An easy capsicum rice which my MIL had tried few times after learning it from a TV show. Its easy for me because,there is no grinding part,just make it like the mild pulav we usually make….I made this today as per her instructions and the taste is just awesome!

Ingredients:

To temper:

Updated Picture : With water ratio 1(rice) : 1& 1/2 (water) Also I added 1/4 tsp turmeric this time! So got a nice colour!

Method:

1. Soak basmati rice for 10 mins. Cut the onions lengthwise and capsicum into cubes. Chop the tomatoes.
2. Heat oil and ghee in the pressure cooker or heavy bottomed pan,temper with cinnamon and jeera.
3. Add onion and fry till transparent,add tomatoes and fry till soft.
4. Add the veggies along with green chillies,mint leaves and fry for 2 minutes in medium flame.
5. Add the chopped capsicum,sambar powder and fry for 2 minutes.
6. Drain the soaked rice and fry in a non stick pan with a tsp of ghee until the moisture evaporates.
7. Mix the rice with the capsicum mixture and add water,salt and bring to boil. Pressure cook for three whistles in medium flame.
8. Serve with any kind of raita and chips.

(updated pic):

Notes:

               I took this recipe in famous south Indian culinary expert Mallika Badrinath's "100 variety rice delights"...This is very spicy kind of rice...I am making this for 5th time now..We like it very much..Hope you all will like this too :) I didn't took step by step pictures as I was cooking in hurry today..so here is the recipe of small potato briyani.

Ingredients

TO ROAST & GRIND

Optional:

Whole garam masala  to season.

Method

• Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes.
• Grind the coriander leaves and mix it with curds and keep a side.
• Cook rice with tomato juice,salt and 1 cup water. (Season with whole garam masala if desired)
• After done,add a tsp of ghee and cool down the rice to make it separate separate grains.
• Cook the small potatoes in a pressure cooker,peel the skin and deep fry it in a really hot oil till golden brown(Pierce the potatoes carefully with fork in 2,3 places,b4 frying)
• Heat a kadai with oil,add the onion and fry till brown.
• Add the ground masala (Under the “To roast & Grind Table)and sprinkle little water and fry for 3 minutes till a nice aroma rises.
• Then add the fried potates and coriander mixed in curd,Mix gently.
• Add this in a heavy bottomed vessel(cooker),add the cooked rice sprinkle 2 tblsp of water,mix well and simmer the stove and cook for 7-10 minutes.
• Serve hot with raitha!!

INGREDIENTS:

Method:

1. wash and soak  basmati rice for 10mins.
2. Heat a tsp of oil and add the whole spices  and then the soaked rice,fry till moisture disappears in the rice.
3. Cook rice with 1:2 ,rice: water ratio ,with half salt and cool down into separate grains.
4. Heat the remaining oil/ghee and add the garlic first and after a min,add the onions and fry till transparent.
5. Add the tomatoes and add salt and the powders-red chilli,garam masala and turmeric.
6. Fry till tomatoes gets in to mushy gravy.
7. Cook in medium flame till oil separates from the gravy(Don't fry too dry also).
8. Now mix this gravy with the cooked rice along with chopped coriander leaves and give atleast some 10 min. standing time.
9. Serve hot with raitha or korma...i made it for my son,so he had with home made  potato wedges...

NOTES:

• You can add 2 slit green chillies for extra hotness..(add while frying onions)
• You can add finely chopped carrots and green peas also...

            This one goes to Srivalli's rice mela!

                   My version of arisi upma,is using arisi noi( Means broken rice), is a simpler version which has very few ingredients and can be done in a jiffy! Some days you don't feel like spending more time in cooking right?! That time with very less time spending in kitchen you can do this...That too I use electric rice cooker for this...so it comes out really fluffy!!

                And side dish thengai (coconut) thogaiyal ,is a perfect combo for this!  So here we go for the recipes:

First  Coconut Thogaiyal:

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Fry urad dal and red chillies, till golden brown and cool down.
2. Wet the tamarind in water and microwave in high for 20 - 30 seconds, to make it soft ( gets ground evenly).
3. First add all the items without water and grind it in the mixer.
4. Then add the required water and grind to a smooth paste.
5. Consistency should be thick like thogayal.. This needs no tempering...Don't you think its simple?

And this tastes divine with a divine flavor!!!

Now For Arisi/Rice Upma :

Here's picture of broken rice,its available in grocery stores....

