~ Rice Varieties ~

[MysteRy]

Mango rice



Basic Info
Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 20 - 30 mins
Cooking time - 30 - 45 mins
Serves - 3-4 persons

Ingredients
Raw rice - 1 cup 
Green Mango - 1.5 cups
Green Chillies - 4 nos (slit)
Cashews - 10 nos (broken)
Peanuts - 12-15 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Whole urad dal - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Sesame Oil - 1-2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method
Cook rice with 1.5 cups of water (1 : 1.5 proportion of rice and water) and a tsp of ghee for 1-2 whistles. Let it cool and gently fluff it up with a fork without breaking the rice.

Peel the outer layer of mango. Use a shredder and grate it into bite size shreds.



Heat 1-2 tsp of sesame oil in a wide pan. When heated, splutter mustard seeds. Then, add cumin seeds, urad dal, channa dal, peanuts, cashews, red chillies, green chillies until lentils/cashews/peanuts are roasted. To this, add turmeric powder & salt and give it a toss.



Finally, add shredded mango & grated coconut and mix them well. Saute it for about a min or so (Note: Mangoes need not be cooked, just a saute would be fine).



To this, add the cooked rice and mix gently. Serve raw mango rice with some vathal/chips on the side.



Note
You can also choose to cut mango into tiny pieces (or) grind it into a paste with coconut & green chillies, depending on how you like it.
If you think that the mango is too sour, adjust the spice level (by adding green chillies) for the rice to taste better.
Instead of cashews/peanuts, you can also use cooked chickpeas (black/white).

[MysteRy]

Coconut rice



Ingredients
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1-2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Red chillies - 2 nos
Curry Leaves - Few
Coconut oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - Only if needed.
Channa dal/Whole Urid dal - 1/2 tbsp (mixed)
Cashews - 6-8 nos (broken)
Ghee - very little to roast cashews

Method
Roast cashews in little ghee until brown and keep it aside.

Soak moong dal in water for atleast 15-20 mins. Cut red chillies & green chilles into halves and keep it ready.

Heat coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add channa dal, urid dal, red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves and fry them until brown. Now, add moong dal (drained from water) and fry for 2-3 mins. Add grated coconut, hing and saute until brown. Your kitchen should now be filled with a nice aroma from roasted coconut. Now, add roasted cashews to the coconut mixture.



Mix cooked rice with the coconut mixture. Add salt to your taste and mix it gently. Take care not to break rice while mixing.



Delicious coconut rice is ready to be served.



Tips:
Some coconuts may not have natural sweetness and so, coconut rice might taste really bland. In such cases, add a tsp of sugar to the grated coconut and let it sit for 10 -15 mins before starting to cook.

[MysteRy]

Bisi-bele-bath



Ingredients
Peeled shallots - 25 - 30 nos
Tamarind - Small Lemon size
Sambar powder - 2 tsp (adjust according to your spice level)
Oil & Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Raw Rice - 1 cup (I use sona masoori)
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Rice : Water - 1 : 3 ratio

Roast & Grind
Red chillies - 4 nos
Channa dal - 2 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 4-5 nos (small size)
Cardamom pods - 3-4 nos
Cloves - 4-5 nos
Shallots - 4-5 nos


Method:
Prepare the masala paste by roasting & grinding all the items under "Roast & grind". Keep it aside.
Extract about 3 cups of juice from the tamarind and keep it aside.



Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan (I directly use my pressure cooker), splutter mustard seeds and saute all the shallots. To this, add tamarind water, washed rice, toor dal, masala paste, sambar powder, salt, a dab of ghee and pressure cook on medium for 3-4 whistles.

Serve hot with raitha, fried papadums, chips.