Vegetable Biryani

Remember those days when Vegetarians(mainly the bachelors)traveling abroad carried a lot of homemade pastes,MTR ready to eats,easy to cook meals etc,often attracting the attention of the customs.This made me wonder if it was indeed difficult to survive as a “veggie” in the US? It’s a common misconception people have about the scarcity of Vegetarian food.Things have changed dramatically in the past few years owing to an increase in the Indian Immigrant population.Most restaurants cater to the needs of vegetarians giving them a fair deal.Two days back, P and I we went to TGIF and were bowled over seeing a customized menu card for “vegetarians”.

Of course there are times when we have to compromise on our likings, like am fond of Burgers and I don’t find any Veggie ones in any of the Burger joints like a Mc Donalds,Wendys or even in Burger King.I cudn’t care less as there are many other things to indulge on and enjoy.

I belong to school of thought that any food with the right blend of spices and timely cooking will taste as good regardless of whether it has meat or not.And I enjoy conversations with my ardent Non vegetarian friends on the same.Recently,a friend of mine argued on Biryani being the best when cooked with meat.According to him, a true Biryani is with either Mutton or Chicken and there is no such thing called Vegetable Biryani .While I can understand the tastebuds of my fellow Non Veg friends,I took it as a friendly challenge and made this spicy,aroma filled “Vegetable Biryani”(Basmati Rice layered with spices and vegetables).The word “Biryani” is a Persian word which means “fried before cooking”.This is a very popular dish in India,Pakistan,Iraq(my recent visit to a Kurdish restaurant helped me taste some,will talk about it in my next post),Afghanistan etc.There are also different types of Biryani ,Hyderabadi Biryani being the most popular one. Needless to say this was a royal dish for the Nawabs and Nizams.

I did mention about the origin of Pulao in my earlier post on “Tawa Pulao”.The difference between a Pulao and Biryani is – In Pulao the vegetables and rice are stirred/mixed before cooking,where as in Biryani the vegetables and rice are layered during cooking.And also Biryani is made more spicy and colorful,thus being my fav one too!

Prep Time – 20min
Start to Finish – 45-50min
Servings – 5

Ingredients :

For the masala (to be grinded to a smooth paste)

Ginger – an inch
Garlic – 2 large pods
Red Onion – 1
Tomato – 1 small
Poppy seed – 2 tbsp
Mint leaves – a few leaves
Coriander leaves – 2tbsp
Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Main Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Ghee – 6 tbsp
Bay leaf – 1
Red Onion – 1 (sliced)
Cashewnuts and Raisins – 3 tbsp (roasted in li’l bit of ghee)
Tomatoes – 2 chopped (I used Roma tomatoes)
Boiled Vegetables (Carrots,French Beans,Peas,Cauliflower,Potato) – 2- 3 cups chopped to an inch thickness
Black Pepper corns – 1 tsp
Milk – 3 tbsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
Cilantro – 3 tbsp
Saffron – a pinch(soak in 3 tbsp warm milk/water)
Cinnamon – 2 sticks
Cardamom – 4 nos
Salt to taste

Method :

1.Cook rice along with salt and ensure each and every grain is separated. Mix saffron and allow it to cool.
2.Heat Ghee (4 tbsp),add Bay leaf,Cinnamon Sticks,Cardamom,Pepper corns and Onions. Saute the Onions until translucent,add the masala paste(already grinded),turmeric powder and Coriander powder. When you see the Oil separating from the sides,add the tomatoes and sauté for few minutes.
3.Now add the boiled vegetables,salt and coriander leaves.Cook for a while until you see the veggies completely coated with the masalas.If needed, you may add ½ cup of water.
4.Preheat the oven to 375F,on a large baking pan,smear ghee(remaining) in the bottom,spread one layer of cooked rice,cashewnuts and raisins and then spread li’l bit of the vegetable gravy on top,thus forming layers of vegetables,nuts and rice.End it with the rice,sprinkle milk and ½ tsp of ghee on the top.
5.Cover and bake for 20min.Serve hot along with raita.Also, if you wish you may turn it upside down before serving.

The Rice already has salt in it,hence be careful when you add salt to the veggies.You may also add grated Paneer at the end,this would give a richer taste.And trust me,after baking the Aroma that it brings is simple mind blowing.

This is off to “Ravishing Rice” event hosted my Nags of the Edible Garden,originally started by Meeta of Monthly mingle

Spinach Rice

I am very fussy when it comes to food.My Mom always says that its too difficult to please me:-D Am lucky to marry someone who is just the opposite to me. My Husband doesn’t mind anything I cook,so I don’t bother asking him what he likes to have,what to make etc. I had some green Onions at home and the first thing that came to my mind was “Fried Rice”.Since I had frozen Spinach also,I wanted to come up with something new. I tried making “Spinach Rice” and it turned out well. This is also a healthy dish, coz Spinach is rich in Iron & Calcium

Ingredients:-

Frozen Spinach – 1 cup
Onions – 1 small(chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1tsp
Green Chillies – 4-5 (crushed)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp
Green Onions – 1/2 cup chopped
Basmati Rice – 2 cups(cooked)
Salt – As per taste

1.Cook the Frozen Spinach as per the insturctions mentioned in the packet. Squeeze excess water and set aside.
2.Heat Oil in a wok,add ginger garlic paste,Green chillies & Onions one after the other
3.When the Onions turn translucent add the Soy Sauce and Stir for a min or two.
4.Drop the chopped green Onions and spinach.
4.Allow it to cook for about 5mins and add rice. Add salt and mix well.

