Kushka | Indian Rice Recipes

Ever in a thought of what to make to go with your spicy curries for lunch? When you are making a rich curry for your weekend lunch a simple white rice to go with it may sometimes be bleh.. Dress up your rice with this flavorful Kushka aka empty biryani. It is called empty briyani because it has all the flavours of the briyani without the meat or veggies in it.
I got a recipe request for this kushka from my friend through FB. I had wanted to make and post this sooner but things got in the way. Laptop issues being the primary one. Finally I got some time to sit and compose the post, pictures and all. Hope you like it N..

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 cups (see notes)
Ghee - 1 tsp + 1 tbsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Bay leaf - 1
Star anise - 2
Cashew nuts - 5
Shallots/Pearl onions - 10, peeled, sliced
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp 
Coconut milk - 1 cup (freshly made or from can, anything works)
Water - 2-1/2 cups
Mint - a fistful
Cilantro/Coriander leaves - a fistful
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins. Drain the rice in sieve/colander with tiny holes. Heat a tsp of ghee and fry cashewnuts. Remove the nuts and add the drained rice, fry until dry. Spread on a plate to cool. Heat oil and the remaining ghee in a pressure cooker and add the whole spices. Add the green chillies, sliced onions and cook in medium heat until the onions are golden. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute or two. Add half of the mint and coriander leaves and mix. Add the coconut milk and water and allow it to boil. Add the rice and cook covered for 10-12 minutes or pressure cook for one whistle. When done, sprinkle the remaining mint and coriander and mix with a fork. Serve hot with a spicy curry. I made this egg curry to go with the kushka.
Notes:
The best rice to use for any south Indian pulao/briyani is Jeera Samba (seeraga samba). I couldn't find this rice in the indian stores in the area I live so the closest alternative would be basmati.
Pearl onions are a best component for any briyani recipe since it yields a mild sweetness. Regular onions may be substituted per wish.

Mushroom Briyani (Easy version) | Rice Recipes

With this Fall season here (hot one day, warm the other and pretty chill the next day), the wind has been little chilly but not quite like fall. What better than some warm food to keep yourself cozy and ready for all the excitement the Fall season has to bring. This recipe here is a simple and flavorful briyani for a simple weekday lunch. Paired with Zucchini raitha (recipe follows) it is a satisfying meal.
Briyani generally means lot of preparations with fresh ground spices and layering of the rice and masala. But this recipe here is a simple one with garam masala powder. This garam masala powder (made by my friend's mom) is home-made with red chillies added to it. If you are using a garam masala powder that is store-bought or does not have chillies in it add red chilli powder to taste. 

Ingredients:

Serves - 2-3
Basmati Rice (I used brown rice) - 1 cup (standard 240 ml cup)
Mushroom - 8 oz ~ 250 g

Onion, thinly sliced - 1 cup

Ginger Garlic paste, freshly ground - 1-1/2 tbsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp (see notes)

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional, see notes)
Oil - 1 tbsp

Mint leaves - a fistful

Bay leaf - 1

Method:
Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins (15 minutes for white rice). Clean and cut the mushrooms in thick slices. 
Heat a saucepan / pressure cooker and heat the oil. Add the bay leaf followed by the onions. Saute in medium-high heat until the onions take a shade of golden brown. Add the freshly ground ginger garlic paste and fry in medium heat for about 3 minutes. Now add the garam masala powder and chilli powder (if using) and fry for a minute. Add 1-1/2 cups of water (2 cups for white rice) with required amount of salt and torn mint leaves. Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles (2 whistles for white rice). When the pressure is released, open and fluff with fork. Serve hot with Zucchini Raitha.
Notes:
The Garam masala powder I used was pretty spicy with the red chillies ground along with it. So I did not add red chilli powder. If your garam masala powder is not spicy, add chilli powder to taste. 
If you feel the amount of mushrooms is a little too much you could always reduce to your preference. I prefer a meaty briyani.

