Category Archives: Rice

Gatte ke Chawal

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Gatte ke Chawal

Gatte ke chawal is my family’s signature monsoon dish. Gatte is type of boiled or fried gram flour dumplings used in Rajasthani cuisine. This delicious rice cooked with fried gatte, potatoes, and basic spices gets ready in a jiffy and tastes best when it is piping hot. This is one of the very few dishes which my whole family enjoys without any complains.

Gatte

You can add cashew nuts, green peas, boiled Bengal gram(kala chana) to this rice. Ours has been a no onion, no garlic home for a very long time. Most of the dishes are still made the same way without onion or garlic. You can add ginger garlic paste, chopped onions, and a dash of lime to add more taste a flavor to this dish.

Gatte ke Chawal

This rice tastes best when it is eaten hot as soon as it is made. It does not need any accompaniment but goes well with plain yogurt.

Gatte ke Chawal

Ingredients           

  • 1 cup rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 small potato peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 2 dry red chillies
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 2 tbsp ground nuts
  • 2 bay leaves (tej patta)
  • 5-6 cloves (laung)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • Salt to taste

For Gatte

  • ½ cup gram flour (besan)
  • 2-3 pinches turmeric
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 1 pinch soda
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil to fry

Recipe

For Gatte

Mix all the ingredients of gatte. Add 1 tbsp water at a time and mix till everything comes together to form a stiff dough. Divide the dough into equal portions and roll them into cylindrical rolls using your palms. Cut these rolls into approximate 1 inch pieces. Boil plenty of water in a pan and cook these gattas in boiling water for 7-8 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Heat oil and fry the gattas till they are light brown. Drain and keep aside. In the same oil, fry the cubed potatoes till they are lightly browned and keep aside.

For rice

Wash and soak the rice in 2-3 cups of water for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.  Add cumin seeds, cloves, and bay leaves. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves, green chillies and dry red chillies. Sauté for few seconds. Add groundnuts and cook for 20-30 seconds. Add the fried gatte and potatoes. Drain water from the rice and add rice to the cooker. Mix well making sure not to break the rice. Saute for 45 seconds to a minute. Add 2 cups of water, turmeric, and salt. Mix well and close the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles or till the rice is done (the time differs from cooker to cooker). Once the pressure is released, open the lid, add chopped coriander and mix well. Serve hot.

Tamarind Rice (Khatte Chawal)

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Mom’s indeed are the best cooks in the world. Not because they cook gourmet food but they make normal food taste like gourmet food and that too in minutes. Khatte chawal (this is what my family calls it), known as pulihora/puliodare/puliyogare in south India is tamarind flavored rice with a tempering of nuts, lentils, and spices. This tangy rice is a common prasad at most of the south Indian temples.

This is not an authentic pulihora recipe but this is one of the best I have eaten apart from the ones at temples of course.

The taste and color of this dish depends a lot on the quality of tamarind. To get the best results, clean and soak the tamarind in water for 2-3 hours. It will be easier to get the pulp out. You can also add cashewnuts, urad dal, and grated coconut too. My favorites in this dish are the fresh curry leaves, asafoetida, and just a hint of jaggery.

My mom prepares the tamarind mix in advance and then it is just a matter of minutes to turn plain white rice to tangy and yummy south Indian delicacy. You can store the tamarind mix in fridge for up to a month.

This is a great travel food too. It tastes equally good when it is cold. Try to mix the rice couple of hours in advance before eating.

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 2 cups cooked plain rice
  • 3-4 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp asafoetida (heeng)
  • 3-4 green chillies slit
  • 4-5 dry red chillies broken
  • 15-20 curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp chana dal
  • 2 tbsp groundnuts
  • ¼ cup tamarind
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp jaggery
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Soak tamarind in ½ cup water for 1-2 hours. Mash the tamarind thoroughly using fingers and pass this paste through a sieve. Keep aside. This recipe requires a thick pulp so add as less water as possible.

Heat oil in a non stick pan or a kadhai. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves, green chillies, dry red chillies. Let them cook for around a minute. Add the chana dal, ground nuts, and asafoetida. Sauté and cook for 1-2 minutes till the dal and ground nuts are lightly browned. Be careful not the burn the dal and the nuts or they will taste bitter. Add the tamarind pulp, salt, red chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Mix well and let this cook on low flame till the oil floats on top (around 6-8 minutes). Keep mixing in between. Let it cool down a little.

