Cranberry Rice

Hope you all had a very good Thanksgiving. We had a very relaxing Thanksgiving this year. Most of the time we make travel plans during thanksgiving. But, this year we decided to stay home and relax.
Moreover we got back from a trip to a beautiful resort just last week and did not want to travel again.
We had a potluck at a friend's place and I made the curry leaf chicken and this cranberry rice. Sometimes it feels so good just to sit back and relax.
So, do you have any cranberries left from the cranberry sauce you made for Thanksgiving? If so, you can try your hands at this simple cranberry rice. This is a colorful and vibrant looking rice. The pink cranberries and the yellow turmeric blend together to give this beautiful color to rice. This is similar to the South Indian lemon rice, I used cranberries instead of lemon. Even the taste is kind of similar to the lemon rice.

Ingredients:

• Long grain white rice(Cooked): 2 cups
• Fresh cranberries: 1/2 cup
• Chopped onions: 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Green chillies: 3
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Cilantro(finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Grated ginger root: 1/2 tsp

Tempering:

• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Urad Dal: 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
• Curry leaves: 4-5
• Dried Broken Red Chillies: 2
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Asafetida: a pinch

Procedure:

1.  Make a paste of fresh cranberries and green chillies and set it aside.
2. Add oil to a pan and when the oil is heated, add the chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Now add the grated ginger and the cranberry paste and cook for 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the cooked rice to a mixing bowl and apply the cranberry paste to the rice mixing gently. Add salt.
4. Now take a small pan and add the oil and turn on the stove. When the oil is heated, add the tempering ingredients one after the other in the order mentioned and when the seeds start spluttering, turn off the stove and add it to the rice in the mixing bowl.
5. Mix the rice gently and do a taste test to check the salt. Adjust the salt and garnish with cilantro.

Note: Change the number of green chillies according to your spice level. You can even omit the green chillies. You do get little spiciness form the red chillies in the tempering.

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Beetroot Rice

Rice is a staple food in the South Indian families. We eat rice for at least one meal everyday. Some of my non Indian friends call me "Starch Girl" :)
Most of the times rice is served with a curry or a vegetable side dish or the rice is cooked along with vegetables and/or lentils.

I often find it easy and interesting to make rice with different vegetables.
Here is a simple rice dish made with grated beetroot.




Ingredients:

• Beetroot: 2 medium sized
• Onion: 1 medium sized(finely chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Garam Masala: 1 tsp
• Oil: 3 tbsp
• Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp(optional)
• Cooked Rice: 2 Cups

Tempering:

• Split black gram(Urad dal): 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Curry leaves: 4
• Dried red chillies: 2(broken)
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
• Asafoetida(Hing): a pinch

Procedure:

1. Add oil to a pan and when the oil is heated, add the seasoning ingredients in the order mentioned.
2. When the seeds start spluttering, add the onions along with a pinch of salt and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Now add the grated beetroot and mix well and cover the pan with a lid and cook for few minutes until the beetroot is cooked and becomes soft.
4. If you want to serve the beetroot as a side dish with cooked rice, you can stop here.
5. To make the rice, continue reading.
6. Now add the cooked rice to the beetroot mixture, add the garam masala powder and mix gently.
7. If you like your rice spicy, add the red chili powder and adjust the salt.
8. Turn off the stove.
9. Serve with Raitha/Yogurt chutney.

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Red Lentil Rice

Before I start cooking, when time permits, I go through the food blogosphere to get some inspiration and ideas. Sometimes it is the recipe that grabs my attention, but most of the time it is the beautiful pictures that really make me drool so much that I cook immediately.

Even though you know that recipe, have been cooking for ages, when you look at a beautifully taken shot, you feel like eating it right away.

This is one such recipe from DK's Chef In You. this is the second recipe I am trying form Chef In You. The first was Tres Leches Cake. What I like about her site is the step by step instructions with pictures. You don't even have to read through the whole post. A glance at the pictures is enough.

Red lentils are the easiest of the lentils to cook. You don't need to use a pressure cooker. when you are in a time crunch these are the best lentils to use. You can make any kind of dal or sambar too with these red lentils.



