Okra Rice

Shallow fried okra and flavoured Indian spices mixed in basmati rice

Ingredients - Serves 2

• Cooked basmati rice - 1 cup
• Sliced okra - 1 cup
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Chana dhal - 1 tsp
• Cashew nut - few
• Curry leaves - few
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

To make spice powder

• Chana dhal - 2 tbsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chilli - 2 nos
• Cinnamon - small stick (optional)

Dry roast chana dhal, coriander seeds, jeera, dry chilli and cinnamon to a golden brown and grind into a smooth powder (double the volume and you can store it in an air tight clean container to make any other vegetable rice)

Method

• Heat the pan with oil add mustard seeds, curry leaves and chana dhal
• Add okra and required salt
• Fry until okra is cooked well
• Add the grounded spice powder and cooked rice
• Add required salt (remember that salt has already been added to okra)
• Mix well and garnish with cashew nuts 
• Serve with raita or chips

Healthy option - Instead of white rice, use brown rice and the preparation method remains the same

Nutritional Information

• Ladies finger contains vitamins A & C and is also a good source of iron and calcium
• Fiber found in ladies finger helps stabilize blood sugar levels
• Ladies finger helps cure ulcers, protects joints and skin
• Per Serving = 215 calories approximately

Tri-Colour Rice (Bellpepper / Capsicum Rice)

Tri-colour rice is a very colorful, nutritious and mouth-watering dish made with 3 different coloured capsicum / bell peppers and other vegetables. I love this recipe for its unique flavour and the ease of preparation.

Ingredients - Serves 4

• Basmati rice - 1 cup (soak for 15 minutes)
• Capsicum / Bellpepper - 3 (any 3 colours)
• Cauliflower - 1/2 cup
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Chopped Onion  - 1 cup
• Mint and coriander leaves - 1 cup
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Green chillies - 2 nos
• Cinnamon - 1 small stick
• Cardamom - 2 nos
• Cloves - 2 nos
• Bay leaf - 1
• Water - 1 1/4 cups
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Fry onion, ginger garlic, green chilli, mint, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in 1 tbsp of oil and grind into a smooth paste by adding little water
• Mix the grounded paste in soaked rice with required salt and pressure cook for 2 whistles
• Meanwhile, heat the pan with 1 tbsp of oil, add capsicum, cauliflower and green peas
• Add little salt to the vegetables and cook them well untill they are soft
• Add cooked rice to the vegetables and mix well without breaking the rice
• Serve hot with raita or papadams

Brown rice recipe - Instead of white rice, use brown rice and the preparation method remains the same.

Nutritional Information

• Capsicum contains high concentrations of antioxidant compounds that have nutritional benefits. These compounds help protect our body from toxins and free radicals that cause aging and skin damage.
• Capsicum is rich in Vitamins - A, C, E, etc.
• Cauliflower contains Vitamin - C and folate
• Folate is essential to tissue growth and not getting enough folate might lead to many diseases like cancer
• Green peas is rich in Vitamins, minerals, fiber and protien
• 1 serving = 160 calories approximately

Bisibelebath

Bisibelebath is a delicious one-pot meal which has a flavour that is unique to the state of Karnataka in India. Bisi-bele-bath means hot-lentil-rice.This is an ideal Sunday afternoon meal which I love to cook very often. I prepare this dish with regular white rice for my family and a twist with brown rice for myself.

Ingredients - Serves 4

• Rice - 1 cup
• Toor dhal - 1/2 cup
• Tamarind extract - 1/2 cup
• Chana dhal - 2 tbsp
• Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
• Dry chilli - 5 to 6
• Coconut grated - 2 tbsp (you can also use dry coconut to enhance the flavour of the dish)
• Vegetables - 2 cups (Small onions, carrot, beans, peas, potato, tomato and drumsticks)
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Few curry leaves
• Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick
• Oil - 2tbs
• Ghee - 1tbs
• Cashewnuts - few for garnishing
• Salt to taste

