Mosaru Avalakki (Curd Poha)

Wanna celebrate “No Rice Day”… think of Lord Krishna’s favourite…homely, humble Avalakki (Poha). Soak it in a bowl of curd. Garnish it, taste it….hmmm…find yourself soaking in bliss. Cool dish this….for there is nothing warm about it. Consumed best in a mildly chilled and slightly sweet state, “Mosaru Avalakki” is a fitting substitute for curd rice. Typically served at the fag end of a meal, it is known to soothe the stomach, acting as a coolant especially after eating hot n spicy stuff or rich fat food.

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetarian Rice Variety

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking time:  2 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For soaking:

Poha                            1 cup (paper thin variety)

Curd/Yogurt                ½ cup

Salt to taste                 ½ tsp approx.

For seasoning:

Oil                               ½ tsp

Mustard seeds                        ½ tsp

Bengal gram dal         ½ tsp

Black gram dal                        ½ tsp

Green chilli                 1 no. chopped to circular pieces

Red chilli                     2 nos.

Curry leaves                few

Cashew nuts                2 nos. (broken to smaller pieces)

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Optional Ingredients for garnish, nutrition and taste: (Add all, some or none of these. It’s your choice alone!)

Onion                          1 tbsp. fine chopped

Carrot                          1 tbsp. grated

Cucumber                   1 tbsp. fine chopped

Ginger                         ¼” pc grated

Coriander leaves         1 tbsp fresh and fine chopped

Raisins                         1 tsp

Pomegranate seeds    1 tbsp

Fresh green grapes     1 tbsp (big size grapes can be sliced to half)

Cumin powder                        A pinch

Black salt powder       A pinch

Raw grated coconut    2 tbsps (fresh)

Directions:

Wash poha thoroughly in water – preferably twice. Drain out the water. Whisk curd well with salt. Add this to the washed poha. Mix them gently. Keep aside for just 5 min. Get ready to season it….

Heat oil in a small skillet. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add bengal gram dal and black gram dal. When they turn golden brown, add chopped green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Switch off and add asafoetida. Let it cool.

Now add any or all of the ingredients listed above for garnish, to suit your taste and convenience. Finally add the seasoning that you just prepared. Mix them well and yes, gently.

Mosaru Avalakki is now ready. Serve it straight (with / without accompaniment) or chill n serve.

Tete – a - Tete

Thick variety of poha may also be used. It needs more soaking time and comparatively greater quantity of water. When kept soaked for a longer time, poha mix thickens. You may have to add more curd and also water if required. Also remember to check the taste for this revised quantity. A bit more of salt….sure you can add.

Adding veggies and fruits like onion, cucumber, grapes, pomegranate not only enhances nutrition n taste, but also prevents the mixture from becoming thick.

Store it in refrigerator if needed for later use. Add milk if curd turns sour.

If you wish to pack it for travel, mix all ingredients except curd. Store boiled and cooled milk separately with just a spoon of curd added to it. Mix it well with rest of the ingredients just before serving.

Same recipe holds good for Curd Rice too. Here, in place of poha, use cooked rice. Cook rice with rice: water ratio of 1:3. Let rice cool completely before adding curd, salt, seasoning and garnish.

Recipe Contributor: Smt. Saraswathi

Avare Rice (South Indian Pulao style)

Dish Type: South Indian Rice Variety

Time Taken: 45 min (approx. )

Serves: 3 persons

Ingredients:

Rice                1 bowl soak for 30 min

Avare             1 bowl

Onion             1 medium

Tomato          1 big or 2 small

Oil

Salt

Ground spices mix (see below)

For grinding:

Coriander leaves                 2 tbsp

Ginger                                 1 small piece

Garlic                                   2-3 cloves

Raw grated coconut            2-3 tbsp

Green chilli                         2 nos. add more if you want more spicy

Cardamom                          1 no.

Clove                                  1 no.

Cinnamon                           1 small piece

Saunf                                   ¼ tsp (about 10-grains)

Since spices are ground, don’t exceed the above  quantity. Or, you can use whole spices and grind only the rest of ingredients listed above.

