Palak rice

I was surfing Archana's Kitchen for recipes .I came across this simple recipe of Palak rice. I surfed on other food blogs as well.Everyone seemed to have their own version. I decided to do my own version as there are no limits to my laziness. You would have already realised this, by going through my recipes.

I made palak rice in pressure cooker.I simply pureeed palak without chopping it with ginger, green chillies & kadi patta ( for that South Indian touch ) !

Ingredients : 1--1.5 cups washed & unchopped palak, 1 cup tukda or broken basmati , 1/2 " cinnamon stick broken into two or three pieces, 1 bay leaf, 2 small poatoes deeeled & sliced roughly, 1 medium onion roughly sliced, 2 green chillies roughly chopped, 1/2' inch ginger roughly chopped, few curry leaves, 1/2 tsp jeera, 1 bada elaichi chilka  cut into smaller pieces, 1/4 tsp garam masala, 1/4tsp hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1 tbsp oil, 1-2 tsp lemon juice, salt to taste.

Method : Wash the rice & keep aside.In the mixer, take the washed palak, curry leaves, ginger & green chillies.

Add 1/4 cup  water & puree it nicely.Keep aside.

In a pressure pan , take the oil.Put on the gas & heat the pressure pan with oil in it. Add jeera.When they splutter add cinnamon stick pieces followed by badi elaichi chilka. After the spices start giving aroma,add sliced onions.Saute the onions till they start turning brown on the edges.Add sliced potatoes.Saute them Add haldi & hing.Mix nicely. Add rice & fry all the rice with onions & potatoes & spices. After 2-3minutes, add the pureed palak mixture to the pan.Mix the rice ,palak puree,onions & potatoes nicely. Add salt. Add garam masala. Mix nicely,Add one more cup water as the palak puree was nearly 1 cup water.Cover the pressure pan lid.Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Put off gas. Cool. Remove whistle.After 5-10 minutes.Open the lid.The spinach rice is ready.Squeeze a piece of lemon.Lightly fluff up the rice .Serve it with roasted papads, raita, achar ...endless possibilities !

I use spices in small quantities as I love subtle tastes.My family prefers it this way.If you want stronger taste of spices, add more amounts accordingly.In some palak rice recipes, mint as also coriander was used. Some added peas as well.I felt that mint would interfere with palak taste. I had no peas so skipped adding them. I added potatoes as potatoes go well with palak  a I added kadipattas as I had them & they add to the nutrition by their iron content.

Soup style rasam

I had come across this carrot tomato rasam some time back while searching some recipe. I found it very interesting. In some recipes, tur dal was added as well though quantity of toor dal was very less. I decided to make plain carrot tomato rasam today as my throat was irritating me.

Ingredients : 2 tomatoes, 1 carrot, 1 tsp rasam powder, a few curry leaves, 1//4 tsp grated ginger1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp jeera, 1/4 tsp black pepper powder,1/4 tsp hing, 1/4 tsp haldi,1 byadgi mirchi broken into 2-3 pieces,  1-2 tsp oil or ghee for tadka, a bunch of fresh dhania washed & finely chopped for garnish,salt to taste,


Method : Pressure cook tomatoes & diced carrot  along with grated ginger for 2-3 whistles. Cool.Puree in mixer. Add 1 cup water. Add haldi & hing.Start heating this puree. Add rasam powder, salt & pepper powder. Bring it to a boil.Put off gas.

For vagar, take oil or ghee in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds.After they splutter add jeera.Then add curry leaves & pieces of byadgi mirchi.Put off gas. Pour this vagar on the boiled soup style rasam.Serve rasam garnished with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

I found that pepper was too less.Even some more amount of rasam powder would be fine.Since carrot was added, I skipped adding jaggery or sugar.

Even onion can be pressure cooked & pureed with carrot & tomatoes. I ate rasam like soup.I have made this earlier though forgot to post it.This goes great with rice.It can be drunk like soup as well !