veg pulao in rice cooker

Ingredients :
rice - 4 cups (rice cups)
carrots - 2
cabbage - small piece
potato - 1 big
onions - 2 medium size
ginger - 1 inch piece
garlic - 4 cloves
green chilly - 1
mint - few stems
cinnamon - 2 mall pieces
cloves - few
cardamom - 2 pods (only seeds)
bay leaf - 2
salt - 3 tsp
oil / ghee - 2tbs
water - 8 cups

- wash peel and chop all the vegetables ( carrots , potato , cabbage , onions , green chilly )

- ground ginger , garlic into rough paste .
- heat oil / ghee in a wide pan on medium low heat , when oil is hot add bay leaf , cinnamon ,        cloves , cardamom seeds and fry until u small all the spices (they burn in no time) .

-  add chopped onions , green chilly and and fry until they turn golden brown

- add ginger garlic paste until it leaves the raw smell

- now add all the chopped vegetables (carrots , potato , cabbage ) , mix them and saute until they are half cooked.

- add chopped mint and mix it and let it cook for few secs until  until nice aroma comes

- add the rice , mix every thing and let it fry until rice looks glossy and shiny .

- transfer the sauteed rice and vegetables mixture to the rice cooker , water , salt and  mix it well

-now cover it and let it cook.

- in middle of cooking , open the lid and mix it so that all the vegetables won't float on top.
- once veg pulao is done , don't open the lid immediately...let it stand for 5-10 minutes .

          veg pulao with tomato egg curry

It goes very well with potoato kurma / chicken curry / gravy / raita

veg dum biryani

Enjoy holi with colorful veg dum biryani!!!

Ingredients :

rice - 3cups
potatos - 3-4
carrots - 3
peas - 1cup
onion - 1 big
green chillies - 6
ginger garlic paste - 2tbs
curd - 1/2cup
garam masala - 11/2tbs (divided)
red chilly powder  - 1/2tsp
turmeric - 1/2tsp
salt - 3tsp(divided)
cinnamon stisk - 1"piece
cloves - 6
star anise - 1 whole
orange food colour  - 1/4tsp
coriander leaves / cilantro - few springs
mint - few sprigs
oil - 5 -6 tbs

              (These are  very old  potato , so some buds are going on top  . I don't know whether they are edible or not so I removed buds and used the potatos)

Pre preperation  :

• Finely slice onions and saute until brown color   (takes about 3tbs of oil) .

• Chop potatos and carrots in to bite size cutes and saute them saperately until they leaves it rew smell(takes about 1tbs of oil each)

• Saute peas until 2 minutes (about 1 tbs of oil)

• In small bowl , take curd and add garam masala (1tbs) , salt , red chilly powder , turmeric , ginger garlic paste and mix well  . Add this curd mixture to the sautes veggies and marrinate for 30 minutes .

• Mean while take water in big pot and bring it to boil . When water is boiling add salt(2tsp) , cinnamon stick , cloves , star anise  and rice and stirr well and let it cook until rice is 80%cooked .
• Once rice is cooked , drain off the rice in a colinder .

• Chop coriander leaves , mint leaves and slit green chilles .
• divide sauted onions , chopped coriande , mint leaves , slit green chillies in to 3 parts .

For dum :

• Preheat oven on 425 f .
• In a oven safe tray , spread the marinated veggies as bottom layer (spread it evenly) .

• On top of veggies , sprinkle 1/3 of the onions , mint and coriander leaves , split green chilles .

• now spread half of the cooked rice on top of  it .(spread evenly) and sprinkle pinch of garam masala on top .

• Again sprinkle another 1/3rd of the mint , coriander leaves , onions , green chilles on the rice .

• Take another half of the rice and spread it evenly .
• take remaining onions , mint , coriander leaves , split green chillies and sprinkle over top of the rice .
• If you are using color , disolve the colour in 2tbs of water and sprinkle over the top of rice .

• Now cover the tray with foil and put it in oven and bake it  for 20 minutes .

• After 20 minutes , carefully  take it out from the oven and mix  the rice and veggies until they all are mixed well and cover it and bake it again for 10 minutes .

• Now biryani is done .

Serve  steaming hot veg biryani with chicken curry  / kurma /gravy and raita

Veg bum biryani with onion tomato gravy and raita .

NOTE :

      - can use any oyher veggies like cauliflowe , bell peppers , cabbage , brocalini ....

      - I used dried peas . if using so soak them for 5 hrs and boil until cooked and use .

      - Use spices according to your taste .

      - Can use saffron instead of colour . Just soask in warm water / milk for 15 minutes before using .

