Mosaranna/Curd Rice

          

No South Indian meal is complete without some curd rice at the end. In its simplest form, it is just some rice mixed with a little yogurt and served with some pickle. However, let your imagination flow…. Add whatever you think would taste good – fresh fruits, dry fruits, nuts… anything! Here is how I usually make it.

Ingredients:

1 cup White rice – I like mine to be mushy and well cooked

1 cup Yogurt/Curds

¼ cup Red onions, finely chopped

¼ cup Cucumber, finely chopped

½ cup chopped fresh grapes + pomegranate

3-4 strands Cilantro, finely chopped

Salt as per taste

For Tempering:

2 tsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard

3-4 Curry leaves

1 tsp Chana dal

1 tsp Urad dal

2-3 nos Chilies , Dry red or Green ones- chopped into pieces

1 tsp Ghee

1-2 tbsp raisins + cashews

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl; Add water to get the desired consistency; adjust ingredients according to taste.
2. Heat ghee in a pan and roast raisins and cashews for a minute or until they turn lightly golden in color; add to the curd rice mixture and mix well.
3. Temper with the mustard, chana dal, ural dal, curry leaves and chilies; Serve chilled towards the end of the meal

Prep Time: About 15-20 mins;

Serves: About 2-3 people;

Nimbekai Chitranna/Lemon Rice

         

Lemon rice, known as Nimbekai Chitranna in Kannada,  is one of the most commonly made mixed rice varieties in Karnataka. Chitranna ( meaning "mixed rice" in Kannada) is a speciality of Bangalore-Mysore regions of Karnataka. It is usually made during festivities and certain special occasions..... You usually get to hear people saying 

"Ivattu, nanna magalu hostel inda manege bandidaale. Adikke, Chitranna-payasa maadidde!!"  meaning, my daughter is back from the hostel today, So I made Chitranna-Payasam.... Or

" Ivattu habba alwa, adikke chitranna maadidde" meaning, I made chitranna for the festival today.... :)

What I am trying to say is this - mixed rice varieties, called chitranna or bhaat, is synonymous with festivities and celebrations in Karnataka. Lemon rice is the most famous among them all. There are different ways of making it. While all versions taste great, here's the one that I like most. It also makes for a splendid one pot meal!  Off this goes to FIC-Yellow event happening at Tongue Ticklers...

This one is also going over to Harvest: Festival of Rice event hosted by Sudheshna at Here I Cook. Thanx for hosting, both of you!! Enjoy being the host :)

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked white rice

1/4 cup Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

1/2 a medium sized Onion, finely chopped (optional)

1 tbsp Lemon juice

2-3 Green Chilies

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Sugar

Salt as per taste

Cilantro for garnishing

For tempering:

2 tsp Oil/Ghee

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

3-4 Curry leaves

2 tsp Peanuts

1 tsp Urad-Chana dal mixture

A generous pinch of Hing

Method:

1. Grind coconut, green chilies, mustard seeds and turmeric to a coarse mixture; ; DO NOT add any water while grinding; Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan; temper with all the ingredients mentioned above; Add finely chopped onions and saute until they turn translucent.
3. Add the coconut-green chili masala and stir-fry for a minute; Saute continuously and keep in mind not to burn the masalas.
4. Add cooked rice, salt, sugar and mix well.
5. Switch off the stove; Add lemon juice and toss until it mixes evenly.
6. Adjust ingredients according to taste; Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Prep Time: About 20-25 mins;

Serves: 2-3 people;

 

A reminder and an update on the Chutney/Dip Mania....

 

                                                 

Just 2 weeks left for you to send in your entries for the "Chutney/Dip Mania" event, people!!!! After all the wonderful entries that you guys have been sending, I have decided to give away a PRIZE to the best entry!!!! I will put up a poll after the event closes and all you Mane Adige readers can vote and pick the winner.... This is just a rough idea, and the exact plans on short listing the entries are yet to be finalized. Sounds okay, so far??!?