Mix few spoons of the tamarind mix at a time in plain rice. You can add more or less mix in the rice based on your taste. If you like the rice sour add more mix. You can store the left over tamarind mix in fridge for upto a month.

 

 

 

Szechwan Rice

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Schezwan Rice

Szechwan cuisine is known for its liberal use of garlic and spices and what more do we Indians need to like Chinese cuisine or any other cuisine for that matter :-).  Indian streets are dotted with number of Chinese street food stalls. They sell all kinds of spicy and colorful Indian Chinese dishes (it’s kind of new cuisine now). Szechwan rice is the Indianized spicy version of the Szechwan rice.

 

Again, there are different versions of this recipe. You can add celery, spring onion, Sichuan peppers too. Some people add ajinomoto (MSG) to get that “Chinese food taste”, but I prefer it without the MSG. You can also add a little orange color for that street food look. As the dish is cooked on high heat throughout, chop the vegetables very fine so that the vegetables are cooked well. Cooking on high heat also adds a smoky flavor to the dish.

This is one of the best recipes that my aunt makes. She always prepares the sauce in advance and whips up this spicy dish every time we crib about the dinner being too boring. You can prepare the sauce in advance and keep it in fridge in airtight container. Make sure the rice is not over cooked. you can also use the sauce for stir fries.

You can serve Szechwan rice with a sauce of your choice or it tastes good just by itself.

Szechwan Rice

 

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 10-12 dry red chillies (tops removed) soaked in hot water for 10 mins
  • 3 inch piece of ginger
  • 5-6 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
  • ½ cup onions finely chopped
  • ½ cup finely grated cabbage
  • ¼ cup beans finely chopped
  • ¼ cup carrots finely chopped
  • ¼ cup capsicum finely chopped
  • ¼ cup celery finely chopped
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil/any other cooking oil
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Szechwan Sauce

Grind tomato, ginger, garlic, and red chillies to a smooth paste.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add onions and cook for few minutes (1-2) till they are translucent and pink. Add cabbage and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the tomato chilli paste and mix well. Keep mixing it every 30-40 seconds. Cook till oil separates. Transfer this sauce to a bowl and keep aside.  This sauce can be used for stir fries too. Once it is completely cooled, you can store it in fridge for upto two weeks in an air tight container.

For rice

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok/kadhai.  Add finely chopped celery and sauté on high heat for 30-40 secs. Add carrots and beans and sauté for 1-2minutes on high heat. Add capsicum and sauté for 1 minute. Add salt and cook for 1-2 mins. Add the schezuan sauce and mix well. Add this gravy to the cooked rice. Mix well and serve hot.

Vegetable Biryani

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Vegetable Biryani

Biryani is one of the most well-known dishes from Hyderabad. This is not the recipe of the famous Hyderabadi biryani which takes a good amount of time and patience to cook. This is my mom’s quick fix cooker biryani recipe which she makes when she is in a hurry and we have unannounced guests or simply if we have been crying about the daal chawal menu. Rice, vegetables, and spices are pressure cooked and served with plain yogurt or raita.

Every pressure cooker is different and the cooking time may vary. Some cookers cook rice in 2 whistles while some cook in three whistles. You are the best judge of cooking time and number of whistles.

Of course I have tweaked the recipe a little to add the spice and to cater to my onion garlic loving taste buds. My mom doesn’t add garlic to this recipe and sometimes leaves out the onion too. But for me biryani is no fun without onion and garlic.

Even the dry spices can vary as per the flavors you like. You can add star anise, roasted fennel seeds, saffron, and mace to add to the aroma. Since this is a normal quick cook recipe, I did not want to add to the cooking time and effort. Some people add the whole spices to washed rice during the soaking time, so that the rice gets the flavor of spices. You can do that when cooking the layered biryani.

Biryani is best served hot and with plain or vegetable raita. The taste of biryani gets better as it soaks the spices. It is a good idea to prepare biryani in advance (depending on the weather) and heat it up just before serving/eating.

