Baked Rice

Give me good basmathi, some spices and some vegi. I am sure I can make a rice dish out of it. So when I see ideas from my blogging friends that has rice as the staring ingredient I have tto try those. The rice dish I tried today was an an inspiration from this post. I liked the idea of baking the rice so I tried it with my standard pulav recipe. I cook my pulav on the stove top so I have more control over it. You can surely do it in a cooker.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup basmathi rice - Wash and soak it before you start your prep work
- 2 cups mixed vegetable - (I used beans, carrots, peas and bell peppers, frozen black eye peas.)
- 1 cup small onion pealed.
- 1 big onion cut pealed and cut to round slices
- 3-4 potatoes cooked and cut to round slices
- whole spices (2 anise seed, small piece of Cinnamon stick, 2 black cardamom, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp jeera seeds, fewe cloves)
- 2 tsp puluv/biriyani masala
- 2 green chilies slit
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste.

Method:
1. In a large pan (you need a pan to hold the vegis and rice) add the oil. Once hot add all the whole masala and cook till they turn brown.
2. Now add the small onions and saute till the outer layer changes color. Add rest of the vegetable and toss it around.
3. Mix in your spice powders (turmeric, biriyani masala, chili powder). Add salt to this and let it all cook for a few minutes. Now add the soaked rice to this vegetable. Add 2 cups of water. Bring this to a boil. Once it starts to boil reduce the heat and cover the pan.
4. Cook for 5-7 minutes. The rice should be three fourth's done by now. Turn off the stove.
5. In a separate bowl add the sliced potatoes and onion. Add some salt, little bit of chili powder and 1 tsp of oil. Toss them all around. This adds flavor to these vegetables.
6. In a oven safe dish spray some oil and add the cooked rice. Arrange the slices of potato and onion. Add 1/2 cup of water to this. Now cover this and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Now serve it hot with your favorite raita or subji.

Sending it to book marked reciepe hosted by Priya

Kadambam

I happened to see this recipe in one of the Tamil cooking chanels. The reason I was attracted to this recipe is because you make something like sambar rice but without any toor dhal in it. Typically toor dhal is the main ingredient but not in this one. To top it this is a perfect one pot meal.

Ingredients :
- 1 cup rice cooked
- 1 eggplant cut to pieces
- 1 small sweet potato cut to pieces
- 1 small white pumpkin
- few beans
- 2 tbsp black channa dhal
- 1/4 cup whole green moong dhal
- 1/4 cup black eye peas
- 1 lemon size tamarind soaked and juice extracted
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- salt to taste

Fry and grind:
- 3 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp urad dhal
- 2 tbsp channa dhal
- 5- 6 dried red chillies

Seasoning:
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp jeera
- curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp hing powder
- oil to taste.

Method:
1. Soak all the dhals (black channa, whole moong and black eye peas) the previous night. Cook till they become soft.
2. In another big vessel add all the vegetables, tamarind extract, turmeric powder and salt. Cook till it becomes soft.
3. Now add the ground powder and let it boil for a few minutes. Add the dhal and rice finally and boil it for 5 - 10 minuts.
4. In a separate pan add the oil and the ingredients for seasoning. Once they splutter add it to the cooked rice. Serve this hot with raita or papad.

Variation: 1 - Make small urad bhoda and add them to the rice at the end. This makes the rice a little bit richer.

Sending it to book marked reciepe hosted by Priya

Tofu & vegei Green puluv

Tofu - You either love it or hate it but it is good for you. So I am trying to incorprate it in my day to day cooking. I got some of the Extra Firm tofu and I wanted to do something different. I came across this recipe in Honey What's Cooking and I absolutely fell in love with it. With some modifications to suit our taste here is how I did it.
Ingredients:
- 1 pacakage Tofu (see notes)
- 2 cups of mixed vegetable (I used mostly green vegetables like capsicum, peas, beans etc)
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 1 tsp roasted coriander powder (Grind this fresh for the best flavor)
- 1 cup basmathi rice (Wash this and keep it aside for at least 10 min)
- salt to taste

