Month: April 2015

Cucumber Raita

Every Pulav or Biriyani is accompanied by a Raita which has the property of being a coolant. Here is a recipe for a cool Cucumber Raita which is a great accompaniment to the Vegetable Pulav which I shared in my earlier post.

Cucumber Raita

Cucumber Raita

 

To make the Raita you’ll need,

1 cup curd
1 medium sized cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped after removing seeds. You can grate it too.
1/8 tsp. mustard seeds, crushed
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ cup coconut
2 green chillies

For the seasoning, you’ll need
1 ½ tsp. oil
1/8 tsp. mustard seeds
1 red chilli
1 sprig curry leaves

Salt to taste

To make the Raita,grind coconut, green chillies, garlic and mustard to a fine paste. To this, add the cucumber and grind coarsely. Beat the curd and add salt to it. Add the ground mixture to the beaten curd. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and let the mustard splutter. Pour this over the curd mixture and mix well. Serve with pulav.

Vegetable Pulav

Here’s a recipe for a Vegetable Pulav that is light and nutritious. This is a favorite dish and is enjoyed by everyone.

Vegetable Pulav

Vegetable Pulav

For this you’ll need,
1 cup basmati rice
¼ cup each peas, beans sliced and carrot diced
2 Medium sized tomatoes, chopped finely
1 Medium sized onion, chopped finely
1 Tej patta/Bay leaf, 1 clove, 1 cardamom, 1” piece cinnamon
½ tbsp. lime juice
½ cup oil
2 tbsp. ghee
1 ¾ cups of water
Salt to taste
Grind to a fine paste: 3 green chillies, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2” piece ginger, Coriander leaves, one small bunch; pudina, one handful; 3 tbsp grated coconut; 1 big onion (chopped); 1/2” piece cinnamon, 3 cloves, ½ tsp Fennel (saunf); 1 small green cardamom

To make the Vegetable Pulav,
Wash the rice and set aside.
In a thick bottomed vessel/cooker body, heat oil. Add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and Tej patta and fry for a few seconds. Add chopped onion and fry till it becomes transparent. Add ground masala and fry for a while. When the oil separates, add the chopped tomatoes and fry till tomatoes are done. Add salt and the vegetables and stir for a few minutes. Add water, allow it to come to a boil for a few minutes. Add the rice and mix well. Next, add lime juice and adjust the salt content if required. Finally, add ghee and mix well .
Close the cooker and let the pulav cook for 3 whistles. If you are not using a cooker, allow the mixture to cook till done. Remove and mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander, croutons and fried cashews.
This Pulav is best enjoyed with a Raita. Here is a recipe for Cucumber Raita.