Other Ingredients:

Turmeric pwd          ¼ tsp

Asafoetida (hing)   1 tiny pinch

Kasuri methi            ½ tbsp.

For added flavor and garnish:

Lemon                       1/4^th (optional)

Coriander leaves to garnish

Directions:

Wash and soak semi-polished rice/raw rice for 20 -30min

Grind the masala

In 2-3 tbsp oil in pressure cooker sauté the masala, until raw smell goes off

Add onion chopped to long pieces

Add tomatoes cut to small pieces, salt and fry till tomatoes get mashed well

Add Avare, followed by drained rice. Add 1 tbsp oil

Saute for a minute. Add hing followed by kasuri methi

Add water (quantity enough to submerge the ingredients) and turmeric powder. Cook upto 1 whistle in pressure cooker and about 3-4 min on low flame. Open when pressure drops down.

Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and lemon juice squeezed (optional). Mix well.

Avare Rice is now ready.

Recipe Contributor: Ms. Sreeja M

Maavinakaayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice) Type 2

Go for mango …green in colour, combine it with rice…. white in colour and see it turn… red in colour. Can’t imagine cooking getting more magical!

Raw Mango is tasty. It’s great fun eating raw specially with salt and a sprinkle of chilli powder. Raw mango grows with a bounty of benefits. It prevents excessive loss of water, minerals and much more…like stroke from the sun, sickness more so that of morning, disease like scurvy since it is rich in Vit C highly. It brings to order blood disorders and is friendly to our teeth too.

Dish Type:  South Indian Rice Variety

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking time:  20  min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For cooking:

Rice                        500 gms

Water                   500 ml

For grinding (to make raw mango chutney):

Raw mango                       1 no. (grated)

Green chilli                       1 no.

Red chilli                           4 nos.

Mustard seeds                   ¼ tsp

Raw coconut                      ½ coconut (grated)

For seasoning:

Oil                                     4 tbsps

Groundnuts                       2 tbsps

Mustard seeds                  ½ tsp

Black gram dal                  ½ tsp

Red chilly                          4 nos.

Curry leaves                      1 sprig

Salt to taste                        1 tsp approx.

Turmeric pwdr                  A pinch

Asafoetida                         A pinch

Raw mango chutney       (mix that you get after grinding)

For garnishing:

Fresh coriander leaves  2 tbsps (fine chopped)

Directions:

Wash rice thoroughly. Cook rice along with water in a pressure cooker. After 2 whistles switch off the burner and let the pressure subside from the cooker.

While rice is getting cooked….

Wash raw mango, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves in salt water. Drain out the water. Grate raw mango, raw coconut and keep aside. Fine chop fresh coriander leaves and keep aside.

Now prepare raw mango chutney. For this….

Grind raw mustard seeds, raw grated coconut, green chilli, red chillies and grated raw mango to chutney consistency. Transfer the chutney to a bowl.

Now prepare the seasoning. Heat oil in a large kadai. Add mustard seeds, groundnuts, red chillies, curry leaves, ground raw mango chutney, salt, turmeric and asafoetida in that order. Put each of the above ingredients at few seconds interval between them. Sauté for about 5 min. and switch off the burner.

When the cooker is cool, remove the lid. Spread the cooked rice on to a big plate. Let it cool a bit (not too much). Sprinkle a tsp of salt on this. Transfer the seasoned raw mango chutney from the kadai on to the rice. Mix well. Garnish with fine chopped coriander leaves.

Maavinakayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice) is ready.

Tete – a - Tete:

While mixing the seasoned raw mango chutney with rice, keep a portion of the chutney aside. After mixing with rice, check the taste. If required add more of the chutney. This chutney can also be stored in an air tight container and kept in the fridge for later use.

Every grain of the cooked rice must be soft, fluffy and should stand out independently of the other grains. At the same time, rice should neither be half boiled nor too mushy. This can be checked by pressing a few grains between your fingers.

Green raw mango can also be used to make gojju, chutney, pickles or used in place of tamarind while making rasam or sambar.