Grind to make a paste
- 1 bunch corriander
- 1 bunch mint leaves(optional but it tastes better with it)
- 2-3 green chilies (adjust to taste)
- small piece of ginger

Seasoning:
- whole garammasala (I used few cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 anise seed)
- 1 tsp Jeera
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- oil as needed

Method:
1. In a pan pour oil and add the chopped tofu. Cook until it becomes golden brown on both sides. Take some for garnish and mash the rest to tiny bits using the back of your spoon. Remove from the heat and toss it with a little bit of the ground chutney, salt and coriander powder.
2. Add more oil to the pan and all the ingredients for seasoning. Once the jeera starts to splutter a bit drop in your onion. Fry till golden brown. Toss in the rest of the vegi and toss it around.
3. Add the soaked rice and mix it well. Mix in the remaining ground mixture and add two cups of water,salt and coriander powder. Bring this to a boil.
4. Now reduce the heat to a medium, cover and cook for 20 minutes. While cooking if you feel it is too dry then add another 1/4 th cup of water.
5. Once the rice is tender remove from the heat and fluff it with a fork. Garnish with the cubed tofu that you had set aside. Serve it hot with cold raita.

Note: Tofu - I have used both extra firm and medium firm tofu. With extra firm you can garnish in the end with big pieces like I have shown in the picture. With medium tofu it becomes more like egg fired rice as they are easy to scramble

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipe's hosted by Priya.

Red lentil puluv

I love cooking with red lentils. They cook really fast and they taste great. This is an easy one pot meal where you mix your dhal, rice and vegetables. It is slightly different from our traditional kichidi which is just dhal and rice for the most part.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 cup rice (If you prefer more dhal then reduce rice to 3/4 cup)
- Mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, cauliflower) to suit your taste
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
- small piece of cinnamon stick
- few cloves
- 1 anise seed (I love the smell)
- 1 tsp oil
- few drops of ghee
- 1-2 green chilies (Slit into half)
- 1/4 tsp of ginger

Method:

1. Wash and soak the lentils and rice in water for 10 - 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare your vegetables. Cut all the vegetables to the same size so they cook easily.
2. In a wide pan pour the oil and ghee. Once it becomes hot add your seasoning ingredients. Wait till they turn slightly brown. Add your ginger and chilies last.
3. Now add the onion. Saute till it becomes slightly limp. Add the rest of vegetables and give them a quick toss.
4. Add the soaked lentils and rice. Mix it all well. Now add water. I start with 2 cups of water. Bring this to a boil and now reduce the stove to a medium heat.
5. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Do not walk away from this. You might need to add some water if you find the rice to be undercooked. Typically I add a 1/2 cup more water.

Remove from the heat, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with a few drops of ghee for added flavor.

(Note: You can make this dish using your pressure cooker too)

Sending this lovely recipe to My Legume Love affair - MLA#30 hosted by Priay of Mharo Rajasthan Recipes. The event was started by Susan

Green Rice

This is an easy green rice that I stumbled upon when I was browsing Aayis blog. I think it is pretty ingenious use of spinach in a rice item. I typically cook this rice with just cilantro leaves and some mint. But the addition of Spinach makes this more healthy and also adds little bit more body to the sauce. Made some modifications to suit our taste.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice soaked for 30 minutes
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 onion
- 1 cup mixed vegetable (I just used frozen peas and carrots)
- 4-5 green chilies
- small piece of ginger pealed
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1 tsp garam masala
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- few cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp oil

Method:
1. Grind spinach, cilantro, ginger, chilies, coconut to a fine paste. Do not add too much water.
2. Now in a huge vessel add oil and all the seasoning ingredients. Once they turn slightly brown add the onions and fry till it becomes soft. Add the ground paste. Fry till you see oil separate from the sides.
3. Add the vegetables and toss them around till the sauce coats all the vegetables. Now add the rice and salt. Give this a good mix.
4. Pour in two cups of water and let it all come to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover it. Cook it until the rice becomes fluffy. This takes around 20 minutes. Check in between to see if it has enough water. If not add some more. Serve it hot with raita or pappad.