            

Carrot rice

Ingredients:

Rice - 2cups
Carrots - 3medium
Onion - 1big
Green chillies - 3/4
Garlic cloves - 3/4
Ginger - 1"piece
Coriander leaves /Cilantro  - few sprigs
Garam masala - 1tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2tsp
Turmeric - 1/4tsp
Salt - 2tsp
Oil - 4tsp

• Wash and cook rice with 4cups of water(1:2 ratio of rice to water) and let it cool little bit .
• Grind carrots in to coarse paste with out adding  water .
• Great ginger and garlic . (use ginger garlic paste if you have in hand )
• Finely chop onions and green chillies .
• Heat oil in a big skillet on medium flame . when oil is hot , add chopped green chillies and saute for few seconds . Now add chopped onions and fry until they turn light brown colour .

• Add  ground carrot paste and saute until it  is completely cookes (about 15 minutes) . Now the carrot looks little dry .

• Add greated ginger  garlic and saute until it leaves its raw smell .

• Add choped coriander leaves and saute for just 10 seconds .

• Now add salt , turmeric , garam masala ,chilly powder saute it for another 30 seconds or so  .

• Now add the cooked and cooled rice to the fried mixture and mix well . Mix it gently that rice don't break .

                                   

• Serve it with any chicken curry / gravy / raita  ... What ever goes well with biryani will go with carrot rice too .

carrot rice with kodiguddu porutu 

NOTE:

      - Rice should not be mushy .

      - Adjust spices according to taste .

      - Can Also add mint leaves with coriander leaves .

Chintapandu pulihora / Tamarind rice

Ingredients :

Rice - 2cups
Tamarind - 1big lemon size ball
Ginger - 1"piece
Green chillies - 3
turmeric - 1/2tsp
Salt -2tsp

For tempring :

Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Split black gram - 1tsp
Jeera - 1/2tsp
Chenna dal - 1tbs
Peanuts - 2tbs
Oil - 2tsp

• Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes .
• Add water to the rice(1:2 the ratio of rice to water )  cook it until rice is completly done and let it cool .
• Add some water to the tamarind and microwave it for 1 minute and let is cool little bit and extract the juice from it .
• Now do the tempering - Heat skillet on medium flame and add oil to it . When oil is hot , add the whole red chillies , mustard seeds , split black gram , jeera and let them fry little bit . Now add chenna dal , fry it for few seconds and add peanuts and let all fry .

• Now add the split green chillies , greated ginger and let it fry for 1 minute .

• Now add turmeric powder and fry for few seconds .

• Now add the extracted tamarind juice, salt  and let ie cook for 10 minutes or until it leaves it ram smell . check for the final seasoning and take it off from the heat .
• Add the tempered mixture to the cooked and cooled rice and mix it well .

Sreve it hot .

This can be served for lunch /dinner or taste even better for next day morning  breakfast .

(Iam bit hurry so did'nt take much photos)

Bisi bele bath

Ingredients:

Rice - 2cups
Kandipappu /Tur dal - 2/3cup
Carrot - 3 small( 1 big)
Mullangi / parsnip - 1small
Sorakaya /bottle gourd  - small piece
Dry peas - 1/4cup
Tomato - 1 big
Oinion - 1 big
Green chillies - 3
Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball
Oil - 1tbs

Spices:

Sambar powder -2tsp
Red chilly powder - 11/2tsp
Curry powder - 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Salt - 11/2tsp

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Split black gram - 1tsp
Jeera -1/2tsp
Whole red chilles - 2
Ghee/oil - 1tbs

• Soak dry peas for atleast 3 hrs and cook them until soft .

• Put tamarind in microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 1 minute and let it cool .

• Wash rice and dal , soak for 15 minutes .

• Wash and cut all veggies(carrots , bottle gourd , parsnip, tomato , onion ) in to small pieces and split the green chilles.

• In a pressure cooker , add 1tbs of oil and let it heat on medium flame . When oil is hot  , add split green chilles and saute it for few seconds . Now add chopped onions and saute it until the start changing color to light brown .

• Now add all the remaing veggies and saute it for 1 minute .

• Now add water to pot until veggies are covered (about 3 cups) . Cover the pot and bring it to a boil .

• Now add the soaked rice , dal and add water  (1:4 ratio for rice to water )  i.e  total amount of water used in cooking)

• Now add all the spices to it and mix it well .

• Close the pressure cooker with lid and let  it cook for 3 wistles . Let it cool and until all the pressure is gone .
• Open the lid and mix it well .

• Extract juice from tamaring and add the juice to the cooked rice dal mixture .

• If rice is too thick , add some water ( about 1 cup) , mix it well and check for the final seasoning .Rice should be mushy and creamy consistency.
• Now do the tempering - Heat skillet on medium flame and add ghee to it . When ghee is hot , add the tempering ingredients and let them fry .

• Now add the tempered mixture to the cooked rice and mix it well.

• Serve steaming hot bisi bele bath with ghee and papad .

NOTE:
      - Can use any other veggies like egg plant , cauliflower , beans , beet root ....
      - Can use fresh / frozen peas ( i dont like the sweet bite of fresh / frozen peas )
      - The ratio of rice to dal is 2:1 but that is too heavy for me , so i added less dal .
      - Can always adjust spices according to your taste .