The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Rice the Indian Way (8 page)

This is a very popular snack of Maharashtra as well as of
Bihar.

Ingredients

Rice Flakes (
Chiura/Poha
)-1 cup

Raw peanuts-1/2 cup

Black Mustard seeds (
Rai)
-1 teaspoon

Curry Leaves-10

Chopped Ginger-1

Boiled Potato-2 (cut into bite size pieces)

Peas-1/2 cup

Salt and pepper to taste

Turmeric (Haldi)-1/2 teaspoon

Oil-2 tablespoon

Method

Wash the rice flakes and drain all the water. Keep the rice
flakes ready along with the boiled and cut potatoes.

In a wok or sauce pan, heat the oil and fry the peanuts till
golden brown. Take them out in a bowl.

Do not let the peanuts brown too much or the peanuts will
start tasting bitter.

Please remember the peanuts keep cooking in their own heat
even when the peanuts are out of the pan.

Now in the same oil, add the black mustard seeds and when
they start spluttering add the curry leaves and chopped ginger.

Now add the peas and sauté till the peas are cooked. Add the
turmeric and stir well.

Add the rice flakes and the potatoes along with the salt and
pepper. Stir well.

Switch off the heat source and add the fried peanuts.

Your delicious
poha
is ready.

Prep time: 7 minutes

Cooking time: 7 minutes

Total time: 14 minutes

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This is the classic breakfast dish from South India using
fermented ground rice, which makes this dish bristling with vitamin B. Lentils
add a dash of protein too.

Ingredients

Urad dal
(split black lentils) -1/2 cup

Rice flour-1 cup

Poha
(rice flakes) - 1 tablespoon

Baking powder-1 level teaspoon

Salt-1/2 teaspoon

Cooking Oil/Clarified butter for greasing the
idli
mould

Method

Soak the
urad dal
for at least 4 hours and then make
it into a fine paste in a blender.

Add the rice flour,
poha
and some water to make a
thick batter and blend again.

Pour this mixture into a vessel and let it ferment (that is
let the batter puff up) for the next 12 to 24 hours, depending on what the
ambient temperatures are. If it is too cold, then wait for 24 hours and go
ahead. 

Before steaming the
idlis
, add the salt and baking
powder.

Grease the
idli
mould and then pour a tablespoon of
the
idli
batter into each.

If using pressure cooker, add water in the cooker which
comes below the last mould.

Place the
idli
mould in the cooker.

Close the lid without the weight.

Light the heat source and place your cooker on it.

When steam starts coming out, reduce the heat (to SIM on a
gas stove) and cook for about 10-15 minutes or till the
idlis
become
firm and can be easily taken out of the mould.

Switch off the heat source.

Remove the
idli
mould from the water and gently nudge
out the
idlis
onto a serving plate.

These taste excellent with
sambar
and coconut
chutney.

Prep time: Overnight (for soaking, grinding and mixing the
idlis
)

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Total time: Overnight + 15 minutes

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This classic breakfast dish from South India has attained
the stature of being the most popular street food in India for any time of the
day. Use of fermented ground rice makes this dish bristling with vitamin B,
while lentils add a dash of protein.

Ingredients

Urad dal
(split black lentils) -1 cup

Rice flour-2 cups

Salt-1/2 teaspoon

Baking Powder- 1 teaspoon

Cooking Oil/Butter-1 tablespoon per
dosa

Method

Soak the
Urad Dal
in two cups of water over night or
for at least six hours.

Take out the soaked dal from the water, put it in a blender,
and blend well using some water BUT DO NOT LET IT BECOME TOO WATERY.

The batter should feel absolutely smooth to the touch.

In this mixture, add the rice flour and some water and
switch on the blender again to turn this all into a thick batter which has a
pouring consistency.

Pour the mixture into a suitable vessel, cover it and let it
ferment (that is let the batter puff up) for the next 12 to 24 hours, depending
on what the ambient temperatures are. If it is too cold, then wait for 24 hours
and go ahead.

