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Showing posts with label ONE-POT MEALS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ONE-POT MEALS. Show all posts

Thursday, July 30, 2020

YANG CHOW FRIED RICE (VEGAN)

YANG CHOW FRIED RICE (VEGAN)
Did you’ll know that the Chinese Filipinos are one of the largest overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.
The trade with China was the beginning of a major influence and contribution within the Filipino culture. One major influence that the Chinese contributed within the culture was culinary arts. Some culinary techniques that the Filipinos were taught include sauteed dishes, rice cakes and noodle dishes(like Pancit!).
Yang Chow Fried Rice is one of the dishes that was born out of this fusion. It’s very popular in the Philippines.
The dish contains Barbecued Pork known as Char Siu and shrimps, but I have replaced it here with Soya Nuggets.
This dish is a complete meal in itself.





Ingredients (Serves – 4)
Rice – 2 cups
Soya nuggets – 1 cup
Soya sauce - 1 ½ tbsps
Onion – 1 chopped
Green peas - ¾ cup
Carrots – 1 julienned
French Beans – 1 julienned
Corn – ½ cup
Lettuce – 8- 10 leaves
Ginger minced – 1 tsp
Garlic minced – 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Cooking Oil – 3 tbsps
Salt as per taste

Method
Cook the rice or preferable use cooked rice from the day before Rinse out the soya nuggets, Soak the soy chunks for at least 15 minutes in boiling hot water with a pinch of salt. Once done, dunk them in some cool water. Drain the nuggets through a colander, now squeeze out the excess water the chunks have absorbed.
The next step is preparing the vegetables.
In a wok, add oil and then sauté the ginger and garlic.
Add in the onions, cook for a minute, then add in the soy chunks, saute nicely. We want the nuggets to absorb as much flavor as possible, add a teaspoon of soya sauce and stir further more for another 2-3 minutes till you see the nuggets getting done,
then add in all the vegetables and stir fry on a high flame, add salt and toss well. The vegetables should be done but crunchy and not over cooked. At this point, add the rice and mix well.
Put-in the soy sauce, sugar, and salt (Be careful when adding salt, as the soya sauce has a salty taste as well). Mix well and let it get cooked on a low flame with the lid on for about 10 minutes, so that the rice absorbs all the flavors. After this, toss in the chopped spring onion leaves. Cook without lid for 2 minutes while mixing with the other ingredients.
Your Yang Chow Fried rice is ready to eat.
Serve hot with some chilly marinated in soya sauce.


TIPS
· I have used Thai Rice in the recipe. The important thing to note is the rice should fluff up well and not be sticky. This fried rice works well with Leftover rice which is taken cold from the refrigerator as it tends to be non sticky. In case of using freshly cooked rice, spread the cooked rice on a big plate for it to cool down and become separate so it can be used to make the fried rice.

· The soya nuggets can be replaced with tofu or even tempeh if you like. Or you can use Mock meats available easily in the Asian Section of the supermarket.


VARIATIONS
· This recipe is Vegan Friendly

· Soya Nuggets is used as a meat alternative, the original recipe uses Barbecued Pork and shrimps, so those who can eat meats can add this to the fried rice.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

LEMON RICE / LIMBU SADAM

LEMON RICE / LIMBU SADAM
Rice is a staple food of the South Indians. There are many varieties of rice that is made in the south Indian cuisine, one such rice is Lemon Rice (Lemon flavored rice).
The Kerala Iyer’s settled in Mumbai had a different lingo(slang) for everything.
Lemons are known as Limbu in Maharashtrian language and everyone calls it Limbu in Mumbai. In other South Indian states, it’s known as Elimichai (Tamil), CheruNaranga fondly called as Naranga as well (Malayalam), Nimmakaya in (Telegu) and Nimbe (Kannada) and so on and so forth.
Tambrams in Mumbai were such an eclectic mix language wise that we adopted whatever was easy on the tongue and easy for all the generations to understand, so Lemon Rice at my place was called Limbu Sadam. Amma used to pack Lemon rice for us in our tiffin boxes and the wafting aroma of the lemon, hours after it was cooked was still so refreshing. That could be the reason it was packed for our long journeys by train/bus.
I’m going to share the basic recipe of Lemon Rice made by my mother. It can be made exotic by adding various other ingredients as well. 


