Vegetarian Fried Rice/ Vegetarian Nasi Goreng

This is a delicious fried rice full of the goodness of vegetables. It is spicy, sweet and salty without the usage of any sauces. The sweetness comes from the onion, sweet corn and carrots. The vinegar is replaced by the ripe tomato. Spiciness comes from the dry red chilies and ginger. If you are a non-vegetarian, you may add two eggs beaten with some salt and turmeric powder. This egg mixture is scrambled in a wok with hot oil. The scrambled egg is later added to the fried rice. I have also tried this method and it was very tasty. I hope what I share with you will be useful.

Vegetarian Fried Rice/ Vegetarian Nasi Goreng

Ingredients:

Cooked Basmathi rice - 5 cups

Big onion - 1 

Garlic cloves- 4

Big ripe tomato - 1

Shredded  cabbage - 2 cups cups

Diced carrots - 1 1/2 cups

Diced beans - 1 cup

Frozen peas - 1/2 cup (optional)

Sweet corn - 1/2 cup (optional)

Chopped spring onion or scallions - a handful

Salt : as needed

Vegetable oil - 5 tablespoons

To Make Sambal Paste:

Dry red chilies - 8(soak in hot water for 15 minutes)

Small onion - 4

Ginger - 2 inches piece

Garlic cloves - 4

Method :

1. First, we will make a red sambal paste. Add soaked dry red chilies, small onions, garlic cloves and ginger into a blender. Grind into a smooth paste. 

2. Next, shred the cabbage, dice the carrots and dice or cut length wise the French beans. 

3. In a hot wok, add 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil, let the oil become smoking hot. Now, add chopped onion and finely chopped garlic cloves. Fry these items for 2 minutes and then add chopped tomato, followed by sambal paste about 4 to 5 tablespoons or as per your liking. Put a lid and allow the tomato become mushy and the oil starts floating on the sambal paste. This will dissipate the raw sambal smell. 

3.  After that, add all the vegetables. Stir the vegetables well until coated in the sambal paste. Vegetables should only cook for 5 minutes. Don't over cook the vegetables.

4. Add in the cooked Basmathi rice and season with enough salt, give a good mix. Ensure all the ingredients get good coating of the sambal paste. 

5. Now, I put a lid to the wok, and allow the fried rice and vegetables to cook for another 10 minutes. The water in the vegetable will help to soften the rice a bit. 

4. Lastly, after witching off the flame, add handful of chopped scallions or spring onions. 

5. If you are non-vegetarian, you can add scrambled egg to the fried rice and give a toss. 

Abby

Thank you

South Indian Lime Rice

 This is our simple lunch today. It is lime rice with potato roast. This rice has tangy, salty and spicy flavor which brings out our appetite. Do not skip the asafoetida because it gives nice aroma and it is also good for bloated stomach too. 

South Indian Lime Rice 

INGREDIENTS: 

Cooked raw rice or basmati rice - 2 1/2 cups

Gingerly oil - 2 tablespoons

Green Lime - 1

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilies - 6 (broken into pieces)

Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry leaves - a sprig

Salt - to taste

METHOD:

1. First, cook rice by adding little salt to flavor it lightly.

2. Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons of gingerly oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter. Then, add urad dal, allow it to become light brown colour. After that, add broken pieces of dry chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves. 

3. Switch off the flame. To the pan, now add turmeric powder and squeeze out the juice of 1 lime.

4. This mixture is added to the cooked rice. Give a gentle stir by adding enough salt as per your taste. 

5. Lime rice is best served with potato roast or potato chips or French fries.

 

Thank you

Abby 

Kalyana Pulikaichal (Indian Style Spiced Tamarind Paste for Rice)

 

Kalyana Pulikaichal

INGREDIENTS: 

Tamarind - one small lime size ball

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Water - 2 cups

Jaggery/ brown sugar - 1 teaspoon

TO MAKE SPICE POWDER:

Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

TO TEMPER:

Gingerly oil - 1/4 cup

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 tablespoon

Channa dal - 2 tablespoons

Dry red chilies - 18 to 20 (broken to small pieces) (reduce it if you don't like spicy food)

Asafoetida/ Hing powder - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

METHOD:

1. First, take tamarind into the size of lime. Adding 2 cups of water to the tamarind and let it soak for 5 minutes. After that, squeeze tamarind in the water, and strain the tamarind water and discard the pulp.

2. In a pan, dry roast 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds. Roast the ingredients until golden brown. Grind them to fine powder. 

3. Heat a pan with 1/4 cup gingerly oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter. Then, add urad dal and channa dal, allow them to become light brown colour. After that, add broken pieces of dry chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves. 

4. Immediately, add the tamarind water into the tempered ingredients. Let the tamarind water boil and reduce to half.

5. When it has reduce to half, add salt (I added 2 teaspoons), jaggery or brown sugar and turmeric powder. Let the concoction boil and thicken further. At this stage, add another 2 tablespoons of gingerly oil. Boil for 5 minutes after adding oil. When oil starts floating on the surface and it has become semi- thick paste, switch off the flame. 