Thai Curry Fried Rice | Rice Recipes

I have been spending quite a lot of time in Pinterest lately. Pinterest is a whole world of ideas and inspiration and is definitely addictive. It was one of those days when I was flipping through the pins and I stumbled upon a simple Thai curry rice recipe. I made a mental note on the idea and forgot about it. Fast forward few weeks, I was cleaning up my fridge door when I found this poor bottle Thai curry paste leftover after making Thai Style Mushroom Tofu Soup which was about to touch its expiration date. Without further thoughts I made this rice dish the same day for our lunch.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Rice - 1 cup (or) Leftover cooked rice (white or brown) - 3 cups
Shallots / Pearl onions - 1/4 cup, thinly sliced in rounds
Garlic - 2 cloves
Carrots - 2, medium, chopped
Beans - 10, chopped
Broccoli - 1/2 a floret
Tofu - 1/3 of a block (5 oz), crumbled
Thai Green Curry paste - 2 tbsp (store bought or home-made)
Soy Sauce - 3 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Light olive oil (or) any light tasting oil - 2-3 Tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Cook the rice with 2 cups of water. When done, spread in a plate to cool completely. Blanch the carrots, beans and broccoli for 4 minutes. Drain and plunge in ice water. After 5 minutes, drain excess water in a colander. Heat a cast iron skillet with oil and add thinly sliced shallots and minced garlic. Fry until the onions take a light shade of brown. Add the green curry paste, soy sauce and water. Fry in medium heat until most of the water evaporates. Add the cooked cooled rice and mix. Add the vegetables to the rice. Mix in low heat until completely mixed through. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot garnished with green onions.

Easy Vegetable Pulao | Pressure cooker Pulao

This is a recipe for a simple pulao which can be done in the essential Indian cooking device, the pressure cooker. It is a mix of my Peas Pulao and Coconut milk rice recipe. I had never tried using shallots aka pearl onions before now in a pulao recipe. I ran out of regular onions and used shallots in place of them. I can't stress enough but try using them in your pulao recipes next time, it tastes awesome.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Rice - 1 cup (160 ml)
Carrots - 2, chopped
Peas - a handful
Pearl onions - 4, peeled and sliced into rounds
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and soak the rice for 5 minutes, then drain the water. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the bay leaf. After a minute or so add the sliced onions and saute until they turn pink. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute in medium heat for 2 minutes. Now add the carrots, peas and garam masala with salt. Add the rice and fry for a minute. Add the coconut milk, water and check for salt. Cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Fluff with a fork and serve hot with any spicy curry. I served with Bahara Baingan.
Linking this to Priya's Vegan Thursday's.

Mint Coriander Pulao | Indian Rice Recipes

Can something simple be so flavorful? Yes it can. You too will say so when you try this Mint Coriander Pulao for your meal today. With the arrival of Spring the market is beaming with fresh bunches of herbs and I never fail to pick up the mint leaves when I see them fresh. My sister told me about this pulao she tasted in a potluck. I was quite skeptical about the taste when I heard the method when the rice was fully dependent on the herbs with no flavor base like tomatoes or cream. Boy! Was I wrong. The mint and cilantro rendered a super aromatic rice and made for a satisfying weekday lunch.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3

Rice - 1-1/2 cups (160 ml cup)

Mint leaves - 2 cups, packed

Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1 cup, tightly packed

Onion - 1 cup, chopped

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon - 1" piece

Salt - to taste 

Method:

Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins and drain. Heat 1/2 tsp of ghee in a pan and fry the rice until it is warm. Transfer to a plate to cool. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the whole garam masala and fry for a minute. Add the chopped onions and fry until soft. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for about 2 mins in medium heat. Add the roughly chopped mint and coriander leaves and sauté until it wilts. Add the rice, salt and about 2-3/4 cups of water. Cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles (or cook in a covered pot for 15-20 minutes until the rice is done). When done fluff it with a fork and serve hot.