Recipe contributor: Smt. Saraswathi

Greens Pulao

A one course quick meal that comfortably fills your tummy when in a hurry. This healthy, spicy rice recipe, the core of Indian cuisine is a popular Mumbai street food, easy to cook, healthy to eat, with an assortment of greens and veggies of your choice and spice levels well within your control.

While types of pulao are countless, here is a recipe for a pulao kind that is gently spiced and gorgeously green. Wow…all green lights! Zoom ahead to the recipe!

Dish Type:  South/North Indian Rice Variety

Preparation Time:  30 min

Cooking time:  30 min

Serves:  5 persons

Ingredients

Basmati rice    1000 gms.

Palak soppu (Spinach) 1 bunch (medium size)

Menthya soppu (Methi leaves) 1 bunch (medium size)

Sabsige soppu (Dil leaves) 1 bunch (medium size)

Pudina soppu (Mint leaves) Few sprigs

Coriander leaves 1 cup

Ginger             ½ ” piece

Garlic              5 pods

Onion              4 nos.

Tomato            4 nos.

Lime                1 (small size)

Green chillies  3 nos.

Cinnamon        ½” piece

Cardamom      1 no.

Clove               1 no.

Raw coconut   1 cup (grated)

Turmeric         A pinch

Oil                   100 ml.

Salt to taste     4 tsps. approx. (1 tsp while frying onions and 3 tsps while frying rice)

Directions

Wash rice thoroughly. Drain the water and let rice stand for half an hour.

Wash all vegetables (except onions) in salt water. Drain the water.

Peel the skin of onions and ginger.

Chop all greens finely and keep aside.

Chop 2 onions and 2 tomatoes into thin slices and keep aside.

Grind the other 2 onions and tomatoes to a smooth paste and keep aside.

Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste and keep aside.

Grind green chillies, raw grated coconut, cinnamon, cardamom and clove. Keep aside.

Keep water for boiling.

While water is boiling….

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Put ginger-garlic paste, coconut paste and shallow fry for a while. Add onion-tomato paste and continue frying till the raw smell disappears.

Isn’t it half an hour since you washed basmati rice? Yes….then transfer this to the cooker, stir the grains well along with the other ingredients so that every rice grain is coated by the oil, then add chopped greens and resume frying for a little while more.

By now, water would have boiled….right? Now add this boiled water, salt and turmeric. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and relax till you hear 1 whistle. Switch off the burner.

While the pressure cooker cools down, you too can!

Ready to open the lid? Yes…. Tempted to toss it in? Ha.. wait a minute. Just 2 small steps left.

Squeeze lime, pour the juice on to the verdant looking Pulao. Garnish it if you wish with thoroughly washed, finely chopped mint leaves. Gently fluff the rice before serving.

Greens Palav is now ready. Feel the flavour and well, have a field day!

Tete – a – Tete:

The quantity of water and duration required for cooking rice varies with the type of rice used.

Other varieties of greens like Dantina soppu, Basale soppu, Harive soppu may also be used to prepare this pulao.

Recipe Contributor: Smt. Saraswathi

Ellina Chitranna (Til Rice) – Type 1

Ellu in kannada means Til, hence the name Ellina Chitra Anna or Til Rice (also known as SesameRice). This rice recipe is a gentle, very mildly spiced dish generally prepared during festivals as “prasadam”

Dish Type: South Indian Variety Rice

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

Rice                 250 gms

For grinding

Raw coconut   1/4 of a coconut, grated

Green chillies  8 nos.

Tamarind        Small ½ lime size ball

For making til seeds powder

Til seeds                      2 tsps (white colored)

For seasoning

Oil                               2 tbspns

Peanuts                       1 tsp

Bengal gram dal         1 tsp

Urad dal                      1 tsp

Mustard seeds             1 tsp

Red chillies                  2 nos.

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Turmeric                     A pinch

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Salt to taste                 (approx 1 tsp)

Coriander leaves         1 tbsp

Directions

Cook rice in a pressure cooker using 500 ml water.

