Spicy Tomato & Bell Pepper Rice

Tomatoes and Bell Peppers, are both great sources of antioxidants and useful nutrients for the body. Add to that the fact that they are both colorful, pretty and full of flavor too, and you have a winning combination! These two come together beautifully in this colorfully spicy and tasty Tomato Bell-Pepper Rice. For that extra wow factor, I added a teeny-weeny bit of ginger-garlic paste, some garam masala, and of course, freshly chopped cilantro! Its real simple to make, requires no preparation, and can be enjoyed with a simple Tomato-Cucumber Raita for a light and tasty weekday meal. Its a great variation to the authentic Tomato Rice, and packing up all those antioxidants is an added bonus!

Ingredients
3 cups long-grained rice (Basmati) - washed and cooked
1 small yellow bell-pepper - chopped finely
1 small red bell-pepper - chopped finely
2 medium firm tomatoes - chopped finely
3 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 onion - finely chopped (optional)
2 green chillies or jalapenos - finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro - chopped for garnish
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
3 tbsp oil
salt - to taste
lemon juice - to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder

Method
Wash and cook the rice as you normally do. Using long-grained rice like Basmati helps give it a better texture, but you can use normal rice too, without compromising the taste. Cook the rice and keep it aside to cool down.

Take a wok, add oil and cumin seeds to it. When they start spluttering, add the green chillies and chopped onions and saute till they become soft and glazed. Add the tomato puree and all the dry spices, and mix well. One it starts bubbling a little, add the chopped green bell-peppers and saute again. Add salt and cook covered for 10-12 mins, till the peppers are tender and cooked through.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, along with any of their juice. Saute for a minute or so, then mix the cooked rice to it. Mix everything together gingerly, so it gets colored and the spices are evenly distributed. Add the lemon juice, cover with a lid and allow to cook for another 8-10 mins on low-flame.

When the rice looks cooked, take it off the stove and transfer to a serving bowl. Gingerly sprinkle the chopped cilantro and mix just to combine.

Serve with some Tomato-Cucumber Raita or with a curry of your choice. This simple yet tasty recipe for Tomato & Bell-Pepper Rice is fancy enough to be served to your guests at a party, and won't eat up much of your time!

Related Recipes:
Cheese & Bell Pepper Rice
Lemon & Coconut Rice
Brown Rice & Barley Salad

Vaghareli Khichdi and Gujarati Kadhhi

Its pouring this weekend, and I'm craving for some simple comfort food, something that brings back fond childhood memories, is easy to make, and is indeed warm and comforting in this gloomy cold weather! As me and B sit chatting together, we find solace in a plate of hot Mung Dal Khichdi and authentic Gujarati Kaddhi. "Khichdi", literally means "hotch-potch", where you cook rice and lentils together, and throw in a bunch of spices, and maybe some vegetables of your choice. "Kaddhi" is the perfect counterpart for Gujarati Toor Dal, and is made of buttermilk and besan (chickpea flour) Together, they create a healthy, satisfying and very comforting meal that no restaurant menu can match! Here is a recap of my original Khichdi-Kaddhi recipe.

Ingredients

For Khichdi
3 cups moong dal
2 cup basmati or plain rice
3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
7-8 whole black pepper-corns
1 cup onions - finely chopped
1 cup potatoes - finely diced
1 cup fresh/frozen green tuvar (lilva)(optional, but you can get it in Indian stores)
3 tsp turmeric powder
2 green chillies - chopped
2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
salt - to taste (about 1 1/2-2 tbsp)
lemon juice - to taste (about 2 tbsp)

For Kadddhi
3 cups sour buttermilk
1/4 to 1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)
2 tbsp ghee
salt and lemon juice - to taste
jaggery or sugar - to taste (start with less if you like it sour!)
2 green chillies - chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
chopped corander for garnish
5-6 curry leaves (limdo)

Method - Khichdi
Take the rice and moong dal and wash them under running water for a couple of times. Then take a pressure cooker, add add 3 tbsp ghee and add the cumin seeds, black pepper-corns, onions, and green chillies. Saute for 2 mins, then add the diced potatoes and the rice and moong dal mixture. Add in the turmeric powder and saute again so everything is mixed well. Now add the required amount of water(I generally use the ratio of 1 cup rice to 1-1/2 cup water), cover with the lid and cok it for 4-5 whistles.