An alternate method is to skip coconut and instead add coconut milk. So instead of two cups of water cook it in 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup water. This makes a richer and creamier rice. Perfect for parties.

Sprouts puluv

After checking out chef in you site I was also inspired to sprout some beans. I tried mung and moth beans. So now I add it in my toddler's rice when I boil other vegetables. Then when I checked out the recipe for moth sprouts rice recipe in chef in you, I wanted to try it out. I made some changes and tried it out for this weekend. To go with it I made kofta curry. We enjoyed a healthy and tasty meal. Check out the original recipe here.

Ingredients

-2 cloves garlic
-4 green chillie
-1 small piece ginger
-6-7 mini sweet bell pepper
-1 cup sprouts (I used a combination of moth and mung sprouts)
-3-4 cloves
-2-3 bay leaves
-1 small stick cinnamon
-5-6 pepper
-1 tsp panch poran
-1.5 cup rice
-2.5 cup water
-3 tbsp oil
-3 spring onions
-1.5 tsp kitchen king masala
-Salt to taste

Method

1.Soak rice in water for 1/2 hour.
2.Add oil to a hot frying pan. Once the oil is hot add panch poran,clove,bay leaves, cinnamon,pepper.
3.Once the panch poran splutters add garlic,ginger and green chillie. Fry it for 1-2 min.
3.Add spring onions and fry for few min. Then add the bell pepper and the sprouts. Fry this for 3-4 min.
4.Drain the water from the rice and add it to the pan. Add 2.5 cups water. Adjust water according to your rice. Add salt and garam masala and mix it well.
5.Close the pan and keep the stove in medium heat.
6.Check after 15 min to see if the rice has cooked. You can add water if the rice is not cooked yet.
7.Garnish with coriander

Serve it with raita or any spicy side dish.

This dish is going to the wonderful event My Legume Love Affair hosted by Siri and started by Susan
I am also sending this to Priya's Easy N Tasty - Let's sprout event.
Also sending this to one of my favorite event Tried and Tested hosted by Priya and started by Delights of Cooking

Beetroot Rice

This is a healthy and yummy rice. Very easy to put together and I absolutely love the color.
Ingredients:
- 2 beetroot peeled and chopped (I included the greens and the stem on the top and chopped them finely and added it.)
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 green chili chopped
- 1 cup peas
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp roasted jeera powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1 cup rice washed
- 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- 1 tsp oil
- few cloves
- 1 tsp jeera
few curry leaves

Method:
1. In a pot add oil and the seasoning ingredients. Once they brown add the peanuts and fry it. They should become slightly crisp.
2. Now add the chilies, onions and fry them till they turn slightly brown. Add the chopped beetroot pour 1/4th cup of oil and cook till it is half cooked.
3. Now mix in the greens and the stem. Also add the peas now. Mix in the uncooked rice. Add all the masala (garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder) and salt. Mix it in and cook for a couple of minutes
4. Now add 2 cups of hot water. Bring down the heat cover and cook till the rice becomes soft.
5. Add the chopped methi leaves and coriander leaves and mix them all well.

Serve it hot with raita or pickles.

Tawa pulao

Have you ever had small pieces of vegetable lying in your fridge. I try to use them all but sometimes it is just too much. My fridge will start filling up with random sized pieces of sorry looking vegetables. The best way in my mind is to make a pulao out of it. There are endless posibilites in creating these. You can make them with leftover subji's and rice and give them a new life. I came across Tawa pulao from Chef in you. She had used pav baji masala. I have never tried this combination so I figured I will make this for my dinner and use up my vegetables.