(Note: Water quantity should be just enough so that rice is cooked soft but not overcooked. If overcooked it becomes mashy and therefore difficult to blend well with the ground mixture and seasoning)

While rice is getting cooked….

Wash curry leaves, fresh coriander leaves, grate raw coconut.

Prepare till seeds powder and the grinding mixture. For this, switch on another burner of the gas stove. Keep a kadai on it and when it is heated, dry fry til seeds to golden brown colour. Transfer the fried till seeds on to a plate. When cooled, powder it coarsely and keep aside. Use the same grinder and grind raw grated coconut, green chillies and tamarind.

Keep the same kadai on the burner to prepare seasoning. When it is hot, put oil. When oil gets heated, add peanuts, Bengal gram dhal, urad dhal, mustard seeds in that order at intervals of few seconds. When mustard seeds crackle which happens immediately, add red chillies and curry leaves.

By now the rice would have been cooked. Spread the cooked rice on to a plate. Let it cool.

Now add salt, turmeric and asafoetida to the cooked and cooled rice. Mix them well gently and slowly. Now add the ground coconut-chillies-tamarind mixture. Mix again. Top it with the prepared seasoning, coarsely ground till powder and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Ellina Chitra Anna is now ready

Tete – a – Tete:

Rice has to be mixed very gently and slowly at all times.

Cashewnuts can be used in place of peanuts.

Recipe Contributor: Smt. Saraswathi

Veg Biryani

A tried and tested recipe that tempts you no end….nutrition rich with a variety of vegetables, filled with fresh flavours from spices, mint, coriander leaves et al. Are you feeling green with envy? Dash to your kitchen and cook this dainty dish…

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetarian Rice Variety

Preparation Time:  15 min

Cooking time:  45 min

Serves:  8 to 10 persons

Ingredients

For cooking:

Basmati rice                1000 gms

Water                          1.5 litres

Cinnamon                    2 nos. of 1” long piece

Clove                           3 nos.

Cardamom                  3 nos.

Ghee                            ½ tsp

For deep frying:

Ghee                            2 tbsps

Cashewnuts                 50 gms

Raisins                         50 gms

Oil                               2 tbsps

Onion                          2 nos. (Chop them into round slices)

For grinding:

Ginger                         1” pc

Garlic                          2 nos.

Green chilly                 1 no.

Onion                          1 no. (chop it into cubes)

Tomato                        1 no. (chop it into cubes)

For sautéing:

Oil                               50 ml              

Onion                          2 nos. (fine chop)

Tomato                        1 no. (fine chop)

Aloo                             1 no. (big size)

Carrot                          ¼ kg

Beans                          ¼ kg

Peas                             ¼ kg

Dhania powder           1 tsp

Jeera powder              1 tsp

Chilly powder              1 tsp

Masala powder           1 tsp

Curd                            ¾ litre

For garnishing:

Deep fried cashewnuts, raisins and onions

Fine chopped fresh coriander leaves or mint leaves or other greens like oregano, rosemary, holy basil and lettuce.

Directions

Wash basmati rice thoroughly. Drain the water and keep it aside for about 10 min.

Wash all vegetables (except onions and garlic) and greens in salt water.

Peel the skin of ginger, onions, garlic, carrots and fresh peas. Remove the ends of beans and the fibre at their sides. Chop onions, tomatoes and fresh mint/coriander leaves finely.  Chop aloo, carrots and beans lengthwise diagonally. Keep them all aside separately.

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Deep fry cashewnuts till they turn golden brown and raisins till they swell. Remove and keep them aside for garnishing at the end. To the cooker, now add oil and deep fry round slices of onions till they turn brown and crisp. Remove and use them for garnishing later.

Now put cumin seeds on to the remaining oil in the cooker. When they splutter add cardamom, clove, cinnamon and fry lightly. Now add the soaked basmati rice into the cooker along with ghee, cardamom, clove, cinnamon and water. Pressure cook upto 2 whistles and switch off the burner. Let it cool.

While the rice is getting cooked….make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chilly and keep aside. Remove the paste and now grind 1 onion and 1 tomato.

