Appam~ Indian Flat Bread

Appam~ Indian Flat Bread

Holidaying in God’s Own Country?

Want to know what you can have for breakfast? The choices are myriad from idlis to dosas to Appams.

 I was surprised when I was researching Indian Flat breads that Appams, dosas make a part of flat breads. To read about Indian flat breads you can check out here.

Appams are very famous in the Kerala cuisine, an Appam is a fermented rice pancake made of rice and coconut.  Appam are eaten as a breakfast or dinner mostly. Traditionally Appam is made using toddy to ferment the batter, but now mostly yeast is used for this process. The batter usually needs about 8 hours or overnight to ferment. Good Appam shape should be thin one the outside with a thicker center that is well cooked and fluffy.

Appam

Recipe Source: My Cooking Journey
Preparation time:  about 8 hours
Cooking time: about 40 minutes
Difficulty level: easy
Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups raw rice (I used sona masoori)
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 tsp yeast
• 4 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak the rice for about 4-5 hours or overnight.
• Drain the soaked rice and grind it well adding the coconut and the cooked rice along with it.
• Grind it to a smooth batter. The batter should neither be too thick or too thin.
• In a bowl dissolve the yeast in about ½ cup of tepid water and 1 tsp of sugar.
•  Let the yeast dissolve for about 10 minutes and then mix it well to avoid any lumps.
• Add the dissolved yeast, sugar and salt to the batter and mix it well.
• Keep it covered to ferment for about 3-5 hours.
• Once the batter is ready gently mix it.
• Heat the Appam pan (I used a kadhai/wok) and if needed grease it slightly. If it is a non stick pan, you will not need to grease it.
• Pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the pan and then holding the handles of the pan, swirl the pan around to spread the batter.
• Cover the lid on the pan and let the Appam cook in low heat for about 2-3 minutes.
• Once the bottom of the Appam is crispy and the top looks cooked remove it and keep it warm.
• Repeat the same with the rest of the batter.
• Serve it right away with a spicy curry or stew.

Appam~ Indian Flat Bread

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#49

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Lemony Mushroom Pulao

Lemony Mushroom Pulao

Have hungry hordes to feed? Need to cook something fast?

Then try this delicious rice that can be made in flat 40 minutes, if you have the ingredients at home.

I love those 1 pot meals especially if it is rice based.

But how did I stumble on this rice? I buy Good Food magazine on a regular basis and they generally adorn my bookshelf. The other day as I was racking my brains for bachelor meals I got out all the books and my elder kid flipped through the magazine and asked me to make this rice not only that she typed out the recipe for me and chopped the mushrooms out :D. 

The rest is as they say history.

Lemony Mushroom Pulao 

Recipe Source: Good Food

Serves: 1

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 150 ml or ¾ cup Vegetable stock + 25ml or 1 tblspn if required
• ½ Onion, sliced
• 75 g or a little over ¼ cup Button mushrooms, sliced
• ½ Garlic cloves,   crushed
• 50 grams or ¼ cup Basmati
• ½ Lemon zested and juice
• Salt to taste
• Pepper a pinch
• Spring onion greens, chopped
• Light soft cheese with garlic (I forgot I had made ricotta specifically for this recipe)
• 1 ½ tbsp herbs

Method:

• Put 1 tbsp of the stock in a non stick pan add and cook the onions for 5 minutes until soft. You may need to add a splash more stock if it begins to dry out but the secret is cook under a lid.
• Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Add the rice, lemon zest to the pan, mixing well. (The original recipe said to add the lemon juice here you can add too but since boiling kills the Vit. C I prefer to add it in the end.)
• Pour in the remaining stock, season and then bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the rice is tender.
• Stir through half of the spring onion greens, lemon juice and soft cheese.
• Then serve topped with the remaining spring onion greens and soft cheese.

Per serving: 249 kcals, protein 12 g, carbs 44g, fat 4g, sat fat 2g, fibre 2g, salt 0.62g

Lemony Mushroom Pulao

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#49

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Kabuli Chana Biryani

 

Kabuli Chana Biryani

 Hubby dear went to Pune and brought some readymade masalas. One of them was a Biryani masala. I had forgotten all about it till I had the girls reorganising the kitchen shelves. That is when we discovered the packet of masala.

