Vegetable Pulao

I am a big fan of Rice varieties. I like to have rice in any style...from our traditional pongal to any chinese fried rice. For me rice is always a comfort food. But my hubby isn't very fond of rice dishes, he always prefer indian breads if given an option. He likes less masala rice and so I make this Vegetable Pulao. It is a light flavoured rice and very simple to make. You can see in the clicks that white colour of the rice is retained as I haven't added any spices such as chilli powder, garam masala etc. I have used only whole spices which gives a nice flavour. This is actually a modified version of my mom's pulao as she makes it in a kadai. I always use my favourite assistant, my pressure cooker to make this :)...so isn't that a yummy one pot meal ?

Serves 3-4

You need...

1 cup Basmati rice

3/4 cup mixed chopped Vegetables (carrot, peas etc)

1 medium size Onion chopped

3-4 Green chillies slit

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic paste

2 tbsp broken Cashews

1 tbsp Ghee

1.5 cup Water

Salt

Whole Spices

1" stick Cinnamon 

2 Cloves

1 Bay Leaf

2 green Cardamoms

1 star aniseed

To prepare....

Wash the rice and soak in water for about half an hour. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Splutter cumin seeds.  Add all the ingredients listed under Whole Spices and saute until nice aroma comes. Add the cashews and fry till slight brown. 

Now add onions, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and saute until onions turn transparent. Add the vegetables and saute for 2-3 minutes and add salt. Now add the drained rice and saute for a minute. Add water and mix well. Close the cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Rice is ready...Serve hot with any raita or a sidedish.

Sending this to Show me your HITS by Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats.

 SpotLight: Colourful Holi at Cuisine Delights

 CC-Dish For Loved Ones by Srav's Culinary Concepts

and to Holi Hai at My Cook Book

Paneer Bhurji

Hope all of you had a great weekend !! Let's welcome this week with an easy and delicious dish..Paneer Bhurji. I like paneer in any forms. As we all know its a great source of protein especially for vegetarians. It's a relief that my son, who was not very fond of paneer earlier, has started eating it recently. So I try to include paneer in our diet frequently. Paneer bhurji is a wonderful dish and can be served with rice or any indian breads. I made this as a side-dish for lunch a couple of days back. There was some leftover which I used to make a filling for sandwich later that day. The sandwiches also came out great. I have added some carrots in this bhurji to make it colourful and healthy.

Serves 3-4

You need...

2 cups crumbled Paneer

3/4 cup grated Carrot

1 Onion small, chopped

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1" pc Ginger chopped

1 tsp Chilli powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

a little Kasoori Methi (optional)

a few Coriander leaves chopped

Chaat Masala, Lime (optional)

1 tsp Oil

Salt

To prepare...

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter cumin seeds. Add ginger and saute for few seconds. Now add onion and saute till they turn slight brown. Add the carrots, sprinkle some water, cover and cook until the carrots are cooked. 

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt to it. Mix well and add the paneer. Combine well so that paneer gets coated with the masala. Now add the garam masala and also add kasoori methi by rubbing between hands. Finally add the coriander leaves and give a quick mix. Sprinkle chaat masala or some lime juice if you desire. Serve hot with any indian breads,  rice or also as filling for sandwiches.

Notes:

* You can use other vegetables such as tomato, capsicum, green peas etc.

* You can add some chopped green chillies too.

Sending this to Show me your HITS by Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats.

 SpotLight: Colourful Holi at Cuisine Delights

and to Holi Hai at My Cook Book

Also, sending my Egg Spinach Bonda, Vegetable Omlette and Steamed Egg Cubes curry to the ABC Series: Egg Recipes event by Ramya