Serve Hot!

I always grind Green Chillies in abundance and refrigerate it,its easy to use it as & when required. I believe adding salt to it helps to keep it for longer.

Mixed Rice Noodles

It has been days since I’ve written anything. Before I hit the bed, I keep thinking of all the things that I did during the day and there is nothing much I cud think off, coz “I did nothing”. I’ve been procrastinating blogging for days. I shouldn’t be saying that I was extremely busy and had absolutely no time for blogging…..this isn’t right as I have/had all the time in the world….its jes that “ I’ve become tooooo lazy” these days.

The winter here is killing me,temperature is like 0F…its horribly cold. Probably it’s the weather that’s making me lazy. However things go, the time I spend in Kitchen doesn’t change. I still enjoy cooking, my husband ends up being the guinea pig most times.:-P

I remember eating Noodles and Rice together in a Chinese Restaurant in India, I seldom remember the name. I came up with my own recipe by just keeping the taste in mind.

Anyways,I call this Mixed Rice Noodles.

Ingredients:-

Chinese Noodles – 1/2 pkt (I picked up the Veg Hakka Noodles from the Indian Grocery)
Basmati Rice – ½ cup cooked
Capsicum – ½ cup(sliced)
Cabbage – ½ cup(thinly sliced)
French Beans & Carrots – ½ cup ( thinly sliced)
Onions – 1 cup (diced)
Ginger Garlic and Green chillies paste – 1tbsp
Crushed peanuts – ¼ cup (optional)
Spring Onions – ¼ cup(finely chopped)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce – 2 tsp
Salt – as per taste

Method:-

1.Cook the noodles as per the instructions in the cover.
2.Heat oil in a large wok,drop in the ginger garlic and green chilli paste(I grinded all the three together)and saute the chopped Onions and Capsicum till they turn soft and glazed.Add the veggies on to it.
3.Once they are done, add the soy sauce. Saute it for about 2mins and add the noodles.Toss well.Peanuts can be added before adding the noodles(this is optional)
4.Now add the rice and salt.Sauté for about 5-6mins & garnish it with spring onions and serve hot.

This goes well with Gobi/Veg Manchoorian or any other gravy(chinese cuisine)!Ensure the cooked rice doesn’t stick to each other.Instead of Basmati Rice,regular rice can also be used.

This is off to Trupti‘s Winter Treat Event.

Tawa Pulao

The best day of the week is “Friday”. Throughout the week, I keep waiting for this day coz I get to go out and have loadsa fun…be it movies, catching up with friends, eating out, shopping etc. Unfortunately, yesterday (a Friday) my husband was too busy with work and we cudn’t do much. I was a li’l disappointed . Offlate I have been moody,irritable, li’l stressed out too…boredom totally kills me. Cooking is one of the few things that interest me and completely helps me to relieve my stress.

Cooking is an art. There is something really relaxing about chopping Onions,Baking a cake,enjoying the aromas while cooking etc. At the end of a good meal, I see him smile, licking his fingers and appreciating me ……these l’il things give me immense joy which again helps me reduce my stress. He has really been very understanding and kind.He is a wonderful gift to me and am really grateful.

Now that I couldn’t go out I wanted to make something special, something simple yet different. I asked my husband about his preference and he wanted to have Pulao. When I thought of Pulao, too many things came to my mind…I mean the variety.There are different kinds of Pulao like….Vegetable Pulao,Peas Pulao,Paneer Pudina Pulao,Spinach Pulao,Tofu Pulao,Tomato Pulao etc. As mentioned I wanted to make a different kind of Pulao which is spicy,easy to make and colorful too.

I believe “Pulao” is a word of Persian Origin.In India it is also called as “Pulav”.
After alot of thinking,I made “Tawa Pulao” and served it hot with Raita.We relished it and at the end of the dinner, we felt as though we had a great feast!

Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice – 1 cup ( cooked)
Butter – 1 tsp
For the Masala:
Mixed Vegetable – 2 cups chopped (1” piece) (You may use Carrots,French Beans ,Cauliflower and Peas)
Onion – 1 Large (finely chopped)
Tomato – 2 Large (finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green Chillies – 6 (either very finely chopped or grinded)
Cumin Seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Pav Bhaji Masala – 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice – ½ tsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :-

1.Boil the vegetables in a Kadai till 3/4th done. Don’t over cook because we are going to let it to cook again.
2.Heat butter in a Nonstick Tawa/Kadai,add Cumin seeds,Ginger Garlic Paste and Green Chillies .Saute it for about 10 seconds.
3.Add the chopped Onions and sauté till it turns pink. Now add the tomato and mash it with a spoon (you can also use the Pav Bhaji masher).It should be like a thick gravy.
4.Add Red Chilli powder,Pav Bhaji Masala and sauté it for 2 -3 mins.
5.Add the boiled vegetables and salt. Close the lid and allow it to cook. Do not mash the vegetables.
6.The above is the Masala/Bhaji used for the Pulao, keep it aside.
7.In a large Pan/Tawa, add a tsp of Butter and the Masala . Saute it for few seconds and then add the cooked/boiled rice. Mix well. Ensure that the rice is mixed well. Heat the Tawa Bhaji over high heat and sprinkle lemon juice before serving .Garnish with Coriander leaves.

The Basmati Rice shouldn’t be sticky.The spice level can be increased as per individuals taste. I grinded the green chillies so that I din’t have to pay much attention while eating.Tawa Pulao is also one of the popular street foods in Mumbai.