Now the girls are crazy about Biryani, okay anything other than the normal food of chapatti, veggie, rice and dal. So they started their regular ‘wear mamma down’ procedure. 

In case you do not know then it starts like,

” Mamma you do not make anything these days!”

“See,” the other one will say, “when Papa went to Pune and bought this masala. It’s still lying here. It will expire soon huh!”

“Make no. Please.”

Then the regular,” I will help.” The help many times is just in eating, as by the time they get up everything is cooked and on the table!

I know all this but still end up making what they want me to make. One such dish was this Biryani, actually it was a fast one. Took me just 1 hour and 15 minutes as it needed marinating for one hour.  Can actually cut down on the marinating time buy doing it earlier evening the taste will be much much better.

When I made it I shared it on face book as baked Biryani actually only the last bit is baked.

I took these pictures in the morning thinking I will get better pictures later. My mistake, it was on face book , Apeksha tagged  to it, so I had already advertised what I had made, sab kaam tamam by the time I came back in the evening!

Kabuli Chana Biryani

Kabuli Chana Biryani

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kabuli chana/white chick peas, soaked overnight and boiled
• 2 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
• 1 ½ tblspn Biryani masala
• 2 onions, ground
• 2 tomatoes, pureed
• 5 tblspn oil
• A pinch of hing/asafoetida
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• ½ cup curd
• A few springs of dhania/ coriander leaves
• A few springs of pudina/mint
• 2 green chillies
• Salt to taste
• 2 tblspn ghee

Method:

• Drain the chana and reserve the water.
• Measure the reserved water and make it 1 ½ cup adding more water.
• Add to the rice, check the seasoning and cook on low flame till the water is absorbed and the rice is ¾ done.
• Cool and fluff the rice.
• Grind 1 onion, the coriander leaves, mint green chillies, ginger garlic paste.
• Add to the chana along with the curd and 1 tblspn of the Biryani masala. Mix well and set aside for 1 hour.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai/wok add the other onion fry till the raw smell goes away.
• Add the tomato puree, hing/asafoetida and fry till brown.
• Add the rest of the Biryani masala, the marinated kabuli chana, salt and stir well and cook covered for 5 minutes.
• Take an oven proof casserole and smear it with 1 tsp ghee.
• Spread a layer of rice, and then spread the kabuli chana layer. Repeat let the last layer be the rice.
• Pour the ghee on top.
• Cover the whole thing with and aluminium foil and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.
• Peel the aluminium foil just before serving.

 

Kabuli Chana Biryani

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Mushroom Biryani

Mushroom Biryani

This is a myth buster Biryani!

My myths buster Biryani. There are 2 myths bust here.  One is that you need basmati rice to make Biryani and second you need coriander leaves to make Biryani!

This year we brought mushrooms, wild mushrooms that are available only in the rainy season. These mushrooms are prized and available only for a short period in Sharavan and are all over by the time its Nagpanchami. I have already written about the mushroom tonak and fried mushrooms also known as Almi Fry.

But this time Apeksha, in line with her name wanted something different, a Biryani!

 For people who are aware of the way it pours here, in Goa, it will not be a surprise if I said I had very few vegetables and no coriander in the house.  I did not have any basmati rice also so I was very reluctant.

 But then when Apeksha wants something she can be very pervasive.  So I ended up making the Biryani in the mud pot that I had picked up from a restaurant. Thanks Sanjeev Anna and Vaani Vaini for the pot. It brought us back the memories of the time we spent together.

To make the Biryani you will need this long list of ingredients don’t worry the list is long but all the ingredients’ are in your pantry. These are the only pictures I have of this Biryani never expected I will be posting this one ever!

Mushroom Biryani

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups or 500 grms rice

  

  Mushroom Biryani

• 4 ½ cups water
• 3 cups mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 inch of ginger
• 5 medium onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 ½ tsp of jeera
• 2 masala cardamoms
• 1 inch piece of cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• 5-6 pepper corn
• 2-3 strands of mace or jaipatri
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 petals of star anise or dagad phool
• 2 green chillies
• 2 red chillies
• Turmeric
• ½ tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• Few strands of saffron
• ½ cup milk
• Oil
• 3 tblspn ghee

Method:

• Wash and drain the rice. Set aside.
• Heat a steel katori switch off the gas and drop the saffron strands in it. The saffron strands will shrivel up. Let the katori cool before you crush some of the strands then add the milk. Set aside.
• Slice 2 onions lengthwise and keep them on a paper napkin.  Then deep fry them in sufficient oil. Drain and set aside.
• Now fry the cashew nuts and set them aside. You can also fry raisins but since they are not appreciated at home I don’t.