Ingredients:

• Onions: 1 medium sized.
• Red bell pepper: 1/2
• Green bell pepper: 1/2
• Red lentils: 1/4 cup
• Uncooked Rice: 1 cup
• Green Peas: 3 tbsp
• Green Chillies: 3(cut length wise)
• Cilantro( finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Green onions(finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
• Oil: 4 tbsp
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Garlic" 2 cloves(minced)
• Bay Leaf: 1
• Cinnamon: a small piece
• Cardamom: 2
• Cloves: 4-5
• Water/stock: 2.5 cups

Procedure:

1. Add oil to a pan and saute the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, garlic and turmeric for a minute.
2. Now add the onions, green chillies and salt and saute until the onion becomes soft and transparent.
3. Now add the vegetables - bell pepper and peas and fry for few more minutes.
4. When the vegetables are half cooked, add the rice and lentils and fry fore 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add the water/stock and adjust the salt.
6. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for few minutes stirring in between until the rice is cooked. Takes about 10 minutes.
7. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and turn off the stove and keep the pan covered for few more minutes.
8. Garnish with cilantro and green onions before serving.

Note: You can add any vegetables. Carrots, potatoes and green beans would taste great.

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Spanish/Mexican Rice

Like I mentioned before, my kiddo is a picky eater. She hates eating rice. Other day they had Spanish rice at the day care and her teacher said the kiddo loved it. I was like - my kiddo and eating rice, couldn't believe that. Over the weekend I searched couple of recipes over the internet for Spanish/Mexican rice and made this version. It was a huge success. Little monster loved it.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice: 1 cup
• Tomatoes(medium sized): 2
• Green Bell Pepper (chopped): 1/2 cup
• Garlic cloves: 2
• Tomato Paste: 2 tsp
• Chicken broth: 2 cups
• Red Onion(finely chopped): 1/2 cup
• Cilantro(finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Green onions(chopped): 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil: 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Add oil to a pan and when the oil is heated, add the onions, garlic cloves and green pepper and cook them until the onions turn brown.
2. I used whole garlic cloves, so that it is easy to remove them later. You can actually cut them into to small pieces and add. I did not want to take chances with my little girl.
3. Now add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste and cook until the tomatoes turn soft.
4. While the tomatoes are cooking take another pan and add little oil and slightly toast the rice on a very low flame.
5. Now add the toasted rice to the tomatoes and add the chicken broth. Adjust the salt.
6. Pressure cook until you get two whistles or cover the pan with a lid and cook until the rice is fluffy.
7. Garnish with cilantro and green onions.

Note: You can add jalapeños or red chilli powder to make it little spicy.

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Cilantro Rice/ Kothimeera Rice

Long time back when went to Vegas, we ate at a Mexican restaurant in Venetian. We ordered something( I don't remember what it was) and they served cilantro rice as a side dish. The side dish was so good that I don't remember the main entrée. Me and my husband loved that rice. It looked like a simple recipe and I could taste cilantro lime and ginger. I thought of trying that after I get back home, but never really made it again. I usually make the Indian version of the cilantro rice with ginger garlic, tomatoes and garam masala etc. but I just loved this simple rice with not much of the seasoning dominating the cilantro and ginger.
I had some left over rice from yesterday and an extra bunch of cilantro. So tried my hands at making the Vegas Cilantro rice.
Only thing I added in my version which was definitely not present in the original one was onions. But I liked the crunch of onions in the rice.
Except for the onions it tasted similar to the one I had in Vegas.

Ingredients:

• Cilantro: 1 bunch for paste
• Finely chopped cilantro( for garnishing): 2 tbsp
• Long Grain white rice or Basmati Rice( Cooked): 2 cups
• Oil: 3 tbsp
• Onion(medium sized): 1/2
• Mint Leaves: 5
• Ginger root: 1/2 inch piece
• Salt to taste
• Creole Seasoning: 2 tsp
• Green chillies: 4
• Lime juice: 1 tbsp
• Chopped green onions: 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Chop cilantro and make it into a paste in a blender along with the ginger root and green chillies and set this paste aside. Add little water for pureeing if needed.
2. Chop onions into small pieces.
3. Add oil to the pan and when the oil is heated, add the onions and 1/2 tsp of salt and cook them.
4. When the onions turn soft and brown, add the mint leaves and the cilantro paste and cook for few minutes.
5. Now add the cooked rice and mix well. add the creole seasoning and adjust the salt.
6. Add lemon juice and garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions.