Ingredients (Serves 2)
Rice -1 cup
Lemon -1
Oil - 2 tbsps
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
White lentil (Urad dal split) -1 tsp
Bengal Gram (Channa dal/kadalai paruppu) -1 tbsp
Red chillies - 1-2 (broken in 2 halves)
Green chillies - 2 -3 (Broken in 2 halves)
Asafetida (Hing) - a pinch
Turmeric Powder - ½ tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped (Optional)
Salt as per taste

Method
Soak the rice for about 20 minutes, after that cook the rice, preferably cook it in the proportion of 1 cup rice:2 cups water. (Refer to tips below).
Rice must not be gluey or stuck to each other, it has to be separate. The texture of the rice is very important to get this recipe right.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, white lentils (urad dal), Bengal Gram (Chana dal), Red chilies. When the mustard starts to splutter and the dals are turning slightly pink, add in Green chilies, curry leaves and asafetida.
Add the cooked rice, turmeric and salt as per taste. Give it all a good mix, Sauté for about 5-6 minutes till the mixture becomes uniform and is hot. Turn off the gas.
At this stage, squeeze the juice of a lemon (De-seed), Give it all a good mix so that lemon is ingested into the grains of rice
*Very Important - Do not cook after adding the lemon juice, the taste may become bitter!!!
After this, check for salt and if needed, add again and mix well.
Garnish with Freshly chopped coriander leaves (optional).
Serve hot or let it cool and pack it in Tiffin boxes.
Traditionally, lemon rice is served with Papads (Lentil Crackers) / Vadaams (Fryums).
Lemon rice goes well with any dry curries(sabzis) as well.
Serve it the way you like. Eat it the way you enjoy.

Tips
· Use Leftover rice to make the lemon rice as the starch in the rice gets less sticky as it gets colder. There is a big chance that the rice won’t stick to each other.

· If using freshly cooked rice, after cooking, spread it on a plate and let it cool down under a fan.

· Spice levels can be increased or decreased as per taste

· Addition of lemon decreases the salt taste, so after adding the lemon, check for salt and if needed, add again

· Do not skip Chana dal as it gives a crunch to the lemon rice.


VARIATIONS

· Can Add peanuts to the lemon rice. Fry the peanuts in Oil and keep aside and add when you add the cooked rice.

· Can Add Cashew nuts to the lemon rice. Fry the cashew nuts golden in Oil and keep aside and add when you add the cooked rice.

· You can add green peas, if you are adding green peas, sauté until lighter color in the oil after you add the green chilies and curry leaves

· You can add grated or diced(small) carrots for extra nutrition. if you are adding carrots, sauté until soft in the oil after you add the green chilies and curry leaves

· You can add onion to this recipe.

· You can add ginger to this recipe. Pound ¼ inch ginger and add along with chilies in the recipe.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

HYDERABADI CHICKPEAS PULAO/BIRYANI / GARBANZO BEANS PILAF / BIRYANI

HYDERABADI CHICKPEAS PULAO / BIRYANI / GARBANZO BEANS PILAF / BIRYANI
The locked down has given me the opportunity to try many new recipes and one such recipe is the “Hyderabad Chickpeas Biryani”. I wonder, how I missed making this beautiful dish all these years.
I had soaked chickpeas and wanted to rustle up something quick and easy.
This dish is a One-pot meal which is what I like to cook on those lazy days when I have to drag myself to the kitchen.
The Texture of this dish is moist like a Biryani so you can call it a Biryani as well. This is an ideal dish to be packed into tiffin boxes to take to work or for kids. Quick to cook, Good to eat.



Ingredients (Serves - 4)
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Chickpeas - 1 cup (Boiled)
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Pulao / Biryani Masala or Garam Masala – ½ tsp
Pickle Masala – ½ tsp (My secret ingredient)
Onions - 2 medium sized
Tomatoes – 2 medium sized
Green chilly – 2
Ginger – ½ inch
Coriander leaves for Garnish

Masalas (whole)
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 slit vertically
Star Anise - 1
Cloves - 2-3
Mace (Javitri) – 1
Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi) - 1-2
Cardamom whole (Elaichi) - 1-2
Cumin seeds - 2 tsps.
Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Soda bi-carb - a pinch (optional)
Cooking Oil - 4 tbsps
Salt as per taste



