Fried Rice with Ginger Garlic Sauce

This fried rice is so tasty, I cannot believe I never tried it before. Sigh.

When I went veggie shopping this weekend, I was extremely disappointed to see that my regular vegetable vendor has closed shop. Nothing excites me as fresh veggies, and he kept really fresh veggies. I’m still in denial. I’m sure it was a one off thing, may be a birthday or something (I’m sooo hoping it’s a onetime thing). So grudgingly I had to find a few new places to shop. To brighten my day, I picked some all colored peppers aka red, yellow and green capsicum. I even picked up zucchini and broccoli in the first shop. The next shop had more of my weekly local vegetables. I picked up some French beans and carrots. I add French beans and carrots to so many dishes – dalia, uppit, sambar, mix veg sabzi etc.

Ok, so I bought all these vegetables, but I just realized today, that I’m out of town the whole of next week and hubby dearest is not going to bother about my precious exotic vegetables lying in the fridge and by the time I come back they will be all shriveled. I had to cook them today, when they are still fresh and smiling

And I did have some wonderful fragrant Basmati rice with me. So I decided to make fried rice. Only this time, I’ve added a twist. This is my own recipe and I simply love it. Henceforth, this is how I will always make fried rice.

.

So grab your sharpest knife and get to work. It’s quite a bit of chopping, I accept. I julienned the peppers, French beans and carrots. I broke the broccoli into small florets. I cut the zucchini into thin semicircle slices

The recipe below makes yummy fried rice for 2.

Fried Rice with Ginger Garlic Sauce

Vegetable Fried Rice tossed with a ginger garlic sauce

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          Indian Chinese
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Yield:              2 Servings

Ingredients:

½ each Red, yellow, green Capsicum / Pepper
½ Zucchini
10-12 small florets Broccoli
1 Carrot
10-12 French beans
1 Onion
8-10 cloves Garlic (Garlic cloves in India are very small, 3 of them may make 1 garlic clove abroad)
1.5” piece Ginger
1-2 Green Chillies
1 cup Basmati rice
4 tsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Sesame oil/ Olive oil
2 tsp Rice vinegar or any white vinegar
½ tsp Sugar
1 Maggi magic cube or ½ tsp Ajinomoto (Optional)
6 tsp Oil
Salt
Water

Method:

• Wash thoroughly and soak the rice for half hour. Drain the water and cook it with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles or until done. Alternatively, follow the instructions for cooking the rice mentioned on the packet.
• Once the rice is cooked, fluff it and keep aside.
• In a blender/ mixer, grind together the garlic, ginger, green chillies, soy sauce, olive/sesame oil, vinegar, magic cube and sugar. It doesn't have to be a fine sauce, it can be coarse.
• Julienne the capsicums, French beans and carrots. Slice the zucchini into semicircles. Break/cut the broccoli into small florets and slice the onion.
• We will cook each of these vegetables separately as they have different cooking times.
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok/kadhai. Add the French beans and carrot and fry until they are cooked but still crunchy.
• Remove them and keep aside.
• Add 1 tsp of oil into the kadhai and now add the peppers. Saute them until they are partially cooked, we want them crunchy.
• Remove them and keep along with the beans.
• Add 1 tsp of oil and now add the broccoli and zucchini and cook until they are done.
• Remove and keep with other veggies.
• Heat the remaining oil in the kadhai and add the onions. Once the onions are cooked, add all the other vegetables and the sauce.
• Add the rice and mix well.
• Add salt if required.

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Beetroot Pulao with mixed Vegetables

It's been over a month since my last post. I can attribute it to nothing but heat, laziness and of course, my travels. With so many recipes in the backlog, I must be more diligent but sometimes laziness just rules :) Anyway, better late than never.

You can love it, you can hate it, but ignoring the bright vibrant magenta vegetable is very difficult. I hate the way it colours almost everything it touches from my chopping board to my hands. But its earthy sweetness lets me forget this. I generally just stick to the simple beetroot palya or sambhar. But this time thought of doing something different. I assumed a beetroot pulao would end up being red and sweet. I was wrong on both accounts. The colour is actually due to turmeric and spices rather than the beetroot and the taste was very earthy rather than sweet. I added other vegetables because I had them. You can add any vegetable you like or skip them altogether. This is one simple one-pot meal I've made multiple times...

