Category Archives: Rice

Red Lentil and Quinoa Khichdi

December 27, 2022 – 5:28 pm

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup red lentil
  • 1/2 cup quinoa

 

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt or to to taste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4-5 medium size tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 5 cups water

Vegetables

  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup chopped green beans
  • 1 cup chopped broccoli

Garnish

  • 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Drizzle of olive oil

Method:

  1. Thoroughly wash the red lentil and quinoa until the water runs clear and then soak it in separate bowls for 30 minutes
  2. To a heated pan add the oil, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and fry on medium to medium-high heat until the onion starts to caramelized.
  3. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for another one minutes or until fragrant.
  4. Add the tomato paste and dry spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper) and mix it well and add the fresh chopped tomatoes.
  5. Mix it again and add the drained soaked lentils, salt and water. Give it a good stir and cover with a lid and bring it to a boil.
  6. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 25 minutes or until the lentil is cooked. Uncover and lightly mash the lentils using a potato masher, this will help breakdown the lentils a bit more.
  7. Add the soaked quinoa, sweet potatoes and green beans. Increase the heat to medium and bring it into a simmer. Then cover and cook the quinoa for about 7 minutes (don’t over cook the quinoa since it will continue to cook in the hot pot).
  8. Uncover and turn the heat to medium high and bring it to a vigorous boil. Now whisk it with the spatula for a minute, this will break down the lentils and make the dish creamy. Once the khichdi reaches to your desired consistency, add the broccoli and turn off the heat right away. Make sure not to over cook the broccoli as it will continue to cook even after the stove is turned off. If the khichdi gets too thick, you can thin it out with boiling water. DO NOT add cold water to it!

Serves: 4-5

 

Inspiration source:

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By Dilip Shah | Also posted in Curry | Comments (0)

Mix Vegetable Masala Khichdi, Restaurant Style – Instant Pot Recipe

February 7, 2021 – 8:12 pm

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup moong dal
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • 1/4 tsp asafetida
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tomato, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 cup green peas
  • 1/2 cup French beans
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
For tempering
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 dry red chili, broken into 3-4 pieces
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
For garnishing
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Method:

  1. Mix 1/2 cup moong dal and 1/2 cup rice in a bowl
  2. Thoroughly wash the dal-rice, drain and put aside for 10 minutes
  3. Put Instant Pot on sauté mode
  4. Add 2 tbsp ghee
  5. When the ghee melts, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let them crackle
  6. Add 1 tsp kasuri methi, 1/4 tsp asafetida and sauté for 4-5 seconds
  7. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and sauté well for 2-3 minutes
  8. Add 1 finely chopped tomato and sauté for 3-4 minutes till the tomatoes become soft and mushy
  9. Add 1 chopped carrot, 1/2 cup green peas, 1/2 cup French beans and sauté for 2 minutes
  10. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 3/4 tsp salt and sauté for 2 minutes
  11. Add the soaked drained moong dal-rice and sauté for a minute
  12. Add 3.25 cups water, mix well, put the lid on and switch the Instant Pot to mode that would cook for 20 minutes under pressure
  13. When it’s safe, open the Instant Pot and mix the khichdi well
Tempering
  1. Put a tempering vessel on medium heat and add 1 tbsp ghee
  2. When ghee melts, add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and let them crackle
  3. Add red chili pieces, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, mix and add the tempering to the khichdi
  4. Mix the tempering into the khichadi, garnish with 2 tbsp chopped cilantro and serve hot with yogurt

Serves: 4

 

Inspiration source:

khichdi recipe | dal khichdi recipe | how to make moong dal khichidi (hebbarskitchen.com)

2 ways simple & healthy khichdi recipe – moong dal khichdi & mix veg masala khichdi restaurant style – YouTube

By Dilip Shah | Also posted in Curry | Comments (0)

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice

December 22, 2020 – 7:45 pm
This is the noodle variation of the same recipe

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1-2 sticks green onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot
  • 1 cup chopped broccolini
  • 4-5 large cremini mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 tbsp Chinese chili oil (https://veggiefoodie.com/2020/12/08/chinese-chili-oil/)
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste depending on salt content in your soy sauce

Method:

  1. Use a fork to roughly crush the chickpeas and put aside
  2. Put pan on medium heat and add chili oil
  3. Add garlic, red onions, carrot, broccolini and sauté for 2-3 minutes
  4. Add green onions, chickpeas, mushroom and sauté for another minute
  5. Add corn and rice, drizzle soy sauce evenly over the rice and sprinkle salt
  6. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and serve hot

 

Serves: 4

 

Inspiration source:

 

By Dilip Shah | Also posted in Category, Noodles | Comments (0)

Ven Pongal

December 5, 2020 – 10:34 am

 

Ingredients:

For Ven Pongal

  • 1 cup rice such as Jasmin rice or sona masuri rice. You need starchy glutinous rice, so don’t use Basmati rice
  • 1 cup moong dal
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 inch ginger piece, finely chopped
  • 1 green chili, cut in 4 pieces
  • 6 cups water. Ven Pongal is supposed to be soft and hence more water than usual
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste

For Tempering

  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 1/2 tsp black pepper corns
  • 2 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 15-20 cashews, broken into pieces
  • 1/2 tsp asafetida
  • 15-20 curry leaves

Method:

Ven Pongal

  1. Dry roast rice and dal over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Dal should not change its color. Once you feel the nice aroma of the dal turn off the heat and rinse it in water for a couple of times
  2. Put instant pot in sauté mode. If using pressure cooker, put on medium heat
  3. Melt ghee, add finely chopped ginger, green chili pieces and sauté for 30 seconds
  4. Add the rice and dal, mix well and sauté for a minute
  5. Then add water, salt and start cooking. If you are using Instant Pot, cook in a mode that cooks for 10 minutes under pressure. If using pressure cooker, cook for 4 whistles
  6. When you are able to safely open, start preparing the tempering

Tempering

  1. Put your tempering pan on medium heat
  2. Melt ghee and roast cashews in it. Once the cashews turns golden, add pepper corns, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafetida and mix for 30 seconds and then turn off the heat
  3. Add the tempering to the pongal and mix well. Feel free to add more ghee at the end to get nicer aroma and taste!
  4. Serve Ven pongal hot with chutney, sambar and vada!

Serves: 4

 

Inspiration source:

 

https://www.steffisrecipes.com/2017/04/pongal-recipe-ven-pongal-recipe.html

Venkatesh Bhat makes Pongal Gotsu | pongal recipe in Tamil | Ven pongal recipe | Gotsu for pongal – YouTube

By Dilip Shah | Also posted in Category | Comments (0)

Millet khichdi (Curried mix vegetable millet) – Instant Pot recipe

September 23, 2020 – 8:07 pm

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup raw peanuts (optional)
  • 2 tbsp raisins (optional)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup chopped French / green beans
  • 1 big or 2 small tomatoes, large chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup little millet or any millet mix (we used Ancient Grains by ’24 mantra’ that is a mix of Foxtail millet, Little millet, Barnyard millet and Kodo millet). Note that white sorghum millet (Jowar) and pearl millet (Bajro) grains are harder to cook. If you wish to use them, precook them and then use.
  • 1/2 cup moong dal
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • 3.5 cups water

Method:

  1. Wash millets a couple times till the water is no longer very cloudy
  2. Then soak them in 2 cups of water for an hour (and use the same water for cooking)
  3. Similarly, wash moong daal a couple times till the water is no longer very cloudy and keep it aside
  4. Put Instant Pot on sauté mode
  5. Add oil / ghee and when hot, add cumin seeds
  6. When cumin seeds start crackling, add grated ginger and sauté for 5-10 seconds
  7. Add raw peanuts and raisins and sauté for a minute
  8. Add chopped onion, potato, beans, carrots and sauté for a couple of minutes
  9. Add chopped tomatoes, spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes
  10. Add salt, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and kasoori methi and mix well
  11. Add millets along with its water, moong dal, additional 1.2 cups of water and mix well
  12. Put the lid and switch the Instant Pot to a mode that would cook for 15 minutes on high heat under pressure
  13. After the cooking cycle is complete, let it cool till the lid can easily open without any force
  14. Stir in ghee and chopped coriander leaves and serve the khichdi (also known as khichadi) hot with yogurt on the side

Serves: 4

 

Inspiration source:

By Dilip Shah | Comments (0)

Maqluba – Upside-down Rice

January 3, 2015 – 2:28 pm

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil, 1/4 cup
  • Eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, 1 medium size
  • Onion, minced, 1 medium size
  • Allspice, 1 tsp
  • Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp
  • Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp
  • Black pepper, 1/4 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Tomato, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, 2 large
  • Potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, 2 large
  • Water or stock, well seasoned with salt, 2 cups
  • Rice, soaked 1/2 hour in water to cover, 1 1/2 cups
  • Pine nuts, 1/2 cup

Method:

  1. Drain the rice and put aside
  2. Gently roast the pine nuts and put aside
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant slices on each side to lightly brown. Remove to a plate
  4. Add more oil to the skillet if needed and sauté the onions until translucent. Add allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper and sauté. Add water / stock and put aside
  5. Grease a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan well with olive oil. Lay the tomato slices to cover the bottom of the saucepan. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the rice over the tomatoes. Lay the potato slices to cover the rice and sprinkle about 1/2 cup of rice over the potatoes. Lay eggplant slices to cover the rice and press down well to compact all the ingredients. Add the rest of the rice and the seasoned water or stock
  6. Bring to a boil over medium-high flame, then quickly reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking time, check to see if more water needs to be added
  7. Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove lid and invert a serving platter over the saucepan. Turn upside-down and carefully slip the saucepan off the rice
  8. Cover with roasted pine nuts and serve hot

