Ghee Rice and Dal Tadka

Tags

Dal Tadka, Dal tadka rice variety, easy Indian lunch recipe, easy variety rice, Ghee rice, Jeera rice, Rice Variety, South Indian rice, variety rice

Ghee rice and dal tadka, what a classic combination isn’t it? As I have mentioned earlier in my post, I never make anything lavish during weekend. It is always very simple and quick recipes during the weekend for us. As this happens to be the most quality time, me and my hubby spend together 🙂 Weekdays are very busy and he is occupied with his offshore calls when he is at home. So my weekends are always simple and fun 🙂

Again since we moved to brown rice for our day to day use, and Saturdays are specially designated for quinoa at my home, only Sundays we eat white rice. So I make some mixed rice to make it quick. I thought I don’t have this simple combo in my blog, hence this post 🙂

For more rice varieties from my blog, please check here

Ghee Rice:

Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice : 1 cup

Water : 2 cups

Bay Leaf :1

Cloves : 2

Cardamon Piece : 1

Cinnamon Stick : 1 small

Ghee : 2 to 3 tablespoons

Jeera/Cumin Seeds : 1 1/2 teaspoon

Cashews : Few

Salt : to taste

Method:

• Wash rice, add cinnamon stick, cardamom, bay leaf, cloves and water.
• Cook with 2 cups water either in pressure cooker or electric cooker or in open method.
• Let it cool.
• Heat ghee in a pan.
• When hot add cashews, jeera. When it turns golden brown, stop.
• Add it to the cooked rice, mix with salt and combine well.

Jeera rice is ready 🙂

Dal Tadka:

Ingredients:

Moong Dal : 3/4 cup

Onion : 1/4 of a large

Tomato : 1 (I used roma tomato)

Green Chili : 1

Water : 2 cups

Turmeric Powder : a generous pinch

Garlic : 3 pods

Oil : 1 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds/Jeera : 1/4 teaspoon

Asafoetida : a generous pinch

Red Chili : 1

Curry Leaves : Few

Salt : to taste

Method:

• Clean and wash moong dal. Chop onions, green chili, garlic and tomato.
• Pressure cook all these together with turmeric powder and water for 3 to 4 whistles.
• Once done, stop and let the pressure ease.
• When pressure eases, open the cooker, add salt and mash the dal well.
• Heat a pan with oil. When hot add cumin seeds, asafoetida and red chili. When it crackles, add curry leaves and finally add it to the cooked dal.

Dal tadka is done.

This goes great with any variety rice, chappathi or paratta.

Tamarind Rice/Kovil Puliyodarai

Tags

Indian rice variety, Kovil Puliyodarai, puli satham, Puliyodarai, Puliyogara, South Indian rice, tamarind rice, Temple style puliyodarai

Tamarind Rice/Puliyodarai is a very famous south Indian rice variety. It has a special taste when it is served in temples. This taste is unbeatable 😀 I love it. It is a very simple dish.

When ever we go on a trip I pack Lemon rice and Yogurt rice. I wanted to change it to tamarind rice. My hubby said it is very difficult to prepare it and you have never done this before for me, so let’s not try it 🙂 I gave him a stare and said it’s not a big deal.I will prepare this recipe, check it then we can decide whether to take it or not 😛 Finally yes it was too good, we finished it the same day. I know it isn’t a big deal for South Indians. The base recipe for tamarind rice is common, the extra spice powder is something that I got through Google 🙂 this is not my own recipe, yet worth sharing.

Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice : 2 cups

Tamarind : small lemon size

Oil : 2 teaspoons

Jaggery : 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Turmeric Powder : 1/2 teaspoon

Salt : 1 teaspoon

To season:

Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon

Urad dal : 1/2 teaspoon

Channa Dal : 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chili : 2

Asafoetida : 1/4 teaspoon

Curry Leaves : Few

To grind:

Coriander seeds : 1 teaspoon

Urad dal : 1 teaspoon

Channa dal : 1 teaspoon

Red Chili : 6 to 8

Pepper : 1/2 teaspoon

Sesame Seeds : 1 teaspoon

Oil : 1 teaspoon

Method:

Cook Basmathi Rice with 1:2 rice : water ratio.

Soak Tamarind in water and make juice out of it. I got it around 1 cup juice.

Heat Oil in a pan, when hot add items in to grind, except sesame seeds. Let it change color. When it changes color , stop and add sesame seeds. Remove from heat, let it cool down.

Heat oil in a wide pan. Add oil, when it is hot add mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, red chilies. When it crackles add curry leaves. Peanuts can be added and sauteed now. When it splutters, add the tamarind juice, jaggery(optional), turmeric powder.

This should simmer to a thick paste.

In a wide pan take the rice. Add little oil, salt. Mix the tamarind paste. Normal puliyodarai is done till this step. Add the ground powder and mix well. This powder gives an excellent taste.

 

Tomato Rice

Tags

Indian rice variety, South Indian rice, Tomato Rice, tomato rice with coconut milk, variety rice

This is one of my favorites, so thought of sharing this as my first post….. This is one of the simplest rice variety. Easy to pack for lunch in busy schedules. Ingredients:

Basmati Rice : 2 cups

Tomato : 2 big chopped finely

Onion : 1/2 of a large

Ginger Garlic Paste : 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chili Powder : 1/2 teaspoon ( Replace with 3 green chili instead)

Coconut Milk : 2 cups(optional, replace by 2 cups of water)

Water : 2 cups

Salt : as needed

Cumin seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Fennel Seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Cinnamon Stick : a small one

Cloves : 2

Oil : 1 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

• Finely chop onion and tomato.
• Wash basmati rice and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan. When hot add cinnamon sticks, cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds.
• When it crackles, add onion and saute for 2 mins.
• Let the onion turn translucent, now add chopped tomato.
• Saute till it smashes completely.
• Now add red chili powder, salt and mix.
• After a minute, add the washed and cleaned rice. Saute it for 2 mins.
• You can either cook in pan, pressure cooker or rice cooker. I have used rice cooker.
• Now transfer the contents to rice cooker, add water and coconut milk, mix.
• Once it is cooked, add some cilantro leaves and garnish.
• In case of pressure cooker cook for 3 whistles.
• In case of pan, cook till rice is soft and fluffy.

Serve with raita or plain yogurt. You can use more oil in case you feel oil is less.