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • 7-8 green cardamom (ilaichi)
  • 7-8 cloves (laung)
  • 1 piece cinnamon (dalchini)
  • 3-4 bay leaves (tej patta)
  • 10-12 cashewnuts
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 ½ cup chopped vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, potato)
  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 1 ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste

To be ground to paste

  • 1 big tomato
  • 3 inch piece of ginger
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
  • 2 tbsp roughly chopped mint
  • 1 green chilli

Recipe

Wash and soak the rice in water (3-4 cups) for 10-15 minutes. Grind the tomato, ginger, garlic, coriander, mint, and green chilli to a fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add jeera, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. Once the spices are slightly browned (30-45 seconds), add the chopped onions and sauté. Cook for 1-2 minutes and add cashew nuts. Once the cashews are slightly browned, add the tomato paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes or till the oil floats on top stirring in between. Add the chopped vegetables and yogurt and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes mixing in between.

Drain water from the rice and add the rice to the cooker. Add 1 ½ cups of water and mix well. Taste for salt and make any required adjustments. Close the cooker and cook for three whistles.

Switch off the gas. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and mix the biryani carefully. Serve hot with plain yogurt or choice of raita.

Masala Khichdi

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Masala Khichdi

Khichdi is a preparation of rice and lentils and is a comfort food. It is also a common baby food or food for people who are sick as it is a very basic and healthy food without any or much spices. It is a very quick recipe too. Rice and dal are pressure cooked with salt and turmeric and its done.

I was never a khichdi fan until I had this wonderful spicy or masala version of khichdi. In Bangalore, we were local guardians to a wonderful girl from Gujarat who was in Bangalore to study Pharmacy. Her mom made this Khichdi for us when she came to drop her to Bangalore. Since then, Masala khichdi is a regular on our menu.

Since then I have also tasted this dish at few restaurants where it is called dal khichdi. I still love this simple and quick masala version made by Ridhhi’s mom. This can be a quick and filling meal if you are tired to cook roti sabji or you just want a healthy one pot meal. You can eat this masala khichdi with pickle, curd, papad or have it the gujju way with a glass of chilled chaas (buttermilk).

Masala Khichdi

Ingredients

Serves 3

  • ¼ cup rice
  • ¼ cup mung Dal
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 inch piece ginger grated
  • 2-3 cloves garlic chopped (optional)
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 1 dry red chilli broken
  • 2 tbsp groundnuts
  • 1 small onions chopped
  • 1 small potato chopped
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Wash rice and dal 3-4 times and soak them in 3 cups of water for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves, dry red chilli, and green chilli. Add ginger and garlic and sauté. Add groundnuts and sauté. Add onions and cook till they are translucent. Add potatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, and garam masala and mix well. Add the washed rice and dal with water. Add salt and mix well.

Close the lid and pressure cook for four whistles. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and mix well. Mash the khichdi with the back of the spoon while mixing. Add chopped coriander and mix well. Serve hot with curd, pickle, and papad.

Masala Rice

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Masala Rice

I call this a leftover makeover dish. Leftover rice has multiple uses and this is the most popular one at my home. Recooking it with  simple everyday spices and seasonal vegetables or herbs gives rice a completely new look and taste.

Every family has a different version of this rice. My mom adds a twist to this simple dish with the seasonal veggies (anything from green beans, potatoes, peas), I add tomatoes or lime juice, my mom in law adds coriander powder and I have seen my friend add a dollop of curd in the end. You can experiment with lots of flavours and vegetables and add your own twist to this quick but delicious recipe.

At my home, we eat it as breakfast or when we don’t like the lunch/dinner menu. It can be eaten with curd, pickle or simply without any accompaniment. I like it with basic curd raita.

Masala Rice

Ingredients

  • 2 cups leftover rice
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • ½ tsp asafoetida
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 green chillies slit
  • 2 inch piece of ginger grated
  • 2 dry red chillies
  • 2 tbsp or handful of groundnuts
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp coriander(dhaniya) powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • Few springs of coriander finely chopped
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asafoetida. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves, grated ginger, green chillies and dry red chillies.

Add groundnuts and sauté for a minute. Add onions and sauté till the onions are translucent.

Add rice, turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix thoroughly and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. (You can add chopped tomatoes at this stage if desired and cook covered for another 3-4 minutes).

Add lime juice and coriander leaves and switch off the gas.

Serve with curd or pickle.