Method
Soak the chickpeas overnight with a pinch of soda. Rinse it well in the morning. Add the soaked and rinsed chickpeas in a cooker. Add water to cover it completely and a cup more. Boil it up to 3 whistles in the pressure cooker. Keep it aside.
Meanwhile, pound the chillies and ginger into a fine paste. Chop the onions into strips(slivers). Chop the tomatoes into chunks.
I cook this dish in the Handi pressure cooker. You can cook it in a wok/pan too.
Add the oil, when the Oil is hot, add all the whole Masalas. Sauté for a minute then add the chillies and ginger paste, fry for a minute, then add the onion slivers and some salt and cook till transparent. Do not cook until brown, Add the Tomatoes and cook until mushy. Add the boiled Chickpeas and stir. After this, add the Pulao / Biryani Masala powder or Garam Masala powder, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Turmeric powder, Pulao / Biryani Masala or Garam Masala and Pickle Masala (My secret ingredient). Give it a good stir.
Wait until the water in the chickpeas is dry already.
After this, Add the Washed and drained Basmati rice into the mix and mix well.
Mix with a gentle hand, ensuring that you don’t break the grains of rice.
Now add water, the proportion of water and rice 1: 1.5, so for every cup of rice, you add 1.5 cups of water. In our recipe, we will add 3.5 cups of water.
Stir gently till all the ingredients are mixed well.
Add finely chopped coriander leaves and check for salt.
If you need add salt at this stage.
Usually the mix will be slightly salty but everything will balance once cooked. Now close the lid and cook up to 3 whistles in the pressure cooker, if you are cooking in the open pan /wok, close the pan/wok tightly with a lid and steam cook until all the water is absorbed.
Once done, give it a good fluff with a fork.
Do not press hard and stir as you may break the rice.
Hot Chickpeas Pulao is ready.
Garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves.
Serve Hot with Yogurt (dahi) /raita /pappad /pickle.
Enjoy this beautiful one-pot meal. 
 
Tips
· Do not soak Rice for too long or else they will become soft and break easily and you won’t get to see the beautiful long grains.

· Adding soda bi-carb to chickpeas while soaking is optional, I added because I wasn’t sure if the  chickpeas would be hard or soft. Sometimes, chickpeas don’t get cooked

· When you add Kasuri Methi, rub it between your palms and add, as this brings out the aroma out

· I prefer to cook in my Prestige Handi as it requires no supervision, However, if you are cooking in the pan/wok, please ensure that you put off the gas immediately when the water is absorbed and let it cook on steam else you may burn the bottom side of the pulao.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

BROWN RICE KHICHDI

BROWN RICE KHICHDI
Khichdi is the soul food of the Indians!!! Khichdi is a rice lentil porridge that is usually eaten when you want something light yet nutritious.
Making the Khichdi with Brown Rice, packs the humble khichdi to a different level. Brown rice has high levels of fibre and a low glycemic index and carbohydrates.
Khichdi can be made using any variety of rice, but, brown rice retains its healthy bran and germ throughout processing, allowing it to maintain some of those powerful nutrients that the white rice has lost. This processing also allows brown rice to retain valuable minerals like magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese.
Brown rice also has a delicious nutty flavor and a chewy texture due to the nutritious bran layer.
Brown rice has numerous potential health benefits, including high levels of fibre and the potential to lower blood pressure and can help the body to effectively use insulin, maintain a healthier weight, and increase potassium levels.
In India, khichdi is usually served to people recovering from illness, surgeries as it is light and easy to digest. It’s a one pot meal and can be packed with loads of vegetables as well.


Ingredients (Serves - 4)
Brown rice - 1 ½ cup
Yellow Moong dal – ½ cup
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - ½ inch
Onion - 1
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander Leaves finely chopped – 2 tbsp
Asafoetida (Hing) – A pinch
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Peppercorns – 3-4
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Salt as per taste
Ghee /Oil - 2 tsp



Method
Wash the rice and Yellow moong dal. Soak it in hot water for about an hour.
Meanwhile, dry roast 1 tsp of the cumin seeds and peppercorns and pound them into a coarse powder.
Pound the Ginger and chillies into a coarse paste, you can alternatively also mince it small or run it in a blender.
Heat ghee/oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add the green chillies and ginger paste, sauté, after about a minute, add in the finally chopped onions, curry leaves, sauté until the onion is cooked. Add a dash of Asafoetida, Himalayan Pink Salt and sauté. Drain the lentils and rice and add to this mix. Mix well, Add the coarsely pounded cumin seeds and pepper powder and mix well.
Now add water, the water ratio is depending on the rice. So, If you are taking 1 cup of rice you need to add 2 cups of water.
But since, you have lentils cooking along as well, you will add 3 cups of water. In my recipe, I have 1.5 cup of rice and ½ cup moong dal, so I have taken 4-4.5 cups water. I pressure cook for up to 4-5 whistles. (If cooking in a pan, cook for about 20 minutes till the lentils are tender and the rice is cooked through). I prefer the pressure cooker as I’m always worried about brown rice not getting cooked well.
Once done, wait for the steam to work its magic on the khichdi.
Open after 15 minutes, mix well, garnish with coriander and serve hot with a dollop of yogurt, pickles and papad.
This is the basic recipe.