Heat oil in a kadai. Put ginger garlic paste, then chopped onions and a pinch of turmeric. Fry for a little while till the onions turn soft and brown in colour. Now add fine chopped tomato, onion tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Fry for some time. You will see onions and tomatoes nicely blending. Now add chopped carrots, beans, aloo and peas and continue sautéing. Add salt, dhania, jeera, chilly and masala powders. Let the flavours of the spices sink into the vegetables. Add curd, mix well and let it boil for a minute or two. Now transfer the contents of the kadai to another bowl. In this kadai, put a part of cooked basmati rice. Over this, put a part of the fried vegetable mix. Repeat the process 2 more times. Mix well. Cover the kadai with a lid and place some weight on top of the lid so that the lid is covered tight. Let the contents get cooked for another 10 min. on low flame. Now remove the lid.

Garnish with deep fried onions, cashewnuts and raisins and fine chopped fresh coriander/mint leaves or any other greens.

Vegetable Biryani is now ready… head straight to the dining table!

Recipe Contributor: Smt. Saraswathi

Rice Varieties

Veg Fried Rice
Puliyogare (Huliyanna / Spicy Tamarind Rice)
Bisi Bele Baath
Spicy Coriander Rice (Cilantro Rice)
Raw Mango Rice
Veg Biryani
Ellina Chitranna (Til Rice) Type 1
Maavinakaayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice) Type 2
Greens Pulao
Avare Rice (South Indian Pulao Style)
Mosaru Avalakki (Curd Poha)

Coriander Rice (Cilantro Rice)

Cu, ku, Coo…. What a sprightly bright morning this! Waaake up, right side. Oho, don’t get cross Corie….you were so tiny, spicy, poddy when a baby…. Lo! so soon you have grown up to be such a sweetie, freshy, greeny, leafy veggie. Pulled your leaves, just for fun, Corie. Nnnn…EVER again we shall use you for cooking, you are truly curly n cutey as a dressing. Tried grinding, frying and cooking, just so you remain rooted to the ground despite highs n lows doing nature’s rounds. Of course your pals like peas n pepper, ha your love… that clove too were a part of the process. Haaa, shoo those cashews away?! Such rich nuts, how can we betray? And that bay leaf….keep this at bay… Oh No Way! While you left us “on the grind” Out you stumped us with this sumptuous Surpp…Rice!

Taste the difference: Pulao is spicy whereas Chitranna is not.

How about this...”Putranna” alias Coriander (Cilantro) Rice, kinda cross between the two. 

One of the most common culinary plants of India, its seeds can be roasted and crushed or just left raw to use as spice, its leaves chopped and used to dress salads and soups, curries and cuisines of many kinds, its medicinal uses too are many…be it a thrush of the mouth when we rush to mix it with warm water and use as gargle or take the case of conjunctivitis when it is mixed with cold water and used as eye lotion. Called by the name of Coriander or Cilantro, its seeds and leaves are both indispensable to spice and dress our cooking or to cure the ones who are ailing.

Extract from The Herbarius Litnus:  “Mark that the juice of coriander blown up the nostrils restrains nosebleeds. . . And coriander is effective in tremors of the heart when its powder is given with borage water.”

Dish Type:  South Indian Rice Variety

Preparation Time:  30 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

Basmati Rice       1 cup (250 gms)

For grinding:

Raw coconut grated        2 tbsp

Green chilli                      3 nos. chopped

Ginger                             1/2” pc

Cumin seeds                    ½ tsp

Saunf (Fennel seeds)       ½ tsp

Fresh coriander leaves    ½ cup packed

For seasoning:

Oil                           2 tbsp

Bay leaf                   1 (break it to slightly smaller size)

Cinnamon                 ½” pc

Clove                       2 nos.

Pepper                     6 to 8 corns

Cashewnuts             10 to 12 nos. (optional)

Onion                      1 no. (medium size, thinly sliced)

Turmeric                 A pinch

Salt to taste             2 tsps approx.