Garlic Pearl Onion Rice | Infant & Toddler Food Ideas | Indian Rice Recipes

Don't get scared by the name.. Garlic and onion rice. Aren't those major foods which demand a breath mint. Trust me when I say this rice has medicinal qualities. Garlic and Onions fried in ghee and mixed with hot rice relieves gas and indigestion. But you would not believe how super tasty this rice would be. My 20 mo just loves this for the flavour of crispy fried onions in ghee. This recipe here serves three people, just a couple of morsels per person should be taken.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3
Steaming Cooked Rice - 2 cups (1 cup-240 ml)
Pearl onions / Sambar onions - 12
Garlic - 10 
Fresh Ground Pepper - a big pinch
Salt - a big pinch
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:
Peel the pearl onions and garlic and chop very finely. Heat ghee in a tawa and fry the chopped onions and garlic until it starts to turn brown. Take care not to burn them. Remove from heat and mix in the salt and pepper. Now add the hot steaming rice and mix really well, taking care not to break the grains. Serve hot.
Notes: Pearl onions shall not be replaced by regular onions and don't skip ghee either.

Spinach Dhal Rice for Toddlers | Infant & Toddler Food Ideas

Like any new mom when it came to start solids for my little one I had millions of questions. Though most of those questions I had were silly I couldn't brush them off as silly at that stage. I used to ask friends and family "Can I give that?", "How much of that?", "Really, Can I give that?". But then I got a hang of it after two months into solids. In South India, a baby's first solid food would generally be Ragi Kanji (finger millet porridge). The millet is soaked overnight, ground in a wet grinder and the milk extracted is then boiled to make porridge. After the Ragi Kanji, the next food introduced is Paruppu Sadham (Rice and Split peas).
When you first start dhal rice for your baby try this simple basic recipe. (Pressure) cook 1 fistful of rice with 1 fistful of any dhal with a small piece of garlic and a dash of salt and turmeric powder. Mash well and add a drop or two of ghee. Serve warm. This recipe below can be tried when your baby has tasted moong dhal, toor dhal and spinach earlier.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1/2 cup
Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
Spinach - a handful - chopped
Onion - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - a pinch
Garlic cloves - 2
Chilli powder / Pepper Powder - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Ghee  -  a few drops

Method:
Wash and soak the rice and dhal for 30 minutes. This soaking step is really important for a creamy smooth dhal rice, which the little ones go gah-gah over. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and splutter the cumin seeds. Add the chopped onions and whole garlic cloves and fry until the onions are cooked. Next add the chilli powder, salt and spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts. Drain the rice-dhal and add to the cooker. Add 3 cups of water, cover and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Drizzle ghee, mash well and serve.

Thalicha Sadham / Instant Tamarind Rice | Indian Rice Recipes

This is one of the simplest recipes for using up leftover rice. If you are ever wondering what to do with your leftover rice, don't fret. Mom used to make this rice whenever we have leftover rice and Dad loves this for breakfast. When we have rice leftover from dinner, she marinates it with turmeric and tamarind juice and prepares this for breakfast the next day. With a little planning, this Instant Tamarind Rice can be a great idea. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Cooked Rice - 2 cups
Thick Tamarind Extract - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp or more as needed
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Pearl onions - 1/2 cup - about 15 - peeled and halved
Green Chilli - 1
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp

Method:
Make sure the rice is in room temperature. Mix the rice with tamarind paste, turmeric powder and salt. Set aside for about 1 hour to 8 hours, in room temperature. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and chana dhal. When the mustard splutters add the slit green chilli and the pearl onions. Fry until the onions are almost cooked. Add a little salt and the marinated rice. Cook in medium flame stirring occasionally, until the raw smell of the tamarind disappears. Serve warm with some pappads.
Notes:
The turmeric and tamarind extract acts both as a marinade and preservative. So make sure all of the rice is covered completely with it.
Definitely use pearl onions since regular onions just won't give the taste.

Thengaipal Sadham / Coconut Milk Pulao | Indian Rice Recipes

A simple rice dish that is rich and delicious. Perhaps those words are  just enough to introduce this tasty Thengaipal (Coconut Milk) Sadham. With just a few ingredients it is truly a mystical food. I made this for lunch the other day with Vegetable Kurma. Great Pair I would say!

