rice varieties

CORIANDER RICE

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One of the most common culinary plants of India, its seeds roasted and crushed or just left raw to use as spice, its leaves chopped and used to dress salads and soups, curries and cuisines of many kinds, its medicinal uses are many…be it a thrush of the mouth when we rush to mix it with warm water and use as gargle or take the case of conjunctivitis when it is mixed with cold water and used as eye lotion. Called by the name of Coriander or Cilantro, its seeds and leaves are both indispensable to spice and dress our cooking or to cure the ones who are ailing.

Extract from The Herbarius Litnus:  “Mark that the juice of coriander blown up the nostrils restrains nosebleeds. . . And coriander is effective in tremors of the heart when its powder is given with borage water.”

 Dish Type:  South Indian Rice Variety Coriander Rice 1 copy

Preparation Time:  10 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

Basmati Rice       1 cup (250 gms)

For grinding:

Raw coconut grated        2 tbsp

Green chilli                      3 nos. chopped

Ginger                             1/2” pc

Cumin seeds                     ½ tsp

Saunf (Fennel seeds)     ½ tsp

Fresh coriander leaves  ½ cup packed

For seasoning:

Oil                           2 tbsp

Bay leaf                   1 (break it to slightly smaller size)

Cinnamon               ½” pc

Clove                     2 nos.

Pepper                  6 to 8 corns

Cashewnuts          10 to 12 nos. (optional)

Onion                    1 no. (medium size, thinly sliced)

Turmeric               A pinch

Salt to taste         2 tsps approx.

Ground Masala  (transfer from mixie)

Peas                      50 gms

Soaked Basmati Rice

Water                   2 cups (use same size cup that you used for measuring rice)

Directions:

Wash basmati rice in running cold water. Soak it in water. Let it stand for about half an hour. Also wash coriander leaves (roots removed), green chillies and ginger thoroughly with water. Drain out the water. Meanwhile….

Peel the skin of ginger and onion. Chop ginger and green chillies to smaller bits (for faster grinding). Chop the onions into thin slices. Grate fresh raw coconut and keep aside. If the stalks of coriander leaves are tender, use them too along with the leaves for grinding. You are now ready for grinding.

Grind all the ingredients listed above “For grinding” to make a smooth paste.  Get ready for seasoning….

Heat oil in a pressure pan in low flame.  Add ingredients listed above “For seasoning” in the same order. When cashews turn golden brown add sliced onions immediately followed by salt and turmeric. When onions turn transparent, add the ground masala. Fry for about 5 min. Now drain the water in basmati rice, keep aside this water to use it a while later for cooking. Transfer rice to the pan and continue frying for another 5 min. Now add the drained water, mix them well, cover with a lid and weight on, turn the flame towards high and pressure cook for up to 2 whistles. Switch off the flame. Let it cool completely.  Fluff up the rice slowly and gently using a fork or spatula. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves if you wish.

Coriander Rice is now ready. Serve it with plain curd, spicy raitha, pickle and/or roasted/fried papad or side it with spicy potato curry or cauliflower curry.

Also view in this website, recipes of other rice varieties “Ellina Chitra Anna” “Greens Pulao” “Vegetable Biryani” “Raw Mango Rice” “Bisi Bele Bhaath” and “Veg Fried Rice”

ChefsChat:

Green beans, Potatoes, Carrots, Cauliflower may also be used.

Onions can be skipped if you wish.

Adjust quantity of green chillies, pepper corns and ginger to suit your choice.

Using Coconut milk (as against just grated coconut) adds to the flavour and taste.

 

RAW MANGO RICE (Maavinakaayi Chitranna) Type 2

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Go for mango …green in colour, combine it with rice…. white in colour and see it turn… red in colour. Can’t imagine cooking getting more magical!

Raw Mango is tasty. It’s great fun eating raw specially with salt and a sprinkle of chilli powder. Raw mango grows with a bounty of benefits. It prevents excessive loss of water, minerals and much more…like stroke from the sun, sickness more so that of morning, disease like scurvy since it is rich in Vit C highly. It brings to order blood disorders and is friendly to our teeth too.

 Dish Type:  South Indian Rice Variety Mango Rice Type 2 - A copy

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking time:  20  min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For cooking:

Rice                        500 gms

Water                   500 ml

For grinding (to make raw mango chutney):

Raw mango                        1 no. (grated)

Green chilli                         1 no.

Red chilli                              4 nos.

Mustard seeds                  ¼ tsp

Raw coconut                      ½ coconut (grated)

For seasoning:

Oil                                           4 tbsps

Groundnuts                       2 tbsps

Mustard seeds                  ½ tsp

Black gram dal                   ½ tsp

Red chilly                             4 nos.

Curry leaves                       1 sprig

Salt to taste                        1 tsp approx.

Turmeric pwdr                  A pinch

Asafoetida                          A pinch

Raw mango chutney       (mix that you get after grinding)

For garnishing:

Fresh coriander leaves  2 tbsps (fine chopped)

Directions:

Wash rice thoroughly. Cook rice along with water in a pressure cooker. After 2 whistles switch off the burner and let the pressure subside from the cooker.

While rice is getting cooked….

Wash raw mango, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves in salt water. Drain out the water. Grate raw mango, raw coconut and keep aside. Fine chop fresh coriander leaves and keep aside.

