Bhaths, Pulaos, Rices & Saadams!

Ulundu Saadam with split white urad dhal:

Thin variety of rice - 1 cup

Urad dhal - 1/3 cup ( heaped)

Garlic - 4,5 pieces

Methi seeds - 1 tsp ( or less)

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Add warm water to coconut & extract milk 3 times.

The milk should be 3 cups ( this depends on the grainy or little mushy consistency you prefer for the rice).

Wash the rice & dhal & drain well.

Add methi seeds, lightly crushed garlic, salt & cook till done.

Serve with Potato Sambar ( given in idli sambars)

Second method using split urad dhal with black skin:

This dhal is specially very good for health.

Boiled rice - 1 cup

Dhal - 1/3 cup

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Garlic - 5,6 pieces

Salt

Roast dhal slightly.

Mix washed rice, roasted dhal, grated coconut, peeled garlic & salt with 3-3 ½ cups water.

Cook till done.

Pressure cooking for 3 whistles is usually sufficient.

This is served with raw gingelly oil & the following chutney:

Til Chutney:

Seasame seeds ( til) - 100 gms

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 7,8 ( to taste)

Roast seasame seeds till the splutter.

Cool, add all other ingredients & grind to a chutney.

Both the above rices can be served with avial & appalam.

Long-grain rice - 1 ½ cups

Water - 6 cups

Carrot - 1 medium

French beans - 12

Capsicum - 1 small

Cauliflower - !/2 cup tiny flowerettes

Spring onions - 2

Spring onion tops - 1 cup (finely chopped)

Oil - 4 tbsp

Aji no moto - ¼ tsp ( optional)

Soya sauce - 4 tbsp

Salt

Wash the rice.

Boil the water & add the rice & 1 tsp salt.

Cook, uncovered over a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just tender, but not overcooked.

It is very important that every grain of rice should be separate.

Drain the rice & allow it to stand till absolutely cold.

Scrape the carrot & string the french beans.

Drop the both into boiling water to which ½ tsp salt is added, for 1 mte.

Drain, cool, then dice the carrot, beans & capsicum.

Peel the onions & chop.

Heat the oil in a wok & stirfry the onion & cauliflower over a high flame for 1 mte.

Add the carrot, beans, capsicum, ajinimoto ( if you are using it ) & salt.

Stir fry over a high flame for 2 mts.

Add rice, soya sauce & spring onion tops.

Stir fry over a high flame for 3-5 mins.

Serve with vinegar chillies & chilli sauce.

If preferred, soya sauce may be omitted.

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Onion - 2

Green chillies - 3,4 – slit into 2

Mint leaves, chopped - ½ cup

Coriander leaves, chopped - ½ cup

Cardamom - 3

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon - 1”

Bay leaves - 2 pieces

Shah jeera - ½ tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Cut the following vegetables into thin long strips:

Beans - ½ cup

Carrots - ½ cup

Peas - ½ cup

Cauliflower ( small flowerettes) - ½ cup

Curds - 1 cup

Soak the following in curds:

Tomatoes - 3 – chop fine

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Haldi - a pinch

Garam masala powder - ½ tsp

Grind the following & add to curds:

Ginger - 1:

Garlic - 3

Green chillies - 4

Wash & soak rice for 15 mts.

Drain & keep ready.

Fry in 1 tbsp oil, shah jeera, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves &finally add rice.

Cook to a grainy consistency, adding just about 1 1/2-2 cups of water ( or a little less depending on the rice) both leaves & very little salt.

Heat the remaining ghee & oil, fry onions, green chillies & vegetables till tender.

Add curds soaked with the given masalas.

Fry till thick gravy is formed.

Spread alternate layers of rice & vegetable gravy in a round vessel.

Bake in a medium oven, covered with aluminium foil.

Or cover & cook over a tava on medium heat for 15 mts.

Serve with raitha.

Basmati - 1 cup

Ghee - 4 tbsp

Onion - 1

Tutti frutti red & green coloured ( mixed fruits used for fruit cakes) - each 1 tbsp

Dry cucumber seeds - 1 tbsp

Charoli or chironji - 1 tbsp

Sultanas or raisins - 1 tbsp ( fry in 1 tsp ghee)

Fresh green seedless grapes - ½ cup

Pineapple in syrup - 3 round slices, chopped

Salt, sugar

Fry in 2,3 drops of ghee & powder: (1)

Cinnamon - 1 ‘

Cloves - 5

Fry in 2,3 drops of ghee & powder: (2)

Red chillies - 3

Gram dhal - 1 tsp

Dhaniya - 1 tsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

Cook rice with 1 tsp ghee in such a way that grains are separate.

Spread in a bowl.

Add powder no 1 & powder no: 2.
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Add all other ingredients except pineapple & green grapes.

Fry onion in 1 tbsp ghee & add.

Mix the rest of the ghee & add.

Heat the entire mixture after thoroughly mixing everything.
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Just before serving add pineapple pieces & green grapes.
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Ice cream Raita:

Fresh curds ( not at all sour) - 1 cup

Vanilla ice cream - 100 ml pack

Cucumber - 1 - chop

Chop into bits:

Apple - 1

Ripe mango - 1 medium

Banana - 1

Salt, sugar

Vanilla essence - few drops

Squeeze the cucumber pieces to remove the extra water.

Keep curds in a bowl.

Add fruits, sugar, salt & squeezed cucumber.

Whisk in ice cream & essence.

Mix well, chill & serve.