Ingredients:
Recipe source - Mother-in-law
Serves - 3
Rice - 1-1/2 cups
Thick Coconut milk from can - 1 cup (See notes below)
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 cup - sliced
Garlic  - 5 cloves - sliced
Green chillies - 2
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and soak rice in water for 15 mins. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and splutter the cumin seeds and green chillis. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion turns light brown. Add coriander powder, salt and mix well. Add the coconut milk, water along with the drained rice. Cover and cook for 2 whistles. Serve with any spicy kurma of your choice.
Notes:
If using home made coconut milk, add 2 cups coconut milk with 1 cup water. If not cooking in pressure cooker, cover and cook for 15 minutes in medium-high heat.
Linking it to Priya's Vegan Thursdays.

Murungakeerai Adai / Lentil Moringa Pancakes | Idli Dosa Recipes

Back home in India we had a drumstick tree in our backyard. Well, pretty much every tree in there, Mango, lime, coconut, jamun yielding a bounty of organic produce. We also had curry leaves, tulsi, hibiscus plants. The memory of eating drumstick leaves was almost forgotten, until I spotted this little pack of drumstick leaves in my Indian produce shopping last time. I picked up one thinking of making these adais which DH hearts and is a part of MIL's recipe book to him. I tweaked the recipe a little and arrived at this tasty dosa variety.

Ingredients:
Measurements in rice cooker cup - 160 ml; Makes 16 adais
Idli Rice - 3 cups
Toor dhal - 1 cup
Chana dhal - 1/4 cup
Murunga keerai / Drumstick leaves / Moringa - 1 cup - loosely packed
Dry Red chillies - 10 (see notes below)
Black Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1-1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup - loosely packed
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and soak the rice and dhals together in plenty of water for 4 hours. Soak the dry red chillies in a separate bowl filled with water. Clean the murunga keerai, reserve only the leaves and discard the stems and twigs. Wash to remove any dirt. In the wet grinder, add one cup of the soaked rice-dhal mixture with chillies, peppercorns, cumin, asafoetida and coconut. Grind well, and add the rest of rice after 2 minutes. Grind coarsely into a rava like texture. Remove from the grinder and mix the salt and drumstick leaves. Heat a dosa tawa and pour about 1/2 cup of the batter and make dosas. Spray some oil and flip when the edges turn red. Cook for another minute and half and remove. Serve hot.
Linking this to Taste of the Tropics - Chilis.

Coriander Rice / Kothamalli Sadham | Indian Rice Recipes

I would always try to clean up my fridge before I go for produce shopping. I confess, I am not a "meal planner" who carefully drafts out every single meal of the week. I have a visibility and plan for two days max. After that I plan for the next two days with the leftover produce. I was going through the vegetables rack and found this little bunch of coriander leaves (cilantro) lying around hidden. I was out of most vegetables and there was nothing I could pair 'em with, so I planned for coriander rice for me and Kavin for lunch. It was done in a jiffy and tasted so good that I shared some with my neighbor. Good things are meant to be shared right?!

Ingredients:
Serves - 3; Cooking Time - 30 minutes
Rice - 1-1/2 cups (rice cooker cup)
Cilantro / Coriander leaves - 1 big bunch
Pearl onions / Sambar onions - 10 - peeled and quartered
Salt - to taste
Sesame Oil / Gingelly Oil - 1 tsp + 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

For the Spice powder:

Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 4

Method:
Wash and soak rice in water for 15 minutes. Cook with 2-3/4 cups of water until done and the grains are not sticky. Remove from heat and spread on a plate to cool. Heat 1 tsp of oil and roast the ingredients for spice powder until light brown. Allow to cool and make a fine powder. Puree the coriander leaves with a couple of tablespoons of water. Heat remaining oil in a kadai and splutter the mustard seeds, urad dhal and curry leaves. Add the onions and fry until soft followed by the ground spice powder. After half a minute add the coriander leaves puree and salt. Cook in medium flame until the paste cooks and becomes shiny. Add the cooked cooled rice little by little and mix well with a fork. Serve hot with any curry, raitha or better yet a simple pappad.
Linking this up to Taste of the Tropics - Chilis; PJ's Herbs & Flowers - Season 2.

