Green Pulao

Here's an interesting and tasty way to include healthy greens in your diet. This is also a very good tiffin box recipe.


Ingredients:

Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 1 or 2 (according to taste)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Basmati Rice - 1 cup (uncooked)
Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup (cooked) (carrot, beans, potato and peas)
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste 
Oil -  1 tsp


Method:

1. Cook Basmati Rice as mentioned in this recipe and keep aside - Vegetable Fried Rice.

2. Make a fine paste with the coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies and sugar.

3. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry onions, ginger and garlic till it turns translucent. 

4. Add the coriander mint paste to the onions.

5. Saute for 8-10 minutes and add cooked basmati rice and boiled vegetables.

6. Healthy green pulao is ready.

How to cook Broccoli

1.Take 4 to 5 cups of water in a vessel, add salt and bring to a boil.

2. Add Broccoli florets.

3. Switch off gas after 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Drain of excess water and keep broccoli aside for cooking.

This method makes sure broccoli is cleaned well and also ensures that it retains a crunch. Over boiling broccoli makes it very unpalatable.

Chilli Vegetable Gravy

Here is a mouth watering recipe to go with your Chinese rice recipes. The crispy and crunchy vegetables in the sweet and sour gravy are sure to impress even a person who does not like veggies.

Ingredients:

Broccoli - 1 flower (1/2 kg) (click here for "How to cook broccoli")

Mushrooms - 8-10 nos

Baby Corn - 6  nos

Onion – 1 chopped, bigger pieces

Capsicum – 1 chopped, bigger pieces

Ginger – finely chopped 1 tbsp

Garlic finely chopped 1 tbsp

Red chilli paste – 1 tbsp or depending on how spicy you want the dish to be(see tips)

Cornflour 1 tbsp – mixed in 200 ml or 1 cup of water

Chilli garlic sauce or Tomato ketchup – 1 tbsp

Soya sauce – 1 tbsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry onions, ginger and garlic till it turns translucent. 

 Add red chilli paste, baby corn, mushroom and capsicum and fry till vegetables are partially cooked.

Add ketchup/sauce, soya sauce, salt and cornflour solution. Let the gravy boil and thicken.  You can add more water if required and adjust salt as per your taste preference.

Add broccoli finally as it is already cooked. Serve this with Fried Rice or Plain White Rice.

Tips:

1. Red chilli paste:

Soak 10 to 15 red chillies in hot water for 1 or 2 hours, the long variety (Kashmiri or Byadige). Grind to  a paste. This can be stored in the freezer and used as required. Keeps well for up to a month. Add oil if required.

2.You can replace vegetables with Paneer. 

3. Remember to keep your vegetables crisp in Chinese dishes. Do not boil, only stir fry.


SENT THIS TO "RECIPE OF THE WEEK" CONTEST.

Vegetable Fried Rice / Capsicum Fried Rice

This is an Indian version of the popular Chinese fried rice. I have used Basmati rice and used only a little oil. The original fried rice recipe usually requires a lot of oil. Serve this with "Chilli Vegetable Gravy".

Ingredients

1 cup raw Basmati rice

2 onions/spring onions finely chopped

2 cups finely chopped vegetable (beans, carrot, capsicum/bell pepper, cabbage) (you can also add only yellow, red and green capsicum/bell pepper as I have done here)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp Oil

Method:

1. Boil 4 cups of water with salt and tsp of oil in the water. 

2. Add the rice and cook till rice is 90% cooked. 

3. Drain the water and keep the cooked rice aside.

4. Heat oil, add onions and fry till they turn translucent, add a bit of salt at this stage. Add other vegetables/capsicum and stir fry on high flame. 

5. Once the vegetables are glossy, add the rice salt, pepper and mix well.

Capsicum Fried Rice

Vegetable Fried Rice

Tips:

1.Do not overcook the vegetables.

2.The vegetables should be finely chopped.

3.You can add spring onion greens in the end.

