Microwave Carrot Rice

It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to go without posting a rice recipe in a whole week. It is as if the more I love rice and show it by 'monging" it, the more it loves me back by presenting itself to me in new ways and today it is a Carrot Rice, the microwave way.

I don't cook rice in microwave much. This recipe was told to me by my aunt and it was so simple, so elegant, so flavorful that I almost squeezed her in delight. (Yeah! I squeeze people!) It is probably the most austere of all rice recipes I know..umm.. may be it's a close competitor of my Clove Rice in that respect. You should check it out too if you like this one. 

It is carrot season and when it is carrot season you've got to use carrots. Makes sense, right? A carrot rice is possibly the most that could be done with carrots after carrot halwa, soups and salads. But knowing me, you'd probably not object if I kept Carrot Rice at the top of the list. 

Colorful rice recipes are always a winner when it comes to a get together or even for a special Sunday meal. Most of the times color to rice is imparted by use of various vegetables like bell peppers, peas, corns etc. and carrots too, like in this Colorful Bell Peppers Veg Fried Rice, but all that can become a bit a demanding especially if you are short of ingredients in your pantry. That's when comes to rescue this one ingredient that does all the work that goes into making a colorful rice. And the best part is that it actually releases its colour in the water in which it is cooked, thus giving the dish a beautiful hue without an ounce of effort.

I think this is the beginning of my microwave love for cooking rice. It is so simple and easy and light. I am going to try more simple flavors like this one. What color should I go for next? Green??

Clove Rice

It's Sunday afternoon and I am writing post lunch. A big, delicious, lazy Sunday lunch. To be honest, I feel like dozing off. This reminds me of my days back in college. The hostel mess had a fixed daily menu and on Sundays we got jeera rice and chhole with raita and a sweet of some kind. And I still harbour this suspicion that our Sunday lunches used to be spiked because as soon as we had lunch we would be engulfed by sleep. I mean it would take literally 10 minutes to fall asleep, no matter what time we woke up that morning and then we used to wake up as if from an unconscious state and sometimes with drool on the pillow.

Today my lunch was the same menu except for one item. I decided to go for my new favorite, clove rice. I love jeera rice but there were two reasons to make this switch today. One, I wanted a change in flavor and two, I wanted to share it with you guys.

Rice is my weak spot and every now and then I want to do something with it that isn't too complex and does not involve a lot of labour. Decidedly, this clove rice has become my favorite rice with whole spices. It has a brilliant neat flavor and all with just one simple ingredient, cloves. Since Indian gravies are so rich and full of flavors, a clean and simple rice with a pronounced flavor is all it takes to make a complete meal. This clove rice is one such rice recipe that neither falls flat like plain rice nor does it overwhelm.

I have had this rice about 4-5 times now with a simple dal, palak paneer, once with plain curd and today with chhole. Every time I have found that this rice complements everything so well that there's no scope to complain. Apart from the flavor itsef, my content might have to do something with the fact that it breaks the dull monotony of jeera rice in my meal. Whatever the reasons, I am truly fond of this rice and recommend you try this for your next Sunday lunch or whenever you please.

My eyes are droopy, I am definitely going to sleep after this.

Ingredients:

Long grain rice- 2 cups, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes and drained
Ghee (clarified butter)- 2 tbsp
Bay leaf- 2 nos
Cloves- 10-12 nos
Green chillies, slit- 2 nos
Salt to taste
Water for cooking

Recipe:

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.

Add bay leaves and cloves. Wait 5 seconds.

Add rice and stir well to coat with ghee. Add slit green chillies.

Keep flame low and fry for 4-6 minutes with frequent stirring.

Add sufficient water and salt. Stir.

Put on the lid and cook on high flame for 2 whistles,

Let pressure release before opening the lid.

Mix gently to loosen rice grains.

Serve hot with gravy of choice.

Tip:

Warm water before adding to rice. It prevents sticking of rice grains to each other.

Colorful Bell Peppers Veg Fried Rice

A variety of colourful bell peppers (capsicum) are available around the world, though, I have only come across green, yellow and red bell peppers in India. I have used all three in this veg fried rice recipe. There is a perceptible change in taste of green and red/yellow bell peppers. Whereas the green ones are tangy and taste better, to me, once cooked; the red/yellow ones a slightly tangy-sweet taste that makes them a favourite for raw salads and sandwiches.

Every time I use yellow bell peppers, my dadi asks me what it is and she looks surprised to learn that bell peppers can be yellow. She is 90. Then I shock her even more by telling that the red things in her rice are not tomatoes and that they too are bell peppers. She grows even more wide eyed. Then to top it all off I tell her that bell peppers come in many other colors such as orange and purple. At that point she resigns and just eats her food. She probably thinks I am crazy!