Ingredients:
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped finely
- 1 carrot grated
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp Pav Bhaji masala
- 1/2 cup frozen french cut beans (The recipe called for peas)
- 2-3 green chillies (or as needed)
- 2 inch ginger, grated
- 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
- about 1 cup cooked rice

Seasoning:
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 cloves
- 1 tbsp oil

Method:
1. In a pan add oil and all the seasoning ingredients. Once the cumin seeds starts to splutter add ginger and chiles. Saute for a few seconds and then add the onions. Cook till the onions turn color.
2. Mix in the chopped tomatoes and cover the pan. Let it simmer till the tomatoes turn mushy. Now add the spices - turmeric powder, pav baji masala, chili powder if using and salt.
3. Cook for a few minutes and stir in the beans. In about 30 seconds turn the heat down and mix in the cooked rice. Do not over mix it as we do not want the rice to break. Use a fork and be gentle when you mix in the rice.
4. Finally add the grated carrots in and give it a toss

Serve it hot with subji or raita

Sending this recipe to What's lurking in your kitchen hosted by Nupur of One Hot Stove.
Also sending this to one of my favorite event Tried and Tested hosted by Priya and started by Delights of Cooking

This one also goes to Healing food hosted by started by sri

Brown Rice puli pongal

After reading various blogs our family decided we will try a week with various grains. So the rule is we will eat a different grain for all the day of the week. I am starting the week with a big bang. My all time favorite puliyodarai. I have good memories of my family going on road trips stopping near a field and eating puliyodari and curd rice. I think my liking for the dish is partly these memories. I did not have pulicachal so it was kind of my make up puliyodari with brown rice.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of brown rice
- small lemon size tamarind - extract 2 cups of water
- 4-5 dried red chilies
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp urad dhal
- 1 tsp channa dhal
- 3 tbsp peanuts
- 1/4 tsp hing powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp oil - You can add more oil if you want.
- salt to taste.

Method:
1. Soak brown rice for 1/2 hour and cook it till it becomes tender. I pour close to 4 cups of water and microwave it for 30 minutes
2. In a pan add the mustard seeds and once it starts to splutter add urad dhal, channa dhal, peanuts, red chilies, curry leaves and fry till they turn color. Now add turmeric and hing powder.
3. After 30 seconds add the tamarind water, salt and let it boil. You need to give this at least 10 minutes otherwise your tamrind water will have a raw smell.
4. Now reduce the heat add the brown rice and mix it well. Cook it for another 3 minutes and take it off the heat.

Tastes well with any vegetable curry.

Brown Rice Sambar Sadam

According to about.com Brown rice is simply white rice that has not had the brown-colored bran covering removed. So brown rice is considered a whole grain. One cup of brown rice has 3 1/2 grams of fiber while the same amount of white rice has less than one gram of fiber. Brown rice also contains nutrients like magnesium, manganese, and zinc.

Even after reading and understanding the greatness of brown rice I don't like it too much. I grew up in an Indian household where we ate fluffy soft white rice. For me to give up that and move to brown rice is really hard. So I try all sorts of ways to hide the taste of brown rice. The inspiration for this dish came from Vegi Inspirations and one trick I learnt from her is to soak brown rice for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This makes the rice soft. To enjoy brown rice I convert it to a sambar rice with traditional sambar powder and a some fresh ground masala to top it. With fresh vegetables ( I clear my fridge and add whatever I can find) and the fresh masala this becomes an enjoyable and healthy dinner. For this recipe I used Mahatma Long Grain Brown Rice.



Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup moong or thoor dhal (I tried both and they both taste yummy)
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cup chopped vegetables - You can use any type of vegetables (I have used red pepper, beetroot, sweet potato, tomatoes, Raw tomatoes/tomato kai, boiled black eye peas..)
- 1 cup thick tamrind water
- 1 tsp sambar powder
- Salt to taste

Roast and grind
- 2 tsp channa dhal
- 1 tsp methi seeds
- 2-3 red chili
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds

Seasoning:
- 1 tspn oil
- 1 tsp methi seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp hing powder
- 2-3 green chilies
- few curry leaves


Method:
1. Soak the rice and dhal for at least 30 minutes. Pressure cook this till it becomes soft. I microwaved this in 5 cups of water and it took me 40 minutes.
2. In a pan pour oil and fry mustard seeds, hing powder and methi seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter and methi seeds turns color add the chillies, curry leaves and onions. Fry till they become soft.
3. Add tomatoes, and the other vegetables. Fry for a few minutes. Now and the tamarind water, sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for another 5-8 minutes.
4. Now stir in the cooked rice and dhal and boil this mixture in a low flame for 15 minutes. Brown rice is very thick so it takes time for it to cook and mix well.
6. Add the ground masala mixture to this and mix it well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and it should be perfect to serve.