Ingredients:

To Temper:

Method:

1. Wash the rice and add the required water and salt in the electric rice cooker and mix well.
2. Also temper  with items  in the "To Temper" table...mix well
3. 
4. Cook as usual you cook rice in electric rice cooker, once done open and mix well.
5. Now its all ready!!
6. OPTIONAL: You can add little coconut gratings or just a teaspoon of coconut oil and mix well, after opening the cooker.
7. But this tastes simply superb! 

                           This is my favourite,because I am a big fan of brinjal. I became a great fan of this vangibath,when I was staying in hostel and enjoyed this one in our hostel mess. I could not recreate the same taste,but definitely a very close taste  to that iyer mess in SRC Trichy. Most of the Hostel mess will be a night mare,only we had almost a good time.Especially after noon lunch will be as good as home food! We had no problem....This vangibath will be once in a month...but it will be so flavour ful!!!

You too can try this,I assure it will come out nice:) I am glad to send this to Srivalli's Rice mela Event! 

Ingredients:

TO Roast and grind:

Seasoning:

Method:

1. Soak rice for half an hour,heat ghee in a kadai and add cloves,elachi,cinnamon,bay leaves and fry and add to rice and cook it with salt( I used 1:2 , rice : water ratio) You can skip this part and just cook the rice alone and add the whole garam masalas-cloves,elachi,cinnamon,bay leaves while you season,a easier way!
2. Cool the cooked rice and keep aside.
3. Roast all the ingredients under "To roast and grind" table to golden brown/nice aroma rises....except coconut...coconut can be roasted very slightly.
4. Cool it and powder it and keep aside.
5. Cut brinjal into finger length strips and keep it immersed in water till use,cut ginger into thin strips and slit the green chillies.
6. Extract tamarind juice from the tamarind.
7. Heat the kadai with a tsp oil and add the seasoning items and roast it nicely. After done add ginger,green chillies and curry leaves.Add brinjals with turmeric and fry till soft.
8. Add the tamarind juice,required salt for brinjal and bring it to boil. Add the ground masala and simmer for 3 minutes or till brinjal gets cooked.
9. Take care that brinjal doesn't gets mashed.
10. At the end the masala will become a thick paste and shiny.
11. Check for salt Add this to rice and mix carefully. You can garnish with coriander leaves if u want.Serve hot with raita of your choice. I had with amma’s vadam

Notes:

    This recipe is easy to prepare and healthier too..To sprout the green gram,soak it for some 10 hours and then drain it in a pure muslin cloth,tie it and keep it hanged for a day.Sprinkle a little water in between and you can get sprouts for this rice!

Now a days we can easily get these sprouted green gram in the groceries....Can use that too..!

Ingredients

Method:

• Soak rice for 10 minutes.
• Cook and cool down the rice and keep aside.

• Cut onion,cabbage,capsicum finely and cut the spring onion into 1 inch pieces.

• Grind ginger and green chilies into coarse paste.
• Heat a broad kadai with oil and first add the ginger-chillie paste.

• After a minute,add sugar,onion,capsicum,cabbage and lastly the green gram sprouts one by one in order,frying each for a minute.

• Lastly add spring onion,salt,white pepper powder,soya sauce and lastly cooled rice.

• Stir well till the rice gets heated.
• Serve hot with any kind of korma or sauce of your choice!!!

I took this recipe from my cookbook  100 rice delights,by S. Mallika Badrinath,the original recipe uses corn kennels....i am using Baby corn,and some simple changes I made to suit our taste.

INGREDIENTS:

To Grind:

METHOD:

1. Soak rice for 1/2 hour and then drain the water and fry it 1/2 tsp of ghee for 2 minutes,keep a side.
2. Cut onion to length wise and cut baby corn into bite size pieces.  
3. Pressure cook baby corn upto 3 whistles.
4. Grind all the ingredients under "to grind" table.
5. If you are cooking direct in pressure cooker,heat ghee/oil in the cooker and add the whole spices-bay leaf,cinnamon,elachi and cloves.
6. Then add the onions,fry till pinkish,then add the ground masala and fry till raw smell disappears.
7. Then add coconut milk( I used ready-made coconut milk) and cooked baby corn and bring it to boil.(Coconut milk should not be too thick or too thin,if its thick then dilute to adjust it to make 2 cups)
8. Add the rice,salt and mix well and cook covered in lowest flame,without pressure regulator for 8-10 minutes.
9. Now pulav is ready and serve hot with onion raita or raita of your choice!

I am sending this pulav to my dear friend Srivalli of cooking for all seasons ,for the event  Rice Mela!