Rice for the Biryani:

• To the rice add the black cardamom or masala elicihi and star anise. Add the water, salt to taste and bring to boil.
• Cook till the rice is ¾ done or till all the water evaporates.
• Let the rice cool fully before fluffing it with a fork.

Masala for the Biryani:

• Grind the rest of the onions, ginger , garlic,  coriander seeds, jeera, cloves, pepper, mace, green cardamom, ½ the cinnamon, green chillies, red chillies, turmeric, red chilli powder( if using) to a fine paste. Set aside.
• Grind the tomatoes to a puree.
• In the oil that you have fried the onions and cashew nuts tip in the ground masala paste.fry till the oil oozes out.
• Add the tomato puree fry till the oil oozes out.
• Add the mushrooms mix well and cook covered till the mushrooms are done.

To assemble the Biryani:

• In the vessel that you are assembling the Biryani (generally its same vessel in which I cook the rice)
• Pour 1 tbsp ghee into the vessel and spread half of the rice at the bottom followed by the mushroom gravy spread rest of the rice as the top layer and drop 2 tbsp ghee.
• Pour the saffron milk on top.
• Seal the mouth of the vessel with a tight fitting lid. Seal the lid with some dough and place the vessel on the tawa.
• Heat the whole contraption for 15-20 minutes. After which you are free to open the seal and serve delicious fragrant Biryani.
• Serve with onion raita.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Methi Matar Biryani~ A vegetarian biryani with a difference

Methi Matar Biryani

This week in the blogging marathon I am taking you on a food trail in Biryani, Vegetarian Biryani!  This time I am  trying to improvise on these recipes which are basically  loved at home, but the" something different" that is wanted can be, hopefully addressed with these delicious  offerings.

When I was researching for paella and Biryani the theme that I have chosen this week I began my search with Wikipedia (I start there and end there.) I have discovered many many more that will find their way to the table hopefully soon….

Here is what I gathered…

Biryani the much love Indian dish has its origins shrouded in mystery.

Biryani’s origins are generally attributed to Mughals and Muslim traders. But there is one theory that says that there are references to a “fried rice ´aromatic with spices in the ancient texts such as Yagnavalkya Smriti and was enjoyed by the ruling class. Traditional Bengali cuisine also steams fish in the method that is now known as “dum “in an earthen pot.

So what is the Difference between Biryani and Pulao?

According to Wikipedia,”Pulao is another mixed rice dish popular in Indian cuisine. Although some of its varieties are associated with Persian influence in north India, it is also mentioned in ancient Indian texts such as Yagnavalkya Smriti. Opinions differ on the differences between pulao and Biryani, and whether there is a difference between the two at all.

According to the British-era author Abdul Halim Sharar, the Biryani has a stronger taste of curried rice due to a higher amount of spices. Pratibha Karan states that while the terms are often applied arbitrarily, the main distinction is that a Biryani comprises two layers of rice with a layer of meat (or vegetables) in the middle; the pulao is not layered. According to Holly Shaffer, based on her observations in Lucknow, in pulao, the rice and meat are cooked separately and then mixed before the dum cooking; in Biryani, the soaked rice is fried and then cooked with the meat and stronger spices.”

There are two kinds of Biryani : Kacchi or raw Biryani and Pakki or cooked Biryani!

Wait I do not expect you to eat the Biryani raw it’s just that in the  kacchi  Biryani  raw marinated meat is layered with raw rice before being cooked together. The pot is usually sealed (typically with wheat dough) to allow cooking in its own steam and not opened till ready to serve.

In pakki Biryani the cooked meat and cooked rice are layered.  

 A non-vegetarian Biryani may be made with chicken, mutton and sea food among types of meat.

 So how do the vegetarians enjoy Biryani?  We cook with vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, peas etc, rice, and masala. Ovo vegetarians will love egg Biryani.