Variations:

1. You can prepare this with any other medium or long grain rice variety.

2.You can add ginger garlic paste with the onions.

3.You can add a tsp of soya sauce in the end.

Cheese and Corn Sandwich

Makes 4 sandwiches

Time taken : 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread slices - 8
Cheese slice - 1
Corn kernels  - 1/4 cup (cooked)
Corn flour - 2 tsp
Milk - 1/4 cup
Onions - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Dried mixed herbs - 1 tsp
2 tsp Butter or ghee

Method:

1. Heat butter/ghee in a non-stick pan. 
2. When the butter starts to melt, add onions and fry till translucent.

3. Add boiled corn to the onions.

4. Take cornflour and mix it thoroughly with milk.
5. Add the cornflour mixture to the pan.

6. Keep stirring till it begins to thicken.
7. Add the cheese slice or grated cheese.

8. Mix thoroughly till cheese melts.
9. Add salt, dried mixed herbs and switch off gas.

10. Toast the whole wheat bread slices with oil/butter/ghee.
11. Spread the filling on one side and cover with another slice of bread.


Note :

1. The filling should not be too runny. 
2. As cheese already has salt, be careful with the amount of salt you add.

Pumpkin Soup

Monsoon time and feel like having a hot bowl of healthy soup. Here you go !!!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin - 1/2 kg

Onions - 2

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch

Bay leaf - 1

Garlic flakes - 5

Water - 1 or 2 cups
Almond or coconut milk - 1 cup (optional)

Method:

Pressure cook pumpkin, onions, garlic, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf for 3 whistles.

Grind to a fine paste. Add water and bring to a boil. You can add milk at this stage if you want a creamy soup. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Enjoy your soup!!!

Bisi Bele Bath

An authentic dish from Karnataka, Bisi bele bath (BBB) means hot lentil rice in Kannada. This dish is a perfect combination of carbs, protein and vegetables flavoured with the most aromatic spices. Cook this one-pot meal for a party or for the lunch box and it is definitely going to please your loved ones.

This method explains making BBB in a heavy bottomed vessel instead of a pressure cooker. This way the flavours are released slowly into the dish and make it delectable. You will love the result. Just be careful to ensure the dal doesn’t stick to the bottom. 

Recipe source : Mother-in-law

Serves : 6 to 8

Time taken : 45 to 60 minutes 

Ingredients:

Toor dal/Split red gram – 2 cups

Rice/Oats/Broken wheat – 2 cups

Vegetables – 2 cups (carrot, beans, capsicum, green peas, chow-chow)

Water – 12 cups

Tamarind paste - lemon sized

Jaggery - 2 tbsp

Bisi Bela Bath powder - 4 tbsps (click on link for recipe of BBB powder)

For tadka (tempering):

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 10 leaves

Red chillies – 2 to 3

Cashew nuts  - 5 to 6 (optional)

Method:

Soak the dal and rice in water separately for 30-45 minutes.

Boil water in a heavy bottomed vessel, add dal first. Cook till dal is half done. Then add vegetables. Cook for a few more minutes.

Finally, add rice and let it cook for a few more minutes.  

Check consistency of rice and dal, when it is almost cooked (say 80%), add BBB powder, tamarind paste, jaggery and salt.

Mix well and check seasoning. Add hot water if the BBB is becoming thick. It has to be of a porridge consistency.

Once the rice, dal and vegetables are well cooked and soft, switch off the gas.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Add tadka to your BBB and you are all set  for a healthy and tasty meal !!!

Note : 

1. If you are in a hurry, you can just put all ingredients (except tadka) into a pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles. Then adjust the consistency by adding hot water. 
2. You can also use MTR bisi bela bath powder if you don't have time to make the powder.
3. You can omit capsicum if you feel it may dominate the flavour.
4. You can add onions to the tadka.
5. Do not use Basmati rice for BBB.

I am sharing this with Jacqueline's "Meat free Mondays".