{Simple and Easy} Achari Chana Pulao | Pickle Spiced Chickpea Rice Recipe | Pressure Cooker Recipes

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If there is one kitchen gadget that I can never imagine myself without is my beloved pressure cooker. I have seen my mom use not one, but two of them simultaneously and to this day she swears by its efficiency. Same is the case with my mother in law too. I literally wake up every single morning with whistle whooshing across the kitchen till our bedroom. ;-) 

That my friends is the role of a pressure cooker played in our lives. In one word - Quintessential.

Now, when I read Jaya's post on how an cookbook author claimed that Indian-made pressure cookers are unsafe to use and tended to blow up in people’s faces. I was like - What The! That is a total exaggeration.  Nothing in this world in perfect, I agree on that but whenever I heard people telling me stories of their pressure cookers blowing up, its always the case where there was a human error. 

To err is human...Isn't it?

In order to prove the cookbook author wrong and to put across a point that pressure cookers, especially indian-made are indeed safe, Jaya has asked us to cook a dish in our cookers. Hence, today's recipe - Achari Chana Pulao a.k.a Chickpea Rice spiced with Mango Pickle. That sounds a little bizarre  but trust me it tastes wonderfully delicious and no one would believe it has achaar in it ;-). My mom especially was pleasantly surprised.

Go on, take out your pressure cookers today and try this super simple pulao for your meals.

Enjoy!

Also sending this as an entry to The Wellness Weekend and Healthy Vegan Fridays.

Doesn't that look yummi-li-cious? :-)

not just mango pickle, you can use any mixed pickle for this recipe..

my cute little 3 ltrs pressure cooker. It never looked this glamorous before ;-)

all whole spices, mango pickle, veggies and beans sauteed. next comes the rice..

out and done.. ready to be fluffed with a fork..

Achari Chickpea Pulao is ready and served..

{Recipe} Achari Chana Pulao | Pickle Spiced Chickpea Rice

Adapted loosely from Tarla Dalal 
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 tbsp instant mango pickle (or any pickle on hand)
1 cup long grained (basmati) rice
1 tomato, cut in long wedges
2 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
few whole spices - I used 3 bay leaves, two star anise pieces and a piece of cinnamon stick
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup soaked, boiled chickpeas (any variety is fine)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash and soak rice for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep aside.

Note: If you are using freshly boiled beans (instead of canned or frozen) for this recipe, reserve the cooking liquid (or) just use water. 

Put 2 cups of water or cooking liquid to boil.

In the pressure cooker, heat oil. Add bay leaves, cumin seeds, star anise and cinnamon. Saute for a minute. Once they start to crackle, add sliced onions and garlic. Let them brown for few minutes.

Add chickpeas, mango pickle, tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala (if using). Saute for 3-4 minutes. Adjust salt. Then the drained rice goes innand saute for few more minutes.

Add the hot water/cooking liquid and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Lightly fluff with a fork.

Serve hot with raita on the side.

“I boiled chickpeas and also cooked the Achari Chana Pulao with my Indian pressure cooker and it didn’t blow up in my face”..:-)

wanna grab the plate and sit down for a meal with me? :-)

This is Recipe 14 added to my 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too!

The other day I was checking out few coupons for a pizza party at work. I have got a few good discounts here - Coupon Raja.com. Check them out and save a few bucks on your next pizza! 

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until next recipe,

A visit to HortiCulture Expo 2013 + {Recipe} Arroz Verde | Green Rice

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"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher." ~ William Wordsworth 

It was gorgeous Sunday morning when we set out to go the Horticulture Expo 2013 being held here in Hyderabad. TH is totally into gardening and it gives him immense pleasure to watch the tiny seedlings grow into big living things. We have few vegetables and greens planted right now along with flowers and herbs as well.

Did you know its now scientifically proven that gardening makes one happy and cures depression. It is said that it triggers the natural production of happy chemicals which in turn keep us joyful. :-) Now, that's one more reason to start working on your very own balcony or roof top garden.

The Horticulture Expo is an initiative to bring all gardening enthusiasts under one roof. It gave us an opportunity to talk to nursery owners directly and buy the tools needed for our roof-top/balcony garden. Right from beautifully crafted bonsai to banana samplings to fresh organic food, the expo had a stall for everything. We both shopped until afternoon, chatted with the stall owners and had a fun time.

Below are few pictures I photographed (using my Iphone 4S) while we were there. 

beautiful bonsai for sale

cactus anybody?

purple delight..

these were reasonably priced and I think are perfect as food photography props. I did buy a few for my collection.

Now, let's talk about today's recipe - Arroz Verde (Green Rice) Shall we? Have you ever tried this? It a simple idea where we blend all things green into a puree and cook with rice. A classic Mexican side dish and the green ingredients used in this recipe are - green tomatoes, spinach, green chilli and cilantro. If you have tomatillos, use them instead of green tomatoes. You can also use - arugula, kale, parseley, any kind of chilli variety like poblano, jalapeno in this recipe. Its not too spicy and serves as an accompaniment with beans or any curry. 

