KESAR PULAO

Ingredients:

1cup long grain (basmati) Rice
1cup Sugar (or according to taste)
3-4 Cardamom (green elaichi, split & crushed)
Few strands of Saffron (kesar)
4 cloves
11/2tbsp Mixed Dry fruits (Pista, cashewnut, almond)chopped
1tsp Raisins
a Pinch of saffron (kesar)color dissolved in 2tsp warm water
2 tbsp pure ghee
1 tbsp mustard seeds
silver paper (varak)
Water for boiling rice.

How to make kesar (saffron) rice:

  • Wash soak and drain rice.
  • Bring water to boil and add the rice and simmer the flame.
  • When rice is half done add sugar (dissolved in little water) and ghee.
  • When fully done add the saffron, cardamom, cloves and half of the dry fruit.
  • Stir gently and cover for 10 minutes.
  • Garnish it with remaining dry fruit and silver paper.
  • Serve the kesar pulao fresh and hot.

VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice
1 cup Mixed Vgetable (cauliflower, potato, carrot, french beans)
150 gms Green Peas
3 Finely Sliced Onion
2 Finely Sliced Green Chillies
Salt to taste
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tsp Cinnamon(dalchini), Caraway Seeds(zeera)
4 Cloves (laung)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
4 Tomato
1/2 cup Yogurt (curd)
4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3 tbsp Dry Fruits (cashew nuts, raisin)

How to make vegitable biryani :

  • Wash the basmati rice well before cooking.Then take rice with 3-3/4 cup water and a little salt added to it and 2 tbsp of dry fruits.Cook it in pressure cooker or in a pan or microwave.
  • Cut all the vegetables into small thin pieces and fry each one of it separately in oil. Fry the green peas also.
  • Take 1 tblsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, green chilli, cinnamon and caraway seeds powder, cloves, black pepper powder and stir for about half minute. Then add onions and saute them for a minute ot till they get pink in color.
  • Add salt and red chilli powder and stir.
  • Add fine chopped tomatoes and fry till they are properly cooked.
  • Take the yogurt and make it fine by putting in a blender for just 2 rotations. Add this fine yogurt and stir well.Heat it for about 10 seconds.
  • Add all the fried vegetables.
  • Add the cooked rice and mix well with very light hands so that the rice grain doesn't break. Cook for about 3 minutes.
  • Take this vegetable biryani out in a rice serving dish.
  • Garnish with dry fruits and green coriander leaves.
  • Serve the vegetable (veg ) biryani hot with raita and pickle.

KASHMIRI PULAO

Ingredients:

500gms Long Grain (Basmati) Rice
100gms Onion sliced vertically
5gms Cinnamon (dalchini)
5gms cardamom (Elaichi)
5gms cloves
a pinch of turmeric powder
1gm saffron (kesar)
10 ml Milk
20gms walnut
20gms cashew nut
1litre water
50gms oil
salt to taste

How to make kashmiri pulao:

  • Wash and soak rice.
  • Heat oil and fry onions till golden brown and remove.
  • Fry whole spices, turmeric powder, add rice and sauté.
  • Add half-saffron dissolved in little warm milk.
  • Add hot water and mix well.
  • Cook a little. Finish with remaining saffron and cook till grains are separated and done.
  • Garnish kashmiri pulao with fried onions, walnuts & cashew nuts.

INDIAN FRIED RICE

This is a typical Indian fried ric recipe.Spices and ghee is added to the boiled rice.

Ingredients:

400 gm Rice
100 gm Ghee or butter
65 gms onion
2 gms cinnamon
2 gms Bay leaf
1 gm peppercorns
6 gms Salt

How to make fried rice:

  • Heat the ghee in a large saucepan and add the finely sliced onion.
  • Fry till golden brown, remove from the pan and keep aside.
  • To the hot fat, add the washed and drained rice and the spices.
  • Keep stirring and fry for 4-5 minutes till the rice appears glazed. Add salt and boiling water an inch above the rice.
  • Boil and simmer till the water is almost absorbed and then put into a very slow oven at 250 degree and leave for 20-25 minutes till the rice is cooked.
  • Serve garnished with fried onions. Hard-boiled eggs cut in slices may also be used as a garnish.

COCONUT RICE

This is a South Indian recipe for coconut rice. Fried coconut and cashewnuts are added to boiled rice and garnished with ghee and coriander leaves.

Ingredients:

400 gms biryani rice
120 gms coconut
40 ml ghee
25 gms black gram dhal
25 gms broken pieces of nuts
6 gms dry chillies
2 gms curry leaves
2.5 gms asafoetida powder
20 gms (minced) coriander leaves
Salt to taste

How to make coconut rice:

  • Boil rice and keep aside.
  • Fry coconut evenly to a golden colour on a slow fire.
  • Heat 3 dessertspoon of ghee. Fry the cashewnuts and remove.
  • Fry the broken pieces of dry chillies, black gram dhal, and curry leaves well.
  • Mix rice, coconut, nuts, 1 teaspoon of ghee and salt.
  • Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.