Tuck in some rice-based delights

Rice is not only south India’s staple diet but a real favourite too. Get exciting recipes below.

Be it the veg pulao or biryani, puliyogare or bisibele bhat, rice dishes have always been an indispensable part of a south Indian lunch/dinner menu.

During all social events — whether it is shaadi or a munjan, a baby-shower or house-warming, meals on special occasions are not complete without a special kind of rice dish incorporated into the menu.

For a quintessential south Indian, during lunch or dinner, a small bowl of rice is mandatory, even if it is plain rice with sambhar, rasam or curd. Incidentally, it is common to see the mothers of new-born babies merrily tucking in a bowl of rice, mixed with sweetened milk within the first few hours of delivery.

Month-old infants are also known to relish rice mashed and saturated with milk and sugar. Well, here are few recipes for yummy rice dishes, a few delicacies, which can be whipped up in a jiffy.

Methi-Cabbage Masala Bhath

Ingredients: Cooked rice – 2 bowls, cabbage – 200 gms, methi leaves – 1 bunch, vaangi bhath masala powder (available at all condiment stores) – 2 teaspoons, oil – 2 tablespoons, lime juice – half a spoon and salt to taste.

Method: In a thick-bottomed kadai, sauté cleaned and chopped methi leaves using very little oil. Keep this aside. Add the rest of the oil into the kadai and cook the chopped cabbage till it is tender.

Now add the methi leaves and salt. Add masala powder and mix everything well. Switch off the fire. This sabzi served with cooked rice and lime juice is simple and satisfying. You can even add cooked garden peas to this dish, if you want to.

Capsicum-Peas Lemon Rice

Ingredients: Cooked rice – 2 bowls, capsicum – 1 medium-sized, green peas – 1 small cup, grated coconut – half a cup, green chillies – 1, curry, coriander leaves – a few, oil – 2 tablespoons, mustard — a little, lemon juice — 1 spoon, salt to taste.

Method: In a thick-bottomed kadai, prepare the seasoning using oil, mustard, chopped green chillies and curry leaves. To this add chopped, par-boiled capsicum and cooked garden peas. Blend everything well with salt. Switch off the fire. Mix in cooked rice, along with grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves, and serve.

Green-Gram Pulao

Ingredients: Pulao rice – 2 cups, sprouted full-green gram – half a cup, ginger and garlic paste – half a spoon, cinnamon – a small piece, bay leaf – 1, cardamom and cloves – 2 each, red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, turmeric powder –  a teaspoon cumin seeds – quarter of a teaspoon, oil – 4 tablespoons, salt to taste. 

Method: To the two teaspoons of hot oil in a thick-bottomed vessel, add the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. After stirring for a while, add ginger and garlic paste. After a few seconds, add turmeric, red chilli and dhaniya powder. To this, add sprouted green gram, and cook till it’s par-boiled. Keep the contents aside.

Next, in a small pressure cooker, heat the remaining oil. Add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the washed rice. Fry  it lightly till the rice grains are shiny-surfaced. Add sufficient water and salt, and cook till the rice is done (remember not to overcook it). To this, add masala-coated green-gram and blend them all together on a very low flame for just few minutes. Now the protein-rich delight is ready to be savoured.

Tomato-Onion Rice

Ingredients: Cooked rice – 2 bowls, tomatoes – 2 or 3, onion — 1, curry leaves – a few, sambhar masala powder – 2 teaspoons, oil — 2 tablespoons, salt to taste.

Method: In a thick-bottomed kadai, fry the finely-chopped onions in oil till it turns golden brown. Now add chopped tomatoes and cook it till it turns tender. Add curry leaves, a little turmeric powder, sambhar masala and salt. Mix this well with cooked rice.