Curry Leaves Rice - Kariveppilai Sadam Recipe

Curry leaves are commonly used in Indian seasoning which enhances the taste and flavor of the dish. Most of the times we used to throw these away without knowing the fact that these curry leaves are packed with carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, phosphorous, irons and vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, curry leaves help your heart function better, fights infections and can enliven your hair and skin with vitality.The best way to make your family consume curry leaves is to cook them in the form of rice. I have also uploaded a Curry Leaf thokku recipe earlier. Here comes the recipe for Curry Leaves Rice.

Ingredients

Cooked rice - 1 bowl
Salt as per taste

To Temper

Gingely oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Peanuts - 1 tbsp (optional)
Hing and turmeric powder - a pinch

To roast and grind

Curry leaves - 1 cup, tightly packed
Channa dal - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2

Method

1. Rinse the curry leaves well and allow them to dry completely. Heat a pan and dry roast all the ingredients except curry leaves mentioned under "To roast and grind" until they turn golden brown. 
2. Then add the curry leaves and saute for couple of minutes until they turn crisp. Allow to cool and then grind to a coarse powder. 
3. Take a wide pan add oil and do the seasoning with the ingredients mentioned under "To Temper". Roast them until all the ingredients turn golden brown. Add hing and turmeric powder, mix well and turn off the flame. 
4. Add the rice, required salt and the ground curry leaves powder. Mix well. Serve with papad or raita.

Notes

• You can even make this powder in bulk and prepare mix it with rice as and when needed.
• You can also add cashews instead of peanuts.
• You can also use this as a side dish for idly/dosa
• Finely chopped onions can also be sauted till golden brown and added to the rice as we do for biryanis. This will enhance the flavor of the rice

Green Moong Pulav - Green Moong Rice

I always love preparing one pot meal, the reason being very obvious, they are healthy and quick. Here is another nutritious dish which also can be made when you run out of vegetables. That too prepare this with the sprouted moong, it is a perfect healthy lunch box recipe. Serve it on its own or with a spicy side dish or with a simple raita.

Ingredients

Sprouted moong dal or soaked moong dal - 1/2 cup
Uncooked rice - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Salt - as required
Onion - 1, sliced lengthwise
Green chilli - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Hing - a pinch

To Temper

Ghee - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsps
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2, 1" piece
Cloves - 2
Curry leaves - few

Method

1. Wash and soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. Simultaneously prepare the other ingredients and start with the tempering.
2. Heat ghee and oil, add cumin seeds and once they splutters add cinnamon stick, cloves and curry leaves. They add slit green chilli and onions. Saute until the onion turns transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.
3. Then add green moong and hing. Mix well and add 3 cups of water. Add required amount of salt, allow the water to come to a boil. Now add the rice, give a stir, close the pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles and simmer for 5 minutes. 
4. Once the pressure subsides, mix gently without breaking the grains. Serve hot with any spicy gravy or a simple raita or your choice.

Beetroot Rice

Beetroots are not only rich in color, they also contain ample amount of Vitamins A, B and C. They are also rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, folic acid and certain essential minerals like manganese and potassium. Beets are said to boost the stamina and is very good for those with anemia and fatigue. A rice made out of this colorful veggie has a nice flavor and subtle sweetness, so the kids love them the most. Pairs up well with any simple raita.

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup, cooked
Channa/Garbanzo beans - 1/4 cup
Grated beetroot - 1 cup
Onion - 1, chopped
Green chilli - 1 or 2, slit lengthwise
Mint leaves - few
Coriander leaves - a fistful, chopped
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

To Temper

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Pre-preparation

Cook the rice, allow to cool and set aside. Soak the channa overnight and cook them until soft. Clean the beets, peel and grate them. Set aside. Chop the onions, green chilli and coriander leaves.

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and once they splutters add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Then add the green chillies and do a couple of sauteing. Then add the onions and saute until they turn transparent.

Then add the grated beetroot, mint leaves, coriander leaves, sambar powder, required salt and saute for couple of minutes. Then sprinkle some water, stir and cover with a lid. Cook until the beetroot is well cooked. Stir in-between.

Once the beets are cooked well add the cooked channa and the garam masala powder. Stir well and add the cooked rice. Carefully mix the rice with the beetroot. Check for salt and add more if required. Serve with any raita of your choice.

Coconut Rice - Thengai Sadam

Coconut rice is a very simple but a very tasty dish. VJ loves this the most, especially for dinner. It works great with leftover rice and if you have some grated coconut ready on hand, then can be made in a jiffy. The finely chopped ginger and the roasted cashews gives a nice aroma to this rice.

Ingredients

Cooked rice - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup or little more 
Mustard seeds –1 tsp
Channa dal/Bengal Gram/kadalai paruppu – 2 tsp
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Red chillies – 1
Green chillies - 2, chopped finely
Curry leaves – few
Ginger - 1 inch piece, finely chopped
Cashew nuts - 5 or 6
Oil, salt and hing as per taste
Method

Allow the rice to cool off completely. Rice should be cooked in a way that the grains are seen separately.

Heat oil in a kadai/ pan, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add channa dal, urad dal, cashew nuts and roast till it becomes slightly brown. Add red chillies, green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves and sauté for a few more seconds.

Add grated coconut and sauté for a few minutes till it becomes slightly brown. Add salt needed.
Add cooked rice and mix it well. Serve hot. It tastes good with potato chips or with delicious roasted potatoes!

Lemon Rice

A hassle-free lunch-box option, lemon rice is a favourite with young and old alike in southern india! Most often the best accompaniment for lemon rice is spicy roasted potatoes but I like to have coconut chutney as a side dish. That's a wonderful combination. Try this and may be you'll love it too..

Ingredients

Cooked rice - 1 cup
Lemon - 1
Ginger - 1 inch piece, chopped finely
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt as per taste

To Temper

Oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, peanuts, red chilli, green chilli, curry leaves

Method

Allow the cooked rice to cool off completely. We do not want the rice to get mashed up while mixing. Squeeze the lemon juice and keep it ready. Take care to discard the lemon seeds.

In a kadai, do the tempering and add the chopped ginger and saute for few seconds. Add the turmeric powder and turn off the flame. Now immediately add the lemon juice and give a quick stir. Add this to the cooled rice along with required salt and mix well. Allow to sit for sometime so that the flavor blends well.

** Switch off the stove before adding the lemon juice. Else you may get a bitter taste if the lemon juice gets cooked for a long time.