Note: I liked the addition of beetroot and sweet potato as it gives the rice a unique color and flavor. If you don't like this combination you can stick to vegetables like eggplant, okra, peas tomatoes and radish. This is optional but you can add a teaspoon of brown sugar to the dish. It makes the rice spicy, sweet and sour at the same time.

This is my addition to show me your whole grain hosted by Dil Se

Methi Rice - South Indian Style

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked basmathi rice
- 1 bunch methi cleaned and chopped
- 1 small onion chopped to small pieces
- 1 small lemon size tamarind - One cup tamarind extract
- 2 tsp sambar podi
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2-4 red chilies
- 1 tsp urad dhal
- 1 tbsp channa dhal
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:
1. In a pan pour oil and add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter then add channa dhal, urad dhal, peanuts and red chilies.
2. Once the seasonings turn golden brown add the onions. Fry till they become soft. Now add the methi leaves and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Mix in salt, turmeric, sambar podi/powder and tamarind extract and let it all boil. You should boil until the water evaporates and it becomes a paste.
4. Before serving add the rice and mix with the paste and serve it hot.

Note: If you want you can make bigger batches. Store the paste for a few days in the refrigerator and mix it with rice when you are ready to use it.

Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked rice cooled (I use basmathi rice)
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 bell peppers chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 2-3 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 egg (optional)
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1-2 tsp chili sauce (adjust this to taste)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vegetable oil or seaseme oil (I used vegetable oil)
- salt to taste
- Green onions for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Chop the vegetables to about the same size so you can cook them evenly. Keep everything ready before you turn on the stove as the cooking is done really fast.
2. In a large pan or wok add oil and once the oil is heated add the onions. Fry for a minute then add the bell peppers, carrots and salt. The pan should be sizzling hot. Cook them for 3-4 minutes
3. Move the vegetables to one side and add the egg. Start scrambling it and as the pan is really hot it scrambles in about 30 seconds. Mix the egg with the other vegetables. Now add the snow peas, cabbage and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add rice mix it well with the vegetables. Add soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce. Mix them well.
5. Finely add your bean sprouts - This cooks really fast so you want to add it in the last minute.
6. Finally remove from the heat and garnish with scallions/Green onions

Serve it hot with Gobi Manchurian.

Note: You can add garlic to this recipe. As we are not big garlic eaters I typically skip that step.

Sambar Rice (with leftover sambar)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 2 cups leftover sambar
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 cup peas
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 green chilies slit
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tspn oil
- Salt to taste

Roast in a tspn of oil
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 2 tspn shredded coconut
- few curry leaves


Method:
1. In a pan pour oil and fry the chillies and onions till they become soft.
2. Add tomaotes , peas and the tamarind paste and mix it well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the left over sambar and bring it to a boil.
4. Add the rice and mix it well with the sambar. Do not leave in the heat for more then 5 minutes.
5. Finally add the fried peanuts and coconuts and curry leaves.

Serve it hot with papad and raita.

Quinoa pulao

I got the idea to experiment with quinoa after I read Susan's fatfree vegan cooking. Thank you for your suggestion. It turned out to be a fabulous dish.

Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 cups of mixed vegetable
(I used peas, carrots, capsicum, potatoes, beans)
- 1 onion
- 1 tomatoes
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp jeera
- 2 green chili slit into half
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp oil
- salt to taste

Method:
1. Clean Quinoa a couple of times. In 2 cups of water add the Quinoa. Once it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer and cook it covered for 15 minutes or until the water evaporates.
2. In a skillet pour the oil and add the cloves, jeera. Once the jeera turns brown add the chillies and onions. Fry till it becomes soft. Add tomatoes and cook till it becomes soft.
3. Add the other vegetables and cook till they turn soft. Add the garam masala and salt. Cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Add the cooked quinoa and mix it well.