Alternately, you can cook the khichdi separate in a rice cooker, and saute the remaining ingredients (use boiled potatoes in this case) in a frying pan, and add the cooked khichdi to the vegetables later.

Method - Kadhhi
Take a large vessel and por the buttermilk in it. Now slowly keep adding the besan a little at a time, constantly stirring or beating the mixture (use an egg-beater) so no lumps are formed. This is very important, and you should make sure there are no lumps at all or the kadhhi will not taste nice. Taste a little to make sure you do not get a pronounced taste of besan, it should mainly be buttermilk with a hint of besan in it.

Now take a kadhai, put 2 tbsp ghee in it, add the cumin and fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, the green chillies and the curry leaves. When they start spluttering, slowly add the buttermilk mixture and stir. Add about 3 cups of water. Keep the flame on medium to medium-high. Now add the jaggery or sugar, salt and the lemon juice. Cover partially and let it boil. Once it gets a bit thick, but not too tick, check for taste and see that it does not taste like a spoonful of besan. If so, add a little more water. Garnish with chopped coriander.

This is a really simple gujarati recipe that anyone can easily make at home. Serve the Khichdi and Kadhhi hot with pickle and enjoy the taste of a traditional gujarati meal:)

Related Recipes:
Rava Dhokla
Instant Khandvi (Suralichi Wadi)
Methi Palak na Muthiya

Palak (Spinach) and Corn Pulao

After baking lots of cookies, I have this strong urge to cook a little healthy and low-calorie diet. And when I think healthy, spinach is always at the top of my list. So, rather than the traditional Palak Paneer, I thought I'd use spinach puree in my Rice to make this delcious and pretty-looking Palak and Corn Pulao. It's basically similar to fried rice, but just with indian flavors instead of asian spices. Vegetable Pulao is traditionally cooked with long-grain basmati rice and you can add your choice of vegetables to it. And to get that balance of crunch with a bit of sweetness, I added the corn kernels. It was very wholesome, and you could add a whole lot of other veggies like brocolli or potatoes, carrots or beet to this pulao. The color is very inviting and fresh-looking, and decked up with tomatoes and fresh coriander, you'll actually feel like you are "eating green"!!

Ingredients
3 cups long grain Basmati rice
1 packet of spinach leaves
1/2 medium sized onion - chopped finely
2 green chillies - diced
1 cup kernel corns - frozen or fresh
3 bay leaves
2 tsp cumin seeds
salt - to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp ghee
3 tsp garam masala or biryani masala
2 tsp turmeric powder
chopped coriander - for garnish
thin tomato wedges - for garnish

Method
Wash the basmati rice under running water for a couple of times to remove the starchy content. Take a rice cooker and cook the rice as you normally would. Just make sure you keep stirring them occasionally. If you are using a stove, take a large crockpot, add 1 tbsp ghee, then add the rice and water and cover it with a lid just partly open to allow the steam to escape; stir in between and cook on medium flame or heat.

While the rice cooks, take a large fryikng pan, add 3 tbsp ghee, cumin seeds and the bay leaves. When they start spluttering, add the green chillies and the chopped onions. Saute till they turn a light golden in color.

Meanwhile, wash the spinach leaves and blend them to make a fine puree. Thaw the kernel corns if you are using the frozen ones by microwaving for 10 seconds.

Now add the puree to the onions and mix well. Add the salt, garam masala powder, turmeric and lemon juice. Cover with a lid and cook for 7-10 mins until it starts bubbling a little. finally add the corn kernels and reduce to low-flame.

Once the rice is almost cooked, add it to the gravy mixture and mix well gently with a spatula. Taste for salt and spices and make necessary additions per your choice. Remove from flame and let the spices and spinach blend with the rice.