Tips
·       Adding a ¼ tsp of Pickle oil takes the paste to the next level. If do not have pickle oil, you can add ¼ tsp of pickle masala for an added flavour.
·       Use Ghee instead of Oil for the additional taste. If instead of ghee you use Oil, this dish can be categorized under Vegan recipes.
·       Vegetables of your choice can be added, usually, carrots(diced), green peas, spinach chopped fine etc. are added.
·       You can add 2 pods of garlic, if you like the taste, pound the garlic, along with the green chillies and ginger and follow the recipe above.
·       You can add a tsp of Garam Masala powder if you like some flavour.
·       You can add a tsp of Kasuri methi (dried methi leaves) while sautéing the onions.
·       You can add a tsp of Tomato Puree if you like.



Friday, January 10, 2014

TOOVAR LILVA PULAV / PIGEON PEAS PULAV

TOOVAR LILVA PULAV / PIGEON PEAS PULAV
This time when I went for my weekend grocery shopping, I saw bags of frozen Toovar Lilva, all neatly picked, sorted and frozen. The fresh ones are not available so easily in Singapore and seeing such a convenient pack I decided to buy it.
Usually when I buy this I use it in the Surti Undhio. This time I thought I will make something different from it and decided to make a Pulav out of it which is a one pot meal at home on the days when I am lazy to cook and I need to rustle up something quickly.
Here is a recipe of the Toovar Lilva Pulav for people who like some variety in their palette.
The Toovar Lilva Pulav was such a hit in our house that it got over in no time.


Ingredients
Toovar Lilva / Pigeon Peas – 1 cup
Basmati Rice – 1 ½ cup washed and drained
Bay leaves - 1
Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp
Cinnamon sticks – 1
Clove / Lavang – 1
Turmeric – ½ tsp (Optional)
Asafetida – a pinch
Onion – 1 finely chopped (Optional)
Freshly chopped coriander leaves – 2 tbsps
Oil – 2 tbsps
Salt as per taste

To Be Ground Into A Smooth Paste (using Little Water)
Chopped Coriander leaves – ½ cup
Green chillies – 4
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - ½  tbsp
Fresh Green Garlic (Hara Lehsun) – ¼ cup (Optional)


Method
Rinse out 1 ½ cups of long grained Basmati rice and then soak it for a while in water.
I used the frozen pigeon peas, Incase you are using the frozen Toovar Lilva, kindly soak it in some warm water. If you are using fresh ones just rinse the pigeon peas out through a colander and they are ready to use.
Now, take the chopped coriander leaves, green chilly paste, ginger paste, a pinch of salt, Lemon juice and the fresh green garlic and blend to fine consistency in a mixie / blender adding a little water.
(I didn’t use the green garlic & onion in this recipe)

In a wok, put 2 tablespoons of oil, once the oil is heated add in the Bay leaves, Cinnamon stick, clove and the cumin seeds, once you see the cumin getting fried, add in a pinch of Asafetida (I always like to asafetida in my dishes as it has property to remove gases and in this recipe we have beans so it is good to add some), and fry for a minute.
Now add in the finely chopped onions and sauté until transparent. The onion should look shrunk and well fried.
After this, add in the Corriander-green chilly-ginger-lemon juice paste and sauté well. The color of the paste when fried well becomes slightly light.
Ensure that you don’t burn the masala as then the pulav won’t taste so good.
Meanwhile drain the water of the Toovar Lilva by passing it through a colander (if using the frozen ones).
Once, the masala turns into a lighter color. Add in the Toovar Lilva and sauté until the Pigeon peas turn into a lighter green,
After this add in the rinsed and soaked Basmati rice without any water and sauté for 2-3 minutes adding salt as per the taste and mixing everything well.
Once this is done you can put this in a rice cooker and add water according to finger level consistency for example when you put your finger in you will know how much rice is there, that much water has to be added or alternatively add water until the rice is completely immersed and there is another tea-cup of water on top. The water level has to be perfect for a perfect pulav, now switch on the rice cooker and keep to cook position.
I always use the electric rice cooker for pulav in Singapore but you can make it in a non stick wok by closing the lid and keeping the gas on a low flame.
Either way it cooks well. Once the rice cooks, give it a light stir so that everything mixes well without breaking the grains of rice Put the lid back and let it stand for another five minutes. Then turn off the plug.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.
If you want to decorate it some more you can even garnish it with freshly grated paneer.
Enjoy the refreshing Toovar Lilva pulav with any gravy of your choice or just with Papad, pickle and raita, It’s a complete meal.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

