Peanut Mint Rice

Fresh mints always have good smell and flavor, after last weeks rain our mint started to grow fast, last year in alternate weeks I use to make mint chutney and mint rice. If I try the same this year sure everyone will be bored, so started to experiment with mint. Before posting my experiments here comes my mint rice. This not my usual version changed a bit and added peanut and coconut. I love peanuts in rice it gives a unique taste for rice.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice	1 cup
Bay leaves	2
Onion sliced lengthwise	½ cup
Unsalted roasted peanuts	¾ - 1 cup
Ghee	1 Tbsp
Oil	2 tsp
Salt
To Grind:
Fresh mint leaves	4 cups
Cinnamon stick	1 piece (½ inch)
Clove	2
Fennel seeds	1 tsp
Coconut grated	2 Tbsp
Garlic pods	4-5
Ginger	½ inch
Green chili	2

 

Directions:

1. Soak basmati rice for 10 – 20 minutes, drain the water add half portion of salt and cook with 1 ¾ cup of water.
2. Once the rice is done allow it to cool and spread that in a mixing bowl or plate.
3. Grind all the ingredients in the list with little water to smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in pressure cooker; add the ground paste and saute for 2-3 minutes add enough salt and pressure cook by sprinkling a tablespoon of water.
5. In a kadai, heat ghee saute bay leaves, peanuts and onion until onion turns soft now add the cooked mint mixture and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Turn off the stove and add cooked rice mix well until the mixture blends well. Serve with any raita or chips.

 

Note:

• You can make rice and mixture before and mix them when you need.
• If you need more hot and spicy add chili powder and garam masala when sautéing onion and peanuts.
• If you need add more salt, add while mixing the rice in final stage.
• The given ratio is for one cup rice, always make more mint mixture and preserve some in hand if you need them you can add any time and mix with rice.

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Sandhagai / Rice Sevie / Rice Noodles

Sandhagai is one of the traditional foods in Tamil Nadu especially in Kongunadu cuisine. Most of them say this as idiyappam too, to my knowledge both are different, even though the basic ingredient is same the cooking process is different so taste also varies.

Preparing sandhagai is a long and even hard process, for this we use a special mold back home, which is hard to bring here. I always hesitate to try this with muruku mold, because it takes more time and you need more patience which I always lose when my kids go crazy during my cooking time. Same thing happed when I am making this and finally my mold was broken ran to my friend who lives 1.5 mile apart and with her mold finished the dish. After lot of pain the dish turned good I felt so happy.

Ingredients:

Rice	3 cups
Salt
For coconut milk:
Thick milk	½ cup
Thin milk	½ cup
Water	¼ cup
Sugar	2 Tbsp
Cardamom powder	a pinch
Lemon sevie:
Onion chopped	½ cup
Green chili	2
Curry leaves	few
Cilantro	Few
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Split channa dal	1 tsp
Lemon juice	½ big size
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp

 

Directions:

1. Soak the rice for 5-6 hours, using a wet grinder grind the rice to fine batter like idili batter and add enough salt and mix well.
2. Grease idli mold and fill with this batter and steam cook for 10 minutes as we do for regular idli.
3. Once the idli are done transfer two idlis in the mold and press it if you feel very hard add little more water to the batter.
4. Repeat the same process until you finish the batter. Sandhagai is ready is serve. Serve with coconut milk or savory version.

For Coconut milk:

Mix coconut milk, water and sugar bring to boil once and finally add cardamom powder and turn it off.

 

 

For Lemon Seive:

1. Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, urad dhal, split chana dhal and green chilies. 
2. Add onion, curry leaves and cilantro saute until onion turn light brown, add turmeric powder and lemon juice cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the sandhagai and little bit of salt mix well until evenly blends. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro. Serve with cocnut chutney.

 

 

 

Tips:

• Make sure your idlis are really hot when adding to the mold. Even if it’s warm it will be hard to press.
• Use small hole plate for making this sandhagai one you use for making sev. Even you can get one from store.
• I used half for coconut milk and remaining half for lemon sieve.
• This ratio yields for 4 adults.

