Ven Pongal / Khara Pongal

Its the most easy and simple recipe. Its just 2 steps, one is to cook dal and rice and another is seasoning. Have a look and try :)

Ingredients:
1. Rice - 1/2 cup
2. Split yellow moong dal - 1/4 cup
3. Salt needed
4. Turmeric powder - a pinch
5. Water - 2 1/2 cups

For seasoning:
1. Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
2. Ghee - 1 1/2 tsp
3. Ginger - 1tsp finely chopped
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
6. Curry leaves - few

Preparation:
1. Dry roast moong dal and rice separately until it is hot to touch

Method:
1. Mix both rice and dal, wash them and pressure cook adding salt, turmeric powder and water to 4 whistle
2. It should be mushy, once pressure subsides, mash the contents
3. While the rice and dal is cooked, prepare the seasoning.
4. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add finely chopped ginger and sauté for 3 4 seconds
5. Now add jeera, whole black pepper (you can add these both a bit more to enhance the flavour) and curry leaves and heat till the curry leaves are roasted
6. Pour this over the rice and dal mix
7. Mix everything well or you can add the rice dal mix to pan and mix well on low flame for 2 minutes
8. Switch off and serve hot! It makes good breakfast/lunch

Note:
1. Can add thinly sliced 1/2 onion to temper/seasoning, this is optional
2. Can add a bit more jeera and whole black pepper for flavour
3. Can have it with coconut chutney or as it it!
4. Can add ghee fried cashews

Tomato Rice/Tomato Bath/Tomato pulao

Whenever I am running out of vegetables or tired to cook anything this recipe comes to my mind.
All it needs is tomatoes !

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - 6 (chopped)

2. Peas - fistful (optional)

3. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

5. Onion - 2 (cut lengthwise)

6. Rice - 1 cup

7. Water - 2 cups

8. Oil for frying onion

9. Salt 

For tempering:

1. Cloves - 4

2. Cardamom - 1 

3. Bay leaf - 1

4. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch

5. Curry leaves - 5-6 (optional)

Method:
1. Heat oil in a cooker directly
2. Once heated,  add all items under 'For Tempering' and fry till curry leaves are fried
3. Add onion and fry till light brown
4. Then add tomatoes and cook till mushy and then add turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt according to your taste and mix well
5. Wash and drain rice and add and mix well
6. Add water, and adjust the taste now and pressure cook for 2/3 whistles

Have it hot with raita or just as it is :)

Note:
When you are in hurry, just grind the tomatoes and skip items for tempering and adjust garam masala powder. Still it tastes yum :)

Channa/Chickpeas Pulao

Fed up of having same kind of pulao??? Here is a pulao which is easy and flavourful! And if you like channa (chick peas) then you would definitely like this dish. Its also a good lunch box recipe. As Channa is rich in protien and fibre, this pulao is very healthy and makes a perfect lunch box. Here is the recipe to be prepared from pressure cooker

Preparation time: 15 min

Cooking time : 30 min

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Channa - 1/2 cup (soaked overnight)

Onion - 3/4 cup (cut lengthwise)

Chilli - 2 slit

Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - fistful

Thin coconut milk - 1 cup

Lemon juice - 1 tblspn

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 1 cup (since 1 cup of coconut milk is used)

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 2 inch piece

Cardamom - 1

Preparation:

1. Soak channa/chickpeas overnight or for 5-6 hours

Method:

1. Heat oil in a cooker and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and saute till it crackles

2. Add onion, green chilli and saute until onion becomes translucent

3. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for few seconds

4. Add channa, turmeric powder, chilli powder,garam masala and salt and mix well and saute for few 2-3 minutes

5. Add washed and drained rice and saute for 3 to 4 mins.

6. Add coconut milk, lemon juice and bring to boil 

7. Take water and check for taste for salt and spicy and adjust according to your taste

8. Close and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Switch off and allow to cool
9. Garnish with coriander

Channa/Chickpeas pulao is ready to be served. Serve with any of your favorite raita

Note:

1. Instead of coconut milk can use a cup of water
2. Can adjust the taste and masala accordingly at step 7
3. For raita can check Raita Reciepe in ma blog

Ghee Rice

The rice flavoured with ghee! :) This one is most frequent party dish. Its not that difficult to prepare this at home and make your taste buds happie :) Here is the recipe done using pressure cooker

Preparation time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 15 - 20 mins

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 2 cups

2. Onion - 2 (thinly sliced lengthwise)

3. Green Chillies - 3

4. Cloves - 6

5. Cardamom - 2

6. Cinnamon Stick - 1" (2)

7. Bay leaf - 2

8. Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp

9. Cashew nuts - 10

10. Raisins - fistful

11. Salt

12. Coriander leaves - 2 tblspn (optional)

13. Ghee/Butter - 4 to 5 tblspn

14. Water - 4 cups

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker heat 3 tblspn of ghee and allow it to melt

2. Reduce flame and add cashew and saute till golden brown and remove and then add raisins and saute for few seconds remove and keep it aside

3. Add remaining ghee, once heated add sliced onions and saute till transparent and then add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf and allow it to splutter

4. Add chillies and saute for few seconds

5. Wash rice with water and drain it. Now add the drained rice and saute for 5 minutes

6. Add water and garam masala powder, salt to taste and bring to boil

7. Cover the lid and pressure cook for 2 whistles

8. Garnish it with nuts and raisins and serve with any of your favourite curry

Note:

1. Adjust the salt and garam masala before covering the lid to pressure cook

2. I served it with potato with curd gravy. Here is the link to its post in my blog "http://namadugemane.blogspot.de/2014/03/aloo-subzi-withcurd-gravy.html"

 Let me know how it tastes! 