Transfer the Spinach and Corn Pulao to a serving dish. Take a firm tomato, cut it into thin wedges, removing the pulp. Chop some fresh cilantro and garnish the pulao with these . Serve hot with Gujarati Kaddhi or Gravies (Malai Kofta Curry )

Similar Recipes:
Lemon and Coconut Rice with Sambhar
Vegetable Fried Rice

Lemon and Coconut Rice with Sambhar

Being from western India, I've never quite experimented with south-Indian cooking a lot, but my husband being one of the true south-indian food fans, I had no choice but to jump right in! And I have to say I loved this!! Dosas and Idlis is something everyone finds interesting, but I was new to the wide variety of rice dishes that my friends kept cooking. So after trying stuff like Puliyogare, Tomato Rice, Curd Rice and Tamarind Rice, next in line was the famous Lemon Rice. I was intrigued by the subtle taste of this dish, and how the flavors of lemon and spices gave a nice touch to the simple art of making rice. I made some modifications to the traditional recipe and decided to add coconut to this, which made it taste even better. We had the Lemon-Coconut Rice with the not-so-traditional sambhar. I'm not sure if this is a widely accepted pair or not, but I can tell you it had us licking our fingers and the plates!!

Ingredients

For the Rice
4 cups long-grain basmati rice
a fistful of peanuts
a fistful of chana dal (raw, soaked in water for at least 5-6 hours)
6-7 curry leaves
2 dry red chillies
7-8 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
3-4 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup shredded coconut
4-5 green chillies - finely chopped
1/2 cup coriander - finely chopped
3-4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp jeera
a pinch of asafoetida
salt - to taste

For the Sambhar
5-6 cups tuver dal - pressure cooked
water - to give desired consistency
4 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp mustard seeds
spices - red chilly powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala - to taste
4-5 tbsp sambhar masala (you can get this in Indian stores)
1/2 cup onions - chopped
1/2 cup other vegetables of your choice - boiled (optional, you can use potatoes, peas, etc)
3 tbsp oil

Method
Make the rice as you would in a rice cooker or pressure cooker. Add a tbsp of ghee to it while cooking. In a wok, add 3 tbsp ghee, then add the jeera, mustard, green chillies, dry red chillies, soaked chana dal and asafoetida. When seeds start spluttering, add the peanuts and saute them till they get roasted. Now add the cooked rice to it. Add salt and sugar amd mix well. Next add the turmeric powder and half of the lemon juice. Gently mix everything so the rice get evenly coated by the masala. Keep adding more lemon juice till you get the tangy flavor in your rice that you are comfortable with. It should not be too sour, but the flavor of lemon had to be highlighted. Finally add the chopped coriander and the shredded coconut. Leave some of the rest for garnish. Let it cook on medium flame for 8-10 mins, not more.

For the sambhar, pressure cook the Tuver dal as you would for any normal dal. Now take some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and the onions and saute them till lightly golden. Then mix in the tamarind paste and the sambhar masala and let it cook with some water till it becomes thick and oil starts to separate. Next add the boiled vegetables of your choice, and the cooked dal. Mix everything together. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and garam masala according to your taste. Add enough water to make it like a curry, but not too liquid. Sambhar is supposed to be a little thick. Bring the mixture to a boil and keep stirring occasionally. Garnish with chopped coriander if you want.

Serve the hot Lemon and Coconut Rice with the Chatpata Sambhar and enjoy a delicious meal with a tangy twist which is sure to arouse all your taste buds!!

Vegetable Fried Rice

Veg Fried Rice is what all of you must have cooked and eaten at home or in restaurants. It's a really simple dish to make, and healthy too because of all the veggies that it has. I describe my recipe for making Veg Fried Rice which goes extremely well with my Veg Manchurian Gravy recipe

Ingredients
2 cups long-grained rice
3/4 cup French beans, finely chopped
3/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/4 cup capsicums, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oil
2 green chillies - finely chopped
salt to taste

Method
Wash the rice properly with water to remove excess starch. Then soak them in water for about 10 mins. Now cook them on the stove while stirring occasionally to make rice which has all grains separated, (not sticky rice). Now take a pan, add the oil, saute the green chillies, then all the veggies and cook it covered for 7-8 min. now add the soy sauce to it and let the veggies soak it well. Add salt to taste and finally the cooked rice. Mix well and remove from flame. Garnish with remaining spring onion greens and serve hot with Veg Manchurian Gravy!!