 

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Vangi Bhath / Eggplant Rice

Brinjal is one of my favorite vegetable, but after coming to US I miss our Indian bringal a lot, here we get only BT bringal, for some reason I don’t like that. Last week when I was shopping found young and tender BT bringal, I was pulled to that and grabbed one. Tried this Vangi Bhath and fell in love with this bringal also.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice	1 cup
Brinjal/ Eggplant	200 gms
Cashew nuts	1 Tbsp
Curry leaves	few
Lemon	1 small
Asafetida powder	a pinch
Ghee	1 Tbsp (optional)
Oil	2 Tbsp
Bay leaf	1-2
Cinnamon	½ inch
Salt	as per taste
Spice Powder
Red chili	3-4
Coriander seeds	¾ Tbsp
Split channa dhal / Bengal gram dhal	¾ Tbsp
Urad dhal	2 tsp
Coconut	4 Tbsp

 

Directions:

1. Soak rice for 10 minutes and cook by adding salt and one teaspoon of ghee.
2. Heat another teaspoon of ghee and fry all the ingredients except coconut until light brown finally add coconut fry for few seconds and turn off the stove.
3. Cool and grind to course powder.
4. Cut the brinjal length wise and soak in water with ¼ teaspoon salt until you needed.
5. Heat oil in a pan, fry bay leaf, cinnamon, peanut and cashew nut add brinjal after squeezing the water add salt and cook until brinjal is nicely cooked.
6. Spread the cooked rice in a wide mixing bowl and allow it to cool, now add cooked brinjal and spice powder squeeze the lemon juice and mix well Vangi Bath is ready enjoy with riata or chips.

Note:

You can increase red chili according to your taste, according to your taste you can increase the spice powder; always use the free ground powder.

 

 

Paneer Ke Chawal / Indain Cheese Rice

For second day of BM 26, my theme is rice, as I choose paneer as main ingredient. Paneer ke Chawal is a Punjab cusine I tried this from India cookbook by Pushpesh Pant.

This is the first recipe I am posting as soon I cook and taste. Because of time consistent I prepared using rice cooker and since I was running out of green chili I added chili powder.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice	1 cup
Paneer cubes	1 cup
Peas	½ cup
Onion chopped lengthwise	½ cup
Clove	2
Bay leaves	2 small
Green chili	2
Turmeric powder	a pinch
Mint leaves	20
Lemon juice	2 tsp
Salt	as needed
Oil	as needed
To Garnish:
Ghee	1 Tbsp
Onion	½ cup
Cashew nuts	2 Tbsp

 

Directions:

1. Soak rice for 10 – 15 minutes.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, roast cashew nut and keep it aside. In the same pan fry onion for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown, keep it aside.
3. In another pan, heat tablespoon oil and fry paneer and keep aside, in the same oil fry clove and bay leaves. Add onion sauté for few minutes, add green chili and mint leaves sauté for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add peas and turmeric powder and chili powder and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Drain the soaked rice and roast it with peas until moisture leaves.
5. Transfer to rice cooker and add salt and 2 cups of water allow it to cook.
6. When rice is ¾ cooked add paneer and gentle mix and continue cooking.
7. Once the rice is cooked add roasted cashew nut, fried onion, lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves.

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Bise Bele Bath

Today’s recipe is bise bele bath, its origin is Karnataka. A healthy food, I would say all in one, rice, dal and vegetables a full meal in one recipe. Vegetables is your choice it will completely mash, kids might not able to find it’s a good way to add vegetables.

Ingredients:

Rice	½ cup
Toor dal	¼ cup
Carrot	1 small
Beans	5-6
Peas	½ cup
Radish chopped	¼ cup
Potato	1 medium size
Egg plant	2
Onion	½ cup
Tomatoes	½ cup
Bay leaves	2
Green chili	1-2
Ghee	1 Tbsp
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Tamarind Paste	1 tsp
Salt
Oil
For Masala powder:
Split channa dal	½ Tbsp
Urad dal	½ Tbsp
Dry red chili	5-6
Fennel seeds	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Coriander seeds	½ Tbsp

 

Directions:

1. In a pan heat 2 tablespoon of oil, sauté bay leaves and onion for 2 minutes, next add all vegetables and sauté until soft.
2. Pressure cook, these vegetables, tomatoes and toor dal with 2 cups of water for 3 whistles.
3. Pressure cook, ½ cup rice with 2 cups of water. Meanwhile dry roast all the ingredients for masala powder and grind to fine powder.
4. Once pressure is released, mash the dal mixture and add to rice. In this stage add tamarind pure, turmeric powder, salt and masala powder (keep 1 Tbsp and add the rest).
5. Keep stiring often, cook until raw smell of tamarind leaves (It takes approximately 5 minutes), add coriander leaves and ghee turn off the stove and serve with potato chips, papad etc.

 

Note:

• Check for salt and masala powder if you feel you need more add the 1 Tbsp. I used full.
• Consistency should be very loose as time goes it use to thicken.

 

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