes Of India – the key difference in the sequence of adding the ingredients and the optional kick of ginger. I prefer the rice to get a little fried and the coconut to taste fresh.

You Need:

[For 1 large / 2 small servings]

• • Boiled rice* – 3 cups
  • Salt – to taste
  • Fresh coconut – 1 cup of chunks
  • Ginger – 1/2 inch stick, finely chopped (optional)
  • Green chili – 1, sliced
  • Dry red chili – 1
  • Chana dal – 1 tablespoon
  • Urad dal – 1 teaspoon
  • Cashews – 6 to 8
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Oil/ghee – 1 tablespoon
  • Fresh coriander leaves – for garnishing

  *I have used basmati rice here – other varieties such as sona masuri would work well too. 

  How To Make Coconut Rice:

  1. Prepare the coconut dressing

  Place the coconut chunks in a grinder, and grind.

  2. Temper and dress the rice

  Heat oil or ghee in a thick-bottomed pan.

  When the oil is hot, set the heat to low and add to it mustard seeds.

  As soon as the seeds splutter, add chana dal and urad dal.

  Note: For bringing out extra flavor in the dals, wash and soak them together in water for an hour before cooking. Then drain, pat dry and use for the tempering.

  After the dals have turned just a shade deeper, add cashew nuts to the pan.

  Sauté till the cashew nuts get a golden hue, make sure the dals don’t burn. Add the sliced green chili and ginger (if using).

  Throw in a dry red chili. Stir around for a few seconds.

  Tip in the boiled rice next along with salt. Blend with the tempering very gently, taking care not to break the delicate grains of rice. Cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes, or longer if the rice was cold when you added it to the pan.

  Now transfer the ground coconut dressing to the pan. Combine. Take the pan off the heat.

  Coconut rice is ready.

  Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve warm or pack it in the lunchbox with a spicy side such as tomato pickle or jhatpat aloo dry sabzi.

  Notes:

  Traditionally, curry leaves are also added to coconut rice during tempering. You could add a few curry leaves along with the chilies, if you wish.

  Also check out 12 Vegetarian Rice Recipes for other interesting one-pot rice meal ideas.

  For more recipes that use fresh coconut, see cabbage coconut stir fry, green beans and shredded coconut, coconut curry leaves chutney.

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