Now prepare raw mango chutney. For this….

Grind raw mustard seeds, raw grated coconut, green chilli, red chillies and grated raw mango to chutney consistency. Transfer the chutney to a bowl.

Now prepare the seasoning. Heat oil in a large kadai. Add mustard seeds, groundnuts, red chillies, curry leaves, ground raw mango chutney, salt, turmeric and asafoetida in that order. Put each of the above ingredients at few seconds interval between them. Sauté for about 5 min. and switch off the burner.

When the cooker is cool, remove the lid. Spread the cooked rice on to a big plate. Let it cool a bit (not too much). Sprinkle a tsp of salt on this. Transfer the seasoned raw mango chutney from the kadai on to the rice. Mix well. Garnish with fine chopped coriander leaves.

Maavinakayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice) is ready.

Also view in this blog “Ellina Chitra Anna” and “Raw Mango Rice – Type 1”

Chefs’Chat:

While mixing the seasoned raw mango chutney with rice, keep a portion of the chutney aside. After mixing with rice, check the taste. If required add more of the chutney. This chutney can also be stored in an air tight container and kept in the fridge for later use.

Every grain of the cooked rice must be soft, fluffy and should stand out independently of the other grains. At the same time, rice should neither be half boiled nor too mushy. This can be checked by pressing a few grains between your fingers.

Green raw mango can also be used to make gojju, chutney, pickles or used in place of tamarind while making rasam or sambar.

GREENS PULAO

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A one course quick meal that comfortably fills your tummy when in a hurry. This healthy, spicy rice recipe, the core of Indian cuisine is a popular Mumbai street food, easy to cook, healthy to eat, with an assortment of greens and veggies of your choice and spice levels well within your control.

While types of pulao are countless, here is a recipe for a pulao kind that is gently spiced and gorgeously green. Wow…all green lights! Zoom ahead to the recipe!

Dish Type:  South/North Indian Rice VarietySoppina pulao

Preparation Time:  30 min

Cooking time:  30 min

Serves:  5 persons

Ingredients

Basmati rice    1000 gms.

Palak soppu (Spinach) 1 bunch (medium size)

Menthya soppu (Methi leaves) 1 bunch (medium size)

Sabsige soppu (Dil leaves) 1 bunch (medium size)

Pudina soppu (Mint leaves) Few sprigs

Coriander leaves 1 cup

Ginger             ½ ” piece

Garlic              5 pods

Onion              4 nos.

Tomato            4 nos.

Lime                1 (small size)

Green chillies  3 nos.

Cinnamon        ½” piece

Cardamom      1 no.

Clove               1 no.

Raw coconut   1 cup (grated)

Turmeric         A pinch

Oil                   100 ml.

Salt to taste     4 tsps. approx. (1 tsp while frying onions and 3 tsps while frying rice)

Directions

Wash rice thoroughly. Drain the water and let rice stand for half an hour.

Wash all vegetables (except onions) in salt water. Drain the water.

Peel the skin of onions and ginger.

Chop all greens finely and keep aside.

Chop 2 onions and 2 tomatoes into thin slices and keep aside.

Grind the other 2 onions and tomatoes to a smooth paste and keep aside.

Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste and keep aside.

Grind green chillies, raw grated coconut, cinnamon, cardamom and clove. Keep aside.

Keep water for boiling.

While water is boiling….

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Put ginger-garlic paste, coconut paste and shallow fry for a while. Add onion-tomato paste and continue frying till the raw smell disappears.

Isn’t it half an hour since you washed basmati rice? Yes….then transfer this to the cooker, stir the grains well along with the other ingredients so that every rice grain is coated by the oil, then add chopped greens and resume frying for a little while more.

By now, water would have boiled….right? Now add this boiled water, salt and turmeric. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and relax till you hear 1 whistle. Switch off the burner.

While the pressure cooker cools down, you too can!

Ready to open the lid? Yes…. Tempted to toss it in? Ha.. wait a minute. Just 2 small steps left.

Squeeze lime, pour the juice on to the verdant looking Pulao. Garnish it if you wish with thoroughly washed, finely chopped mint leaves. Gently fluff the rice before serving.

Greens Palav is now ready. Feel the flavour and well, have a field day!

Note:

The quantity of water and duration required for cooking rice varies with the type of rice used.

Other varieties of greens like Dantina soppu, Basale soppu, Harive soppu may also be used to prepare this pulao.

BISI BELE BHAATH POWDER

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This powder is used for preparing Bisi Bele Bhaath, one of the most popular, traditional rice-lentil-vegetable combo main dish, speciality of Karnataka, South India. Bisi Bele Bhaath literally means “hot” “lentil” “dish made of rice”

Dish type: Spice Powder Preparation time: 5 min Frying time: 15 min Quantity: 250 gms  

Ingredients

Mustard seeds             1 tsp

Jeera                           1 tsp

Methi seeds                ½ tsp

Pepper                         ½ tsp

Cinnamon                    1” long piece

Clove                           2 nos.

Cardamom                  2 nos.

Coriander seeds          4 tbspns

Bengal gram dhal       2 tbspns Urad dhal                    2 tbspns Red chillies                  20 nos. Dry coconut grated     2 cups

Method of preparation Dry fry all ingredients separately in a pan. Allow it to cool thoroughly Powder them finely. Store in an air tight container