Chawal Paratha

Not much of background of this dish.. but surely an invention lately while dealing with college, exams, assignments and cooking :D Better title for this post could be: cooking more quantity when u get time or husband cooks or cooking on weekends.. This rice paratha is a result of cooking more on a friday to have a lovely relaxed breakfast on Saturday.. My chawal/rice parathas prepared using leftover cooked rice hops over to Nandita for WBB#15-Leftovers

Chawal/Rice Paratha

Makes:

4-5 parathas

Preparation Time:

20-30 mins

What you need:

For the cover:
2 cup Wheat flour (Atta)
1-2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Oil
Water

For the filling:
1.5-2 cups cooked Rice (Leftover stale rice is perfect)
4-5 Green Chillies
1 inch Ginger
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
2-3 strands of Corriander, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon(optional)
Salt

How to proceed:

For the cover:
1) Mix all ingredients and knead into soft dough
2) Keep aside for 15-20 mins

For the filling:
1) Mash the rice properly to small pieces
2) Put chillies, ginger in blender and blend to a paste, add this to mashed rice
3) Add the remaining ingredients and mix well
4) Divide the filling into 4-5 balls of equal size

Putting it all together:
1)Divide the dough into 4-5 parts. [the size of each part should be nearly same to size of part of each filling]
2) Roll the dough to diameter of approx 4 inches
3) Put the stuffing/filling in the middle and get the ends of dough together and close so that the filling does not come out
4) Roll the parathas using wheat/rice flour
5) Roast on hot girdle on both sides till brown spots appear using oil/ghee/butter
6) Serve hot wit raitas, curd or pickles!

* The sticky rice works perfect for this! Btw, did I say that this is my first post from college PC drafted during lunch break! :D

Chitranna

Chitranna is a very famous South Indian rice dish from Banglore.. We had a South Indian friend in college who used to bring this rich rice dish in her tiffin.. We used to love it and she used to just hand over her tiffin to us(which was twice a week) when it was Chitranna.. She said it was a very common item at her home and she had been eating it since childhood and so was bored to eat the same thing again and again :D We shameless people didnt even care to ask her the recipe, and would just ask to bring it more often..

And now time comes that you have to cook things yourself, I have learnt to cook some dishes from other regions as well.. And since my husband encourages me by eating everything without complaining (does he have any other option?? ;) ), I keep trying things.. When it comes to inviting friends for dinner, one rice dish is a must.. And when the same friends are invited more often, the menu should not be repeated. (Both of us agree on this rule!) That is how I learnt to make Chitranna, the flavourful lemon rice from the Karnataka Cuisine! The crispy dals, the munchy nuts and the zest of lemon have made this dish one of our favourite rice dish. Chitranna goes over to Sharmi for "JFI-Rice" and Asha for "RCI-Karnataka Cuisine"

Chitranna

reparation Time:

30 mins

Serves:

3-4

What you need:

2 cups Basmati Rice
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Chana Dal
1 tbsp Urad Dal
1 tbsp Moong Dal
2 Onions, sliced
4 Green Chillies, chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
5-6 Cashews
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

How to proceed:

1) Cook Basmati rice in water until just done and then drain excess water..
2) Spread in a wide pan to cool
3) Heat oil, fry peanuts and cashews and keep aside
4) To remaining oil, add curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin seeds
5) When they start spluttering, add all 3 dals and fry until they turn golden
6) Add chilies and sliced onions and cook for a min
7) Add turmeric, salt, nuts and cashews
8) Now add rice and mix well
9) Squeeze juice of lemon over rice,mix well and turn off gas!

Serve hot wit tomato rasam or raitas..

30 minute K meal- Kadhi Khichadi Koshimbir

I know u must be wondering whether I am too much into Ekta Kapoor serial these days.. Well fortunately nothing if that sort.. Its just coincidence that all dishes for "Summer Express Cooking Event" start with a K.. Kadhi Khichadi, a famous Maharashtrian combo with the Maharashtrian Koshimbir, tomato-onion-cucumber salad! I was very glad to hear about this event.. This was the first thing that came to my mind. Coz its usually the shortcut dinner at my place quite a lot of times! :D Am eagerly waiting for the roundup to get ideas and options for other quick meals.. I really need these since I'll be starting my Masters next month and will be attending college full time! : Hope I get time to do some blogging on weekends!

My kadhi khichadi koshimbir meal is perfectly ready in 30 mins with some rest time as well in between :D Well no intermediate snaps posted since I didnt waste any time taking snaps and then finishing up everything! ;) I proceeded like this.....

Kadhi-Khicadi-Koshimbir

What you need:

For Khichadi:
1 cup Rice
1/2 cup Moong Dal
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 big Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp Peanuts
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Maharashtrian Goda masala (can be substituted by 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder+1/2 tsp Corriander Powder+1tsp Garam Masala)
1/2 tsp Turmeric
Salt
Water
Corriander for garnish

For Kadhi:
1 cup Yoghurt
2-3 tsp Besan
Small piece of Jaggery
Salt (depends on sourness of curd)
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Ginger Chilli paste
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Turmeric

For Koshimbir:
1/2 cup Thick Yoghurt
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
3-4 tbsp Chopped Cucumber
2-3 tsp roasted Peanut Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
A pinch of Sugar
Salt to taste

How to Proceed:

0-5 mins:
1) Mix rice and dal, wash, drain and leave aside
2) Chop 2 medium sized Onions
3) Heat oil in a cooker and add mustard and cumin seeds to it
4) Add chopped 11/2 onion (leave aside half onion for koshimbir) and garlic to oil and saute for 2 mins

5-10 mins:
5) Add peanuts and other spices (red chilli powder, turmeric, goda masala/garam masala, cumin and corriander powder)
6) Now add rice and dal and mix well for a minute..
7) Add 31/2 cups of Water and salt as required and mix well..
8) Close the cooker and let the khichdi cook for 3 whistles

10-15 mins:
9) Take a mixing bowl, add 1 cup yoghurt and 1 cup water to it.. The mixture should not be too thin
10) Add besan, jaggery and salt to it.. Mix well to avoid any lump formation
11) Heat 1 tsp Oil, add curry leaves,hing, mustard seeds and ginger chilli paste to it..
12) Saute for a minute and transfer the buttermilk-besan mixture to this.
13) Let this cook on medium heat

15-20 mins:
14) Chop cucumber and tomato
15) Take 1/2 cup yoghurt in a mixing bowl and add chopped onions, cucumber and tomato to it.. 16) Add rest of the ingredients- roasted peanut powder,red chilli powder,cumin powder,sugar and salt and mix well
17) Koshimbir ready, keep it in fridge to cool
18) Stir the kadhi

20-25 mins:
19) Keep stiring the kadhi at intervals of 2-3 mins
20) Keep your ears tuned to the whistle else you'll miss the count ;)
21) The khichdi is ready in this interval, keep cooker aside to cool
22) After stirring the kadhi, you have some time to rest.. Dont sit down.. Roast some papads on the gas thats just free from cooker! :D

25-30 mins:
23) Kadhi starts boiling, switch off gas (Total time required for kadhi to boil is 10-12 mins)
24) Now the semi-cooled cooker and extra hot kadhi is set on the table
25) Take dishes, bowls and spoons and set the table
26) The cooker cools completely.. Remove koshimbir from fridge and get ready to dine!! :)

* I enjoy plain khichdi.. You can add vegetables like potatoes, peas, brinjals, cauliflower etc. if you like.. Khichadi can be served with some pickles as well!

Vangi Bhaat

Rice is an important part of Maharashtrian meal.. Most common rice dishes being varan bhaat(dal rice), khichdi, dahi bhaat(yoghurt rice), vangi bhaat(eggplant rice), masale bhaat etc. Here's Vangi Bhaat for "RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine", "V of Indian Vegetables" and "JFI Eggplant"!

Vangi Bhaat

What you need:

2 cups Basmati Rcie
3-4 small Brinjals, cut into long pieces
2 Potatoes, cubed (optional)
1 Onion sliced

2-3 Cinnamon Sticks
10-12 Black Peppers
4-5 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
3-4 Cardamoms

1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Goda Masala
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric

Water
Salt
Oil

How to proceed:


1) Wash and soak rice in water for 15 mins
2) Cook rice and remove water from it. Each rice grain should be separate and intact!3) Spread rice and leave aside to cool
4) Cut brinjals and potatoes and soak in water
5) Heat 3-4 tbsp oil in a pan, add whole masala ingredients to it
6) When the whole spices are done, add Cumin Seeds
7) Add Onions and saute for a min
8) Now add goda masala, red chilli powder and turmeric and mix
9) Add diced Eggplants and Potatoes and mix well to coat the spices well
10) Add a cup of Water and add some salt
11) Cook covered for some time till eggplants and potatoes are cooked
12) Now add rice, mix well using a fork (to prevent rice from breaking)
13) Mix well and cook for 2-3 mins

* I served the Vangi Bhaat with Dahi Chutney (Shengdana Chutney added to Yoghurt)

Elumichampazha Sadam

Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine has come up with a great idea of featuring regional cuisine. Thanks to Lakshmi, this is my first try at South Indian cuisine. According to Wikipedia, "Rice is an important constituent of Tamil cuisine, there are a variety of rice preparations, and food items of rice are available for all the meals of the day. Lentils, too, are consumed extensively, either accompanying rice preparations, or in the form of independent food preparations of lentils." Hence I decided to try a rice dish combined with lentils.

Elumichampazha Sadam, my entry for RCI-Tamil Cuisine Event, is rice (called "Sadam" in Tamil) cooked with Urad Dal, Chana Dal and Peanuts. Elumichampazha (Tamil word for "Lemon") is another important ingredient for this recipe and hence this dish is also known as Lemon Rice.

Elumichampazha Sadam (Lemon Rice)



What you need:

1 cup Basmati Rice

4-5 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
2 tbsp Chana Dal
2 tbsp Urad Dal
3 Green chillies, chopped
½ inch Ginger, chopped
3-4 tbsp Peanuts, roasted and de-skinned
1 tsp Turmeric powder

Oil
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 big Lemon
Few coriander leaves, chopped

How to proceed:

1) Wash and soak the rice for 10 mins.
2) Boil the rice in 3-4 cups of water and set aside. In order to obtain separate grains, do not overcook the rice and drain off excess water and leave aside.
3) Wash chana dal and urad dal and set aside
4) Heat the oil in a cooking pan, add curry leaves, mustard seeds, asafoetida and cumin seeds.
5) When mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal, chana dal, chopped green chillies, ginger and peanuts.
6) Fry till peanuts change color and add turmeric.
7) Add the rice, mix well and add salt.
8) Remove from gas, add the lemon juice and garnish with coriander.
9) Serve hot with yogurt (optional).