The Rice Bowl | Oh Taste n See.....

Amla Rice/Nellikkai Sadham/Gooseberry Rice

May 062013

Amla has never been one of my favorite foods. I would never willingly reach out for an amla. I used to like the smaller variety of gooseberries, but never the big variety. My mom was a huge proponent of it, always encouraging me to eat it, telling me how it is beneficial for health and that it has 20 times the Vitamin C of an orange etc. Somehow, the fact that mom wanted me to eat it, made it even more loathsome. I think its a trait common among kids. I know coss I am seeing it in my son now. What goes around, comes around eh!

Anyway, times have changed now, and now I find myself wanting to try amla, but unfortunately here in the US, I am yet to find fresh amla in the grocery stores. I am thankful that I can find frozen amla here, and thinking of my mom, I picked up a packet. I decided to make amla rice, the way my mom used to sneak this in to my diet when I was younger. It is a very quick and easy recipe to put together, but very flavorful.

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
1 package of frozen whole amla, thawed
3 tbsp gingelly oil(nallennai)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
2 tsp channa dal
2 tbsp peanuts
1 tsp chopped ginger
6 green chillies, slit
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
pinch asafoetida
salt to taste

Method:
Cook the rice with the ratio of 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup of rice. When the rice is done, fluff the grains with a fork. Add in one tbsp of gingelly oil and spread on a plate to cool.

While the rice cools, rinse the amla with cold water and pat dry. Using a knife, remove the pit from the amla and chop it into pieces. Place the chopped amla in a mixer or food processor and pulse to make into a coarse mixture. Do not add any water and take care not to make a paste. Set the coarse amla mixture aside.

Heat the remaining gingelly oil in a large wok or pan. Add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add the urad dal, channa dal and peanuts. Let the dals and peanuts get golden brown. Add in the chopped ginger, curry leaves and green chillies. Let this infuse the oil for a few seconds. Now add in the asafoetida. Finally add in the coarse amla paste, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Saute the amla mixture until cooked, about 5 minutes. Now add in the cooked rice and mix to combine. Adjust salt as needed. Tastes great warm or at room temperature. Makes for a great lunchbox item.

Verdict: This rice gets ready in a jiffy, especially if you have leftover rice. It tastes very similar to lemon rice, except it has a faint sweetness as an aftertaste. DH ate a whole plate of it thinking it was lemon rice. If so much for adults, then kids can easily be fooled.

Sending this to:
- ‘Lets cook – Rice’
- Cook Like Mom
- Celebrate – Love for Mom, series by Jagruti
- Food she Loved, I Loathed event
- Taste of the Tropics – Turmeric, event series by Chef Mireille
- Walk Through Memory Lane, series by Gayathri

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16 Bean Pulav/Biryani

Beans, Diabetes Friendly, The Rice Bowl

Mar 142013

If you have been following OhTastenSee, you know of my love for 16 bean soup mix. I love how its a perfect mixture of nutrition and so rich in protein, and I reach for my trusty stash of 16 bean soup mix, in so many ways except for the soup for which it is named after. One such instance is this 16 bean pulav which I have made several times using the pressure cooker. It is my quick go to meal for a weekday dinner, the plus being that you don’t dirty a whole bunch of dishes and the only side you will need is a dollop of yogurt or a cooling raitha.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups 16 bean soup mix, soaked overnight
3 cups basmati rice
2-3 tbsp oil
2 each of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves
2 medium onions, chopped
3 tomatoes chopped
6 green chillies, slit
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala or pulav masala
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp kasoori methi
salt to taste

Method:
Soak the basmati rice in water while prepping other ingredients, around 20 minutes.

Heat oil in the pressure cooker over medium heat and add in the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves. Let it infuse the oil and add in the chopped onions. Crush the chopped ginger and garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt to make a coarse paste. Saute the onions until soft and translucent, add in the crushed ginger garlic paste. Let cook until the raw smell goes away.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Let cook until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy. Add in the soaked beans, cumin powder, garam masala or pulav masala and 4 1/2 cups of water. Taste this water for salt and spices. Adjust as needed. Add in the drained rice and close the pressure cooker. Let cook for 3 whistles. Switch off the heat nd let sit for 10 more minutes.