Ground Masala (transfer from mixie)

Peas                       50 gms

Water                   2 cups (use same size cup that you used for measuring rice)

Soaked Basmati Rice

Directions:

Wash basmati rice in running cold water. Soak it in water. Let it stand for about half an hour. Also wash coriander leaves (roots removed), green chillies and ginger thoroughly. Drain out the water.

Meanwhile….

Peel the skin of ginger and onion. Chop ginger and green chillies to smaller bits (for faster grinding). Chop the onions into thin slices. Grate fresh raw coconut and keep aside. If the stalks of coriander leaves are tender, use them too along with the leaves. You are now ready for grinding.

Grind all the ingredients listed above “For grinding” to make a smooth paste.  Get ready for seasoning….

Heat oil in a pressure pan on low flame.  Add ingredients listed above “For seasoning” in the same order. When cashews turn golden brown add sliced onions immediately followed by salt and turmeric. When onions turn transparent, add the ground masala. Fry for about 5 min. Now drain the water out of the soaked basmati rice, keep aside this water to use it a while later for cooking. Transfer rice to the pan and continue frying for another 5 min. Now add the water which you had just now kept aside, mix them well, cover with a lid and weight on, turn the flame towards high and pressure cook for up to 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let it cool completely.  Fluff up the rice slowly and gently using a fork or spatula. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves if you wish.

Coriander Rice is now ready. Serve it with plain curd, spicy raitha, pickle and/or roasted/fried papad or side it with spicy potato curry or cauliflower curry.

Tete - a - Tete:

Green beans, Potatoes, Carrots, Cauliflower may also be used.

Onions can be skipped if you wish.

Adjust quantity of green chillies, pepper corns and ginger to suit your choice.

Using Coconut milk (as against just grated coconut) adds to the flavour and taste.

Recipe contributed by my sweet big sis Smt. Shyla H Rao

Dedicating this post on this beautiful day 14th of March.....2017 to my dear mother Late Smt. Indira Jagannatha Rao (Kaveri)

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog 

Few other recipes among many in this blog include:
Bisi Bele Baath
Rava Pongal
Puliyogare Gojju (Spicy Tamarind Sauce)
Puliyogare (Tamarind Rice)
Akki Thari Upma

VEG FRIED RICE

Come to think of a dish that’s healthy for our tummy, do “fried” n “light” go hand in hand? Here’s one at Mangala’s Potluck that answers our question in an affable affirmative.

Basic Ingredients: Rice, Vegetables, Oil.

Short statement that looks so simple when read fast. Stretch the outline. It feels so vague and vast. We are lost! “Which oil should we use, which rice is better, which vegetables to choose, which flavour is most favoured, which garnish for finish and then the questionnaire pans out to which pan Sauté Pan or Frying Pan, should we blanch, saute’ or stir fry….” Oh these doubts, “Will they ever clearly finish?” Do you fear?  Sure they all will dear, at Mangala’s Potluck, only if you carefully read the recipe from start to finish!

Ingredients for Veg Fried Rice

For cooking rice

Basmati Rice               1 cup

Water                          2 cups

Oil                               1 tsp

Salt                              a pinch

For stir frying:

Oil                               2 tbsps

Cumin seeds                ½  tsp

Onion                          2 nos. (medium size, cut to thin, long slices)

French beans               ¼  cup (cut into diagonal pieces)

Carrot                          ¼  cup (cut to matchstick size)

Capsicum                    ¼  cup (shredded)

Cabbage                      ¼  cup (shredded)

Sweet corn                  ¼ cup

Turmeric                     Just a small pinch (it’s antiseptic…why miss it?)

Salt to taste                 2 tsps approx. (put it in pinches at different stages of cooking)

Pepper powder           3 tsps

For garnishing:

Spring Onion               ¼  cup (fine chopped)

Coriander leaves         2 tbsps (fine chopped)

Directions:

Wash rice thoroughly in water. Drain out the water and keep rice aside for half an hour.

Wash vegetables thoroughly in water. Drain out the water. Chop or shred vegetables (as the case may be) as mentioned above under “Ingredients – for sautéing” and keep aside.

Cook rice in a pressure cooker along with the other ingredients listed under “Ingredients – for cooking” for upto 2 whistles. A tip or two before you begin cooking….