However according to Sanjeev Kapoor, the Chef,” Though it is more common to link up any biryani with meat or chicken, it is a great revelation that Indian veg recipes, or Indian biryani veg recipes are not uncommon at all.

Let us see why and how. Vegetables add their beautiful flavour to aromatic rice and with a variety of spices and sometimes with a drizzle of fragrant ghee, a lovely dish is turned out. There are many variations and we will very quickly go through a simple one here.”

Here are some of the Biryani that I have made in the past.

Masoor Biryani, Zatpat Corn Biryani,Mutta Biryani or Egg Biryani, Biryani, Egg Biryani, Hydrabadi Dum Biryani !

 But do  join me in the feast that is to follow the next 3 days in my place.

This was the last biryani I made, I did not expect anyone to like this Biryani as it has methi and mattar or fenugreek leaves and green peas, two ingredients not much appreciated. 

The original recipe called for corn kernels that are boiled but as I did not have them in hand I used the green peas. 

Did I say I did not expect anyone to like this Biryani? Yes, I did not but it was so very loved as the aroma of the spices used are is so delicious I completely forgot to use the fried onion.

These pics are taken in the night so I need to remake the recipe again to share better pictures.

Methi Matar Biryani

Methi Matar Biryani

Recipe Source:  Adapted from Here

Ingredients:

• 1   cup basmati rice
• ½ tblspn ghee
• ¼ tsp jeera
• 1 bay leaf
•  1 masala elichi/black cardamom
• 1 ½ cup water
• Salt to taste
• 2 onions, sliced fine
• Oil to fry

To make a paste:

• 2 onions, diced
• ½ cup coconut, grated
• 1   inch ginger
• 10 garlic cloves
• 1 green chilli
• 1 tsp sauf /fennel seeds
• 1 tsp khus khus/ poppy seeds
• 2 laung/cloves
• 3-4 kali mirich/pepper
•  ½ tsp dhania/coriander   powder
• ½ tsp jeera /cumin powder
• A pinch of shahi jeera

Other Ingredients:

• 1 tblspn oil
• 1 bay leaf
•  1 masala elichi/black cardamom
• ¼ tsp jeera
• 1 tomato, pureed
• ¼ cup curd/yogurt, whipped
• 1 cup green peas
• ½ cup methi/fenugreek leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and drain the rice on a kitchen towel.
• Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed pan and sauté till fragrant the jeera, bay leaf, masala elichi.
• Stir fry the washed rice till you get a nice aroma.
• Add the water and the salt.
• Cook the rice.
•  Fry two sliced onions and set aside. 
•  Make a paste of ingredients under make a paste.
•  Heat in a thick-bottomed kadhai/wok and sauté till fragrant the ground paste and sauté till golden brown.
• Add the tomato puree and sauté till the oil oozes out.
• Add   yogurt, salt, ½ cup chopped fenugreek leaves and peas   and mix well. 

To assemble the biryani:

• Spread half the cooked rice in a layer in a thick-bottomed pan.
• Spread half the fenugreek-peas mixture.
• Repeat the layers once more and top with the fried onions.
• Cover the pan with aluminium foil and place it on a hot tawa.
• Cook over low heat for about ten minutes. 
• Serve hot with raita. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Rice Balls

Rice Balls

This was to be my day 1 recipe. I had thought since starters are first this is day 1. However my laptop is under repairs and not delivered on the promised date. Yes fool that I was I believed him... So this is the last in the series Kids Delight.

Rice Balls was my kid’s choice, they watch some cartoon/ serial and apparently there is one person who makes delicious rice balls. This was okay as first try but bland.   Next time...

Rice Balls

Recipe Source: Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice cooked with extra water (I used sona masuri) 
• Salt
•  Pepper
• ½ cup grated Parmesan (I used regular processed Amul Cheese)
• 2 tblspn extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½  capsicum each or red and yellow , diced fine
• ¼ cup cabbage
• 5  basil leaves, chopped
• 2 tblspn tomato sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup  bread crumbs
• 1  cup oil ( as needed)

Rice Balls

Method:

