Home-style Vegetable Biryani

It always leaves me amused, how my son would gorge down an entire plate of peas pulao at a restaurant buffet and make faces when I make the same thing at home. How can something that's gone cold and was probably made many hours before it made its way to his mouth taste better than the same thing made fresh and served piping hot at home?

Isn't it pretty wild how the same dish prepared by two families, or even two different people in the same household, can taste entirely different. Sometimes, even when the recipe followed is the same. On par with this thought, I put forth my version of the famous one-pot meal, Vegetable Biryani.

Biryanis are so versatile and each person tends have their own ways of making it. Some make it from scratch and some by purchasing store-bought biryani mixes. It is made either with meat, chicken, seafood or vegetables. No matter in what way it is prepared, this will always be a delicious part of any meal...or better yet, make a meal in itself!

While in most cases we prepare non-vegetarian biryani from scratch at home, every once in a way I give my vegetables a chance to treat themselves to this delicacy. So, one Sunday I dished up Vegetable Biryani and Chicken Chettinad as an accompaniment. Who can ask for a better weekend luncheon?

Asian Style Fried Rice

We all end up doing some ridiculously dumb things some time or the other. For me, one such time was when I was really out of ideas as to what to make for dinner and I simply cooked up rice and sat wondering what to do next! I wanted to eat something beyond the regular Tomato Rice, Pulao or any other rice preparation that I would normally churn out. I sat watching TV and suddenly like a lightening, it struck me: Indo-Chinese. I mean HOW could I have not thought about it earlier. And, to my luck I had scallions stocked up from my Chicken Manchurian fiesta I had the previous night. The rice had cooled down to room temperature, I had a good stock of soy and chillie sauce...everything was so in sync and yes, and you guessed the rest - Asian Style Fried Rice was born!

Ingredients

1 Cup Rice, washed and drained

1 Bunch of Scallions, washed and chopped

1/2 Cup Onions, julienned

1 Green chillie, slit (Add more if you like things hot :P)

2 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste

1 tsp Fresh Garlic, coarsly chopped (Yes, I love additional fresh garlic in just about anything!)

3 tbsp Soy Sauce (Add more if you desire)

1 tbsp Red Chillie Sauce

1 tsp Ground pepper/Pepper powder

Ajinomoto or Regular salt, to taste

1/4 Cup Oil (You can use olive oil for extra flavour)

Method

- Cook the rice in 1 3/4 cup of water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Spreading the cooked rice over a large plate speeds this process and yields fluffy rice

- In a large wok/kadai, heat about 1/4 cup of oil

- Once it is hot, add the slit green chilli and onions and stir until the onions are translucent

- Add the coarsly chopped garlic and stir fry

- Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for another minute or so

- Throw in half of the chopped scallions and fry

- Now, lower the flame and add the red chillie and soy sauces and stir

- Toss in the rice, salt/ajinomoto and pepper and stir fry thoroughly (Boy, they dont call it 'fried' rice for nothing...all you do is fry in every darn step!)

- Fry (Yea! again) the rice on a medium high flame until it is coated well with the sauces and onions mixture

- Top up with the remaining half of the chopped scallions and serve piping hot with your choice of favourite gravy. I served mine with some tangy, spicy Thai Curry...so you know what is coming next on SSTT! Ah, can't I keep one little secret?

SERVES 3

Super Simple Methi Pulao (Fresh Fenugreek Leaf Fried Rice)

Many people associate Methi/Fenugreek leaves to being bitter and often refrain from using them. But, there is a trick to get rid of the bitterness. All you have to do is soak the washed leaves (before cutting) in some salt water. Simple, huh?

There are umpteen number of pulaos out there, but if there is one that I would pick as my favourite it would be Methi Pulao. This one is super simple to put together and goes great with Cucumber Raita. So you do not have to make any special Kurma or gravy as a side dish. This recipe brings back memories of my childhood because its one dish that was made by my grandmother so very often. There were days I would eat this even as a snack after school/playtime. Try it once I am sure you cannot stop yourself at one serving, too!

This one is surely going to enter your comfort-food list!

Ingredients
1 Cup Rice - Washed and set aside (You can use basmati or just any variety of rice
that you normally would make white rice with. I have used Sona Masoori)
1 Large bunch of fresh Methi leaves - Washed and soaked in salt water
1 Large Onion - Finely chopped
1 Large Tomato - Finely chopped
1 tsp. Garam Masala
1 tsp. Dhania powder (Coriander powder)
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 tsp. Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
1 tbsp. Garlic - grated
1 tbsp. Ginger - grated
2 Green Chillies, split
4 tbsp. Yogurt
2 Cups of Warm Water
Oil
And, of course, Some salt to taste!

You can use ginger-garlic paste in place of freshly grated ginger and garlic.