Rice has to be just cooked al dente. Cooking rice in vegetable broth adds to the flavour. Adding lime juice while cooking rice also adds to the flavour.

Heard 2 whistles…now switch off the flame. Let it cool.

While it is cooling….

Heat oil in a frying pan (or sauté pan) over medium heat. Swirl oil all round the pan to form a coat. The secret here lies in selecting a sturdy pan so that the veggies can be cooked evenly.

Put cumin seeds. When it splutters, add onions, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Sauté till it turns golden brown. (If you wish, you can keep this aside for garnish at the end). Now add all other vegetables and sauté. Also add pepper powder and continue tossing the veggies till they are cooked enough to be tender inside, crispy and crunchy outside.

By now, pressure in the cooker would have subsided. But has the rice turned cold….no, for sure.

Now that the rice has cooled down, add a pinch of salt and mix well. Its time to heat it up! Add this to the cooked veggies in the pan or vice versa (i.e., transfer the cooked veggies on to the cooled rice). Mix them well. Garnish with fine chopped coriander leaves, fine chopped spring onions…many more choices listed a wee bit below.

Veg Fried Rice is ready to serve.

Tete – a – Tete ….about

Choice of oil, rice, vegetables, garnish and flavour; Basmati Rice; Technique to turn hot rice cold; Sauteing; Stir Frying; Saute Pan; Frying Pan.

Choice of oil: Olive, canola, dark sesame, peanut, soy

Choice of Rice: Basmati Rice, Brown rice or any long grain rice since they remain fluffy and don’t get clumpy.

Choice of Vegetables: (In addition to the ones listed under ingredients) Onions, Peas, Bell Pepper, Garlic, Ginger, Green soybeans, Baby beans, Baby corn, frozen Broccoli, Button mushrooms etc. Adding sugar retains colour of veggies. Whichever vegetables you choose, the time spent in the pan is short n sweet, so choose those that are tender by nature.

When using tougher, thicker vegetables head them straight not into the pan for sautéing but for blanching them briefly (by cooking in boiling water). They are now ready to be mixed with the other softer veggies.

Choice of Garnish: Toasted slivered almonds, fresh coriander leaves, fresh lime juice, fried brown crisp onion slices.

Choice of flavour: White pepper powder preferred. Crushed red pepper gives a hint of heat (optional), Toasted sesame seeds (optional), Soy sauce

Basmati Rice:  A variety of rice that is long bodied with a unique aroma. Cooked basmati rice results in grains that are long, dry, light, fragrant, slender, separate and non sticky.

Technique to turn hot rice cold: The golden rule of thumb to follow while sautéing rice for “Fried Rice” and certain other rice varieties is to make sure that the hot cooked rice is cold. To cool down the hot cooked rice grains and keep it separate, spread it on a wide flat tray and let it become warm. Rub it with a spoon of oil and keep aside till you use it.

Sautéing is a cooking term that means “to cook food fast using minimum amount of fat on a fairly high heat” as against Stir Frying which means “to cook food fast using relatively higher amount of fat on a fairly high heat”. Food is tossed once in a way during sautéing whereas stir frying needs accelerated and constant stirring action. The word sauté originates from a French verb “sauter” which means “to jump”. Sautéing preserves the texture and flavour of food intact.

Sauté pan has a long handle with slightly taller sides compared to a frying pan. This permits stirring food easily without spilling or jumping out of the pan. Frying pan is deeper to accommodate larger quantities of fat for frying.

