Khichdi Pulao

'Khichdi' - The name sounds funny because often we get to hear the word in Hindi films when someone goofs up things! In India, Khichdi or hotchpotch is a delicious meal consisting of Moong Daal and Rice cooked with spices. This is famous staple of North Indians, especially Maharastrians and Gujaratis. Khichdi is a bland dish that can be savoured even by people recovering from illness, for it provides nutrition and energy, at the same time is easily digestible.

Meena was slightly under the weather, was recovering since 2 days and I was wondering what to prepare for lunch for her. I suddenly remembered the life saver meal khichdi that she often used to make for me when I was down with some illness. Yet, I wanted her to get better nutrition and vitamin supplements. I also kept in mind how she drooled over the take away mutton biryani from Danish Food Court that I gobbled up two consecutive days when she was confined to gruel and simple vegetable fry! So I decided to make something in lines of the Royal Khichdi that we made a few years ago, but adding vegetables this time. I had very little time on my hands, as it was almost past 1:30pm as I started to prepare the veggies for the Khichdi. 

So, I skipped searching for the the authentic Royal Khichdi and went by my own formula to make this wonderful delicious non spicy tasty wholesome Khichdi Pulao. This fusion of two most popular North Indian rice dishes, has no whole spices to annoy you while enjoying the meal and kids will simply love this. 

One word about the rice you use. Better choose short grain rice, as it absorbs the masalas better and also blends well with the added Moong Daal. So, I chose Jeerak Samba rice and avoided using Basmati. If inevitable, go for Basmati. As regards adding butter, I always felt some kind of lightness in rice dishes if we add butter instead of ghee. Roasting Moong daal with oil and then adding butter retains moisture in the rice and doesn't char the other ingredients. You may just think in terms of butter fried boiled vegetables that we often try in good restaurants as a starter.

You may add extra ginger-garlic paste, pepper and garam masala if you want to make this more spicy. Also add couple of slit green chillies and a bay leaf for altogether different feel. Please follow the instructions about maintaining the right heat during various frying processes, as the fine dining depends on fine cooking.It is not my prerogative to pat my own back. Try and make this yourself to find out if this is good enough for your and your family's tastes! I guarantee you, you won't be disappointed with my formula. Please leave a feedback/suggestion about the dish, as I would love to improve on my own recipes anytime. Our followers are out guides.

Ingredients:
Jeerak Samba Rice - 1 cup
Moong Daal - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 and 1/4 cups
Salt - 1 Tsp
Chopped vegetables(French Beans, carrots, cauliflower) - 1 cup
Shelled fresh or frozen peas - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 medium chopped
Chopped Coriander leaves - A handful
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 Tsp
Crushed Black Pepper - 2 Tsp
Cumin powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 Tsp
Refined vegetable oil - 1 Tsp
Butter - 50 Gms

Method:
Wash and soak rice in water at room temperature for 15 mins.
Drain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan.
Fry moong daal till a nice aroma emanates and daal turns golden brown.
Simmer the flame, collect the fried daal at the periphery of the pan, make a crater in the center and drop the butter in the crater.
As butter melts, add ginger garlic paste and fry for 1 min on medium flame.
Raise the flame to high, add the chopped veggies except peas, tomatoes and coriander leaves.
Fry for another 2 mins.
Now add the chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric and garam masala powder.
Mix gently for 1 min.
Add the peas and chopped coriander leaves, 3 and 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Check for salt and add little more pepper if you want.
Add the soaked drained rice.
As the water starts to boil again, simmer and cover the pan.
Keep on low flame for 15-20 mins.
Switch off the flame, garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 

Note:
If you skip adding rice and follow the method till adding peas and chopped coriander leaves, you can make an excellent vegetable-lentil shorba or soup! 

Quick N Easy Mushroom Biryani

Making Biryani, one of the most sought after accompaniments is elaborate. It's like performing a ritual at home, spreading ingredients, cutting, chopping, grinding, frying and feeling tired and impatient in the process. Those who cook the elaborate method are seldom able to enjoy relishing such biryani that they make, putting in such a great effort!