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Coconut Rice

Coconut rice is a simple south Indian dish that can be fixed in minutes. If you have left over rice, this is a great way to use it. I personally like it better with hot freshly cooked rice. When the rice is hot it soaks in the flavors of the seasoning and the coconut very well.

Ingredients:

• Cooked White Rice( long grain or basmati) : 2 cups
• Fresh shredded coconut: 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste

Seasoning

• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Channa Dal: 1 tsp
• Urad Dal: 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
• Broken Red Chillies: 3
• Green Chillies: 4
• Curry Leaves: 5
• Asafoetida(Hing): a pinch

Procedure:

1. Add oil to the pan and when the oil is heated, add channa dal, urad dal mustard seeds and broken red chillies.
2. When the mustard seeds start spluttering add cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and asoefetida.
3. now add the cooked long grain white rice or basmati rice and mix well until the seasoning is coated well to the rice.
4. Now add fresh shredded coconut and turn off the heat.
5. Adjust the salt and add the lemon juice.

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Tofu Cabbage Rice - An article inspired dish

Other day I was reading an article on CNN that had a list of some super foods that are good for you.
The list consisted of Cabbage, Tofu, Black Beans, Cinnamon, Tomato, Blueberries, Salmon, Cocoa, Basil, Yogurt.
Here is link to the article.While I was reading that, I thought most of them we use on a day to day basis in our Indian cooking.
 I don't usually come up with a menu for my meals before hand. I open my fridge stare at the veggies for a while and come up with something. It was lunch time and as always I was staring at the fridge and suddenly remembered this article I read in the morning. Then I was like why not combine all the foods that I have and those I can, mentioned in the article and make a single dish and came up with this cabbage tofu rice.
I covered cabbage, tofu, tomatoes, cinnamon in the fired rice, and yogurt I used for the raitha.
Could not incorporate blue berries and cocoa.
Could have combined salmon, basil and balck beans too into the fried rice, but I did not have them readily available.

Ingredients:

Long grain white rice/Basmati Rice(cooked): 2 cups.
Shredded cabbage: 1 cup.
Firm Tofu(cut into pieces): 1/2 cup
Onions( finely chopped): 1/2 cup
Tomatoes: finely chopped: 1/2 cup
Pepper: 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil: 2 tbsp
Cinnamon: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: a pinch
MDH Kitchen king powder(or any curry powder): 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

Add oil to a pan and when the oil is heated, add onions,salt and sauté them till they are soft and brown in color.
Now add shredded cabbage and tofu and cook until the cabbage is soft.
Add the tomatoes, cover with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes.
Now add the cooked rice. Add pepper, cinnamon powder, garam masala and kitchen king powder and mix thoroughly.
Adjust the salt. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve with Raitha.

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Tomato Rice - South Indian Style

Well there are different styles of making tomato rice. This one I called it the south Indian style because I did not use the ginger garlic paste or the garam masala.
Tomato rice is one of my favorite rice items however it is made.

Ingredients:

• Onion(cut length wise): 1 cup
• Tomatoes( finely chopped): 1 cup
• Tomato paste: 1 tsp
• Green chillies( cut length wise): 3
• Lime juice: 1/2 tsp
• Cilantro( finely chopped): 2 tbsp
• Curry leaves: 2
• Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Salt as required
• Channa dal: 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
• Peanuts: 1/2 tsp
• Sesame seeds: 1/2 tsp
• cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Cooked Rice: 2 cups

Seasoning:

• Oil: 3 tbsp
• Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
• Channa dal: 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal: 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves: 4
• Red chillies( broken): 2
• Asoefetida( hing): 1 pinch

Procedure:

1. First dry roast the channa dal, urad dal, peanuts and sesame seeds and grind them in a spice grinder once they are cooled.
2. Keep this spice powder aside.
3. Now add oil to a pan and add all the seasoning ingredients in the order mentioned.
4. When the seeds start spluttering, add onions and fry until they become soft.
5. Now add the tomatoes and green chillies and cook until the tomatoes become very soft and kind of become like a paste. Add little water if the tomatoes are not very juicy.
6. Now add the tomato paste and mix well.
7. Add the spice powder that you prepared earlier to the onion tomato gravy and cook until all the water/liquid is evaporated and it becomes a thick paste.
8. Now add the cooked rice, mix well and add salt and chilli powder.
9. turn off the stove and add lime juice.
10. Garnish with cilantro.

