Beetroot Rice

This post has been lying in the draft for a very long time.  Thought of finishing it today. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Basmati Rice - 1 1/2 cups
2. Beetroot - 1 cup (shredded)
3. Onion - 1 medium sized
4. Garlic - 1 (chopped)
5. Green Chillies - 3 (acc to taste)
6. ginger - a small piece (finely chopped)
7. Red chillies powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
8. Salt to taste
9. Turmeric powder v- 1/2 tsp (optional)
10. Oil/butter - 1 1/2 tbsp
11. cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Wash & soak basmati rice in water for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes drain it fully and pressure cook it. ( I added 1:1 1/4 cup water to cook.) In the mean time, heat the oil/butter in a pan, splutter cumin seeds. Add green chillies, ginger, garlic & saute for few minutes. Now add the chopped onion to it and saute for another 3 minutes or till it becomes transparent.  Now add the shredded beetroot to it, add turmeric powder, red chillies powder & salt (for both rice & vegetable) and let cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle water accordingly. Since the beetroot is shredded, it will take less time to cook.  When the rice is cooked, spread it in a big plate and let it cool.  When the beetroot mix is ready, mix it with the rice nicely. Do not break the rice grains while mixing.  Enjoy it hot with onion/cucumber raita and chips.  This rice is very easy to make with less spices and I am sure kids will definitely love it.  My girls really liked the color of the rice cos it turned kinda pink when I mixed the beetroot masala with rice.

Vella Payaru / Payaru Sweet Sundal

This post has been lying in the draft for more than two months.  I made this sundal for navarathri. I followed my patti's traditional way of doing this sundal. Here goes the recipe.
Ingredients:-

1. Red Karamani -  1 cup (soak it overnight)
2. Jaggery - 1 cup (plus or minus acc to taste)
3. cardamom - 3 (powder it)
4. Ghee - 2 tsp

Pressure cook Karamani till its done (it took 5 whistles for me). In the mean time, take a heavy bottomed pan add the jaggery with required amount of water (little less than1 cup preferably) and let it melt. Remove impurities from it by filtering it in a thin cloth. Again pour the jaggery water in the same pan and let it boil. When it starts boiling really well, add the cooked karamani, powdered cardamom to it and let everything mix and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. When karamani mixes really well, turn off the stove and the add the ghee now and mix everything well.  This can be eaten as evening snack too.