I am so happy how delightfully tasty and easy this recipe turned out. I have used minimal spices, no powdered spices at all. My mom suggested I add some paneer but I said naaa! Then I thought I could add some peanuts but again I decided to go with naaa! It's a complete meal in itself . Serve with a simple raita or, what the heck, with plain curd and you'll not crave anything else.

This gorgeous rice is just perfect for Sunday brunches, a lazy weekend lunch with friends or a 'let's kill the rut' dinner on a weeknight. It is also a great way to use leftover rice.

Vegetarian Jordanian Oozie

This Jordanian Oozie recipe that I am sharing today is truly from Jordan, with love. I cannot emphasize enough how much including this recipe in my Featured Recipes on Friendship Week series means to me coz the sender of this recipe is too close to my heart.

Kamini and I met when I opened the door at 4 a.m to let her in the house. No, she wasn't wearing high heels and wasn't drunk! She had got back from Dubai that morning and I was her new roommate.

Arhar Rice

I wonder why my mom calls this rice 'khichdi' when clearly it a near cousin of a simple pulao. Typically, I make this rice on lazy Sunday afternoons when I am not in the mood to chop vegetables or cook anything else at all. Besides I really like the taste and texture Arhar dal adds to this rice. Have it with plain curd or your favorite raita and it's good to go!

Arhar Rice

Ingredients:

Arhar (toor/yellow) daal- 1/4 cup
Rice- 1 cup
Onion, sliced- 1 big
Potato, cut into 2'' pieces- 1 big
Tomato, chopped- 1 big
Garlic, chopped- 1 tsp
Ginger, grated- 1 tsp
Bay leaf- 1
Black peppercorns- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/ tsp
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1 tsp (adjust)
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 3-4 tbsp

Recipe:

Wash and soak dal and rice for about 1/2 an hour

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.

When heated, add bay leaf, cumin seeds, black peppercorns.

Add garlic and ginger. Fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add onions and potatoes. Fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add powdered spices. Mic well and fry for another2-3 minutes.

Add soaked dal and rice. Mix well and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add tomatoes.

Add salt.

Add sufficient water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

After pressure releases, open cooker, mix lightly and serve hot.

Simple Jeera (Cumin) Rice

Jeera rice is among my top 5 rice recipes for a number of reasons. It's easy, it goes well with every kind of dal and curries, it simply transforms boring plain rice and gives the whole meal a flavorful touch. Pair this with a simple Yellow Dal Fry for a quick tasty meal.

This recipe is as simple as it gets. I do have another jeera rice recipe which I will share with you all soon.

Jeera Rice

Ingredients:

Rice, cooked- 1 cup

Cumin- 1 tsp

Green chilly, slit- 1 (optional)

Oil- 1-2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Recipe:

Heat oil in a pan.

When heated, add cumin.

When tempered, add slit green chilly.

Add rice and salt.

Mix well.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tomato Masala Rice

Funny story about this recipe. I was very hungry so I told my mom that I was going to cook a super simple tomato rice that cooks in under 10 minutes, (the recipe of which I will share in a later post). Midway assembling the ingredients I felt adventurous and came up with this recipe instead and my mom was like, "And where did your hunger go now?" I could only flash a grin!

Give this recipe a shot when you don't have many veggies at hand for a colorful pulao. All you need is tomatoes! 

P.S. I am a rice-monger and this is just the first of many rice recipes to come.

Tomato Masala Rice

Ingredients:

Rice, soaked in water for half an hour- 1 cup

Tomato, chopped- 3 medium

Garlic, chopped- 3-4 cloves

Black pepper seeds- 2 tsp

Bay leaf- 1

Red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

Oil

Salt to taste

Recipe:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan.

When heated, add bay leaf, black pepper seeds.

Add chopped garlic, saute till fragrant.

Add chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook till tomatoes become soft.

Let cool.

Grind to a fine paste.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in  a pressure cooker.

When heated, add cumin seeds.

Add tomato paste.

Add red chilly powder, garam masala powder.

Mix well and let cook on low flame till the raw smell of tomatoes is completely gone.

Add soaked rice.

Mix well and fry for 3-4 minutes with occasional stirring.

Add sufficient water.

Add salt.

Pressure cook the rice.

When the pressure is released, open the cooker, lightly mix rice and serve hot with your favorite raita/curd.

Nutty Lemon Rice

Today I bring to you a very simple and tasty version of lemon rice. It is very quick to make and a great way to use your left over rice. I love this rice because it provides a refreshing change in flavor from the usual veg. fried rice.

Nutty Lemon Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
3/4 cup peanuts
2 green chillies chopped
3-4 stem fresh curry leaves
1 whole red chilly
>1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil
Juice of 1 big lemon

Recipe:
Heat enough oil in a pan. When heated, break red chilly in half and put in the pan. Add the curry leaves and the peanuts. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add turmeric powder and stir.

Put the rice in the pan.

Add salt and mix well.

Add the lemon juice. Mix well, cover and keep on simmer for 2 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.