So, rush in your entries on or before Feb 15th 2009.... :)

Sabsige Soppu Bhaat ( Fresh Dill Rice)

 

Sometime last week, I came across this article on the Internet talking about N.A.D.D. It stands for Nerd Attention Deficiency Disorder. The author says, it is a kind of deficiency in which people are always multi-tasking. Everything that the author was talking about, sounded so familiar to me!! I found myself nodding my head in agreement to everything he had written in the article :).....I figured that Naveen is hit with NADD too!!!! :D

Naveen is the kind who is always restless. He cannot sit idle even for a minute, without his laptop or the TV or his CD player or a book.... After returning home from work, the first thing that people would normally do is drink coffee, waste a few minutes doing nothing.... But the case is a little different in our house. The first thing he does is, logs  into his laptop, opens his Google reader and starts browsing through his list of blogs/mailbox/news!! While he is waiting for one of the pages to load, he takes his shoes and jacket off!!!! :D And while he is waiting up on something else next time, he remembers to ask me for a cup of coffee and something to eat!! :) Its sometimes fun to watch them hurrying with everything around, trust me.... Well, this isn't all... I only told you the fun part! On the other side, you can never win an argument against people with NADDs...they seem to have a solution or answer to anything you say, with proof and supporting documentation!!!!!!  :)))

THINK.... before you say anything in front of  NADDs. You might end up making a fool of yourself in front of someone who has a good reading habit and would, in all probability, have read about what you are talking!! ;)

Here's the link to the article I was talking about Rands In Response - NADD

Wondering what NADD has to do with Fresh Dill Rice??! Well, nothing!!!! I'm just yapping... :P

Will head straight to the recipe now.... Enjoi!!

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice/Long Grain rice (washed and soaked in water for about 30 mins)

1/2 - 3/4 bunch Fresh Dill leaves, chopped finely

1/2 cup Peas/carrots, fresh/frozen (While using dried peas, soak overnight and pressure cook until done)

1-2 tsp Ghee/Butter

1/2 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Haldi

1 tsp Lemon juice

Salt as per taste

Dry Masala:

1 tsp Jeera

1 tsp Coriander seeds

1 tsp Saunf

2" Cinnamon stick

5-7 cloves

1-2 Bay Leaves

10-12 Black pepper corns

1-2 Elaichi/Cardamoms, de skinned

Method:

1. Powder all the ingredients for the dry masala in  a blender and keep aside; Make sure NOT to add any water while powdering.
2. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan; Add jeera and allow it to splutter. Drain out the water from the soaked rice; Add rice to the pan and saute for minute or two.
3. Add the dry masala powder, peas and carrots and the chopped dill leaves; Pour about 1.5 cups of water, salt and mix well. Bring to boil and then cook covered on medium heat for about 10 mins or until done.
4. Switch off the stove; Pour lemon juice and mix well. Serve hot with raita and enjoi!

Prep time: About 20-30 mins (excluding soaking time)

Serves: 2-3 people

Tomato Bhaat

Hey folks, I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas!! I have for you today, another rice variety that's very common in Karnataka. Each region has its own recipe for Tomato bhaat and they all have their own distinct flavor. Here goes my version of the recipe..... Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Long grain rice, washed and soaked for about 30 mins

3-4 Medium sized Tomatoes, finely chopped

1 Small Onion, chopped lengthwise

1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Clove-Cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 Bay leaf

1/2 tsp Paprika/Chili powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Jeera

2-3 tsp Ghee/oil

1-2 tsp Lemon juice

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add Jeera seeds; Add the chopped onions after the jeera seeds splutter and fry till they turn golden brown.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 4-5 mins or until they turn mushy.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and all the remaining dry masalas and saute for a minute.
4. Add about 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil; Add the rice and cook until done.
5. Turn off the stove; Pour lemon juice and mix well. Serve hot with any raita or chutney of your choice.

Variation: If you do not have all the dry masalas, you could just add 1/2 tsp Garam masala, 1/2 tsp Pulav masala and 1/2 tsp paprika/chili powder and you would get almost the same taste!!!

Here are the different versions of Tomato Bhaat on different other blogs....