You can use any other flavour in ice cream, but the essence should also be the same.

Rice ( thin variety) - 1 cup

Potatoes - 2 – peel & chop

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1”

Cardamom - 4

Peppercorns - 8

Garlic flakes - 8 - chop

Onions - 2 big - chop

Oil + ghee - 3 tbsp

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves - ½ cup
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Lime juice - 2-3 tsp

Wash & soak rice for 15 mts.

Drain & keep ready.

Heat ghee & oil in a pressure pan.

Fry rice & ( well rinsed & washed) potatoes for a few mts & remove.

In the remaining oil, ghee mixture, add cinnamon, cardamom & pepper.

When they splutter, add chopped onion & garlic.

Fry till the colour changes.

Add 2 cups of water with salt, chilli powder, garam masala & lime juice.

Add rice & potatoes & allow to boil.

When boiling starts, close the pan & keep the weight.

Reduce the flame & cook for 10 mts.

Cool & open.

Garnish with grated coconut & choppped coriander leaves.

Serve with any raita.
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Vegetables like carrot, beans, cauliflower, peas, potatoes can be used.

Chop them very fine. Or they can be even minced.

Basmati - 1 cup

Mixed vegetables - 1 cup

Coconut - ½ cup

Green chillies - 4,5 – slit into 2

Salt

Saffron powder - a tiny pinch

Bay leaves - 2,3 pieces

Grind together:

Saunf - ½ tsp

Khus khus - 2 tsp

Cashews - 7,8

Garlic - 5,6

To temper:

Oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp

Cinnamon - 1”

Cardamom - 4

Curry leaves - few

Heat 2 tbsp oil – ghee mixture, saute the minced vegetables till soft & keep.

Was & soak rice for 15 mts.

Then drain & keep ready.

Add warm water to coconut & take 2 cups of milk.

Heat the remaining ghee-oil mixture in a pressure pan.

Temper as given, add ground paste, fry lightly & add rice.

Fry rice for a few mts, add green chillies, sauted vegetables, salt & coconut milk.

When the mixture starts boiling, close the cooker & immediately lower the flame.

Cook for 10 mts & switch off.

Cool & open – now fry the bay leaves in 1 tsp ghee & add along with saffron powder.

Cover the cooker, keep the weight for 10 mts , but do not cook anymore.

Open the cooker after 15 mts – the flavour of bay leaves ( brinji ilai in tamil)

Is very pleasant & tasty.

Since this rice has no onions, it is best served with onion raita.

Thin variety of rice - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Salt

To grind to a paste:

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Red chillies - 3,4

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Haldi

To temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 1

Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp

Cook rice so that grains are separate.

Spread on a plate & cool.

Heat oil & temper the given ingredients.

Remove the peanuts to be added later.

Add the paste & fry for 2,3 mts till the raw smell disappears.

Remove, add to the cooled rice with salt.

Mix everything well, add ghee & peanuts.

Basmati - 1 cup

Coconut - ¾ cup

Cashewnuts, broken into two - 10

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt

To temper:

Cinnamon - 1”

Cloves - 4

Cardamom - 4

Onions - 1 big or 2 medium - chop

Green chillies - 7,8 ( or to taste) – slit into 2

Ginger - 1 “ – cut inti juliennes

Curry leaves - few

Garlic - 10 pieces

Tomato - 1 – chop

Wash & soak rice for 15 mts.

Drain & keep ready.

Add warm water to coconut & take 2 cups milk.

In a pressure pan heat 2 trbsp ghee, fry in order one after the other - cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onion, garlic, green chillies, ginger,, curry leaves & finally tomato.

After all ingredients are well fried, add rice & fry for a few mts.

Add coconut milk & salt.

When everything boils together, close the cooker & keep the weight.

At once lower the flame & cook for 10 mts.

Cool & open.

Fry cashews & raisins in the remaining ghee & garnish.

This is excellent with vegetable or navratna kurma.

Note:

I once made the above recipe with just some peas & added green food colour to the rice.

I am posting the photo below.
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For this rice, vegetables like, carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower, potato etc can be used.

Chop them into 1 “ pieces .

Rice ( any thin variety) - 1 cup

Mixed vegetables - 1 cup ( or more)

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Salt, haldi

Oil - 3 tbsp

To roast in 1 tsp oil & powder:

Red chillies - 4, 5

Dhaniya - 3 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Gram dhal - 1 tsp

Peanuts - 1 tbsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Cook rice so that the grains are separate.

Heat oil in a kadai, add the vegetables & haldi.

Cover & cook the vegetables in their own steam, as far as possible, sprinkling very little water, if & when necessary.

When they are almost cooked, add tamarind paste, ground powder & little salt.

Simmer till they all blend well.

Add the cooled rice & mix completely for uniformity.

Add 2 tsp ghee for a nice flavour.
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Basmathi - 1 cup

Chopped mushroom - 1 cup

Chopped onion - 1 cup

Chopped celery - 1 cup

Salt

Pepper - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Wash & soak rice for 30 mts.

Drain well.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pressurepan, fry rice till stiff & remove.

Heat the remaining oil & first fry mushrooms.

They will first leave out water & then become dry.

Keep separately & in the same way fry celery & onions also each separately.

Now mix all fried ingredients, salt, 1 tsp pepper & 2 cups of water.

When the water starts boiling vigorously, close the cooker & keep the weight.

Lower the flame & cook for 10 mts.

Cool & open.

Serve hot with any spicy dish.