Simple and Tasty Peas Pulao - Kids Special

Cooking for kids(My son Pranav is 6 years old) cannot be treated as a minor task. It should be tasty, less spicy and attractive according to them. If you ask the moms, they would say that it should be healthy and easy to cook!

Though we may not be able to satify all these criteria on a daily basis, we try to balance it as much as possible. Yesterday, I made this simple Peas pulao and I think it satisfied all the criteria!!!

But even after all this, the neighbour's simple food may be tastier for them!!! Can't blame the kids, we ourselves sometimes behave like that!

Ingredients

Basmati Rice – 1 ½ cups
Fresh / Frozen Peas – 1 ½ cups
Black Cardamom -1
Green Cardamom – 4
Cloves – 4-5
Cinnamon – 1 small piece
Green Chillies – 2
Garlic – 4 cloves
Onions – 2 chopped
Bay leaves – 2
Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp (optional)
Ghee – 2 tablespoons

Procedure

1. Clean and then soak Basmati rice in water for 20 minutes.
2. Heat ½ spoon ghee in a cooker (I use Hawkins Handi cooker) and add bay leaf, black cardamom, rice and water and pressure cook the rice. I used 2 cups of water for the 1 ½ cups of rice and kept it for 2 whistles.
3. While the rice is cooking, cook the peas in microwave for 3 mins.
4. Add the remaining ghee in a big kadai and add all the spices, onions and fry well.
5. Add the peas and cooked rice, salt and garam masala powder.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried cashew nuts.

Variation
You could grind the spices along with garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves for more spice instead of adding them as it is.

Vegetable Pulao

Vegetable pulao is such a common rice variety in almost every home, both in North India and south India. Each one makes it in a different way. I too have tried different versions and finally I've settled down with this version.

Last Friday was my firend Vidya's birthday and we had a potluck party for the ladies and kids..I had made this vegetable pulao and it was equally liked by the kids and the moms. This pulao is not too spicy.

Ingredients

Carrot, Beans, Cauliflower, Potatoes - 1 1/2 cups cut length wise

Capsicum - 1

Onions - 2 medium sized

Ginger -1 inch piece

Garlic a few cloves

Cardamom - 3

Black cardamom - 1

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon - 1 small piece

Green chillies - 2

Bay leaves - 2

Ghee - 3 tablespoons

Kismis / dry grapes - handful

Cashew nuts - a few

Coconut Milk - 1 cup

Curd - 1/2 cup

Basmati Rice - 1 1/2 cups

Salt - to taste

Corriander leaves - for garnish

Procedure

I use Hawkins Handi cooker so that I can directly cook the pulao in the cooker.

1. Heat ghee in the cooker and add the bay leaf and onions and saute till the onions turn light brown.

2. Wash basmati rice in water and drain the waterand keep it aside .

3.Dry roast cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, kismis and allow it to cool.

4. Dry roast the garlic a little bit and allow it to cool.

5. Grind ginger, garlic,green chillies and the roasted masala items.

6. Add the ground masala and curd to the cooker and fry well for 10 mins.

7. Add the vegetables and coconut milk and mix well till the whole mixture is thick(it should not be watery at this stage).

8. Slowly add the rice, water and salt and close the cooker. For 1 1/2 cups of rice and the vegetables, I add 1 3/4 to 2 cups of water. I keep the cooker for 2 whistles and then turn it off.

9. Fry the cashew nuts in ghee and mix it to the pulao.

10. Serve this vegetable pulao with any raita, papad or pickle.

Schezwan Vegetable Fried Rice

Most of my rice varieties would relate to “There’s no shortcut for hard work”. But like there are always exceptions, this is one among the exceptions. I suppose this is the Indian version of Chinese food.
This would be very easy choice for packing quick, spicy and tasty lunch box.