Veg Fried Rice

One of our favourite Indo-Chinese dish :) With vegetables added its also nutritious and one of the easy dish to be prepared! Here is this recipe, try and let me know how it tastes! :)

Preparation Time : 25 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins

Ingredients:
1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Oil - 1tsp
3. Beans - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
4. Carrot - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
5. Cabbage - 1 cup (finely chopped)
6. Capsicum - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
7. Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
8. Garlic - 2 to 3 pods
9. Ginger - 1 inch
10. Oil - 2 1/2 tbsp
11. Vinegar - 1 tsp
12. Soya sauce - 2-3 tsp
13. Jeera - 1 tsp
14. Chillies - 3 to 4 (slit lengthwise)
14. Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil and add jeera, once it turns its color to golden brown add onion and chillies and saute until onions are translucent
2. Then add garlic, ginger and saute for few seconds
3. Add beans and fry. Add carrot, cabbage, capsicum and in the same order
4. Saute in high flame and continuous stirring is needed for beg to be cooked and crunchy.
5. Add rice, soya sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper needed and mix well.
6. Saute for few seconds in high flame and fried rice is ready :)

Note:
1. If required can add 1/2 lemon's juice
2. If required can add star anise to flavor the rice
3. Cook the rice in such a way that grains are separate
4. Only time consuming is cutting vegetables finely

Mint Rice/Pudina Bhath/Pulao

The aroma of mint makes this a delicious, colorful and nutritious dish as well  :) Its easy and simple ! Pudina/Mint is rich in Vitamin C, Potassium and Calcium. The flavor of the mint leaves makes me tempting while preparing ;)

Preparation Time : 15 min
Cooking Time : 20 - 25 min

Ingredients:
1. Mint leaves/pudina - 1 cup/1 medium size bunch
2. Rice - 1 cup
3. Onion - 2
4. Green Chillies - 2
5. Garlic - 1 pod
6. Ginger - 1tsp
7. Lemon juice - half lemon
8. Salt to taste
9. Water - 2 cups

For Seasoning:
1. Oil - 2 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
3. Jeera - 1tsp
5. Cardamom - 1
6. Cinnamon - 1 small piece
7. Cloves - 2
8. Leaf - 1

Method:
1. Wash mint leaves, and add all mint leaves, one onion, green chillies, garlic and grind to paste by adding little water
2. Heat oil directly in a pressure cooker, and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add all other ingredients mentioned under 'For Seasoning' and saute for few seconds.
3. Add an onion thinly sliced and ginger paste and saute until transparent
4. Add the mint paste and saute till raw flavor of mint paste goes
5. Add rice and saute for a minute
6. Add water, salt as per taste and lemon juice, mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles
7. Once the cooker cools down, mix well and serve hot along with raita or curd :)

Note:
1. Can add peas if required
2. You can also cook rice and paste separately. And mix both and can have.
3. Can check for Raita in my blog

Bisi Bele Bhath

Bisi Bele Bhath, BBB, is rice based dish and popular dish in karnataka :) Bisi(in kannada) means hot and bele(in kannada) means lentils so its hot lentils rice ! Usually this is eaten along with chips/raita/boondi/mixture. So have a look at this recipe done using pressure cooker and MTR bisi bele bhath powder and try it :)

Preparation time : 15 mins

Cooking time : 25 mins

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1 cup

2. Toor Dal - 3/4 cup

3. Mix Vegetables - 1 - 1 1/2 cup (I used beans, carrot)

4. Onion - 1 1/2

5. Tomato - 1

5. MTR Bisi bele bhath powder - 3 tsp

6. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

7. Tamarind concentrate - 3/4 tsp 

8. Jaggery - 1/2 tsp 

9. Water - 5 cups (or adjust as required)

10. Salt

11. Oil - 2 tsp

For Tadka:
1. Mustard Seeds - 1tsp
1. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
2. Curry leaves - few strands
3. Red Chillies - 3 (break at centre)
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Heat oil directly in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add cumin seeds, curry leaves and red chillies saute for a min
2. Add Onions and saute until onions are transparent
3. Add  mix vegetables and saute for a min
4. Add toor dal and rice and saute for a min then add tamarind concentrate, jaggery, coconut and saute for few seconds
5. Add water, mtr bisi bele bhath powder, tomato, turmeric powder and salt as per taste and check the taste for salt and masala and adjust
6. Bring to boil and close the lid and cook for 2 whistles
7. Once the cooker is cool, open the lid and mix well and check the bhath and adjust water. The bhath should not be too thick.

Serve hot !

Note:
1. Water can be added once the cooker is cooled if its too thick and heat for few mins
2. Serve hot with any side dish of your choice
3. Can use any vegetables of your choice including peas, cauliflower
4. You can also add  1/2 to 1 tsp of red chilli powder after adding all ingredients to make it more spicy.
5. Can be served with Raita, boondi, chips...