Easy Instant Unniyappam / Banana Kuzhi Paniyaram / Rice Flour Sweet Appam

All fond memories are made through food. Or at least the food enthusiast in me try to connect memories with food. There is a memory associated with these unniyappams. I first tasted unniyappam in one of dad's friends' home when I was around 10. They are a sweet family from Kerala and Aunty would make this every single time when we visited. I still remember how fondly she used to prepare these appams for us kids. Then they moved back to Kerala after Uncle retired and we all moved to different cities for work. But then the world has shrunk these days due to the advent of social media and we have got a chance to reconnect with our old friends. It is through Facebook that we reconnected with their family. I chanced upon to see her daughter, wishing her mother on her birthday. I too conveyed my wishes to Aunty and the foodie in me made a mental note that I have to make her unniyappams one day.

Ingredients:
Serves - 4 for snack
Rice flour - 2 cups
Jaggery - 1/2 cup (tightly packed) - see notes below
Banana - 3 small or 2 big ones - mashed
Salt - a pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - a big pinch
Water - 1/4 cup + more to make the batter
Oil - for frying in the pan

Method:
Mix jaggery in 1/4 cup of water and heat until it is melted. Filter with a fine mesh strainer. Mix the jaggery syrup with rice flour, mashed bananas and water to make a batter of pouring consistency but slightly thicker than dosa batter. Stir in salt, cardamom powder and baking soda. Heat the paniyaram pan / abelskiever pan in medium-high flame. Pour about 1/4 tsp of oil in each kuzhi (indentation). Pour enough batter into each kuzhi to fill. When little bubbles start to appear on the top, flip using a toothpick or chopstick to about halfway. After about another minute, flip again completely. At this stage all the sides of the appam should be golden and well-formed to a round shape. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the insides are cooked through. Repeat for the rest of the batter.
Notes:
1. The amount of jaggery used here yields a mildly sweetened unniyappam. For sweeter ones use 3/4 to 1 cup of jaggery. The water for making syrup should be 1:2 with jaggery.
2. Traditionally the unniyappam is made by soaking rice and grinding to form a batter with jaggery and banana. Another point to make it traditional is to add small pieces of fresh coconut fried in ghee and black sesame seeds to the batter.

Jeera Rice / Ghee Rice | Indian Rice Recipes

It is truly astonishing that how some the best tasting dishes are the simplest to make. Jeera rice is one of them. It is one of the easiest forms of Pulao and does not need any preparation work. Paired with a spicy curry it is one of the best Indian meals in my opinion.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3-4; measurements in 160 ml cup
Basmati Rice - 2 1/2 cups
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1-1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 - chopped
Salt - to taste
Water - 4-3/4 cups
Oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash and soak the rice in water for 30 mins. In a heavy pan with lid (or pressure cooker), heat oil and splutter the cumin seeds and green chillies. Add the drained rice and fry for a minute in medium heat. Add water and salt and cover and cook in medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes or until done. If cooking in a pressure cooker, cook for 2 whistles in medium-high heat. When done, add the ghee and mix gently fluffing with a fork. Serve hot with any spicy curry of your choice.
Some perfect pairings would be Methi Matar Malai

Egg Fried Rice | Indo-Chinese recipes

Lunch-out in India means a simple rice dish for me. I was not fond of the thali meals since I would not be able to finish them. My preferred go-to choice was a fried rice or noodles dish. If you are looking for a restaurant style fried rice recipe, you could try this. Add any vegetable at hand and you will have tasty and delicious fried rice in no time.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Brown Basmati rice - 1 cup (Can substitute White Rice)
Eggs - 3
Spring onions/Scallions - 2 (mandatory)
Onion - 1/2 of a big one - sliced thin ~ 1 cup
Red Bell Pepper - 1 - chopped
Soy Sauce (Low Sodium) - 2 tsp
Red chilli paste - 1 tsp (Sriracha)
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Red pepper flakes - to taste
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Oil - 2 tsp + 1 tbsp

Method:
Cook rice and spread on a plate to cool. Mix soy sauce, Red chilli paste, vinegar and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in high heat and fry the onions until it turns light brown. Add the Red bell pepper and cook for a couple of minutes stirring continuously. Now add the sauce and cook for a minute. Add the cooked cooled rice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate. Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. In the same pan in medium heat, add 2 tsp of oil and pour the whisked eggs for scrambling. For anyone who is not an expert in scrambling eggs, like me, there is a fun way to do it. After adding the whisked eggs to the oil, count 5 mississippis. Use a wooden spoon and scrape the sides and bring it to the center. Count 5 missisippis again. Repeat until you get a slightly moist but fluffy scrambled eggs. Add the rice and mix well. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot. Some good pairing would be...
Kadai Mushroom and Paneer Tawa Masala.

