Spring Onion and Garlic Rice

This is a quick and easy rice dish to make, especially when you have no veggies left in your pantry!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2 people

You will need:

1. Rice: 2 cups
2. Spring Onions: 2 bunches - chopped
3. Garlic pods: 3-4 nos- diced
4. Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
5. Cumin seeds: 1 tsp  
6. Red chilli powder: 1 tsp (optional)
7. Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Water: 3-4 cups

Spring Onions & Garlic Rice

To cook:

• Pressure cook the rice. Once done, spread the rice on a dish and let it cool. Set this aside. Else use leftover chilled rice for a better taste!
• Heat oil in a wok and add the mustard, cumin seeds and the diced garlic. 
• Once the garlic turns brown, add the chopped spring onions. Stir for approx. 3 minutes and then take the wok off the heat. Spring onions get cooked pretty quickly!
• Now add the rice, salt and red chilli powder and mix well. Serve hot! 

Cluster Beans Rice - ಗೋರಿಕಾಯಿ ಭಾತ್

 Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 4 people

You will need:

1. Cluster Beans / ಗೋರಿಕಾಯಿ: 2 cups - diced into 1 inch pieces
2. Green peas: 1/2 cup
3. Cooked Rice: 4 cups
4. Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
5. Hing/Asafoetida: 1 pinch
6. Chana Dal: 1/2 tspn
7. Urad Dal: 1/2 tspn
8. Turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn
9. Curry Leaves: 3-4 nos.
10. Sambhar powder: 2 tspn
11. Lime Juice: 1 tbsp
12. Grated coconut: 1/4 cup
13. Salt: according to taste

Gorikayi Bhaath

To cook:

• Heat oil in a pan and ad hing and then splutter the mustard seeds
• Add chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves and turmeric powder
• Now add the cluster beans and green peas and saute until the beans are cooked
• Once the beans are done, add sambhar powder and salt
• Now add the cooked rice, lime juice and the grated coconut and mix well
• Serve it hot with raita!

Kidney Beans-Rajma Curry & Jeera Rice

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2 people

Kidney Beans / Rajma Curry

You will need:

1. Rajma / Red Kidney Beans: 150-200 gms
2. Onions: 1 no. - finely chopped
3. Garlic: 1 no. diced
4. Tomatoes: 2 nos. -diced/pureed
5. Red chilli powder 
6. Rajma Masala powder/paste: 1 tspn
7. Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
8. Salt

To cook:

• Soak the kidney beans in water preferably overnight or for a minimum of 6-8 hours.
• Once fully soaked, pressure cook the beans along with some salt. Keep this aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet and add the onions and garlic. Saute until they turn translucent.
• Now add the pureed tomatoes and stir it for a while.
• Add the red chilli powder, rajma masala powder/paste and salt.
• To this, add the cooked beans and mix well. 
• For a gravy consistency, add in some water. 
• Rajma curry is ready!

Rajma Curry with Jeera Rice

Jeera Rice:

You will need:

• Long grain/ Basmati Rice: 1.5 cups - thoroughly washed
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tbsp
• Ghee/Butter: 1 tbsp
• Salt (optional)

To cook:

• Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker.
• Add cumin seeds and saute until brown.
• Now add the washed rice and stir it for about 1 minute.
• Add water (1.5 times the quantity of rice) and close the pressure cooker lid
• Let it cook until you hear a couple of whistles.
• Serve it hot with the Rajma curry! 

Pigeon Peas Pulao - ತೊಗರಿಕಾಳು ಪುಲಾವ್

This is one quick and easy pulao that uses minimum ingredients and there's hardly any chopping/dicing involved.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2 people
 
You will need:

1. Rice: 1 cup - thoroughly washed
2. Pigeon Peas / Toovar lilva /  ತೊಗರಿಕಾಳು (fresh/frozen) : 100 gms
3. Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
4. Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
5. Cloves: 4 nos.
6. Cardamom: 4 nos.
7. Bay leaves: 1-2 nos.
8. Curry leaves - 3-4 nos.
9. Green chillies: 3-4 nos.
10. Turmeric powder
11. Asafoetida / Hing
12. Cooking Oil - 1 tbsp
13. Salt
14. Coriander: to garnish

To cook:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds.
• Once the seeds start popping, add ingredients (nos 3-9)
• After the spices give out a nice aroma, add in the pigeon peas and mix well
• Add the rice now and stir this for about 1 minute
• Add 1 cup of water (the rice to water ratio should ideally be 1:1) and salt. Mix well.
• Close the pressure cook lid and let it cook until you get a couple of whistles. 
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot with some ghee on top!

Pigeon Peas Pulao

Tip:

• Increase the quantity of water (preferably more than 2X rice) and add whole black peppers - et voila.. pigeon peas khichdi!
• If you can't find pigeon peas, add green peas instead plus a pinch of red chilli powder for an extra kick!