Ingredients
Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Capsicum – 1 cut into thin long slices
Onion – 2 chopped
Carrot – 1 cut into thin long slices
Beans – ¼ cup cut into thin long slices

Cabbage - 1/4 cup shredded
Green Chillies – 3
Pepper powder – 1tsp
Ginger – 1 tablespoon
Garlic – 8-10 cloves
Soya Sauce- 1 tablespoon
Tomato Sauce /Ketchup – 3 tablespoon
Ghee – 2 tablespoon
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Salt – To taste

Red chilli flakes - for extra spice

Procedure
1. Soak the rice in water for 15 mins. Drain the water and keep aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon Ghee and fry the rice slightly.
3. Cook the rice till it becomes soft and fluffy. I have Hawkins Handi cooker and the rice cooks really well for Biryanis, fried rice etc. I add 2 ¼ cups of water for 2 cups of Basmati rice and keep it for 2 whistles.
4. Transfer the rice to a plate and allow it to cool.
5. Coarsely grind ginger garlic and green chillies.
6. Heat the remaining ghee and oil in a kadai and add the above paste. You may add the chillie flakes for extra spice.
7. After a few mins, add onions and when they turn brown, add pepper powder, capsicum, carrots, and beans and fry till it is cooked.
8. Mix Soya Sauce and Tomato sauce and add it to the vegetables.
9. Add salt and the cooked rice and mix well and remove from heat.
10. Serve hot with onion raita.

Iyengar Puliyodarai/ Tamarind Rice

Puliyodarai is a south Indian specialty. It is made in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Karnataka style is called Pulliyogare and is slightly different in taste.
I have made the famous Iyengar style here (Tamil style). The sauce that is mixed with rice is called pulikachal. It’s usually made in large quantity and can be preserved upto 6 months. The sauce can also be used as a pickle with curd rice or as a chutney with Dosa / Idly.
Puliyodarai /Tamarind Rice is an easy choice for long distance travel as it does not get spoilt even after 2 - 3 days.
There is no doubt on its taste….Its liked by Lord Vishnu that it’s served as a prasadam in temples….!

Ingredients
Tamarind – size of 2 apples (squeeze the pulp)
Black Sesame seeds /Ellu – 1 cup
Coriander seeds / Dhaniya seeds – 1 cup
Channa Dhal – 1cup
Red Chillies – 35
Fenugreek / Methi seeds – ¼ cup
Salt – ¾ cup
Til Oil – 1 cup
Turmeric Powder – 2 tablespoons
For seasoning
Mustard – 3 tablespoon
Urad Dhal – 2 tablespoon
Red Chillies – 20
Asafoetida / Hing – 3 tablespoon
Curry Leaves – ½ cup
Ground nuts – 1 cup
Procedure for the sauce - pulikachal
1. Heat the kadai and add the Black Sesame seeds /Ellu and allow it to splutter. Keep it aside.
2. Add the Coriander seeds / Dhaniya seeds, Channa Dhal and Red Chillies (35 ) and roast till they become brown. Keep it aside.
3. Now add the Fenugreek / Methi seeds and fry till they become light brown.
4. All the above should be roasted without any oil. Grind them without water into a coarse powder. Keep it aside.
5. Heat oil in a kadai and add the red chillies (20) and once they turn dark brown, add the mustard, urad dhal, asafoetida. You may reduce the red chillies if you do not want it to be too spicy.
6. Add the thick tamarind pulp and allow it to boil for 15 mins till it becomes really thick.
7. At this stage, add salt, turmeric powder and the ground powder and stir well.
8. Fry ground nuts and curry leaves separately and add to the above mixture.
9. Allow the sauce to cool and store it in a clean, dry container.

Procedure for Puliyodarai
1. Cook 2 cups raw rice separately in a pressure cooker and transfer it to a tray/ large plate so that it is not sticky.
2. Mix around 4 tablespoons of pulikachal, 2 spoons of til oil, fried cashews.

3. Serve with papad and raita.