Brown Rice Pidi Kozhukattai / Brown Rice Dumplings | Indian Festival Recipes

No, I am still not done with the Ganesh Chaturthi recipes. I wanted to try my hands in making kozhukattai (kadubu) with brown rice and was successful this time. Even my hubby who is not a big fan of brown rice, liked it. As with most of my recipes this is a simple to make snack. This also is super healthy and tasty and now is going to feature more in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2; Measurements in 160 ml cup
Brown Rice - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Oil - 2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Chana Dhal - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Dry Red chillies - 2

Method:
Dry roast the brown rice in a tawa in medium heat. When the rice is warm to touch and lightly changed in color, transfer to a plate and allow it to cool. Pulse in a blender until it resembles the texture of rava (or bulgar). Heat oil in a non-stick pan and splutter the items under tempering. Add grated coconut, water and salt. Cover and allow the water to boil. When the water is boiling add the broken rice and stir continuously. Cook in medium heat, while still stirring, until most of the water evaporates and the mixtures comes together. Remove from heat and allow to cool down a little. When it is still warm, take lime sized portions and press with your fingers against the palm of your hands to make impressions of the finger. Steam in idli pan / bamboo steamer for 15 minutes. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Linking these up to Kid's Delight - After School bites; Whats with my Cuppa 2 by Nupur; Healthy Breakfast.

Simple tomato rice | Indian Rice Recipes

Tomatoes are in abundant this summer. I am in summer vegetables indulgence spree and tomatoes are one of them. This simple tomato rice is another one of DH's recipe. It is an easy to make rice recipe (a true bachelor version) with tomatoes and other simple spices available in the pantry. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Basmati Rice - 1 cup (1 1/2 rice cooker cup)
Tomatoes - 4 ripe
Onion - 1/2
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (Use 1-1/2 tsp if using kashmiri chilli powder)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Cook rice and spread in a plate to cool. Heat oil in a kadai and add the cloves and cinnamon. After about half a minute add the onion and fry until light brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry in medium heat for 3 minutes. Now add the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and saute until cooked through and mushy. Add the turmeric powder, garam masala and chilli powder. Mix well and allow the spices to cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add salt to taste and add the cooked cooled rice. Remove from heat and mix gently until the tomato masala is coated uniformly in the rice. Serve hot with any curry of your choice.
Notes:
Adding a handful of mint leaves before adding rice would be lovely. I just reserved it for garnishing.
Another simpler method is to prepare the masala in the pressure cooker and add the rice to it and pressure cook. It becomes an easy one pot meal then.

Mushroom Briyani | Indian Rice Recipes

Mushroom is another one of my favorite vegetables and I don't fail to pick up a packet when I go to the store. In fact, my blog also has quite a few mushroom recipes. It is most versatile and can be used in omelets, frittatas, casseroles, curries, pizza topping and in briyanis.  This is a basic briyani recipe with a simple spice paste which can be used for vegetable or chicken biryani as well.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Brown Basmati Rice / White Basmati Rice - 1 cup (1 1/2 in rice cooker cup)
Mushroom - 5 oz / 150g
Onion - 1 cup - thinly sliced
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mint leaves - a few
Make a paste:
Green chilli - 2 or 3
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Cloves - 3
Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp
Khas khas / White poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp heaped

Method:
Clean the mushrooms and slice into thick pieces. Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes in plenty of water. Make a smooth paste of the ingredients under "make a paste". Heat oil in a heavy pan or pressure cooker and saute the onions until light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes in medium heat. Add the ground paste and saute until the raw smell disappears, about 4-5 minutes in medium heat. Add the mushroom, drained rice, mint leaves, salt and water. Add 1-1/2 cups for brown basmati rice. Cover and pressure cook until done. Serve with raitha or any curry of your choice.
Notes:
1. If using white rice, use a little shy of 2 cups water and cook for 2-3 whistles.
2. For brown rice, cook for 5-6 whistles in pressure cooker.