Method
- Wash the rice and set aside
- In a large non-stick pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds
- Once they splutter, add the chopped onions and fry until translucent
- Now all the grated ginger and garlic and fry for about 30 seconds
- Add the split green chillies and fry for another 30 seconds
- Toss in the chopped tomatoes and fry until the all the ingredients blend well together
- In the meanwhile, drain the water from the methi leaves and finely chop them up
- Now add the dry powders (turmeric, dhania, garam masala)and stir
- Add the chopped methi and stir until it wilts
- Pour the yogurt and mix well. This will bring the entire contents to a gravy like texture
- Add the washed rice and fry for about a minute
- Add salt and the warm water
- Cover (Use a lid with a vent) and cook
- Keep checking and stirring occasionally to avoid burning or the rice that's at the bottom of the pan
- Serve hot with any raita of your choice

SERVES 4

NOTEWORTHY NOTES
1. Agjust water quantity based on the type of rice. Basmati, for instance, takes less water
2. Add peas and diced carrots for more textures to bite into!

Tangy Lemon Rice (Chitranna)

India is famous for its varied selection of Rice preparations. But, not too many people know that every region makes rice in its own way. While the North is famous for Jeera Rice and Pulaos, the Central region boasts of yummy Kichdi and Biryani....and the South is popular for a range of tangy, spicy rice dishes like lemon rice (called as Chitranna in Karnataka) and tamarind rice(Puliogare). And how can I not mention how all the flavours transcend boundaries of all states! Just the other day I happened to make lemon rice for lunch and thought I'd share the recipe with you!

Ingredients
3 cups Cooked Rice
2 fl. oz. - Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 Onion - Finely chopped
3 pcs. - Green chilies, chopped
4 pcs. - Curry leaves
1 tsp - Split Chickpeas (Channa Dal/ Split Bengal Gram Dal)
1 tsp - Split Black Gram (Split Urad Dal)
1/2 tsp - Mustard Seeds
2 tsp - Peanuts (Optional - I haven't used this in my version)
1/2 tsp Ginger - Grated
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 Sprig of chopped cilantro or coriander for garnishing
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- Spread out the cooked rice on a large platter and set aside to cool
- In a wok (kadaai), heat oil on a medium flame and add mustard seeds. Stand back, these fellas pop all over the place!
- Once they splutter, add the split chickpeas, split black gram, curry leaves (these splutter too, watch out!) and green chilies and fry for about half a minute. If you intend using peanuts, add them in at this stage too
- Add the finely chopped onions and fry until they turn translucent
- Now toss in the grated ginger and give it a quick stir
- Add the turmeric powder and salt and mix on a low flame
- Turn off the flame, and pour in the lemon juice. Stir until all ingredients combine
- Now, add the cooled rice and mix well
- Add the cilantro/coriander

Serving Suggestion
This dish need not be served hot. It tastes great with mango pickles and paapad.

SERVES 1

Capsicum (Bell Pepper) Rice

If you like rice in anything but its plain form, but crave for something other than the regular pulao or fried rice, then this is a refreshing change. I got this recipe from my aunt. She gave me the recipe for Eggplant rice (Vaangibhat) which is a popular dish in Karnataka. So, she originally asked me to use Eggplant (Brinjals/Baingan, Long green variety). But she also suggested that I could try using bell peppers, which I did - And, boy, was it yumm!

Ingredients

1/2 Green Bell Pepper (Capsicum) - Julienned
1/2 Yellow Onion - Finely Chopped
3/4 Tomato - Finely Chopped
1/2 cup - Coconut (I normally use frozen coconut flakes)
1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1 tbsp - Corriander (Dhania) seeds (You can use powder too)
1 tbsp - Split Chickpeas (Chana dal/ Split Bengal gram dal)
4 Red Chillies
1 sprig Cilantro
4-5 Curry leaves (Kadi patta)
1 cup - Cooked Rice
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
Asafoetida (Hing) Powder
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- On a large plate, spread out the cooked rice and allow to cool
- In a wok or saucepan, heat some oil and add coconut, split chickpeas and corrainder seeds and fry for about 2 minutes on a medium-high flame. Reduce the flame to medium if you need to, because the way each vessel heats differs
- Now add the red chillies and a pinch of hing and fry for another minute
- Turn off the flame and set aside to cool
- Once the fried mixture is cool, grind it into a coarse paste (using minimum water) in the mixer/blender. If you can grind it dry that would work out very well to. I normally add some water since my blender does not provide for dry grinding of ingredients
- In another large vessel, heat some oil and add mustard seeds
- Once they splutter, add onions and fry until they turn translucent
- Now toss in the tomatoes and fry further until they soften
- Add the julinned bell peppers and fry
- Throw in a dash of turmeric for some colour
- Fry until the peppers cook
- Now, add the ground paste/powder and stir
- Toss the cooked rice into this mixuture and add salt
- Blend and stir on a low flame
- Cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes

Serving Suggestion
Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and serve hot with either yogurt or chutney.

SERVES 2