I found a quick and easy method by which we can make tasty succulent biryani. Takes just about 30 mins from scratch to finished product and  doesn't need grinding if you have brown onion paste in stock. Some years ago, Dabur came out with packed brown onion paste but they discontinued marketing that. They used to add salt into it, which made the dishes salty at times if you couldn't get a grip! We make that paste at home by browning thinly sliced onions with oil and grinding them into a fine paste, preserving the paste in the freezer in small plastic containers for future use. You can also follow that method when onions are inexpensive in the market and use a container of the brown onion paste as and when required. Two tablespoons of the paste is sufficient for making biryani with  2 cups of basmati or jeera rice.

Fresh Mushrooms are easily available in the market. Hence I tried making mushroom biryani the quick way and the same recipe can be adapted to make biryani with one kilo chicken pieces. The amount of spice powders, oil/ghee added maybe adjusted according to your taste, but I prefer my biryani really hot and spicy. Hence I've added green chillies as well. Besides, green chilies blend well with mushrooms giving a better flavour. if you're adding canned mushrooms, wash them thoroughly to get rid of the brine they use as preservative and also reduce the salt a bit while cooking them. I prefer this made with just ghee, for the smell of ghee blends well with the spices and curd to make the biryani divine!

Ingredient:
Basmati/Jeera rice - 2 cups
Water - 3 cups
Whole Green Cardamoms - 3
Cloves - 6
Cinnamon - 2" stick
Bay leaf - 1
Onion - 2 medium sliced thin
Green Chillies - 3 slit lengthwise
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Brown Onion paste - 2 Tbsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
Black Pepper powder - 1/2 Tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1 Tsp
Tomatoes - 2 medium sliced.
Chopped Coriander leaves - A handful
Chopped Mint leaves(Optional) - 1 sprig
Curd - 2 Tbsp
Fresh Mushrooms - 200Gms
Oil/Ghee - 4-6 Tsp (As per preference)
Salt - 1 Tsp(Or to taste)
Sugar - 1 Tsp

Method:
Wash and soak rice in water at room temperature for 15 mins, drain and keep aside.
Wash and chop mushrooms into big slices.
Heat oil/ghee in a thick bottomed pan.
Add whole spices and fry till they crackle.
Add sliced onions and green chillies and fry till they turn golden.
Add ginger garlic paste and brown onion paste, fry till oil leaves the sides.
Add Sugar and salt, all the spice powders and fry till the mass becomes brown.
Add sliced tomatoes, chopped greens and fry till tomatoes turn mushy and the raw smell disappears.
Now add the curd and fry till the masala is well blended and smooth.
Add sliced mushrooms and 3 cups water, bring to a boil.
Check for salt and then add the soaked drained rice.
Cover and cook on slow heat for 15 mins or till the rice has cooked and absorbed all the water.
Serve hot with choice of raita and with any side dish.

Pomfret Spicy Green Masala

This is an improved version over Prawn Spicy Green Masala. We used the same green masala paste as we used for prawns. Needless to say this tastes heavenly and finger licking good! Can be served as a starter or as accompaniment.

Ingredients:
Whole White Pomfrets - 400Gms
Lemon - 1+1/2
Salt and pepper
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Shallots - A handful cleaned and chopped
Onion - 1 small cleaned and chopped
Ginger - 1" piece chopped
Garlic - 6 flakes peeled
Green Chillies - 4 cleaned and chopped
Coriander Greens - A handful
Mint leaves - A handful
Green Tomato - 1 small chopped(Reduce lemon squeeze by half if you add this)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 Tsp
Oil - 10-15Ml

Method:
Clean wash and drain the pomfrets.
Put gashes on both the sides and marinate with salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 lemon squeezed, for 30 mins in the fridge.
Clean, wash and grind the greens with chillies, ginger, garlic, onions and optional green tomato to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a shallow pan, fry ginger garlic paste, followed by the green masala paste till oil leaves the sides.
Add juice of lemon, turmeric powder, cumin powder, about 1/2 tsp pepper and salt to taste.
Place the pomfrets one by one, cover with the masala on both sides and cook for 5-10 mins on slow heat, changing side after 5 min.
Transfer to a platter and serve with lemon wedges and onion slices.