Saffron Hut

Akshayapatra

Simply Spicy

Recipe Junction

For the Cook in Me

Pudina Pulao ( Pulav) / Mint Rice

I know, I know..... Pudina pulao is a very common and simple dish and almost everybody knows how to make it. But this time, my pulao turned out so good that I was tempted to post it :). I picked the basic recipe from Mrs. Chandri Bhat's collection on Bawarchi and made a few modifications according to my taste. So, here goes the recipe... Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Pudina / Mint leaves

2 cups Basmati/ Long grain Rice

1 Onion, medium sized

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds

2" Cinnamon stick

4-5 Cloves

1/2 Green chilli

1 Dry red chilli, low spiced

1/2 tsp Black pepper

1 tsp Lemon juice

2 tbsp Ghee/Butter

1/2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste (optional)

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in water for about 30 mins; Cook rice such that each grain is separate and keep aside.
2. Dry roast the red chilli and black pepper; Grind it with the mint leaves and green chilli in a blender. DO NOT add water while grinding.
3. Heat ghee or butter in a wok and add mustard seeds. Add Jeera, cinnamon and cloves after the mustard seeds splutter.
4. Chop onions into thin strips and add to the tempering. Add the ginger-garlic paste to this. Add the pudina masala when the onions are almost done. Saute until the onions change color and are completely cooked.
5. Add salt, rice, lemon juice and mix well. Remove from stove and serve hot!

Maavinakayi Chitranna/ Raw Mango Rice

Before starting off with the recipe for today, I would like to say sorry to you folks for disappearing suddenly without even leaving a note. Past couple of weeks have been really busy for me and Naveen. "Busy", not in the literal sense.... It's just that our MINDS have been busy thinking and thinking about matters that aren't really in our hands! :-) So finally, I decided to get over all that and start blogging again. And I must tell you.... I am enjoying blogging today more than anytime before!!!

Anyway, I have for you the recipe for Maavinakaayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice). This is another traditional Karnataka recipe which is every kannadiga's favourite! It is usually made for festivals and such occasions. This dish tastes best when the mango is tangy. Maavinakayi Chitranna along with Kadle Bele Payasam is a very nice combo.... You can click on -> "Kadle Bele Payasam" for the recipe. Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 Raw Mango

1/2 cup Coconut, grated

1-2 tsp Menthya Kaalu / Methi seeds

2-3 Dry red chillies - Low spiced

A pinch of hing

1 cup Rice

2-3 tbsp Peanuts

1 tbsp Chana - Urad Dal mixture

2-3 tsp Oil

3-4 Curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard seeds

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Peel and grate the raw mango; Keep aside. Cook rice such that each grain is separate and keep aside.
2. Dry roast the red chillies, methi seeds, hing and powder them in a blender. Grind it along with grated coconut. DO NOT add water while grinding. Add half the quantity of grated raw mango also, while grinding.
3. Heat oil in a kadai; Temper with haldi, mustard seeds, peanuts, chana- urad dal mixture, curry leaves.
4. Add the remaining grated raw mango and cook for a while until all the water content evaporates. Add the above prepared masala and cook for about 2 mins. Add salt and mix well. Tip: This mango chutney can be preseved in the refrigerator for almost a week. So if you keep the chutney ready before-hand, all you have to do at the last minute is making rice and mixing it with the chutney!! And this chutney tastes really good with dosas and akki rottis too!!
5. Add cooked rice to the above chutney and serve hot!!

