Tamatar Bhaath ( Tomato Rice)

How I learnt it - It was my first microwave dish which I made at home. The sweet sour taste was awesome. My hubby liked it so much that invariably for few days he would insist me to make the same tomato rice. It is a very easy recipe for the professionals who are always on the run.



Ingredients



Rice – 1 cup
Oil – 2 tbsp
Cardamoms –2 black
Cinnamon – 1’’ stick
Peppercorn – 1/2 tsp
Cloves – 2-3
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Onion (med) – 2 sliced
Garlic – 3-4 crushed
Green chillies – 2-3 slit half.
Tomato – 2 large pureed.
Salt to taste


Procedure


1. Take a heavy bottom deep pan.
2. Add oil. When hot add all the whole spices.
3. Add onion, garlic and green chilies
4. Cook till the onion is golden brown.
5. Add the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add turmeric powder, rice, salt and water.
7. Let it come to a boil than keep at low heat till the rice cooks.
8. Serve hot with raita, pickle and pappad.

Vangi Bhaath (Brinjal rice)

 

Ingredients –

rice – 2 cups  

 Brinjal – 3 med size               

Bay leaves – 2

green chilies – 2-3 (slit)

onion – 1 chop fine      

tomato puree – ¾ cup    oil – ½ cup

fresh grated coconut – 4 tbsp

fresh coriander leaves – 2tbsp.

 

Masala to grind

 

Coriander powder -1tbsp   

Cumin powder – 1tsp

Red chilly powder – 1tsp

Pepper powder – ¼ tsp

Garlic – 3-4                   ginger – 1 inch

Cardamom – 2               clove – 2-3

Lemon juice- 2tsp

1. Add the above masalas with grated coconut, fresh coriander leaves and grind it in the mixer to a fine paste.

Procedure

 

1. Soak rice in water for sometime.

2. Wash the brinjal and cut them round shape .  Apply salt to brinjal and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the brinjal pieces. Fry till golden brown.

4. Take a heavy bottomed pan . Add the remaining oil. Sauté with bay leaves, chopped onion, and green chilies. Mix well.

5. Add the ground masala paste, tomato puree and salt to taste. Stir it and keep moving till the oil leaves the side of the pan.

6. Add rice and mix well for 1-2 min.

7. Add 4 cups of water and let it come to boil.

8. Add  the lemon juice and cover the pan half and let it cook.

9. Cut few brinjal roundels into four pieces and add to the rice after the rice is almost done.

10. Once the rice is cooked garnish with the remaining fried brinjals on the top.

11. Serve hot with raita, pickle and pappad.

 

 

 

 

 

Pulihara (Tamarind Rice)

 

An Andhra recipe cooked during festivals……..

 

HOW  I LEARNT IT -   My colleague in Bangalore college used to get this dish in her lunch box. She used the traditional spices and it tasted so good that we would swap our lunch boxes. One day she came home and cooked it for me.

 

Ingredients

 

Rice-  1 cup (cooked)

Tamarind  paste – 4 tbsp

Jaggery – lemon sized

Ground nut – 3 tbsp

Urd dal –  1tsp

Channa dal – 1tsp

Red chillies – 3-4

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Asafoetida (hing)– a pinch

Ginger paste-  1 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves-  6-7

Salt to taste

Oil – 3 tbsp 

 

Procedure

 

1. Make the tamarind paste by boiling tamarind pulp.

2. Once the pulp thickens into paste, add some salt, turmeric powder and jaggery in the paste

3. Boil for some more time.

 

Saute

 

1. Heat groundnut oil/ refined oil in a pan .Add mustard seeds, Red chilies and Asafoetida (hing).

2. Add a bit of urad dal, channa dal and ground nuts. Roast properly.

3. Add curry leaves and a paste of ginger and green chilies into the pan Fry them properly in oil.

4. Add the tamarind paste. If the paste is thick add little water to it. Cook it till it leaves oil on the sides of the pan. Add the cooked rice along with the tamarind paste. Mix well.(Salt can be further added according to taste)

 

 

Tip: Can roast a bit of fenugreek seeds (methi) and mustard seeds, powder them and add them to the paste and then mix with rice. It adds a good flavour but turns bitter if the quantity of mustard or fenugreek seeds (methi) is more.