MINT PULAV

MINT PULAV
I went for my grocery shopping this weekend and saw a green fresh bundle of mint leaves waiting for me to pick it. I couldn’t resist. It’s scorching hot these days…global warming and all, so I thought I would make something exotic to drink with the Mint, as Mint is cooling and refreshing during summers.....
We come home pretty late sometimes after work and usually frequent this Pure vegetarian Bachelor’s joint @ Serangoon. This joint is open until late and when we reached there at about 10.45pm he told me to try the variety rice for the day, which turned out to be very tasty, when I asked him what rice was that bang came the answer, “Budinaah Rice”(Pudina Rice). Instead of making just Pudina rice I thought why not make Pudina Pulav (Mint Pulav). Since I had the perfectly fresh and beautiful Mint leaves waiting for me in my refrigerator I thought why not let my family taste this wonderful variety rice, so here is my refreshingly inviting Mint rice, sorry didn’t keep any mint leaves for the garnish in the enthusiasm to get that perfect balance in taste.
Ingredients
Mint leaves – 1 bunch
Long grained Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Onions – 2
Green peas – 1 cup
French Beans – 1/2 cup
Carrots – 1/2 cup
Corns – 1/2 cup
Green Chilly paste – 1-2 teaspoons (depending on how spicy the paste is or how much spice you like)
Ginger paste – 2 teaspoons
Bay leaves – 2
Star Anise – 1
Cinnamon sticks – 1
Big Elaichi (Badi Elaichi) – 1
Small Elaichi - 1
Clove – 1
Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp
Asafetida – a pinch
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Pulav Masala – 2 tsps
Freshly chopped coriander leaves – 2 tbsps
Oil – 2 tbsps
Salt as per taste
Method
Take the bunch of mint leaves and pluck out only the leaves and if you find the stem attachedto the leaf very tender you can use that also, but if the stems are thick please don’t use. Rinse it well under running water in a colander and keep aside for the water to drain. Meanwhile Rinse out 2 cups of long grained Basmati rice and then soak it for a while in water
Now take the mint leaves, green chilly paste, ginger paste, a pinch of salt and blend to fine consistency in a mixie / blender without adding water.
Now take a wok, put 2 tablespoons of oil, once the oil is heated add in the Bay leaves, Star Anise, Cinnamon stick, Big elaichi, small elaichi, clove and the cumin seeds, once you see the cumin getting fried, add in a pinch of Asafetida(I always like to asafetida in my dishes as it has property to remove gases and in this recipe we have legumes so it is good to add some), the Garam masala, the puav masala and fry for a minute. Now add in the finely chopped onions and sauté until transparent. The onion should look shrunk and well fried. Now, add in the mint-green chilly-ginger paste and sauté well. The color of the paste when fried well becomes slightly light. Ensure that you don’t burn the masala as then the pulav won’t taste so good. Once, the mint masala turns into a lighter color. Add in the vegetables(instead of the fresh vegetables mentioned above you can use 1 ½ cups of frozen mixed vegetables, but I can tell you fresh vegetables taste better thanthe frozen ones) and sauté until the green peas turn into a lighter green, then add in the rinsed and soaked Basmati rice without any water and sauté for 2-3 minutes adding salt as per the taste and mixing everything well. Once this is done you can put this in a rice cooker and add water according to finger level consistency for example when you put your finger in you will know how much rice is there, that much water has to be added or alternatively add water until the rice is completely immersed and there is another cup of water on top. The water level has to be perfect for a perfect pulav, now switch on the rice cooker and keep to cook position. I always use the electric rice cooker for pulav in Singapore but you can make it in a non stick wok by closing the lid and keeping the gas on a low flame. Either way it cooks well. Once the rice cooks, give it a light stir so that everything mixes well without breaking the grains of rice Put the lid back and let it stand for another five minutes. Then turn off the plug.Garnish with coriander / mint leaves.Serve hot. If you want to decorate it some more you can even garnish it with freshly grated paneer.Enjoy the refreshing Mint pulav with any gravy of your choice or just with Papad, pickle and raita, It’s a complete meal.