Bisi Bele Bhaat

Couple of my friends had been asking for my Bisi Bele Bhaat recipe since a looooong time..... I finally made up my mind and prepared it today!!!Anjana, Shwetha....I'm sorry about the delay.... But I'm sure you'll understand ;))

Bisibele Bhaat has been an all time favourite dish for all kannadigas... And its no different in our house. Naveen is a huuuuuuge Bisi Bele Bhaat lover. With some raita, he can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even the next day's breakfast too!!! :))

Most of the people use Urad/Chana dal for the Bisi Bele Bhaat masala. But the one that I have for you here is a little different. I got this recipe from my mom and she got it from her grandmom, years ago.... So you can say, this recipe has been passing down in the family since generations!! :). Hope you like it as much we do!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup White rice
1 cup Toor dal
1 cup grated coconut
1 tsp Oil
1 Onion medium sized
1 cup Peas and carrots, chopped
1/2 cup Beans, chopped
1 Potato, medium sized
1/4 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2 tsp
1 tsp Mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
2 tsp Cashews
2 tbsp Ghee
A pinch of hing
Salt as per taste

For the Masala:
4-5 Dry red chillies, low to medium spiced
3 tsp Coriander seeds
4-5 Cloves
4"-5" Cinnamon/Chakke/Dalchini

Method:

1. Peel and chop onions into strips. Wash, peel and cut potatoes into 1" cubes.


2. Add oil and haldi to the dal;Pressure cook rice, dal and vegetables with lots of water (I use 6 cups of water for every cup of rice and toor dal). Make sure that the dal and rice is well cooked.


3. Meanwhile, dry roast red chillies, cinnamon, coriander seeds and cloves until you smell the fresh aroma of masalas.


4. Powder the masala in a blender without adding any water.


5. Add grated coconut and grind the masala to a smooth paste with some water.


6. Mix the masala with the cooked rice-dal-veggie mixture;Heat the mixture on medium flame and bring to boil. Stir regularly.


7. Add tamarind paste,jaggery and salt; Mix well and bring to boil again.


8. For the tadka, heat ghee; Add mustard seeds. Add hing, cashews and curry leaves after the seeds splutter. Mix well with Bisi Bele Bhaat and serve hot with raita/potato chips/mixture!

Green Beans Bhaat

Any kind of mixed rice is called 'Bhaat' in South India. These mixed rice varieties are more famous in the Bengalooru-Mysooru, Shivamogga regions of Karnataka. I used to carry lunch to school as a kid and my mom used to pack these different kinds of bhaats for me daily. All my friends used to like it so much that half my lunch box would get empty even before the lunch break!!!! :-). Green Beans Bhaat has been my favourite among them all, and here's the recipe for it.....

Ingredients:

1 cups White Rice
1 cup Finely chopped green beans
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
2 tsp Lemon juice
8-10 Roasted cashews
A pinch of haldi
A pinch of hing
salt as per taste

For the dry masala powder:
1 cup Chana Dal
1/2cup Urad Dal
3-4" Cinnamon
4-5 Cloves
1 tsp Poppy seeds (optional)
3/4 cup Coriander seeds
4-5 Dry red chillies (low spice)

Method:

1. For the masala powder, dry roast each of the ingredients separately in a kadai until it changes colour mildly and you smell the fresh flavour of the masala. You can even dry roast them all together but you should do it very carefully because some of the ingredients might get done faster than the others and hence get burnt.


2. Grind all the roasted ingredients into a fine powder using the blender and keep aside.DO NOT use water for grinding.


3. Wash and cook rice such that each grain is separate. Let the rice cool down.


4. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds.


5. Add haldi, curry leaves and hing after the seeds splutter.


6. Add chopped green beans to the above seasoning. Pour very little water and cook covered until the beans are tender. Saute frequently and add water if required.


7. When green beans are almost done, add salt, cashews and 2-3 spoons of the masala powder that you prepared in step 1. Mix well.


8. Cover and cook on low heat for another 1-2 mins.


9. Remove from stove;Add cooked rice and lemon juice and mix well.


10. Pour ghee and serve hot with papad/chips.

Tip:

1. The dry masala that is used for this bhaat has a shelf life of about 6 months to a year !! So, you can refrigerate the remaining masala in an air tight container and use it when you decide to make bhaat next time. This way, your work is reduced considerably and the time taken is also very less.


2. The green beans-masala mixture (before adding rice) can also be used as a sabzi. It goes very well with rotis/chapatis.


3. As a variation, you can substitute any other vegetable of your choice for green beans; Use brinjals (eggplant) and it becomes 'Vaangibhaat'!!