Serves: 6

By Dilip Shah | Comments (0)

Paella

September 12, 2013 – 3:00 pm

Paella

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 1/2 medium carrot, halved and sliced
  • 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch length pieces
  • 1 zucchini, halved and sliced
  • 1/2 red pepper, cut into 1 inch length slices
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 cup spinach, chopped (fresh or frozen spinach)
  • 2 cups tofu, diced
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups vegetable broth

Method:

  1. Use a big pan with a tight fitting lid instead of a pot for this recipe. Rinse rice with water and drain
  2. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat and toss in a clove of crushed garlic. Add rice into the pan and sauté until the rice become dry and grains are slightly translucent. This will take about 10 minutes. Pour the toasted rice in a bowl and keep aside
  3. Using the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions, garlic, bay leaf, and carrot for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, peppers, tofu, and green beans and sauté for another 2 minutes
  4. Add rice into the vegetable mixture, as well as all the spices. Stir until all is well combined. Add diced tomatoes and pour in the vegetable broth. Let the pan come to a slight simmer (about 7-8 minutes) and cover it with the lid. Let it cook under medium heat for 10 minutes
  5. Open lid quickly, toss in your spinach, cover the lid again and then turn off the heat
  6. Let the pan sit for another 15-20 minutes. Don’t not open the lid. This ensures that all moisture and flavor is absorbed completely into the rice. After 15-20 minutes, stir the rice and serve hot

Serves: 4

Remarks:

This recipe has been adapted by adding tofu. The tofu is frozen and then thawed to give a unique texture

You may substitute tofu with 1/2 cup chopped almonds. Vegetable broth gives a unique flavor to this recipe; do not substitute it with water

By Dilip Shah | Comments (0)

Mushroom Risotto

September 9, 2013 – 4:15 pm

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Arborio / Jasmine rice
  • 1 tbsp butter / olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 8 oz mushroom, washed and cut in medium size pieces
  • 1 can Campbell Mushroom soup
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup edamame, boiled cooked
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Method:

  1. Pressure cook rice in 2 cups of water (3 whistles) and then keep aside
  2. Heat the butter / oil in a pan and saute onions till soft
  3. Add grated garlic and saute for 1 minute
  4. Add mushroom pieces and salt to taste and stir fry till mushroom soften
  5. Add mushroom soup and milk and mix thoroughly, bring to boil and then lower the heat to medium-level and cook for 2-3 minutes
  6. Add cooked rice, edamame and pinch of black pepper powder and mix well
  7. Serve with your favorite Italian soup

Serves: 4

By Dilip Shah | Comments (0)

Asparagus and Squash Brown Rice Risotto

February 6, 2013 – 8:07 am

Risotto

Risotto

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 cups diced butternut squash (1/4-inch)
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup 1 inch-long pieces of asparagus
  • 2 small cubes of vegetable bouillon
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Method:

  1. Melt butter in a skillet on medium – high heat
  2. Stir in squash and onions and add vegetable bouillons and cook for 5 minutes
  3. Stir in asparagus pieces and thyme and cook for additional 2-3 minutes
  4. Add rice and stir on medium heat for a minute, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the skillet
  5. Turn the heat off, stir in Parmesan cheese
  6. Serve immediately

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

Riley’s “Something Extra” – Apr, May, June 2012 issue

By Dilip Shah | Comments (0)

Broken wheat and moong dal porridge / Fada ni Khichadi

August 30, 2012 – 1:37 pm

Fada ni Khichadi

Fada ni Khichadi

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup split yellow gram (yellow moong dal)
  • 1 cup broken wheat (gehun ka fada/dalia)
  • 1 cup potatoes, diced
  • 1 cup green peas
  • 1 cup cauliflower florests
  • 1 cup onions, diced
  • 1 tablespoon green chili-ginger paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • salt to taste

For the tempering

  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 6 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  • 2 tablespoons ghee

Method:

  1. Wash and soak the moong dal and broken wheat for at least 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside in a large vessel that can accommodate all the ingredients and will fit in your pressure cooker
  2. Prepare the tempering in a small pan by heating the ghee and adding the cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and asafetida and stirring for 30 seconds
  3. Add tempering to the dal and broken wheat along with all the vegetables and other ingredients and stir for 4 to 5 minutes
  4. Add 4 cups of water to it and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles
  5. Allow the steam to escape and open the pressure cooker
  6. Stir the khichdi vigorously, adding a little hot water if required so that the dal and the broken wheat mix well
  7. Serve hot with raita or plain yogurt by the side

Serves: 2

By Dilip Shah | Comments (0)