Garnish it with cilantro and serve it hot. I ended serving this with some leftover sambar. Tastes almost like cracked wheat.

Capsicum Rice

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked basmathi rice
- 3-4 capsicum chopped to bite size pieces (I used yellow and green)
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tspn oil
- Salt to taste

Dry roast and grind:
- 2 tsp channa dhal
- 2 tsp urad dhal
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- few cloves
- 3 Red chillies
- 5-10 peppercorns (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds

Dry Roast
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1 tsp channa dhal
- 1 tsp oil

Method:
1. In a pan pour oil and roast the shredded coconut and channa dhal till they turn brown. Keep it aside.
2. In a separate vessel (make sure the vessel is pretty deep) add oil, peanuts, curry leaves and the chopped capsicum. Once the capsicum becomes soft add the tamarind paste and mix it well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Now add the cooked rice to the pan and mix it well.
4. Add the spice mix,the fried coconut and channa dhal and blend it until all the ingredients are incorporated well.

Serve it at room temperature with raita or tomato thoku

I store the spice mix and add it for other dishes.

Cabbage Rice

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cabbage shredded
- 1 cup peas (I used frozen peas)
- 3 tomatoes chopped to bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup boiled black eye peas
- 2 tbsp curry podi
- 1 tsp garam masala (optional)
- 1 tsp jeera powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Salt to taste

Seasoning ingredients:
- 1 tspn jeera seeds
- 5 cloves
- 2 green chilies (slit in half)
- 1 inch ginger (cut into pieces)
- sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tspn oil

Method:

1. In a pan add the oil and add all the seasoning ingredients.
2. Once they turn to a golden brown add the tomatoes. Fry till the tomato becomes soft and looses its shape. Now add the cabbage, turmeric and salt. Cook till it is tender. Finally add the frozen peas and the black eye peas. As these are already cooked they take just a couple of minutes to mix together.
3. Add curry podi, garam masala (if using), jeera powder, chili powder and rice. Mix it well so the powders are incorporated well with the rice and vegetables. Let it cook for another five minutes in low heat.

Garnish with coriander and serve it hot with raita or tomato thoku

Eggplant Rice

Ingredients:

- 1 cup cooked rice
- 3-4 long purple eggplant chopped to bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp curry podi
- Pinch of turmeric
- Salt to taste

Seasoning ingredients:

- 1/2 tspn Mustard Seeds
- 2 Red Chilies
- 1 tspn Urad dhal
- 1 tspn Channa dhal
- 2 tbspn peanuts (optional)
- Pinch of Hing powder
- Sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tspn oil

Method:

1. In a pan add the oil and add all the seasoning ingredients.

2. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter and the rest of ingredients turns to a golden brown add the chopped eggplant, turmeric and salt. Cook till it is tender. The eggplant should still hold its shape.

3. Add curry powder and rice. Mix it well so all the powder is incorporated well with the rice and eggplant.

Serve it hot with raita or tomato thoku

Carrot Rice

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked basmathi rice
- 3 cups of shredded carrots
- 1 cup shelled edamame (or) green peas
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2-3 green chillies chopped
- 3 cloves
- 1" Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4-5 peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon hing
- 1 cup roasted peanuts grounded coarsely
- 1 teaspoon chili powder

Method
1. In a heavy pan fry coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon. Grind them to a fine powder.
2. In another vessel pour oil and put in the cloves. Once it is slightly brown add hing,green chillies and onions. Fry them till the onions become translucent.
3. Add the shredded carrots, ground powder, chili powder, salt, turmeric, edamame and cook till the carrots are tender
4. Now add the cooked basmathi rice and mix well. Finally add the ground peanuts and toss the rice around.

Serve it hot. This rice is very healthy. I also add sprouted green moong dhal in this dish.