• Take the cooked rice in a large bowl.
• Add salt and pepper and cheese.
• Mash well kneading it to a smooth dough.
• Keep covered in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. The rice must be chilled.
• In a large kadhai/wok over heat 1 tblspn oil.
• Sauté onions and the chopped garlic for 2 minutes.
• Add in basil, tomato sauce take off heat add the cabbage and capsicum mix well.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool.
• Lightly grease your palms take 2 tblspn of the rice mixture in the hand and form a small cup.
• Place 1/2 tsp of the filling mixture to centre of the rice cup. Close the opening and shape in a proper ball.
•  Roll the rice ball in the into the bread crumbs.
• You can either deep fry or like me use the appe/paniyaram pan and shallow fry the rice balls till deep brown.
• Transfer on a paper towel lined plate or dish.
• Serve with chilli sauce.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 45

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Rice Holubtsi- Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Recipe

Rice Holubtsi- Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Recipe

Ukrainian food (and the cuisine of neighbouring countries) tends to be rich, heavy on the meat, butter and starches, and   vegetables are hardly used.  This makes some sense when you consider the cold climate and the very short growing season.  Most veggies had to be preserved via canning or pickling, and wheat and potatoes were winter staples.

The authors have shared at length the delicious foods they have enjoyed as a child. I liked the food as well as the way they have described it so I am sharing them,” Because of the natural variances in family and cultural traditions, each and every one of us probably has a different idea of what holiday food is.  Growing up, my family has always enjoyed homemade perogies and cabbage rolls (holubtsi), mashed potatoes, homemade buns, and the very non-vegan turkey and sausage. Some families eat something called "Kutia", which is delicious cooked wheat with lots of sugar, poppy seeds and pecans, great for breakfast.  Saurkraut and dilled pickles are also very common around here, as is borscht (check out my fave recipe for borsht) and all kinds of breads and pastries.”

This Ukrainian cabbage roll recipe is simple, though rolling them up takes time and patience so it’s something that can be done in a group. Sounds like a fun filled activity especially during the holidays.  At the end of the recipe, I'll give some suggestions for easy variations if you want to go beyond just rice. “

I made these rolls twice. First I made them and half baked them left them on the kitchen counter and went to work. The idea was I will continue with the baking in the evening.

Hardly I step in the evening younger one said,” Whatever you made and was lying on the platform was tasty but too tough to eat I finished them all.” So the second round. Must say the rolls were extremely tasty! This is a part of the series "Around the World in 30 Days"!

Rice Holubtsi- Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Recipe

Rice Holubtsi- Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Recipe

Recipe Source : Here 

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of green cabbage
• 4 cups half cooked rice ( I used 2 flat cups or uncooked rice) 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 tblspn butter
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 tblspn cheese, grated
• 1 tomato soup packet + 1 ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup butter

Method:

• Remove the tough outer leaves and set them aside.  
• Place the cabbage in a microwaveable container cover with a microwaveable cling film and microwave on high for in 5 minutes spurts twice.  This will soften the leaves enough for making rolls without boiling the cabbage.  
• Cut out the core from the cabbage and separate the whole leaves from the head set aside in a bowl.
• In a large bowl, combine the rice, salt and pepper and cheese.  
• In a small kadhai/wok low heat, melt the 2 tblspn of butter.
• Add the onion and fry until the onion is soft and translucent.
• Add the onion mixture to the bowl of rice.
• In a same kadhai/wok medium make the tomato soup with the 1 ¼ cup of water. Bring to a boil.
• Add  the remaining butter.  This tomato sauce will be used to spread over each layer of cabbage rolls.
• Line the bottom of a   pan with a couple of the reserved outer cabbage leaves so that the cabbage rolls don't stick to the bottom.  

  To assemble:  

Now let’s start rolling:

• For that you arrange the bowl of cabbage leaves, the bowl of rice with a spoon, the tomato sauce with a ladle, the pan to arrange the rolls, a cutting board and a knife, and a dry towel to rid the cabbage of excess moisture, if necessary.  
• For the cabbage rolls:
• The choice is yours either cut each cabbage leaf in half lengthwise or leave it whole to make large cabbage rolls.
• However cut off any tough stem remaining on the leaf, and place a tablespoon or two of rice on the bottom of each half.  
• Roll it up while pinching in the sides if there's a side left exposed that’s okay.
• Place the cabbage rolls in the   pan so that they're quite snug, and after you complete a layer of cabbage rolls, ladle on some of the tomato soup mixture.
•  Continue until you run out of rice and/or cabbage.  Top with all of the remaining tomato soup mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for about 2 hours, or until the cabbage leaves are tender when they're pricked with a fork.
• Serve warm!! 
• Kiddo had it with some cheese spread!!!

