Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is a very popular Italian rice dish made with rice. I am using Arborio which is medium grain rice with pearl like appearance. It has high starch content which allows it to absorb water while keeping a creamy texture idle for Risotto.

Ingredients:

1 cup Arborio rice

1 small onion finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

4 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth.

1 cup of diced mushrooms 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a sauce pan bring broth to a boil.

In other pan heat oil and saute onions till tender and translucent.Then add mushrooms and saute for a min. Now add rice and stir until coated evenly. 

Then add heated broth 1 cup at a time and stir. let the rice absorb the broth then again add broth and stir. continue this process till the rice absorbs all the broth. Once the rice is cooked properly add butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. garnish with some Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Enjoy!

French green lentils rice

 

This mild and flavorful rice is made with  French green lentils also known as puy lentils which have very rich and earthy flavor, High level of protein, cooks very easily, and tastes really good.

Ingredients

1/2 cup French green lentils                                                     

1 cup Rice ( washed and soaked for few min)

1 onion finely chopped

2-3 minced garlic pods

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric powder

pinch of asafoetida (hing)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cups of hot water

coriander for garnishing

salt to taste 

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and asafoetida. then add minced garlic and onions and saute for few min. 

once the onions are cooked add turmeric powder, french green lentils and saute for another min.

Then add chili powder, garam masala and rice. saute till rice is coated with all the spices. Now add salt and hot water, mix well  cover and cook till rice and lentils are soft ( add little more water if required) 

Once the rice and lentils are cooked properly add lemon juice garnish with fresh chopped coriander and seve hot.

Enjoy!

French green lentils

Narali Bhaat

In Maharashtra Rakhi pornima is also celebrated as Narali pornima. On this day an offering of coconut (naral in Marathi) is made to the sea as a mark of respect to lord varuna, God of the sea.  In Maharashtra a typical coconut and rice dish is made called Narali bhaat  which is a very popular dish. It is little complicated to make this dish but my mom has a very easy recipe for same which I m going to share with you. So the ingredients are.

2 cups rice

6 cups Water to cook rice

1 cup fresh coconut

¾ cup jaggery /brown sugar

3 tbsp butter or ghee

1 small stick of cinnamon

3-4 cloves

4 green cardamoms

1 bay leaf

½ tsp salt

½ cup dry fruits

Pinch of saffron

Method:

Wash rice and keep aside. Boil water add little salt and cook rice till its 80% done (to check the rice press one grain of rice and it should be soft.) drain and keep aside

In a pan heat ghee, then add green cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf,cinnamon, dry fruits and saute for a min. add coconut and jaggery or brown sugar and saute till coconut is cooked and the mixture is little thickend.

Add cooked rice and mix well. Cover the lid and let the rice cook compeletly on very low heat.

Add pinch of saffron in 1 tbsp warm water and pour this water over rice, mix well and cover the lid. Remove from heat an let it rest for few min before serving.

Garnish with dryfruits and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

Hyderabad is very famous for its most popular Dum Biryani, there is a wide variety of biryani cooked in different regions and in different style. Hyderabadi birayani is also called kacchi biryani which means marinated meat and rice is cooked together.The challenge in the art of cooking kacchi birayani is to cook the meat perfectly without overcooking the rice.This biryani is very spicy so to cut down the heat it is usually served with a raita and also a side dish like mirchi ka salan or baingan ka salan.

Ingredients:

For marinating 1 ½ pound chicken 2 cups yogurt 4 to 5 cloves 6 to 8 pepper cons 3 to 4 green cardamoms 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp turmeric powder 1 tsp chili powder 1 tbsp coriander powder 1 tbsp cumin powder ½ cup mint leaves ½ cup chopped coriander 2 tbsp fried onion 2 green chilies (optional) Salt to taste

For rice 2 cups long grain Basmati rice Water 2 to 3 cloves 2 to 3 pepper cons 2 green cardamoms Salt to taste ½ cup fried onion Few mint leaves Few coriander leaves 1 tbsp garam masala Pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp water or milk ½ cup oil

Method:

Marinate chicken overnight so it’s cooked easily and all the spices get absorbed well.

Take a fine muslin cloth and add cloves, pepper corns, cardamoms to it and make a small bundle.

Wash rice, drain and keep aside for atleast 30 min so rice becomes fluffy and gets cooked easily.

Boil water in a pot add salt and spice bundle. Once water starts boiling add rice and cook till its half done. (To check press a rice grain between your fingers it should break easily but should not be very soft.)Then drain the rice and keep aside.

Now in deep vessel add oil and layer marinated chicken.

Then layer with rice and top with fried onion, mint leaves, coriander leaves, sprinkle garam masala and saffron water.

Then cover the lid (The lid should be of proper fit to the vessel and the vapor or moisture should not release, you can use a clean towel or even dough to seal the lid.) cook 10 min on high, then 20 min on medium heat and 20 min on low heat.

Do not open the lid in between as the rice and the meat should cook in their own moisture.

After 50 min open the lid and check if meat is cooked well, serve hot with riata or salan.

Enjoy!

Spinach Rice

Spinach or Palak is rich in Iron and Vitamins. This bright vibrant color dish is not only more appealing to the eyes but more nourishing as well. It is easy to make and tastes really good.

Ingredients:

2 cup of spinach leaves

1 cup of rice

2 ½ cups of water

2-3 green chilies

2-4 cloves of garlic

1 tsp ginger finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash rice thoroughly and soak for at least 15 min.  

Blanch spinach, drain and put immediately in cold water. This will help to keep the green color of spinach as it is.

Now blend together spinach, ginger, chilies and garlic to a fine paste.

In pan heat oil, add onion, spinach paste and sauté for 2 min. then add rice and sauté for another min.

Add boiling water to rice and mix well. Now add salt and cover the lid and cook till rice is soft. Which will take about 8-10 mins.

Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve hot.

Enjoy!