Beetroot Pulao with mixed Vegetables

Pilaf / Pulao made with beetroot and other mixed vegetables.
Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup peeled and cubed Beetroot
3-4 Babycorn
1 small Capsicum
1 Onion
1/4 cup Green Peas
50gms Paneer (cut into small cubes)
1/2" piece or 1 tsp paste of Ginger
2-3 cloves or 1 tsp paste of Garlic
3/4 cup Rice (uncooked)
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2-3 dry Red Chillies (as per taste)
1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds
1/2" piece Cinnamon
1-2 Clove
1 Cardamom
A pinch Nutmeg
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Milk
3 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 Maggi magic cube (veg)
Salt


Method:

• Wash the rice 2-3 times. Soak the rice in the 1 cup of water and keep aside.
• Dry roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, nutmeg and red chillies until slightly brown.
• Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
• Grind into a fine powder. You can store this powder in an airtight box for 1-2 months.
• Heat the oil in a pressure cooker.
• Add chopped onions and fry until translucent
• Crush the ginger and garlic into a paste and fry along with the onions until fragrant.
• Add the pulao powder and mix well
• Add all the vegetables and mic well. Stir fry for around 30-60 secs.
• Add the rice along with the water.
• Add the milk.
• Add the turmeric powder, maggi cube and salt.
• Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
• As soon as you can open the cooker, fluff the rice with a fork to prevent it from forming a sticky mess.
• Serve hot with some cool raita.

Note:

1) If you are in a hurry, you can replace the pulao powder with 1/2 tsp or more of garam masala or store bought biryani or pulao masala
2) The vegetables used here are optional. You can replace it with anything available and still have a wonderful pulao. By anything available, I mean any of the traditional vegetables used for pulao/biryani and not vegetables like brinjal/eggplant, okra which may mush up on cooking.
3) Maggi's magic cube is a taste enhancer. You can replace it with a pinch of ajinomoto or skip it all together. It is better to skip this if you plan on giving this to kids.

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Baby Corn and Capsicum Masala Recipe [Video]

Babycorn and Capsicum Masala is a vegetarian curry made by simmering sliced baby corn and diced capsicum in a restaurant style browned onion based gravy.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

There are days when all you want to eat is something simple, down to earth and closer to the heart. Something familiar. But there are those days too when you want that restaurant style dish. If you eat out often, I'm sure you have realized that there are just a few types of gravies in Indian cooking and most places just change the vegetable added. The most common of these is that brown colored gravy. I used to always think that since it is brown, it must be made of tomatoes, but it never tasted of tomatoes. The restaurant brown gravy was always a mystery. I then found out the base, browned onions. Yes, just browned onions.

I used to love capsicum as a kid, in fact I was nicknamed "Dabbu menasinkayi" (capsicum in Kannada) by my dad, I'm sure the fact that I was a chubby kid just added to the name. But somehow I outgrew loving it. Now a days, I buy it for hubby dearest and then think of various ways to transform it so I can eat it too. One experimental evening, I decided to try the brown gravy to go with the capsicum. And this time, I nailed it... I however, deviated from the regular recipe a little, generally cashew nuts are used to add creaminess. I did not want to add too many of those (watching my fat & cholesterol intake), so I added just a few and I added a bit of boiled cauliflower. It gave the same taste and the same creaminess. Next time, I'm going to try it without any cashew nuts.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

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Video Recipe

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Baby Corn and Capsicum Masala

Baby Corn and Capsicum in a restaurant style gravy

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     65 minutes
Yield:              Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large Capsicum
10-12 Baby Corn
3 small Onions
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
18-20 Cashew nuts
0.5 tsp Red Chilli powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric powder
0.25 tsp Garam Masala
2 Tbsp Fresh Cream
1 tsp Jaggery or Sugar (Optional)
6 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

1. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a kadhai
2. Once it is hot, add chopped onions. Fry until the onions are brown. Be careful,do not burn them. I prefer cooking them on low heat.
3. Remove it onto a dry plate and allow it to cool.
4. Blend together the browned onions, soaked cashewnuts and ginger garlic paste with a little water until it is a smooth paste.
5. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a kadhai and add sliced baby corn and diced capsicum.
6. Saute until the vegetables are cooked. Remove from heat and keep aside.
7. Heat the remaining oil in a kadhai and add the onion-cashew paste.
8. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well.
9. Cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes while stirring frequently.
10. Add a little water and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
11. Now add the cream and mix well.
12. Add 2-3 tbsp of water and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes.
13. Add the sugar or jaggery if you are using. Add water to get the desired consistency.
14. Add the capsicum and baby corn and allow it to cook for 1 min,
15. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.
16. Serve hot with roti or chapati

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Vegetable Jalfrezi

Achari Bhindi Dahiwali

< Lauki Kofta

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Vegetable Fried Rice

Who doesn't like the greasy Indian Chinese fried rice? Pair that with some spicy manchurian, and we have a dinner going... It has become so popular that tiny roadside carts also sell you some tasty fried rice at lower cost... But some of the best things are made at home when you know how hygienic it is... And this works perfectly for a busy week night dinner as it hardly takes any time to prepare.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Rice and vegetables stir fried together.

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          Indian Chinese
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes (Includes cooking rice)
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked or 2-3 cups cooked Rice
1 Carrot
10-12 Green Beans
1/2 Capsicum
2 Spring Onions or 1 Onion
1" piece Ginger
3-4 cloves Garlic
1-2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp Ajinomoto / Maggi magic cube (Optional)
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Vinegar
3 tsp Oil
2-3 drops Lime juice
Salt

Method:

• Rice needs to be slightly under cooked and dry for fried rice. So cook the rice with a little less water than usual and for little less time. I cooked with a tbsp less than 1.5 cups of water and it generally takes 5 whistles or 10 mins for my rice to cook in the pressure cooker. I cooked for 4 whistles instead. Add a few drops of lime juice so that the cooked rice has separate grains.
• Once the rice is cooked, spread it out on a large plate until ready to use.
• Chop the carrot and beans into small cubes and boil them until half done.I microwaved them for around 6 mins.
• Julienne the capsicum and onions. If the spring onions are very small, you can use more.
• Crush the ginger and garlic into a fine paste.
• Heat oil in a kadhai / wok and once it is hot, add the onion and fry.
• Once the onions are slightly translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and capsicum and fry for 1 min
• Add the beans and carrot and cook until the vegetables are almost 90% done. They should retain their bite. Do not overcook them.
• Add the 1 tbsp soya sauce, pepper, vinegar, ajinomoto or maggi magic cube and mix well.
• Add the rice and mix well
• Add salt and any other sauce as per taste
• Serve hot with some spicy manchurian

Read more ...

Gobi Manchurian

The first time I had this, I loved it. It was in a cafe, we friends went to after our tuition in the 10th standard. It cost us Rs.20 back then in a moderately priced cafe. Back then, we did not have it as an accompaniment, we ate it as the main meal. Spicier than home food and newer flavors, it tingled our senses. And it has been tingling ever since...

Gobi after frying

Gobi Manchurian

An Indian Chinese appetizer of deep fried cauliflower in a spicy sauce

Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:          Indian Chinese
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:              3-4 Servings

Ingredients:

200 gms Cauliflower
2 Spring onions or 1 Onion
2 Tbsp chopped Spring onion greens
1.5" piece Ginger
4 cloves Garlic
2 Green Chilli (Slit length wise)
2 Tbsp Capsicum (finely chopped)
2 Tbsp Carrot (finely chopped)
2 Tbsp Cornflour
1 Tbsp Flour / Maida
3-4 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Chilli sauce
1/2 tsp Vinegar
2 tsp + 2 cups Oil
1/2 tsp Ajinomoto / Maggi magic cube
Salt
Water

Method:

• Crush and grind the ginger and garlic into a fine paste. Alternatively, use ginger-garlic paste. I prefer using fresh as I feel it gives it a better fragrance.
• Mix the cornflour and flour with 1/2 cup water. Add 1 tsp of the ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp soya sauce and salt. Add more water if needed, the consistency should not be very thin, it should be sufficient to coat the cauliflower
• Break the cauliflower into smaller florets
• Heat 2 cups Oil for deep frying in a kadhai
• Dip the cauliflower in the batter and deep fry until golden brown and keep aside
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadhai, add the onions and once they are translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and fry until fragrant
• Add the other vegetables and continue frying until they are done,
• Now add the remaining batter prepared for the cauliflower. Add more water to get a gravy. If you want it dry, you may not need to add any water.
• Add all the sauces, vinegar, ajinomoto / maggi magic cube and salt and cook for 2-3 mins.
• Add the cauliflower and cook for 1 more min.
• Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot

Read more ...

Bombay Pav Bhaji

The reason I call this the Bombay Pav Bhaji is because I eat and make 2 kinds of Pav bhajis and it gets confusing about which one I'm talking about. The other one being the Goan Pav bhaji ( recipe will be posted soon). The Bombay pav bhaji is the red coloured pav bhaji most commonly eaten across India in restaurants or small chaat carts / gaadis . As a kid, eating out meant small snacks in the evenings, as restaurant culture had not yet caught on as it has today. We would go on my dad's Bajaj scooter to our favorite chaat cart/ gaadi in the market to eat Pav bhaji. With very low tolerance for spices, I was generally stuck eating just butter pav. But as I grew up, the spice tolerance also grew and I was able to enjoy this spicy red bhaji with the greasy yet amazingly tasty butter pav. I'm sure a lot of us have similar memories of the 1990s. Till date, whenever I go home, I make it a point to go to the same gaadi and eat the same pav bhaji. I don't know his secret recipe that makes it so yummy, but I do make it my way at home... The recipe that follows is the way I make it at home...

Bombay Pav Bhaji

A popular Bombay street food consisting of spicy mix vegetable mash and bread rolls/pav.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

3 medium Potato
1 cup chopped Tomato
3/4 cup chopped Onion
1/2 cup chopped Capsicum
1/4 cup chopped Carrot
1/2 cup Cauliflower (broken into small florets or chopped)
1/4 cup Green peas
3-4 cloves or 1 Tbsp paste of Garlic
1" piece or 1 Tbsp paste of Ginger
2 Tbsp Pav bhaji masala (In case you don't have this available, use Garam masala - 1/2 tsp, Coriander powder - 1 tsp, Amchur/ Dry mango powder - 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp)
A pinch of Garam masala
2 Tbsp Butter
Red chilli powder - To taste
Salt - To taste
A handful of Coriander leaves
Lemon wedges

Method:

• Boil and peel the potatoes
• Boil the carrot, cauliflower, peas and capsicum.
• Grind the ginger-garlic into a fine paste.
• Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a kadhai or pan
• Add the onions and fry until golden brown.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until fragrant.
• Add the tomatoes and fry until soft and cooked.
• Add all the remaining vegetables and mash them.
• Add all the spices and salt.
• Add a little water to achieve the desired consistency
• Boil for 5-6 mins
• Add 1 tbsp of butter on top
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves
• Serve hot with some lemon wedges, chopped onion and buttered Pav

Read more ...

Dalia Pulao | Broken Wheat with vegetables

I always thought Dalia was a sick man’s food.  Until my sister convinced me it was actually tasty.  I bought broken wheat from the store but still stared at it with apprehension. Then almost a month after buying it, I decided it was high time I used it. Pleasant surprise! That’s what it was. It tastes very much like uppit/ upma. And it is supposed to be very healthy as the broken wheat is hardly processed.