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Vegetable Fried Rice

This is indian chinese style vegetable fried rice. One of my favorites and an instant food if you have left over rice.  

Could there be a better way to use the left over rice than loading up with tons of fresh vegetables and make it complete sumptuous nutritional meal?  I had some left over rice from the previous day and made this yummy colorful fried rice. I added more vegetables to make it more nutritious.    

I generally cut carrots and beans into small pieces and keep them in my freezer. That makes it even more easy to cook this rice. All you have to do is heat the oil in a pan, toss in the veggies, add rice and spice it up with the sauces. As simple as that. It looks so colorful that its is appealing even for kids.    



Ingredients:

Cooked rice	1 cup
Carrots(finely diced)	1/2 cup
Cabbage(finely chopped)	1/2 cup
Beans(finely diced)	1/2 cup
Green onions/spring onions (very finely chopped)	2 tbsp
Bell Pepper/ Capsicum (finely diced)	1/4 cup
Salt	as required
Oil	2 tsp
Soy sauce	2 tsp
Chilli sauce	1 tsp
Pepper powder	1 tsp

Procedure:
Add oil to the pan.
Add the diced carrots, beans, cabbage and capsicum and stir fry them on high flame.
The vegetables should not be over cooked. When the vegetables are crispy and half-cooked add the rice and mix well.
Add soy sauce, hot sauce. Add pepper and adjust the salt.
Sprinkle the green onions on top and serve.    

Suggestions:    

I use the sriracha chilli sauce. But any kind of chilli sauce can be used.
You can even add scrambled egg to the rice.
1/2 tsp lemon juice can be added to the rice.    

It's always better to use previous day's rice. But if you do not have any left over rice, you can chill the fresh cooked rice in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before you prepare the fried rice. If the rice is hot, it becomes mushy when you mix with vegetables.    

I used the Julienne style peeler to cut the carrot into long strips, but I generally dice them into small pieces.


Chinese Fried Rice With Vegetables

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Egg fried rice

Ingredients:

Eggs	3
Basmati Rice	1 cup
Mint leaves	10-15
Onions	1/2 Large - sized
Cloves	3
Salt	as required.
Oil	2 tbsp
Cinnamon	small piece
Cardamom/Elachi	1
Ginger Garlic Paste	1 tsp
lemon juice	1/2 tbsp
Pepper	1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder	1/2 tsp
Green Chillies	3

Procedure:

Cook the rice with 1.5 cups of water and let it cool.

Cut the onions length wise.

Remove stems from green chillies and cut them length wise.

Finely chop the mint leaves.

Add oil to the pan and saute the onions  until they are golden brown in color. Add little salt while sautéing onions.

Now add ginger garlic paste, green chillies, mint leaves, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick and fry for 2 minutes.

Now break the eggs and add them to the onion mixture. Mix the mixture thoroughly and cook until the egg mixture becomes like scrambled egg.

Now add the cooked rice to the egg mixture and mix well adding more salt, garam masala powder and pepper.

Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Serve with raita.

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Spinach Rice

This is a simple recipe to make use of any left over spinach or left over rice.





Ingredients:

Cooked Rice: 1 cup

Carrots: 2

Spinach: 1 cup

Soy sauce: 1 tbsp

salt as required

pepper: 1/2 tbsp

oil

Lemon juice(optional) : 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

Finely chop carrots and spinach.

Heat oil in a pan, add the finely chopped carrots and spinach and let them cook well.

Now add the cooked rice, salt, soy sauce and pepper and mix well.

Add lemon juice and mix again.

Serve with raitha.

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