423: Navratan Pulao-Cooked rice and vegetables mildly flavored with spices

 

Navratan Pulao

Rice plays an important role in the Indian cuisine. This  Navratan Pulao is a very popular recipe. This recipe attempts to bring the exotic authentic Nawabi cuisine to your table. . This Mughlai recipe is my favorite one. It is very colorful and attractive and also it tastes great and superb.

Preparation Time                      10 Minutes

Cooking Time                           20-30 Minutes

Difficulty                                  Average

Ingredients:

Long grain White Basmati          2 cups

Butter / Ghee                           2 Tbsp.

Finely chopped Paneer               2 Tbsp.

Saffron                                    2 Pinches     

Salt                                         To Taste.

Ginger paste                            1 Tsp.

Water                                      2 ½ cups- 3 cups

Vegetables:

Green Peas                               ½ cup

Peeled and diced  Carrot            ½ cup

Diced Green Capsicum               ½ no

Diced Yellow Capsicum               ½ no

Diced Red capsicum                   ½ no

Chopped  Green Beans              ¼ cup

Spices

Bay leaves                                 2 no. 

Fennel seeds  (Sombhu)             ½ Tsp,.                                                                 

Cinnamon stick                          1 no.

 Crushed Cloves                         4 no

  Crushed Green Cardamom        4 no

 Crushed Black Cardamom          1 no.

 Crushed Black Pepper               1/2 Tsp.

Nuts

Cashew nuts                              1 Tbsp

Roasted& chopped almonds         1 Tbsp

Raisins                                      1 Tbsp      

For Decoration:

Finely chopped Mint Leaves         2 Tbsp.

Finely chopped Cilantro leaves     1 Tbsp.

How to make Navratan Pulao:

• Wash and soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. 
• Meanwhile gently crush the saffron strands and soak them in a tablespoon of warm milk. 
• Now heat the butter / Ghee in a pan, once hot, add the Fennel seeds and once they crackle, add all other spices.
• Once the spices turn a light brown, add the ginger paste fry for a minute. stirring continuously. Lower the stove heat now.
•  Add the prepared vegetables to the pan and cook them at high heat for 2-4 minutes till all the water evaporate, while tossing them frequently.
• Now add the rice and cook while constantly tossing and stirring for about 3 minutes. All the water will have evaporated by this time and the rice and the vegetables should be coated with the spice mix and start looking dry.
• Add the salt, the saffron and 3 cups of warm water; stir everything together, and let it cook at medium to high heat for about 8 minutes or until all the water from the top has evaporated.
• Make sure your rice don’t get overcooked. When rice is cooled enough, carefully fluff with fork or spatula to separate them.
• Now heat 1 tsp of ghee in  a pan, fry all the nuts and add to the pulao/
• Now decorated with Mint and Coriander leaves.
• Serve Hot with  salads and Raitha.

Note:

• Alternatively, you may do the sauteing part in a frying pan and transfer the contents to an electric rice cooker to make your Pulao.
• The amount of water mentioned here is for Royal  Basmathi rice. The quantity may vary depending on the quality of the rice and the age of the rice.

Navratan Pulao

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422: Tamatar Ka Shorba/Ginger Cumin Tomato Soup

Temperature, texture, color, aroma and taste all come together in this bowl of ginger cumin tomato soup.  Serve it with any bread.

Ingredients

Organic Tomato juice                  4 cups.

Finely chopped green chilies        1 Tbsp.

Salt                                           To taste.

Homemade Ghee                        2 Tbsp.

Cumin seeds                              1 Tsp.

Black peppercorns                      ½ Tsp.

 Chopped Fresh ginger                2 Tbsp.

Sugar                                        1 Tsp.

Sweet paprika                            1 Tsp.

Fat Free Cream                           ¼ cup

Method:

• Heat the ghee in a pan. Once ghee started melting , sprinkle cumin seed and peppercorns and fry for 10 seconds.
• Now add the chopped ginger, green chilies and fry for 3 minutes.
• Pour the tomato juice , sugar, paprika and salt, stir and mix, Bring the soup into boil.
• Reduce the heat to simmer and let it boil for 15 minutes.
• Pour the half of the soup into blender and hold the blender with a towel and run the blender .
• Blend it until the soup is smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a  bowl.
• Repeat with the remaining soup. Transfer the puree soup- back to the sauce pan.
• Stir in the cream and return the soup to a boil and uncovered over medium heat.
• Serve the hot soup with bread.

Tip: 

• Left over soup makes a great sauce for freshly cooked pasta.
• You can topping with homemade croutons, freshly chopped cilantro and chopped chives.

421 : Chitrannam - Variety Of Mixed Rices

Chitrannam or the rice cooked in different flavors, colors and ingredients. It is prepared by cooking rice and by mixing it with various condiments. Chitrannam varieties improve the taste of food and are mainly indicated in Anorexia.

To See the recipe , Please click the Link

VARIETY OF MIXED RICES 

Puliyodharai (Puli Sadam)                   Lemon Rice                          Coconut Rice
 
       


Kathamba Sadam                            Raw Mango Rice                         Dhadiyonnam 
         


Arisi Paruppu Sadam                           Spicy Tomato Rice                     Sarkarai Pongal          
        
 
     Kothamali Rice                          Bisi Bela Bath                           KalKandu Satham
         

Venn Pongal                                   Capsicum Rice                               Pudina Rice