Dalia Pulao | Broken Wheat with vegetables

Thick porridge made using broken wheat and vegetables.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:          North Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

½ cup Dalia/ Broken Wheat
1 cup mixed Vegetables(French beans / carrots / capsicum/ green peas)
1 small Onion
1 small Tomato
2-3 Green Chillies
5-6 Curry leaves
2 cups Water
3 tsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
½ Tbsp Lime juice
A handful of Coriander leaves
Salt

Method:

• In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp of oil and lightly roast the broken wheat for around 1 min. (You can skip this step)
• Remove the broken wheat into a plate
• Add the remaining oil in the cooker and add the cumin seeds
• Once the cumin splutters, add the curry leaves, chopped onions and chopped green chillies
• Fry until the onions are done
• Add the tomato and fry for 1 min
• Add the remaining vegetables and fry for another 1 min
• Add the 2 cups of water and salt
• Add the broken wheat and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles or 10 mins.
• Add the lime juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot

Read more ...

Masala Rice with Capsicum and Carrots

It was a Friday night and all my fridge had was one tiny carrot and one capsicum... bored to venture out in the rain to buy more veggies, I decided to make do with what I had.... This was the first time I made masala rice and all I can say is it will soon become a regular item on my menu... so easy to make and yet so tasty and filling. You can use any vegetable you have left over, or if you have no veggies around, just make it plain, it tastes just as good....

Masala Rice with Capsicum and Carrots

Rice cooked with vegetables and a coconut-spice based masala.

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

1 Capsicum / Green bell pepper
1 Carrot
1 small Tomato
6-8 Curry leaves
1 cup uncooked Rice
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Urad dal / Split black gram
1 tbsp Chana dal / Split Bengal gram
1 small stick Cinnamon
2 tbsp Peanuts
2-4 dry Red Chillies
2 tbsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Amchur
1 tsp Turmeric powder / haldi
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut(Optional)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tbsp Ghee / Clarified butter / Oil
Salt

Method:

• Cook rice as per instructions or as you regularly do. I pressure cook it with twice the quantity of water.
• Heat 0.5 tbsp. of ghee in a pan and add the cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, coriander seeds, peanuts and red chillies. Fry until the chillies crisp up and the urad dal turns light brown.
• Allow this masala to cool and then grind it to a coarse paste along with coconut.
• Julienne the capsicum and carrots or slice them finely. Chop the tomato finely.
• Heat the remaining ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds
• Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and the vegetables
• Fry until the vegetables are done and then add the ground masala and cook for 1 min
• Add the haldi and amchur and mix well
• Add the rice and mix well with the masala
• Add salt and cook for another 2 mins
• Enjoy it while it is hot

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Avial

Avial is I believe a Tamil/ Kerala version of the Kannada majjige huli. Majjige huli is made only from white pumpkin, but Avial has loads of vegetables. An awesome combination with dosa or adai (dal dosa). Don't fret if you don't have all the vegetables mentioned in the list, just add what you have at home and make your own version of avail like I did.

Avial

South Indian stew made with vegetables, coconut and yoghurt

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Coconut
3 tsp Jeera / Cumin Seeds
2-3 Green Chillies
1 cup Curd / Yoghurt
2.5-3 cups of mixed Vegetables
4-5 Curry Leaves
2 tsp Oil
Water
Salt

Method:

• Cut all the vegetables roughly, appx 1” pieces.  Generally used vegetables for avail are Drumstick, Carrot, French beans, Yam, Pumpkin, Raw banana and brinjal. I did not have all these, so I used Carrot, French beans, brinjal, potato and capsicum.
• Boil water in a pan and add the vegetables to it and cook until they are done but still firm. Add the vegetables that take longer to cook first. Veggies like brinjal, capsicum, raw banana can be added after 3-4 mins.
• Grind together coconut, 2 tsp jeera and green chillies into a fine paste.
• Add the paste to the vegetables once the vegetables are done
• Add salt and 1 cup water and boil for 3-4 mins. Adjust the water according to the desired consistency.
• Beat the curd until smooth and add to the avial. Cook for 2 mins on low flame.
• Heat oil in a small pan and add the cumin seeds. Once they slightly brown, add the curry leaves and pour this tempering to the avial.
• Enjoy hot with rice or dosa.

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