Bisi Bele Huli Anna

This has been a childhood favorite of mine.., I remember coaxing my aunt (who is a specialist in making Bisi) to make some for me whenever she was visiting.. :).., So it comes as a surprise to me that I took such a long time to get this posted on my blog!! :) Bisi Bele Huli Anna., which is also known as Bisi Bele Bath I guess is originally a dish of Karnataka.., I remember the times when we were in Bengaluru and how I loved to gorge on Bisi.., so much so.., that Raj literally grew tired of it!! :D This tangy, Sambar type rice with all the veggies is a very healthy recipe (if one goes easy on the ghee and the nuts).., ideal for kids who fuss around veggies.., :) :) :).,

Happy Reading!!!

Bisi Bele Huli Anna

Serves: 4

Preparation Time:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rice
• 1 cup Toor dal
• 1/2 cup Ghee
• 1 Potato, Cubed
• 2 Carrots, Cubed
• 1/2 a Cauliflower, Cubed ( You can avoid Cauliflower if you think the dish will get mushy.., but I myself personally lovee Bisi with all the veggies)
• 1/2 a cup Green Peas
• 1/2 a cup Chopped French Beans
• 1 Onion Diced
• Any other vegetable of your choice
• 1/2 a cup of Mint and Coriander Leaves ( you can choose to avoid the mint leaves if you want)
• 1/2 a cup of nuts ( Cashew, Almond, Groundnuts.., whole.., not chopped)
• Tamarind.., the size of a lemon
• 2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• A few each of Cardamom, Pepper seeds, Cloves
• 1/2 inch Cinnamon stick
• A Star Anise
• A tbsp each of Urad Dal, Chana Dal and Raw rice ( for tempering)
• 2 Dried red Chillies
• A few Curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the tamarind in warm water. Pressure cook the rice and dal separately (add the vegetables to the dal and pressure cook it.) Simultaneously., toast (NOT BURN NOT ROAST.., JUST TOAST) the dry spices together along with the red chillies and curry leaves.. You can choose to dry toast them or you can add just a tsp of ghee and toast them. Let the mixture cool. Once cooled, grind the spice mixture into a coarse powder. Extract the tamarind pulp and to the tamarind juice add the spice mixture and bring it to boil. Add the cooked dal and carefully fold in (try not to break the veggies). Now add the rice to fold in.., Season with salt and check for taste. Add in some more water( the amount of water depends on how watery or thick you want the Bisi to be) and pressure cook for about 10 mins or till two whistles go by.. Turn off the stove. Transfer contents into a serving bowl. Heat the ghee, add the nuts and half the coriander/mint leaves.., fry for a minute and add garnish the Bisi Bele Hili Anna with the nut/ghee/coriander mixture..., Serve piping hot with Papad/ Potato Chips/Boondi/ Sev.., :D :D :D Have a yummy meal... Slurp slurp..

Rice Pongal

Phew!!!!!!!! Its been ages since I've blogged..Feels good to be back., Before I share all the juicy bits of NEWS from my end., I want to ask the world how its been?? :) Missed me?? No?? Yes?? Hmmm.., well I missed cooking for sure.., and what I'm publishing has been lying in my drafts for over a year now.., Long time eh?? So Pongal has been a favorite morning meal of mine.., teamed along with Medu-Vada-Sambar.., it surely works magic in the tummy.., I aint wasting any more time.., here comes the recipe.., Happy reading!! And guys.., I'M BACK!!!!

Pongal

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice

1 cup Moong dal

6 cups Water

3 Green Chillies

¼ inch Ginger

2 tsp. Ghee

1 tsp. Whole black pepper

1 tsp. Cumin seeds

Turmeric powder - a pinch

10 - 15 Cashew nuts

Curry leaves

Method:

Mix 1 cup rice and 1 cup moong dal .Add 3 times water (6 cups) and steam until it is over cooked. Cut 3 green chillies and 1/4 inch ginger into fine pieces. Take 2 tsp ghee in a frying pan and add 1 tsp whole black peppers, and 1 tsp cumin seeds. When the peppers burst add chillies, ginger pieces and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add cashew nuts and remove the pan when the cashews are roasted and begin to smell. Add this to cooked dal-rice mix. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, a sprig of curry leaves and mix well. Add some ghee while serving.

Simple Biryani and Cucumber Raita

Let me keep this post short.., and sweet..., :) I am a Hyderabadi and take a lot of pride in being one.., And.., talking about Hyderabad., the very first thing that comes to mind is its lovely Nizami cuisine.., There are so many more lovely things associated with the city.., like its architecture, the jewelery, the tourism, the nightlife.. but.., Hyderabad Biryani definitely stands out as the winner.. :) So here is the recipe of the Biryani and its accompaniment.., the Cucumber Raita..

Biryani:

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of soaked Basmati (long grained) rice
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 5-6 Green Chillies, Split length wise
• Fresh Coriander Leaves, Chopped
• Fresh Mint leaves, chopped (optional)
• 3-4 1/2 inch Cinnamon sticks
• 5 Cardamom pods
• 5 Cloves
• 2-3 bay Leaves/ Tej Patta
• 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp Caraway seeds/Shahjeera ( optional)
• 1/2 a tsp Garam masala pwd ( Powder made of assorted Spices like cinnamon, cardamom, etc
• Juice of half a Lemon
• Salt to taste
• 4-5 tbsp oil/Ghee

Method:

I generally prepare all the rice items in the electric cooker. So firstly, switch on the cooker and add the Ghee. Let it heat before you add in the Caraway seeds/Shah jeera. Let them splutter a bit. add in the Cinnamon, Cardamom, Bay Leaves and the Cloves. Now, add in the chopped onions and the split green chillies and fry them till the onions are nice and pink. Now, add in the ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell of the ginger-garlic evaporates. Add in the Rice. And give the entire mixture a quick stir. Now add in the garam masala pwd, the coriander and mint leaves. Add the salt to taste and squeeze in the juice of the lime. Give it another quick stir. Add in 6 cups of water stirring gently. Cover and cook till done. Simple, easy to make Biryani is ready within half an hour.. :)

And now., for the accompaniment.. I made a potato gravy as an accompaniment along with the Cucumber Raita.., Only, I couldn't take a snap of the Gravy.., So here is the recipe of Cucumber Raita..

Cucumber Raita:

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250 g thick set natural yogurt or curds available in market
• 1 cucumber,finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• A few coriander leaves finely chopped
• 3-4 green Chillies, finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp roasted Cumin pwd

Method:

Beat the yogurt until smooth. Stir in the salt and the cumin powder. Add in the onions, cucumber and the chillies. Finally, add in the coriander leaves. Transfer the contents to a serving bowl. Refrigerate. Serve chilled along with the hot Biryani..

P.S: I hate Yogurt.. The smell is so nauseating. I haven't tasted it even once in my entire lifetime.., But Raj loves.., I repeat loves yogurt.., and I just have to grin and bear..

Biryani