Tomato Rice

Ingredients for tomato rice:

Rice – 1 cup
Tomato juice – 2 cups
(make a juice of tomatoes – 6 large sized, ginger – 1tbsp, garlic – 12 Clove and filter it)
Onions-2 (sliced)
Green chilies-2 (splits)
Clove – 5 or 6
Cinnamon – 5 small pieces
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Oil-2tbsp
Ghee-2tbsp

procedure:

Wash rice and soak it for half-an-hour.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed pressure pan or in an electric rice cooker add clove and cinnamon. When they splutter add onions and green chilies and fry till onions turn to light brown.
Add tomato juice, salt and turmeric powder, allow the juice to boil. For one cup rice we can add two cups of tomato juice. If the juice is not sufficient we can also add water for the remaining portion.
When tomato juice is boiling add rice. Once rice cooked add ghee and mix well. 

This rice can be taken with aloo kurma

Nimmakaya Pulihora (lemon rice)

Preparing lemon rice is very easy and it is very tasty. Especially kids like this in their lunch box.

Ingredients:

Rice-2cups (cooked)

Green chilies-4(splits)

Ginger-1tbsp

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Cumin seeds-1tsp

Red chilies-1make into pieces

Ground nuts-1tbsp

Curry leaves-5 or 6

Oil-4tbsp

Turmeric powder-1tsp

Salt-to taste

Lime juice -3(lemons)

asafoetida-a pinch

Preparation:

We can use cooked rice. Cook 1cup rice with 2cups of water.

Heat oil in a kadai, add ground nuts. When they turn brown shade add turmeric powder, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chilies to it. When they start splutter add green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and asafoetida.

Add this tadka to the cooked rice and mix well. Add lemon juice to the mixture.

Pulihora

Pulihora is a traditional and favourite recipe among south Indians especially Andhras. It tastes different from puliyogare. Sour taste of tamarind dominates the rice but neutralized by the spicy taste of green chillies and ginger. The combination of all ingredients like tamarind, green chillies, fried peanuts and curry leaves makes tasty pulihora.

Pulihora is the main dish during all festivals and occasions. It is also offered as the ‘prasadam’ in many temples.

 Of course this dish can be enjoyed only when we prepare this with the fresh tamarind pulp instead of readymade mixes.

Now let us see the ingredients and procedure.

Ingredients:

Rice-2 cups

Tamarind pulp (thick)-1cup

Green Chillies-5 (slit)

Ginger -1tbsp (chopped)

Curry Leaves-7 or 10

Salt-to taste

Turmeric powder-a pinch

Jagery- small piece

Asafoetida- a pinch

Oil-3tbsp

Mustard seeds-1tbsp

Cumin seeds-1tbsp

Black gram-1tbsp

Bengal gram-1tbsp

Red chillies-4 (make pieces of it)

Pea nuts-1tbsp

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in little water.

Pressure cook the rice, for 1 cup of rice add 2 cups of water.

Immediately spread the rice into a plate or to a broad vessel to cool. Spread it with a spatula.

Slit the green chillies and chop ginger. 

Procedure:

Heat oil in a wok or kadai. Add peanuts, Bengal gram, and Black gram. Let them fry till they turn brown colour. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and Red chillies. When they start spluttering add green chillies, ginger pieces and curry leaves.

Add turmeric powder, salt and tamarind pulp to the above seasoning. Let it boil for 10 minutes or till the oil separates. 

Add this tamarind mixture to the above cooled rice. Mix it with a spatula so that boiled rice won’t get crushed. Combine and mix well so that the tamarind pulp will spread evenly with rice. Serve pulihora with fresh curd after two or three hours. This tastes good.

Jeera Rice

Jeera rice is an easy, less spicy rice recipe. It is liked even by kids also. I like to prepare this dish on and off. It takes very less time to prepare also. The main ingredients in this are shaajeera and green chillies of course rice.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice-2 cups

Shajeera-2tbsp

Cloves-3 or 4

Cinnamon-2 or 3 small pieces

Green chillies-4 or 5

Salt- to taste

Oil/Ghee-4tbsps

Bay leaf-1

Arrangements:

Soak rice for half-an-hour and drain water and keep it aside for one hour. This process will help to cook the grains separately. 

Slit the green chillies.

Procedure:

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan or pressure cooker. Add shajeera, cloves and cinnamon. When they started crackling add slit green chillies. Saute them for a minute and add soaked rice to it. Fry it for a minute, add water to it. For one cup of rice add one and a half cup of water. So we can add accordingly. Once the water   started to boil, add salt and cover it with lid. Simmer the stove for about ten minutes. In the very low flame cook for ten more minutes or till the rice done. Serve hot with bagara tomato. If using pressure cooker cook for three whistles.

Curd Rice/Perugannam/Daddojanam

Curd rice or daddojanam is mostly known as is a very easy to prepare and simple rice recipe. This can be prepared with fresh rice or leftover rice. The only main ingredients in this recipe are fresh curd and rice. This recipe serves 5 people.Chilled one can also be served.

Ingredients:

Rice-2 cups

Curd-4 cups

Salt- to taste

For seasoning:

Ghee -2 tbsp

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Cumin seeds-1/2tsp

Black gram-1tsp

Bengal gram-1tsp

Red chillies-2 Make them small pieces

Green chillies-3 

Ginger-1tbsp(cut into small pieces)

Curry leaves-fist full of 

coriander leaves-a few

Asafoetida-a pinch

Procedure:

Eight hours before the exact time of preparing curd rice we have to prepare the curd. Cook rice, for one cup of rice add 2 cups of water. If we pressure cook it, will be better. Spread it in wide plate and let it cool. Even before it cools completely, press it with a spatula or mix it with hand also. Add salt to it.

Chop green chillies and ginger.

Heat ghee in a kadai add black gram, bengal gram, when they turn brown colour, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, asafoetida and red chillies. Switch off the stove and add green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Add this seasoning to the above cooled rice. Mix it with a spatula. Add fresh curd to it and mix well. Serve it with curd chillies.

Kichidi

I learned this recipe from my neighbour. Kichidi is the Maharastrian recipe. This is a mixture of different varieties of vegetables and some pulses. I liked it and I hope all my friends will also like it.

We need to have rice and green gram and some vegetables. This preparation is meant for 5 people.

Ingredients:

Rice-2 cups

Green gram-3/4 cup

Onions-1large

Carrot-1 big

Beans-100grms

Potato-1big

Peas-50 grms

Oil-4tbsp

Cloves-3 or 4

Dalchini-small piece

Shaajeera-1tsp

Bay leaf-1 or 2

Green chillies-2 

Salt-to taste

Turmeric powder-a pinch

Water-5cups

Red chilli powder-1tsp

Preparation:

This recipe needs some preparation. 

Wash rice and green gram and drain excess water. Keep it aside.

Chop onions.

Cut carrot into blocks.

Chop beans.

Cut potato into blocks.

Slit the green chillies.

Procedure:

Take a thick bottomed pressure pan. Heat oil in the pan add shaajeera, dalchini and cloves. When they start popping up add bay leaf. Add onions and green chillies. Fry them for about 2 minutes, then add all the vegetables and fry for 2 minutes. 

Let them turn soft and add 5 cups of water. Add salt and turmeric powder and allow it to boil. 

Once water started boiling, add soaked rice and green gram. Mix well. Cover the pressure cooker and cook for three or four whistles. 

Once the cooker cool, open it and mix well. Yummy, hot, spicy kichidi is ready. Serve hot with curd.