Enjoy!

This recipe is being sent as an entry to Healthy Vegan Friday # 27

All things green - spinach, green chillies, green tomatoes and coriander

{Recipe} Arroz Verde | Green Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain rice,, washed and rinsed couple of times (I used Basmati)
2 green tomatoes, roughly chopped (Use tomatillos if you have some.)
1 cups of chopped greens - I used spinach and cilantro
1 green chilli (remove seeds for a milder version)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups of water
2 tsp olive oil

Preparation:

Place the green tomatoes, green chilli, spinach and cilantro in a blender cup. Grind into a smooth paste. No need to add any water. The juice from the tomatoes is enough for pureeing. Set aside.

Heat olive oil and add garlic with chopped onion. Saute for couple of minutes. Now, add rice. Let it brown a bit until the rice turns light golden color. Now, add the green puree along with water. Season with salt. Cover and bring rice to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed. Don't stir while its cooking. 

Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and Serve it as an accompaniment with almost anything. It tastes delicious as-is too!

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Lets Paint It 'Green' II - Hara Bhara Paneer Pulao

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The meaning of comfort food varies from person to person and for me it invariably involves 'rice'. The variety of recipes that can be made with our humble grain - sometimes seems just endless. The minute I declare one as my absolute favourite, a new dish pops up and becomes a perfect week night dinner.

...continuing my quest of posting only 'naturally green colored' recipes this week (Click here to know why), here is one such pulao which am sure will appeal to all. The added goodness of greens makes it nutritious and corn kernels with tiny paneer cubes gives it a nice body & crunch. You wouldn't need any other side dish as accompaniment. Serve it with any cool raita and Enjoy!

{Recipe} Hara Bhara Paneer Pulao

Adapted from Tasty Touch

Ingredients:

Greens used for this recipe: 4 cups spinach (palak), 1/2 cup mint (pudina) leaves, 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
3 green chillies
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 cups uncooked rice, (I used sona masoori, basamati would be the ideal choice) soaked in water for 15 minutes
1 cup paneer, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 bay leaves
1" cinnamon stick
2 cloves (lavangalu)
1/2 tsp cumin-coriander powder (or) 1/4 tsp each of cumin powder & coriander powder
2 tbsp oil

Preparation:

1. Blanch Spinach: Fill a large pot with water, bring it to boil, add spinach and blanch for not more than 30 seconds, until they turn brilliant green. Using a slotted spoon remove the spinach and plunge into a bowl of cold water, to retain their color. Squeeze out all the excess water. Keep aside. Don't throw away the liquid, we will use it later.

2. Grind together - blanched spinach, mint, coriander leaves, green chillies and ginger with little water into a smooth paste.

3. Heat about a tsp of oil in a pan and fry paneer pieces into slightly golden color. Set aside.

4. In a same pan, add rest of oil and add bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Fry for couple of minutes on low-medium flame until fragrant. Add corn kernels and spinach paste. Cook for few minutes until the raw taste disappears.

5. Add rice, salt and cumin-coriander powder. Gently mix everything. Add in 4 cups of boiling water. Cook until rice is completely cooked. Note: Alternatively, you can put everything and cook in a rice cooker.

6. Finally toss paneer cubes into the pulao. Serve with raita.

Here is what other FSB members have posted until now -

Mittu - Blueberry and Lavender Cream Pie [Violet]
Nags - Easy Basic Cake Pops [Blue]
DK - Risotto Alla Milanese [Yellow]
Deepti - Citrus Golden Sangria [Orange]
Lata - White and kidney beans falafels and spicy hot vandikkaran chutney, Filled and Grilled Red Peppers, Jam and Fruit Tart [Red]

2011 Holiday Give Away(s)

Just 3 days left for this season's holiday give away to end. Check out these and enter today - One for peeps in India and other for US residents. You may be the lucky reader who either wins a year long subscription for BBC Good Food Magazine (or) the 75th anniversary edition of the very classic 'Joy Of Cooking' cookbook. Last Date to leave a comment - December 31st 2011, midnight (IST). Winners will be announced on January 1st 2012. :-)

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until next time,

Dussehra Sambaralu....

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Dussehra is a festival of triumph of good over evil. There are numerous legendary stories associated with this festival. Here is one such interesting story from the epic Ramayana.

STORY:

When Ravana, the king of Lanka abducted Lord Rama’s wife Sita, and held her hostage in Lanka, a fierce battle ensued. Although there were huge casualties on both sides, Ravana could not be defeated. So Rama decided to seek the blessings of Shakti or Goddess Durga in order to defeat the 10-headed demon.

But Rama needed 108 blue lotuses for the worship of the Divine Mother, while Rama had managed to procure only 107. He was on the verge of laying one of his eyes that was lotus-shaped and blue in color at the Goddess’s feet when Shakti, satisfied with the measure of his devotion, granted her blessings. And the righteous eventually triumphed.

Another well-know story is the defeat of the demon, Mahishasura at the hands of Goddess Durga.