Open the cooker Add in the chopped mint, cilantro and kasoori methi. Fluff with a fork. Serve hot with a wedge of lime, a side of yogurt or raitha. I served it with onion, cucumber and tomato raitha.

Verdict: A really flavorful rice, and very nourishing too. It was a very comforting meal and absolutely delicious. The beans add a nice flavor to the rice and were cooked perfectly. A very filling, but easy to make meal to add to my 16 bean repertoire.

Sending this to:
- Spotlight: One Pot Meal, event series by Ria
- MLLA #57, event series by Susan and
- Taste of the Tropics – Ginger

If you have 16 bean soup mix and are looking for alternative recipes to use it in, do checkout my 16 bean Multigrain Adai as well.

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Chettinad Mushroom Biryani

Mushroom, The Rice Bowl

Aug 092012

The cuisine of Chettinad is always known for the bold use of spices and the right combination of spices. Non Vegetaraian specialties like chicken chettinad and chettinad mutton briyani are well known. But, to give the vegetarian the taste of these delicacies without meat, I made this Chettinad Mushroom Briyani. Here, the mushrooms are marinated in a spices and yogurt and then cooked along with rice.

The mushrooms are like sponges and absorb all the flavors of the spicy marinade. This marinade also ends up flavoring and cooking the rice. This is a yummy one pot meal and a very flavorful too.

Ingredients:
4 cups basmati
1 8 oz carton of mushrooms, sliced(I used cremini/baby portobello mushrooms)
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp fennel powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp briyani masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/3 cup of yogurt
3 tbsp canola oil
4 each: cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
2 onions, sliced
4 green chillies, slit
2 tomatoes chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced(optional)
cilantro, chopped – 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Marinate the sliced mushrooms in a mixture of yogurt, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, fennel powder, chilli powder, garam masala, briyani masala, turmeric powder and cumin powder. (See notes, if you don’t have fennel powder on hand). Let the mushrooms sit in the marinade for at least an hour, if not overnight.

When ready to make the briyani, place the basmati rice in a bowl with enough water to cover, set aside. (Soak for no more than 20 minutes.)

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks and star anise. Let it infuse the oil and fry up a bit. Add the onions and slit green chillies. Let this cook, until onions are soft and golden brown. Add in the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Let cook until the tomatoes are soft. Add in the marinated mushrooms. Let the mushrooms cook along with any remaining watery marinade for at least 10 minutes. You should see all the water evaporate and the oil separate from the mushroom mixture, and the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste and the masalas

Transfer this to a rice cooker and add in the soaked basmati rice along with 6 cups of water.( 1/12 cups of water, per cup of basmati rice). Add in salt to taste and the chopped cilantro leaves, saving some for garnish and let it cook until rice is done. Fluff with a fork and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Serve hot with accompaniments of choice. I served it with some chips, chilli chicken(recipe coming soon) and cucumber slices.

Verdict: This was a very flavorful rice and the taste of earthy mushrooms almost gave it the taste of having a non vegetarian dish. And this was because, the mushrooms were soooo flavorful, soaking up all the wonderful taste of the marinade. This is a very easy dish to put together and also a great dish to take to a potluck.

Notes:
- Please do not omit the fennel powder in the marinade. This is a unique and essential ingredient here. If you don’t have ready made fennel powder, gently roast the fennel in a dry pan(just until warm, no need for it to turn color). Let cool and grind to make fennel powder.
- I made this dish in the rice cooker, but it can easily be made in the pressure cooker or even in a wide heavy bottomed pan. Just cook the rice until most of the water is absorbed, reduce the heat to low, clamp a lid and let sit for 8 minutes. Fluff with a fork and you’re done!

Sending this to:
- Show me your HITS: Rice, event series by Sangee
- Celebrate JCO: Independence Day, event series by Jagruti
- Anu’s South India Kitchen Series
- Manjula’s Kitchen contest for the month of August.