Simple Veg Pulav - Type 1

Simple Veg Pulav - Type 1

I guess i would have made this veg pulav more than 100 times. This is the most simplest pulav with no grinding but loaded with vegetables, mixed with good spices and basmati rice.The excellent aroma of this veg pulav always invites you to the dining area. I prefer to make this veg pulav especially for parties and get-together. Also, its kid friendly as its not having any spicy gravy or spicy powder in it. Same way, its not too bland too. Its perfect and suitable for all ages. Even with a simple curd raita, its heavenly.  You can make some spicy kurma or any spicy side dish and enjoy with this Veg Pulav.

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 Cups

Salt - To Taste ( But i use 1.5 tbsp approximately)

Olive Oil - 3 tbsp

Ghee or Butter - 1 tbsp ( optional if you are weight conscious)

Carrots - 1/2 Cup cut into small cubes

Beans - 1 Cup cut into small pieces

Potato - 1/2 Cup cut into small cubes

Green Capsicum - 1/2 cup cut into small pieces

Peas - Handful

Onion - 1 Medium One cut into small pieces

Garlic Pods - 4 or 5 peeled

Tomato - 1 Small One

Ginger garlic Paste - 1 full tbsp

Pudina Leaves/Mint Leaves - 3 tbsp cut into small pieces

Green Chillies - 4 or 5 medium ones

For Tempering

Jeera Seeds - 2 tsp

Fennel Seeds / Sombhu - 2 tsp

Cinnamon Sticks / Pattai - 2 medium sized ones

Lavang / Cloves - 5 or 6

Marati Moggu - 1 or 2 small ones

Bay Leaves - 5

Cardamom / Elachi / Elakkai - 3 or 4

Cashew Nuts - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Take 2 cups of basmati rice, soak it in water for few minutes. Keep it aside.
2. Wash all the vegetables and cut them into desired shapes as mentioned below. Keep them separately in a big plate.
3. Wash and cut the pudina / mint leaves and keep it ready.
4. Cut the onion into small pieces and keep it ready. Peel the skin of 5 garlic pods and keep them ready.
5. On medium heat, in a thick bottomed vessel, add 1 tbsp of ghee or butter and 3 tbsp of Olive Oil. When it gets heated, add the ingredients for tempering as mentioned above in order and fry them little bit.
6. Then, add the onions and fry them for a minute. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry them till the raw smell goes off.
7. Add garlic pods, pudina leaves, tomato, green chillies now to the pulav and fry them for 2-3 minutes.
8. Then add the cut and washed vegetables and fry them in the kadai for 4-5 minutes. During this time, cook the vessel with a lid for about 2 or 3 minutes so that the veggies get cooked little bit with the steam inside.
9. Meantime, wash the basmati rice and drain it completely. Add it to the veggie mix in the kadai and fry them for a minute or two till it gets dried and fried a bit.
10. Then add 3.5 cups of water to the contents in the vessel and add required amount of salt to the mix in the vessel.
11. Add a tsp of garam masala powder and mix them thoroughly.
12. Close the vessel with the lid and let the pulav cooks on a low flame. If you are planning to cook the pulav in an electric cooker, transfer the
13. contents to the electric cooker and start cooking.
14. After 10-15 minutes, open the lid and check. Your veg pulav would have risen up with the layer of cooked veggies and the aroma of the pulav would be great.
15. Its ready to serve now with a cool fresh curd onion raita.

Variations

You can add turmeric powder to this veg pulav if you want it more colourful. Somehow i like this veg pulav in white background with colourful veggies.

You can add 1 cup of fresh coconut milk to this Veg Pulav to make it richer and more tastier with 2.5 cups of water.

You can increase the number of green chillies to make it more spicy for you.

Tips

Don't overcook the veg pulav, it makes it more pasty and spoils the texture of the pulav. Cook it only the required amount of water and that depends on the type of basmati rice also.

Try to take out the green chillies after the pulav is done, before serving which makes the kids happy while enjoying this pulav.

Spicy Red Capsicum Chutney

Spicy Red Capsicum Chutney

Red Capsicum Chutney recipe was told by my friend Preetha, an awesome chettinad cook. I tried this recipe and it came out very well.. As the nutrition and health benefits of Capsicum ( Bell Peppers ) are beyond description, its really wiser to make use of this vegetable in our food whichever way we like. As red capsicum tastes very well, the taste of this chutney is really different and a perfect combo for idlies, dosa, or even can be eaten with white rice. We have started loving this red chutney at home and has become one of our regular chutneys for our tiffin. I am sure you will also like this chutney and thanks preetha for sharing this wonderful recipe to us.

Ingredients

Fresh Red Capsicum - 2

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Jeera - 1 tsp

Urad Dal / Ulutham paruppu / Mina Pappu - 2 tbsp

Channa Dal / Senaga Pappu / Kadalai Paruppu - 2 tbsp

White sesame Seeds/Ellu  - 1 tsp

Tamarind  - 1 small pinch

Salt - To Taste

Dry Red chillies - 4 or 5

Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Wash and cut the red capsicum into small pieces and keep it ready.
2. In the kadai, add Olive Oil first on medium heat. When it gets heated, add Hing / Asafoetida, jeera, urad dal, channa dal, sesame seeds , tamarind,dry red chillies and fry them for 2-3 minutes till they turn golden brown.
3. After the contents get cooled, transfer the contents into a mixer grinder and grind them nicely and keep.
4. Fry the red capsicum for 2 minutes till they get fried and cooked little bit.
5. Then, transfer the capsicum part into the mixer grinder and grind everything together.
6. Add required amount of salt to the Chutney now.
7. For tadka / Thalimpu , add only mustard seeds in the heated oil and pour them over the chutney.
8. Now the spicy Red Capsicum Chutney is ready to eat with your favourite tiffin.

Variations

You can add more spicyness to your chutney as you like, but for two medium red capsicums, it tastes really great with this proportion.