All stories have the same moral of - "Victory of Good over Evil". It teaches us to destroy the 10 ugly faces of - deceitful, hypocritic, treacherous, malign tendencies and march forward in the path of righteousness and morality.

WHAT'S COOKING

Ok, with no further delay, Let me show what I did I cook on such an auspicious day: Aloo Pulao, Palak-Methi Paneer with Carrot Halwa.


Aloo Pulao: Its one such savory mostly cooked, when one observes fasting on Navratri.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Basmati rice
3 potatoes peeled,diced and boiled
1 bunch pudina leaves
1 bunch methi leaves
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp Dhania powder
1 tsp Jeera
1 Onion - thinly sliced
Salt - to taste
Oil/Ghee - 2 tbsp


Preparation:

1. Cook rice with 3 cups of water. Try not to overcook. Keep aside.
2. In a pan, heat some oil/ghee, Saute jeera and onions until brown.
3. Now add potato, pudina & methi leaves, salt, garam masala and dhania powder. Mix well and let it cook for few minutes.
4. Then add rice, mixx well. Cook the contents on low-medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
5. Garnish and Serve hot.

Palak-Methi Paneer:

Ingredients:

2 cup Palak/Spinach
1 cup Methi/Fenugreek leaves
1 Onion-finely chopped
2 Finely chopped Green Chillies
1 cup Paneer pieces
3 tbsp Oil/Ghee
1/2 tbsp turmeric
1 cup cream (or milk)
Salt - to taste

For Ground Masala:

1/2 medium onion
1 tomato- pureed
1/2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tbsp chilli powder


Preparation:

1. Cook palak and methi leaves with some salt and water till wilted, on low flame. Cool it down and then puree. Keep aside.
2. Grind all the ingredients listed for 'Ground Masala" with some water/milk.
3. Take some oil/ghee in a skillet, saute onions untill brown, add green chillies and ground masala. Cook for 2-3 mins.
4. Add pureed palak and methi leaves; Mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Then add salt, turmeric and cream. Stir the contents well and let it simmer on low heat for 5-6 minutes. Finally add paneer cubes. Cook for 3-4 mins so that they are finely coated and soaked in the masala..:)
Not: Adding 1 tbp of corn flour to thicken the gravy.
6. Garnish with cream or coconut milk. Serve hot.

Carrot Halwa: This simple and quick carrot halwa would be an awesome dessert after cooking an elaborate spread.

Ingredients:

2 cans of sweeteneed condensed milk
2 cups of milk (to thin it out)
1 lb grated carrots
Nuts and Raisins

Note: Sugar is not needed as condensed milk already has it..:D


Preparation:

1. Boil condensed milk and milk together until its little thinned in consistency.
2. Add grated carrot. Stir the contents well.
3. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Fry some nuts and raisins, also some cardamom powder.Add to the halwa for nice flavor.

This is my entry to JFS:Dussehra event hosted by dear Vee of Past,Present and Me and also Viji's RCI: Tamil Festivals.

Off I am to lofty Smokies this weekend... see ya next week with loads of beautiful pictures and the adventures I did..:DD

Bi Pong Moun [ Egg Glorified with a CLICK...]

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Bi Pong Moun is a simple Cambodian dish of just fried eggs and steamed rice & this is my entry to CLICK - event initiated on food photography by dear Bee & Jai with a theme of EGGS....:D


......added some tweaks using my imaging software.. and here they are.....

Marooned:


Another glowy look:


Also sending 'Bi Pong Moun' as an entry to dear Kanchana's WBB # 16:Omelette event...

Have a great weekend folks..:D

Simple Tomato Pilaf

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A Large tomato, Onions and Rice with some spices - what can go wrong. It has to be yummy.. Isn't it. Today, I was so lazy to prepare something elaborate; so thought of preparing some of my oldies: recipes I used to make so often - until I get bored, yet they are so handy and easy in such lazy times...:D.



Tomato Pilaf/ Rice is one such oldie. My mom taught me this when I was in my 6th class. Others were aloo fry, egg bujji and plain dal. I was so proud of myself when I made tomato rice for the first time and I must have told for a dozen people that I was the one who cooked it. hehe.. I miss all those childhood days...:)

Ok enough of boring you guys, I will go straight to the recipe now...

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Tomatoes - 2
Onion - 1
Green Chillies - 2
Salt - to taste
Garam Masala - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/4 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice and keep aside
2. In pressure cooker, add oil, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add onions and ginger garlic paste - Saute them till golden brown.
3. Then add tomatoes, green chillies,salt, turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder - mix the contents well and let them cook for few mins.
4. Add rice and 3 cups of water to the mixture.
5. Pressure cook the contents for 2 whistles max.
6. Garnish with coriander and Serve hot with onion raita or plain yogurt.



Have you ever tried having the tomato rice with rasam. Ooooooh.. it tastes awesome.. I just love the combo. I know its wierd but do try it once after food is all about fun right..:D. :D.. Adieu for now guys..