Rice Holubtsi- Ukrainian Cabbage Roll Recipe

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice

I hope you have enjoyed your trip around the world with us! Wondering what I am talking about? Okay we at blogging marathon are off” Around the World in 30 Days”! Foodies’ hai bhai kya? Food par he bolenge! 

So let’s stop today at M Mexico! Why it’s like Indian food! My daughters refuse to believe that I have cooked international food today! The younger one checked it out to see if there is something called Mexican Rice!

Shhh!

 I do not know what to say? Okay I do cook up names, fancy names but them not believing me when I am so earnestly telling them…! Pah! I do not know what these youngsters are these days... No respect only!!! (Ha all that ranting feels good!)

Anyway please believe me when I say that most Mexican food is like Indian food so that is the reason it’s popular in India.  I have a big list and recipes shared with me by my friend Vidya that I want to try in near future… so look out for some more delicious food here.

Right now  before you enjoy the Mexican rice I have dished out here some cuisine history, sorry you can skip it if you want and go directly to the recipe and I am quoting what I read in Wikipedia so,  

“Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with European, especially Spanish, elements added after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. The basic staples remain native foods such as corn, beans and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced a large number of other foods, the most important of which were meat from domesticated animals (beef, pork, chicken, goat and sheep), dairy products (especially cheese) and various herbs and lots of spices.

While, the Spanish initially tried to impose their own diet on the country, this was not possible and eventually the foods and cooking techniques began to be mixed, especially in colonial era convents. Over the centuries, this resulted in various regional cuisines, based on local conditions such as those in Oaxaca, Veracruz and the Yucatán Peninsula. Mexican cuisine is closely tied to the culture, social structure and popular traditions of the country. The most important example of this connection is the use of mole for special occasions and holidays, particularly in the South and Center regions of the country.”

” Mexican cuisine is as complex as any of the great cuisines in the world, such as those of  India,  China,  France,  Italy and Turkey It is created mostly with ingredients native to Mexico  as well as those brought over by the Spanish conquistadors, with some new influences since then In addition to staples such as corn and chilli peppers, native ingredients include  tomatoes,  squashes,  avocados,  cocoa and vanilla as well as ingredients not generally used in other cuisines such as edible flowers, vegetables such as  huauzontle  and papaloquelite or small criollo avocados, whose skin is edible. European contributions include pork, chicken, beef, cheese, herbs and spices and some fruits. Tropical fruits such as guava, prickly pear, sapote, mangoes, bananas, pineapple and cherimoya (custard apple) are popular, especially in the centre and south of the country. It has been debated how much Mexican food is still indigenous and how much is European. However, the basis of the diet is still corn and beans with chilli pepper as a seasoning as they are complementary foods.

Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice 

Recipe Source: Vidya 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 3 cups water+8 cups
• 6 tblspn oil
• 1 tblspn red sauce( recipe coming soon)
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• ½ tsp ginger paste
• ¼ cup rajma, soaked and boiled
• 1/3 cup corn, boiled
• 2 tsp chopped green chillies
• ¼ tsp dhania/ coriander seed powder
• ½ cup capsicum, sliced
• 1/3 cup onions sliced and separated
• ½ cup cabbage, sliced fine
• ½ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp pepper powder, freshly ground
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp jalapeño water (I substituted with vinegar)
• 1 tsp dhania/ coriander leaves

Mexican Rice

Method:

• Wash and soak the rice in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.
• Strain and discard the water.
• Boil the 8 cups add 2 tblspn oil add the rice. Cook uncovered till the rice is done.
• Once the rice is cooked strain the rice in a colander.
• Cool the rice for 1 hour. Then to cooked rice apply oil, salt and 1 tblspn red sauce.
• In a kadhai/wok heat 2 tblspn oil add the garlic, ginger pastes. Stir.
• Add boiled rajma, boiled corn, green chillies, and coriander seed powder. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the capsicum, onions, cabbage and stir.  The ingredients should not cook fully.
• To this add the prepared rice, oregano, pepper powder, butter. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the jalapeño water, if using else add the vinegar and coriander.
•  Serve hot.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!