Pudina pulao

I love pudina.It smells awesome & tastes great ! Especially the pudina paani or the mint water which adds the kick to the pani puri is simply irresistible ! So, when I came across Pudina pulao,I gave it a try.I used very little pudina & it turned out quite bland.So ,this time around,I took care to use sufficient quantity of mint.

Ingredients : 1.5 cups basmati rice, 2 cups of cleaned & cut vegetables (  beans,green peas,carrots, capsicum is optional ,potato), 1tsp grated ginger,2-3 green chillies finely chopped, 1/3 cup cleaned & chopped hara dhania , 1/2 cup cleaned & chopped pudina leaves, 1/2 tsp jeera, 1-2 cinnamon sticks,2 bay leaves, 2 lavang, 5-6 peppercorns, 2 small elaichi,1 tbsp ghee,salt to taste.

Method : Make a green paste of green chillies,grated ginger ,hara dhania & pudina by adding some water.Keep aside.

In a pressure pan ,take ghee & warm it up.Add the jeera.When jeera sputters,add cinnamon .Slightly pound the peppercorns ,lavang & elaichi & add them as well.Add the mixed vegetables.Slightly fry them.Add the bay leaves & mix nicely.Next add rice & mix nicely.Let it be for 5 minutes.Now add the green paste.Mix nicely.Add salt.Mix.Add 2.5 cups water .Close the pressure pan lid.Pressure cook upto 2 whistles.Slow it down & let it cook for 5 more minutes.Put off gas.

When it cools,remove the whistle.After 5-10 minutes,open the lid to smell the aromatic pulao ! Serve with papad ,raita or salad of your choice.

My rice got a little mushy .Maybe too many veggies made it so .Maybe I added more water.Or perhaps,I should not have slow cooked it after reducing the gas.Next time around ,I will be more careful.

Huggi & palde

Huggi is Kannada for moong dal khichdi & palde is Kannada for kadhi.I love this simple combination though I love  Gujarati kadhi.

Ingredients for Khichdi : 1 cup rice & moong ( half split ) - one can use yellow moong dal as well.I use 1.4 moong with 3/4 cup rice.Preferences for the variation of moong dal to rice varies from 1 /4 cup moong to 3/4 cup rice to 1/2 cup moong to 1/2 cup rice.

1-2 clove -slightly crushed with pestle,4-5 peppercorns-slightly crushed,1 tsp cumin seeds,1/2 ' ginger -grated,1/2 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,1tbsp oil or ghee,2.5 cups water.salt to taste.

Method : I cook khichdi in pressure pan .Take oil or ghee in pressure pan & warm it by putting on the gas.Add jeera followed by cloves & peppercorns.When they have turned aromatic ,add haldi & hing.Now add washed rice & moong dal & shallow fry so that all ingredients are mixed up.Add grated ginger & mix with the moong dal -rice mixture.Add water to the mixture .Mix all nicely.Add salt & mix again.Now close the pressure pan lid ( which is the pressure cooker lid ) & pressure cook on high for 2 whistles.Lower the flame & cook on slow for 5-6 minutes.Put off the gas.After the pressure pan has cooled,take off the whistle.After 5 more minutes,open the lid & serve khichdi garma garam !

My khichdi is generally on the drier side.More water can be added if a wet & loose khichdi is needed.Some prefer to cook in open pan.

Ingredients for Gujarati Kadhi: 2 cups beaten curds or chaas,1 tbsp besan ,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1-2 sticks cinnamon,1 clove-roughly crushed,1tsp dhana jeera powder,1/2 inch ginger grated, 1 green chilli split in the middle,1/4 tsp methi seeds,1 tbsp ghee,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste.

Method : Mix the besan with little amount of beaten curds & make into a smooth paste with no lumps Now add remainder of the beaten curds & nicely mix.Add grated ginger,hing,split green chilli & salt to the curds.Mix thoroughly.Add dhana jeera powder & mix again.Keep aside.

Take ghee  in a kadhai & warm it.Add methi seeds.When they splutter add mustard seeds,cinnamon sticks & the clove.Add hing .Pour the curd mix on to the spice mix in the kadhai .Keep mixing the contents with a ladle every now & then.Keep warming the mix till one boil.Put off the gas.Tangy kadhi is ready -pour it on khichdi or keep tasting with a spoon as you gently savour the khichdi.

Tendli bhaath

I love tendli bhaath & make it whenever I have got tendli.I feel, it is easy, to make tendli bhaath rather than a sabzi, as it takes ages to cook .

Ingredients : 1/2  cup basmati rice,8-10  tendlis chopped lengthwise ( 1 tendli into four pieces )  ,1 carrot peeled & roughly chopped,,8-10 beans  roughly chopped 1/4 cup peas( optional ),1 onion ( optional),1 green chilly,1/2 tsp grated ginger, few curry leaves,1 tej pattas,1 inch cinnamon  stick,1  clove,3-4 peppercorns,1/2 tsp cumin ,1 tsp  Mazeedar Maharashtra masala ( or goda masala, a Maharashtrian spice powder mix   )   1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,1  tbsp oil,2 tbsp dahi or cream ( optional),salt to taste.

Method : Wash rice & keep aside.Make a grounfd paste of green chillies, kadipattas & grated ginger. Keep aside.

Take oil in the pressure pan & heat it.Now as the oil warms ,put cinnamon stick, slightly pounded pepper corns, clove & cumin.Add a paste of green chillies, ginger & kadipattas. Let it be nicely sauteed. Next, add the tendlis ,carrots ,beans & peas.Add haldi & hing.Mix all nicely.After 3-4 minutes,add the rice & fry it for 4-5 minutes.Add 1 cups water .Add salt & mix .

After a minute ,add the ground garam masala or masala bhaath masala & mix.Now add the dahi or cream to the rice mix & mix nicely.This will give a creamy texture to the tendli pulao.Now close the pressure pan lid & pressure cook on high  for 2 whistles.After 2 whistles ,lower the heat & pressure cook on slow, for 5 minutes or till it whistles again, whichever, is earlier.

After the pressure pan has cooled ,remove the whistle. 5 minutes after removing whistle ,take off the lid .Squeeze some lemon juice on the rice & mix.Alternatively,the tendli pulao can be served with lemon pieces as some may want to add lemon juice as per their need.

Garnish tendli pulao with fresh dhania & freshly grated  coconut.