Add the salt and baking powder, when you are ready to cook.

In a large non-stick girdle, spread about half a cup of
batter evenly.

Put it on your heat source.

Let the
dosa
cook.

Add the oil on the top side and a little on the corners.

Do not disturb the
dosa
till it starts browning.

You can then gently nudge the
dosa
at the edge and it
will come out on its own when it is done.

Remove the
dosa
to a plate.

It is greater fun if you can eat it right away, with some
masala filling and coconut chutney.

Add
sambar
too for a full authentic South Indian
experience.

For the next
dosa
, you will need to cool down the
girdle OTHERWISE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SPREAD THE BATTER.

To do so, therefore, wash the girdle in cold water and
repeat the above mentioned process till you make the required quantity of
dosas
.

Prep time: Overnight (for soaking, grinding and mixing the
dosas)

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Total time: Overnight + 15 minutes

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This dish, like the Indian
pakoras
, uses rice flour
to impart crispiness. Although the quantity of rice used is very little, we are
including this dish here simply because it is a great accompaniment of the
Eastern Indian
Khichdi
.

Ingredients

Fat round purple Aubergine-1

Turmeric-1 teaspoon

Salt- to taste

Rice flour-1 tablespoon full

Mustard Oil -3 tablespoon

Method

Finely slice the aubergine into round pieces.

Sprinkle the salt and turmeric on both sides.

Sprinkle the rice flour and again let it cover all pieces on
all sides well.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and add the
aubergine pieces.

Let it brown on one side and then turn it over and brown the
other side equally well.

(If you need to handle more aubergines, then fry them batch
wise.)

Gently remove from the pan and put it in a dish lined with an
absorbent paper napkin. This helps in soaking up the excess oil from the
aubergine.

Put these in a serving dish and enjoy your
baigun bhaja
.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 2 minutes@ each batch of aubergines to be
fried

Total time: Approximately 12-15 minutes

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Please note that the recipes listed in this chapter
cannot be made in a rice cooker.

This is again a North Indian dessert that the gods are very
fond of. So don’t be surprised to be served this
Kheer
with
Pooris
outside
Hindu temples, even outside India.

Ingredients

Full cream milk-1 litre (2 US pints liquid) (4 cups)

Rice-2 heaped tablespoon (washed well)

Sugar to taste - (start with 3 tablespoons)

Milk Powder-2 tablespoons

Green Cardomom-2 crushed

Saffron-few strands (optional)

Method

In a heavy bottomed wok, bring the milk to boil.

Add the rice which should have been washed well.

Keep stirring on low heat making sure that NOTHING BURNS.

As the mixture begins to thicken, add the milk powder,
sugar, the cardamom and the saffron.

Stir well and keep stirring for about 5 minutes.

Switch off the heat source.

That’s all.

Your delicious
Kheer
(Rice Pudding) is ready.

You can either have it hot as some like it. Or you could let
it cool down, then put it in the fridge and have it chilled.

Prep time: 1 minute

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 21 minutes

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This is an out-of-this-world dessert from Eastern India with
such subtle flavours that you will just fall in love with.

Ingredients

Full cream milk-1 litre (2 US pints liquid) (4 cups)

Rice-2 heaped tablespoon (washed well)

Palm Jaggery (crushed) - 3 tablespoons

Milk Powder-2 tablespoons

Method

In a heavy bottomed wok, bring the milk to boil.

Add the rice which should have been washed well.

Keep stirring on low heat making sure that NOTHING BURNS.

As the mixture begins to thicken, add the milk powder.

Stir well and keep stirring for about 5 minutes.

Switch off the heat source and add the palm jaggery.

Stir well.

Note: DON'T add the palm jaggery when the milk is still on
the fire as this may curdle the milk.

That’s all.

Your
Natun Gud Kheer
is ready.

You can either have it hot as some like it. Or let it cool
down, then put it in the fridge and have it chilled.

Prep time: 1 minute

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 21 minutes

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