Method

• Add turmeric powder to rice and dhal along with 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles
• Heat 1 tbsp of  oil in a pan and fry chana dhal, coriander seeds, coconut and red chilli until it turns golden brown
• Cool and grind into a smooth paste by adding water
• Heat the pan with oil and add mustard, curry leaves, cinnamon, all vegetables and fry for few minutes
• Add tamarind extract and required salt for vegetables
• Cover with lid and allow it to boil until the vegetables get cooked 
• Now add the grounded paste and bring to boil to get a nice bisibelebath paste
• Mash the cooked rice and dhal with laddle or potato masher and add required salt
• Mix the mashed rice to the boiling bisibelebath paste
• Heat 1 tbsp of ghee fry cashew nuts and pour it over the hot bisibelebath
• Serve hot with raita or chips

Brown rice recipe - Pressure cook 1 cup of brown rice with 1/2 cup of dhal. Mash well and add required salt, mix it with the bisibelebath paste. Garnish with cashewnuts.

Nutritional Information

• Toor dhal is rich in fibre and protein
• Vegetables (carrot, beans, onion, tomatoes, drumstick and peas) lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart disease and some types of cancers
• Serves 4 = approximately 1000 calories

Chana Pulao / Chick peas pulao / Garbanzo beans pulao

Chana Pulao is a scrumtious one-pot dish packed with natural protein and Indian spices. This is a perfect easy weekend dish and is also suitable for pot-luck parties.

Ingredients

• Chana / Chickpeas - 1 cup (soak over night and cook with salt)
• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Finely sliced onion - 1/2 cup
• Cinnamon - 1 stick
• Cardamom - 2 pieces
• Cloves - 2 pieces
• Bay leaf - 1
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Water - 1 1/4 cups

To Grind

• Mint - small bunch
• Green chilli - 4 nos
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Ginger - 1 inch

Grind them into a smooth paste adding little water

Method

• Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes
• Cook it for 1 whistle
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan, add cinnamom, cardamon, cloves and bay leaf
• Add sliced onions and fry till translucent
• Add the grounded paste, salt and fry until it is dry
• Now add cooked rice and chana to the mixture
• Add salt if needed
• Garnish with cashew nuts
• Serve chana pulao with raita or chips

Healthy option:

You can use brown rice instead of regular basmati rice. Follow the instructions on the brown rice pack to cook and mix the cooked rice and chana to the pulav paste.



Nutritional Information

• Mint acts as a powerful antioxidant and can help cure nasal allergies
• Mint is the very good blood cleanser 
• Chickpeas / chana is a very good source of fibre and folic acid
• Chickpeas are also rich in protien and minerals
• 4 servings = 850 calories approximately
• 1 serving of brown rice  = 200 calories approximately

Peas Pulao

This is an easy one-pot meal that you can prepare quickly as there is not much chopping or prep needed. This recipe has a nice flavour of Indian spices and herbs.

Ingredients - serves 2

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Frozen or Fresh peas - 3/4 cup
• Onion -1 medium size - thinly chopped
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 stick
• Cardamom - 2
• Cloves - 4
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cashew nuts - 5
• Mint and coriander - 1/2 cup each & chopped
• Oil - 2 tblsp
• Salt to taste
• Water - 1 1/4 cups

Method

• Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes
• Add 2 tblsp of oil in the pressure cooker and heat it
• Add jeera, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf
• Fry until the spices release their flavours
• Add thinly chopped onions and fry till translucent
• Now add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute
• Add chopped coriander, mint leaves and fry them
• Add peas, soaked basmati rice and required salt
• Mix them well and pressure cook for 1 whistle
• Garnish with cashew nuts
• Serve it with raitha or chips

Nutritional Benefits

• Green peas is loaded with Antioxidants and Anti-inflammatory nutrients
• Green peas lowers the risk of  most inflammatory diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and arthritis.
• Consumption of Green peas along with other legumes decreases the risk of stomach cancer
• 2 Servings = 750 calories approximately