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog  

You may also view in this blog:
Few other Rice Varieties
Dessert Recipes

Sambar Varieties
Side Dish Recipes
Breakfast Recipes

Gojju Varieties

Spice Powders

Snack Recipes

Raw Mango Rice (Maavinakaayi Chitranna)

Hey Sun, so your time has already arrived! Having trained guns on rains to stay away, keeping cold winds at bay, those striking shining rays you now array, announcing the season as summer…Arrere, hai hai… behen n bhai, now is the time to Go for it, Man! Pluck them, those green ones, shaped more like a mango, climb climb yes over there on top. Haa…see those bird beaked ones (ginimoothi shaped), slice them, salt them, a pinch of chilli powder just sprinkle over them. Chew all of them raw. See, I saw…your energy is back, right? Of course…it has quenched your thirst, made up for the salts you lost through sweat. Though you perspire, that breath you respire is now so fresh and full of health. Ask for more, did you? Pleas don’t! Time is ticking. Look there, pluck those smaller roundish ones. Quick, quick, Akkas n Annas… leap down to cook kinda king among Chitrannaas.

Mark this summer with an extremely simple, delicious, most commonly prepared, traditional South Indian rice variety. Classic rice recipe with a mild tangy taste derived by using raw green mango, balanced beautifully by the judicious use of spices and seasoning. Truly a king among the many kinds of Chitranna, this dish features prominently in the menu on festive occasions too.

Dish Type:  South Indian Rice Variety

 Time required:  30 min approx.  

Serves:  4 persons approx.

Ingredients

For cooking:

Rice                      250 gms

Water                   500 ml

For grinding (to make raw mango chutney):

Raw mango                        1 no. (grated)

Methi seeds                       ½ tsp (dry fried)

Mustard seeds                  ¼ tsp

Raw coconut                      ½ coconut (grated)

For seasoning:

Oil                                     4 tbsps

Mustard seeds                  ½ tsp

Groundnuts                       2 tbsps

Green chilly                       4 nos. (slit)

Ginger                              1” pc. (grated)

Curry leaves                     1 sprig

Salt to taste                      1 tsp approx.

Turmeric powder             A pinch

Asafoetida                       A pinch

Raw mango                     1 no. (grated)   

Raw mango chutney        4 tbsps approx. (adjust quantity as per taste)

For garnishing:

Fresh coriander leaves  2 tbsps (fine chopped)

Directions:

Wash rice thoroughly. Cook rice along with water in a pressure cooker. After 2 whistles switch off the burner and let the pressure subside from the cooker.

While rice is getting cooked….

Wash raw mango, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves in salt water. Drain out the water. Grate raw mango, raw coconut and ginger and keep aside. Slit green chillies, fine chop fresh coriander leaves and keep aside.

Now prepare raw mango chutney. For this….

Heat a small kadai. Dry fry methi seeds. Switch off the burner and let it cool.

Grind these dry fried methi seeds along with raw mustard seeds, raw grated coconut and grated raw mango to chutney consistency. Transfer the chutney to a bowl.

Now prepare the seasoning. Heat oil in a large kadai. Add mustard seeds, groundnuts, slit green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves, ground raw mango chutney, salt, turmeric and asafoetida in that order. Put each of the above ingredients at few seconds interval s.  Saute for about 5 min. and switch off the burner.

When the cooker is cool, remove the lid. Spread the cooked rice on to a big plate. Let it cool a bit (not too much). Sprinkle a tsp of salt on this. Transfer the seasoned raw mango chutney from the kadai on to the rice. Also add raw grated mango. Mix well. Garnish with fine chopped coriander leaves.

Maavinakayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice) is now ready.

Tete - a - Tete:

While mixing mango chutney with rice, keep a portion of the chutney aside. After mixing with rice, check the taste. If required add more of the chutney. This chutney can also be stored in an air tight container and kept in the fridge for later use.

Every grain of the cooked rice must be soft, fluffy and should stand out independently of the other grains. At the same time, rice should neither be half boiled nor too mushy. This can be checked by pressing a few grains between your fingers.

Green raw mango can also be used to make gojju, pickles or used in place of tamarind while making rasam or sambar.

Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog  

Few other recipes among many in this blog include:
Spicy Coriander Rice (Cilantro Rice)
Bisi Bele Baath
Rava Pongal
Wheat Flour Halwa
Spicy Tamarind Sauce
Vangibath Powder
Cucumber Dosa
Doddapatre Thambuli (Spicy Yogurt with Coleus)
Heralekaayi Gojju (Citron Lime Sauce)
Gulpaavate (Quick Version)