Spinach Chickpea Pulao / Palak Channa Pulav | Indian Rice Recipes

Spinach and Chickpeas are one delightful combination. Don't you think? Be it in a salad, soup, curry or this rice it tastes awesome. I had come across this simple spinach pulav somewhere in the blog world before many years. I did not bookmark it then but just made a mental note of the recipe which had potatoes in the place of chickpeas. I make this rice often and this time tried chickpeas instead of potatoes to up the protein quotient.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3
Basmati Rice - 2 cups (rice cooker cup) - 1 1/3 in standard cup
Spinach - 3 cups - tightly packed
Chickpeas / Garbanzo beans - 1 can or approx 2 1/2 cups cooked - Click here to see how to make canned beans at home
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Onion  - 1 cup - thinly sliced
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Wash and soak the rice in plenty of water for 30 minutes. Heat oil in heavy bottomed pan / pressure cooker. Splutter the cumin seeds and add onion. Saute until light brown and add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes in medium heat. Now add the spice powders and spinach. When the spinach starts to wilt add the chickpeas and drained rice. Add 4 cups of water and salt and do a taste check. Cover and cook for 3 whistles in pressure cooker. If cooking in a pan, cover and cook in medium-high heat for 20 minutes until the rice is done. Serve hot with raitha or any curry of your choice.
Linking this delightful rice to MLLA #59 event by Susan and Lisa.

Beetroot Rice / Beetroot Sadham | Indian Rice Recipes

DH once recited a list of dishes and asked me if I have it in my blog. I said "no" to most of them. Those are the recipes which we make most often but never got a chance to click them. As a part of my ongoing "more rice recipes for blog pact", I thought I should try to click them whenever I can. Here I am with another simple and easy recipe which we make often. Paired with simple curry or just yogurt and pickle, it is a satisfactory meal.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Beetroot - 2 small - grated
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Onion - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1 or 2
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Split urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dhal - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Cook rice and spread in a plate to allow it to cool. Heat oil in a non-stick kadai and splutter the mustard seeds, urad dhal and chana dhal. When the chana dhal turns light brown in color add the slit green chilli and onions. Fry until the onions are cooked and add the cumin powder and salt. Add the grated beetroot and saute for a couple of minutes. Add about 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Cover and cook in medium heat until done. This would take about 10-15 minutes. Mix occasionally to avoid burning. When the beetroot is cooked through, add the cooked cooled rice and mix well. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with any curry of your choice.

Sending this to Srivalli’s Kid’s Delight event hosted by Pavani.

Carrot Rice | Indian Rice Recipes

When I looked back at my posts I saw I didn't have many rice dishes. After all, rice is the staple food of us South Indians. And DH cannot live without rice for more than two days. So I thought I should have more of those recipes in my space. This simple and quick Carrot Rice is my start for my "more rice recipes for blog pact". It is a great lunch box recipe too. Expect more simple rice recipes in my space.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Rice - 1 1/2 cups (rice cooker cup)
Carrot - 2 medium sized - grated
Onion -chopped - 1//2 cup
Green chillies - 2 or 3 - slit
Curry leaves - a few
Salt - to taste
Tempering:
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Broken Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp

Method:
Cook rice as twice the amount of water. When done, spread on a plate / cookie pan to cool completely. Meanwhile heat oil in a wide kadai and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the urad dhal and chana dhal and fry until it takes a shade of light brown. Add the curry leaves and slit green chillies and fry for a minute. Onion goes next. Fry for about 3-5 minutes with a pinch of salt until it turns soft. Now add the grated carrot and fry until it is cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Now add the cooked cooled rice and mix well. Serve with any curry of your choice. A simple pickle and papad would also be great.

Sending this to Srivalli’s Kid’s Delight event hosted by Pavani.