I would like to send my Mint pulav to
Sara’s Cooking with seeds : Cumin seeds event , since I am using Cumin seeds in this dish

And since it has green peas and beans, I am sending this to Susan’s My legume Love affair 23 Event

And since the main ingredient is Mint (green), this also goes to Preeti’s Green Gourmet Event


Monday, August 18, 2008

BISI BELA HULI ANNA / BISI BELE BHAT (BBB) / SAMBAR SADAM

BISI BELA HULI ANNA / BISI BELE BATH (BBB) / SAMBAR SADAM
One Pot meals are the need of the hour. What we must remember when we make one pot meals is not only the simplicity of the dish but how much nutrition it packs into the meal.
Bisi Bele Huli Anna as it is known in Karnataka or Bisi bele bath/ bhaath as it is known colloquially, is a Rice dish combined with lentils(for protein), vegetables, Tamarind and spices, making it a One pot meal fulfilling the nutritional needs of the body.
This dish is said to have originated in the Mysore Palace and from there spread across the other states. Every state has it's own recipe of BBB.
In Tamilnadu, we call it "Sambar Sadam". The Bisi Bele Bath/Bhaat (BBB) has many variations, Every state, every house has it's own variations to the dish and the masala blend as well. 
I will share with you my version of the recipe. Whenever I cooked this for my guests they relished it. 
My recipe is the marriage of 2 states. 
Nothing can beat the comfort of eating a hot and simmering plate of BBB drizzled with ghee with a batch of pappadams.  Enjoy!!!



Ingredients
Raw Rice – 2 cups
Toor daal – 1 cup
Drumsticks – 1 stick
Onions – 2
Tomatoes - 1
Potatoes – 1 cup diced
Carrots - 1 cup diced
French Beans - 1 cup diced
Green Peas - 1/2 a cup
Raw Banana – 1
Brinjal – 1-2 slit vertical
Tamarind – lemon sized ball soaked in water
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves to garnish
Ghee to drizzle on top of the servings
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt as per taste
Oil

For Masala
Freshly grated coconut -3-4tbsps
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies -3-4
Peppercorns – ½ tsp
Fenugreek – ½ tsp
Onion – ½ an onion chopped / you can alternatively use 2 small onions (shallots/chinna vengayam)


Method
Rinse and soak the Rice for about 5 -7 minutes.
Wash the toor daal and add 1 1/2 cups of water to it. Cook it in a pressure cooker. up to 3 whistles.  Keep aside.
Now Prepare the wet Masala - Roast all the ingredients stated above in the Wet masala and grind into a thick paste using a little water at a time. Keep this masala aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, urad dal and Fenugreek seeds for the tempering. Once the mustard starts to crackle, add in the  curry leaves. 
Now Add the onions and fry till transparent.
Then add the tomatoes, cook until squashy, followed by adding the rest of the vegetables and the wet masala, add in 3-4 tablespoons of concentrated tamarind juice, Asafetida & Salt and Mix all well.
Fry for about 5-7 minutes till you hear a sizzling sound. 
Now add the soaked rice and mix well and sauté for about 5 minutes,  Check for salt and the Tamarind taste at this time, If you feel the need to adjust, kindly do so at this point. 
Pressure cook this until 3 whistles or you can also cook it in the pan, cook covered until the rice and vegetables are done. Add the cooked toor dal, mix well , cook the dish for another 5-7 minutes and then garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with papads, add a dollop of ghee on top while serving. 


VARIATIONS
  • You can use Green Peas, Fresh Edmame, Capsicum or any vegetables of your choice. 
  • BBB in Karnataka comes with additional spices like Cinammon, clove, nutmeg, poppy seeds etc. 
  • You can fry Cashewnuts in ghee and add it to the BBB as a rich and exotic garnish 
TIPS
  • If you don't have fresh Vegetables, You can add 1 cup Frozen vegetables too and follow the recipe as abpve  Here we get the combination of  (carrots, beans, & green peas) & Sometimes corn as well. 
  • You can add the half cooked toor dal and cook it alongwith the rice, but here the toor dal doesn't get cooked well, hence I add the toor dal after it gets cooked. 


I would like to send this exotic Karnataka delight to Sheetal of Sweety-My Kitchen for the SWC-Karnataka Event that she is hosting in her blog.

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