Beetroot Rice

Beetroots are a rich source of antioxidants and filled with nutrients, and they can be used in multiple ways like  salads, juices, making patties for sandwich, and with rice. Today i have used beets with rice, so called Beetroot rice. 

Ingredients :

• Cooked Rice - 2 cups
• Beetroot - 2 (grated or chopped into small pieces)
• Onion - 1 (chopped )
• Tomato - 1 (chopped)
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves 
• Green chillies - 3 to 4
• Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut -  1/4 cup (grated)
• Salt - for taste
• Oil - 2 tsp

Method :

1. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal. Let the mustard seeds crackle then add curry leaves and green chillies.
2. Add onions fry untill turns light brown. Then add ginger & garlic paste, chopped tomatoes and fry well.
3. Add the grated/chopped beetroot, mix well add 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and required salt. Cover it with a lid and cook until  the betroot gets cooked.Water gets fully absorbed at the end.
4. Add the grated coconut and mix well for a minute and switch off the flame.
5. Once it is done add the cooked rice, sprinkle needed salt and mix well.
6. Beetroot Rice is now ready to serve. Enjoy !!!! 

Tips :

• You can also add green peas with the beetroot. 
• You can also add some extra spices for your choice.

Beetroot

Spinach and Carrot Pulav

Spinach offers twice as much fiber as other greens. It is a good source of iron & loaded with vitamins and minerals, some of which are hard to find in other foods. 

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice - 2  cups 
• Spinach - 2 cups (chopped)
• Carrot - 1 cup (grated)
• Onion - 1 (chopped)
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon - 1 inch 
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamom -  2
• Fennel seeds (sombu) - 1/4 tsp
• Green chillies - 4 
• Ginger & Garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 2 strands
• Mint leaves - 1 handful
• Coriander leaves - 1 handful
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - as per taste
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp

Method :

1. Wash and soak the rice for 10 min and then drain the water completely. Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pan  and fry the rice till it does not stick to the pan in a medium flame and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil and ghee in a pan add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Then add onions fry untill becomes golden brown color. Now add ginger & garlic paste saute until raw smell goes. Add mint and coriander leaves and mix well. 
3. Now add spinach and carrot fry for some time atleast 5 min. Add chilli powder and mix well.
4. Add 3 cups of water. Let the mixture come to boil. Now add rice and required salt. Mix everything well.
5. In this stage reduce the flame, close the pan and cook  till all the water gets absorbed. Check in between so that it doesn't get burnt.
6. Now pressure cook the rice for 3 whistles and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.
7. Spinach & Carrot Pulav is ready to eat. Serve with raita, papad or your favourite curry.

Chicken Briyani

Ingredients :

• Chicken - 1/2 kg 
• Basmathi Rice - 2 cups
• Big Onion - 2 (size - medium, chopped)
• Tomato - 2 (chopped)
• Coconut milk - 1 cup  + 2 cups water
• Green cillies - 3
• Mint leaves - 1 handful
• Coriander leaves - 1 handful
• Cloves - 4 
• Cardamom - 2
• Cinnamon - 2 pieces
• Bay leaf - 2 small pieces
• Fennel seeds(sombu)  - 1 tsp
• Salt
• Oil

For Marination :

• Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Thick Curd - 1/4 cup
• Briyani masala - 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt - 1 tsp

Method :

1. Cut the chicken pieces to the required size. Wash it, drain the water completely and marinate with the items given in 'for marination'. Let it get marinated for 1 hr or overnight in fridge.  
2. Wash and soak the rice for 10 min and then drain the water completely. Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pan  and fry the rice till it does not stick to the pan in a medium flame and keep aside.
3. Heat 2tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of ghee in another pan add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, fennel seeds. Now add the onions, little salt fry untill becomes golden brown. Then add ginger & garlic paste, mint leaves and tomatoes cook for few minutes.
4. Then add the marinated chicken pieces mix well  in a medium flame for 2 min. Now reduce the flame and cover it with a lid, let the chicken get cook for 5 min.
5. Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 2 cups of water. Let the mixture come to boil. Now add rice and required salt. Mix everything well.
6. In this stage reduce the flame, close the pan and cook for 7 min(cook till all the water gets absorbed). Check in between so that it doesn't get burnt.
7. In another stove heat the dosa tawa in a medium flame. Open the lid after 7 min mix everything well. Now reduce the flame tobe very low. 
8. Now close the pan with the hot dosa tawa so that the top portion gets cooked by the heat of the tawa. Heat of the tawa will be there for 5 min. If you have another tawa, can be used side by side. (If you dont have another tawa dont worry, heat this tawa one more time and put it on the top).By the second time the briyani will be cooked.Garnish with coriander leaves.Now chicken briyani is ready to eat.
9. Serve chicken briyan along with  raita. 

Tips :

• You can also prepare chicken briyani without adding coconut milk. Instead of that add same amount of water.
• If you dont have the dosa tawa to put on the top, after the water gets absorbed (step 6), close the pan with lid and cook for 5 min more in low flame stirring in between, if not cook for some more time.
• Dont forget to add the mint leaves, it gives  good taste & flavour to briyani.

Capsicum Rice

Capsicum

Ingredients :

• Rice - 1 Cup
• Capsicum - 1 (thin sliced)
• Red Chillies - 2 
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1
• Peanuts (roasted) - 2 tsp 
• Curry leaves - 5 no
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Butter/Ghee/Oil - 2 tsp
• Salt

Method :

1. Heat the pan and dry roast(without oil) the ingredients Red chillies, Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds, Urad dal in a medium flame until turns light brown and the good flavour comes from these spices. Finally add the roasted peanuts and combine with the other spices for few seconds and turn off heat. Once cool add the Garam masala to that and grind to a coarse powder (not fine powder).
2. Heat the butter in a pan and add sliced Capsicum. Dont over cook them, lets the capsicum retains their crunchy texture. Add salt to taste and combine well and cook for few minutes.
3. Add the dry roast powder and let it cook for another 1 min and turn off heat.
4. Add the cooked rice and mix it well till all the masala coated well with rice and  garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with Yogurt or Chips or Papad (appalam)

Tips :

• You can use any color(red ,yellow) of Capsicum or you can use mixed color of capsicum.

Coriander Rice

Ingredients :

• Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
• Rice (basmathi / sona masoori) - 2 cups
• Green chillies - 3
• Coconut - 1 1/2 tsp (grated)
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Asafoetida - little
• Red chillies - 2
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1 (chopped into thin slices)
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste

Method :

1. Remove the stems from the coriander bunch. Wash the coriander leaves and chopped finely.
2. Grind the Coriander leaves, green chillies and coconut to coarse paste.
3. Cook the rice separately.
4. Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and ginger garlic paste.
5. Then add sliced onions to the fry until it turns brown. Then add the ground paste and salt. Fry until the raw smell disappears.
6. Then add the cooked rice and mix well.
7. Serve with raita or chips or papad.

The flavour will be a true delight for coriander lovers !!

Note :

• You can also add green peas to the coriander rice