Lemon rice and potato fry

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Lime juice - 3 tbsp

salt

To season:

mustard - 1 tsp

bengal gram - 1 tsp

black gram - 1 tsp

green chilly - 1

groundnuts - 2 tbsp

turmeric - 1 tsp

curry leaves - few

Gingelly oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

Boil rice such that the grains are fine and separate.

Heat oil and season using mustard seeds, black gram, bengal gram, turmeric, ground nut, green chilly, curry leaves and groundnut.

Add the seasoning to the hot rice. Later add salt and lemon juice. Mix the rice without mashing them.

This is a simple variety rice which is easy to pack for your lunch.

Potato fry is a good side dish for this rice

Vegetable pulav and carrot raitha

This is an easy preparation and involves less time and also my regular weekly menu for the lunch box....

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Chopped Vegetables - 1 cup

Mint leaves - 1/2 cup

Green chilly - 1

Cilantro - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1

Clove - 1

Bay leaf - 1

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt

Procedure:

Soak the rice for about 30 mins. Chop the vegetables like carrot, beans, peas and corn. Chop onions into fine pieces.

Pour ghee in the cooker. Once the oil is hot, add clove, cinnamon and bay leaf. Then add onions and fry. Later add the other vegetables along with the slit green chilly and saute them for about 2 or 3 mins. Then add the rice and fry for a min. Add 2 cups of water and salt. Check for the taste now and correct accordingly. Now close the cooker.

If using pressure cooker, switch off the flame after 10 mins else if you are using rice cooker, switch it off after about 30 mins.

Serve with any kind of raita or vegetable kurma.

Curry Leaves Rice / Kariveppilai Saadam

Ingredients:

Rice : 1 cup

Small onions : 10

Tomato : 1

Garlic : 1 Pod

Clove : 2

Cinnamon : half inch stick

Salt

To grind:

Curry Leaves : 1/4 cup

Red chillies : 10

Grated Coconut : 3 tbsp

Garlic : 2 pod

Procedure:

Cook rice such that the grains are separate . Cut the onions, tomato and garlic.

Grind the curry leaves ,coconut,red chillies and garlic along with some water.

Now place the wok on the flame and add around 2 tbsp of oil. Then add garlic, clove and cinnamon. Add the cut onions and fry them till they turn transparent. Later add tomatoes along with the ground paste. After 2 or 3 mins, add the cooked rice and salt. Mix well and turn off the flame.

The rice is now ready to serve. A little rice vadagam can make a good side dish for this recipe.

Coconut Milk Rice

Thengai Pal Saadam

Basmati rice/Raw rice- 2 cups

Onion-1

grean peas-1/2 cup

Green chilli - 2

Vegetables(optional-beans,carrot,cauliflower)-1 cup

Salt

Clove-2

Cinnamon

Cardamom-1

Garlic-4 cloves

Bay leaf

Ghee

How to make:

Soak rice in water for about 10 mins. Take pressure cooker/rice cooker and pour little ghee and season using clove, cinnamon and bay leaf. Then put the chopped onion, garlic, green chillies and saute them till the onion becomes transparent. Finally add rice and fry them for few minutes. Then add 1 cup cocunut milk and two cups water. Finally add salt and close the lid. If pressure cooked, keep it on for just 10 mins.