6. Last but not least, after switching off the stove, add the ground spice powder and give a quick mix. 

7. Cool this paste and store it in an air-tight container. Keep in the refrigerator.

 

Thank you

Abby 

Indian Style Tamarind Rice Paste or Puli Kaichal

At home, mother often makes Tamarind rice paste that can be stored and kept in the refrigerator for weeks. It is like a pickled spice paste with all the wonderful spicy tangy ingredients that can be prep up when you are in a hurry. When this paste is made a head, it can often be mixed with piping hot rice. It is a must to use gingerly oil or 'Nallanai' which we call in Tamil. This type of oil is available in any Indian store. The amount of oil, red chilies and salt used may seem to be quite a lot, but they work as a preservative and flavor enhancer that keeps well in the fridge without getting spoilt. Here I have given ingredients and method to make the paste. Some other day, I will post how to mix the paste with the rice with other extra ingredients. You may also like to visit my YouTube video on how to make this paste https://youtu.be/1vbXTq23UPs. I hope you will try this at home. 

Indian Style Tamarind Rice Paste or Puli Kaichal

INGREDIENTS: 

Tamarind - lime size

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Water - 3 cups

Jaggery/ brown sugar - 1 teaspoon

TO MAKE SPICE POWDER:

Channa dal - 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chili - 1

TO TEMPER:

Gingerly oil - 1/4 cup

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

Channa dal - 2 tablespoons

Dry red chilies - 15 (broken to small pieces) (reduce it if you don't like spicy food)

Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

METHOD:

1. First, take tamarind into the size of lime. Adding 3 cups of water to the tamarind and let it soak for 5 minutes. After that, squeeze tamarind in the water, and strain the tamarind water and discard the pulp.

2. In a pan, add a drop of gingerly oil, 1 tablespoon of channa dal, 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds. Roast the ingredients until golden brown. Lastly, add 1 dry red chili and fry for 1 minute only as you don't want to burn the chili. Grind it to fine powder. 

3. Heat a pan with gingerly oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter. Then, add urad dal and channa dal, allow them to become light brown colour. After that, add broken pieces of dry chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves. 

4. Immediately, add the tamarind water into the tempered ingredients. Let the tamarind water boil and reduce to half.

5. When it has reduce to half, add salt (I added 1 tablespoon), jaggery or brown sugar, turmeric powder and all the grind spice powder. Let the concoction boil and thicken further. At this stage, add another 2 tablespoons of gingerly oil. Boil for 5 minutes after adding oil. When oil starts floating on the surface and it has become semi- thick paste, switch off the flame. 

semi- thick paste

6. Cool this paste and store it in an air-tight container. Keep in the refrigerator. 

Thank you

Abby 

Egg Biryani and Beetroot Raita

Today, I have no words to describe the super duper taste of Egg biryani. You must try at your kitchen as this egg biryani is a crowd pleaser and will be a hit on your dining table among your family members. The recipe was passed to my mother by an Indian Muslim friend who was an expert in making all kind of biryani. Give a try and let me know about your preference.

Egg Biryani and Beetroot Raita

Ingredients :

 

Basmati rice(used India Gate brand) : 1 cup
Coconut milk : 1 1/2 cup

Oil : 1 tsp

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Large red onions : 1

Garlic : 6 cloves

To Grind for 'Egg Masala': (grind into a smooth paste using coconut milk)

Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp 

Fennel seeds : 1/2 tsp

Black peppercorns : 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon : 1 (1 inch)

Chilli powder : 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp 

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp 

Coconut milk : 1/8 cup

Salt : as needed

To Temper for 'Egg Masala' :

Clarified butter : 1 tbsp
Cinnamon : 1 (2 inches)
Star anise : 1

Boiled eggs : 3

To Grind for 'Rice': (grind into a smooth paste)

Cooking oil : 1 tsp
White poppy seeds : 1 tbsp
Ginger : 2 1/2 inches piece

Method :

 

 

1. First, wash the basmati rice and soak in a sufficient water for at least 15 minutes. Drain it off after 15 minutes. Mix the rice with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, salt and 1 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Let it cook in rice cooker until 70 percent done with little water floating on top.

2.  Slice one large onion and cut garlic into fine flakes. Fry them in oil till golden brown and slightly crispy. Keep aside.

3. Add 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter to the hot pan and start frying all the ingredients mentioned under 'To Temper for Egg Masala' just for 1 minute and then followed by freshly ground paste under 'To Grind for Egg Masala' section. Fry the masala until oil from the coconut milk ooze out and slightly change to light brown colour. The masala should be slightly dry and thick. Switch off the flame and keep the egg masala on a separate container until it is ready for use.

4. In a hot pan, now add 1 tsp of oil and start frying the white poppy seeds till it becomes golden brown then followed by slices of ginger. Fry till raw smell of ginger has dissipated in the heat. This process should only take about 5 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Now, grind the fried poppy seeds and ginger with little water ( 2 to 3 tbsp water) to smooth watery paste. Keep this aside.

5. Now, drizzle haphazardly the ground poppy seed mixture to the 70 percent cooked rice in the rice cooker. Close the lid and further cook for 5 minutes. 

6. After 5 minutes, you can also incorporate the dry and thick egg masala into the rice by creating three mini holes here and there in the rice. Stuff those eggs and masala and close the surface with the turmeric infused rice. Lastly, coarsely chop 4 sprigs of mint or coriander leaves and scatter them on top of the rice along with fried onions and fried flaked garlic. Cook till the rice is done completely. Serve with beetroot or cucumber yoghurt dip or raita to cool the palate after a scrumptious feast.

-Abby