one pot meal
Veg fried rice
Ready to serve veg fried rice
Serves: 4-5
Time taken: 1 hour
I had some veggies which i wanted to put to a good use up like preparing veg fried rice. This dish involves a little bit of knife work as these veggies are to be cut fine and are to be par boiled and should be crunchy. Veggies like french beans has to be cooked but should be crunchy to relish the dish. Every one has their own version of the dish and here goes my version of veg fried rice. You can relish with any side dish of your choice.
What you need to have:
1.Long grain rice 1 cup
2. Ghee or cooking oil – 1 tablespoon
3. Spring onions chopped- 4-5
4. French beans chopped – 1/2 cup
5. Carrots – 1/2 cup
6. Chopped Capsicum – 1/2 cup
7. Green peas – a handful
8. Chopped garlic pods – 2 teaspoons
9. Cashews – a handful
10. Chopped green chili – 1 teaspoon
11. Pepper powder – 13/4 teaspoon
12. Soya sauce – 2 teaspoons
13. Vinegar – 1 teaspoon
14.. Spring onion greens – a handful (to garnish)
15. Salt – to taste
16. Cooking oil/ghee – 2 teaspoons
17. Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
Fresh chopped veggies
Ingredients of seasoning
What you do with what you have:
1 Wash and drain water from rice and cook it in the cooker in such a way that rice is cooked but grainy. Either spread it on a plate or in a wide bowl. Powder pepper in the mortor and pestle and keep it aside.
Cooked basumati rice
2. Wash and chop all the veggies including capsicum fine and keep it aside. Just keep the capsicum seeds as well separately so that it can be used in the seasoning as shown in the image-3.(it is placed next to chopped green chili) Also chop the spring onion whites fine and reserve finely chopped spring onion greens to garnish finally. Peal and chop garlic pods too fine and keep it aside.
3. Place a wide pan with 2 teaspoons of cooking oil in it on medium flame. When heated add chopped green chili and fry till done. When fried add chopped garlic and fry till you get a pleasant aroma. Add cashews to it and fry till light brown.
Chopped green chili, garlic and cashews being fried
4. When done, add capsicum seeds and fry for a minute and then add chopped spring onion whites and fry till done adding a little salt. 
Seasoning in progress
5. Add chopped French beans from step-2 to it and cook till crunchy. When it is about to be done, add chopped carrots and green peas to it and cook till crunchy.
Veggies being fried till crunchy
6. When done , add 1 teaspoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons of soya sauce and also add pepper powder from step-1 to it and give a stir. Finally add cooked rice from step-1 to it and give a storng stir checking for salt. Finally garnish with chopped spring onion greensfrom step-2 to it and transfer to a serving plate and enjoy with any side dish of your choice. As usual yummmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!
Ready to serve fried rice A closer view of fried rice garnished with spring onion greens
Time taken : 1 hour
Serves : 4-5
Good to remember: 1. If one knows to cook the rice rightfully in the cooker can do it, else can cook directly.
2. Veggies must be cooked but crunchy.
3. One can even add chili sauce if need to be spicy.
Avrekalu pulav/pilaf
Serves:4-5
Time taken : 1 hour
Avrekalu/Hyacinth bean is a seasonal beans available only during 3-4 months of a year. A variety of dishes can be prepared and i have already put up a few of them namely Avrekalu huli, hasi khara, hichikida bele, mixture Avrekalu khara idli, roti etc and today i would like to put up a one pot meal to add to the long list on this blog. Avrekalu pulav has a distinct flavour due to the double pealing of this bean. Here is my version of the dish….
What you need to have:
1 Basumati rice – 1 cup
2. Avrekalu (double pealed) – 1 and 1/2 cup
Fresh Avrekayi (beans)
Double pealed Avrekalu
Ingredients of seasoning:
1 Cashews – a few
2 Chopped onions -1 cup
3. Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon
4. Bay leaf – 1
5. Cinnamon stick – 1″
6. Cloves – 2
7. Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoons
8. Cardamom – 2-3
9. Ghee/cooking oil -1 tablespoon
Ingredients of wet grinding:
1 Grated fresh coconut – 1/2 cup
2. Green chili – 2
3. Ginger – 1″ piece
4. Garlic pods -2-3
5. Cilantro – 2-3 teaspoons
6. Cloves -2
7. Kopak buds (marata moggu) -2
8. Bilimbi -2-3
What you do with what you have:
1 Wash and drain water from Basumati rice and keep it aside. Peal off the skin of Avrekayi beans and soak the beans in water for about 5-6 hours and then peal it again and is shown in image-3.
2. Place a cooker on medium flame with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in it. While being heated, add cumin, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf to it and when done add cashews to it and fryt till done.
3. While being done , add chopped onions ,turmeric powder and a little salt and fry till onions turn transparent.
4. In the mean time grind all the ingredients of wet masala in the mixer to a fine consistency adding water in steps. When onions is done , add the wet masala to it and give a stir till you get a pleasant aroma.
5. Add double pealed Avrekalu to it and finally add rice from step-1 to it and also add required quantity of water , also check for salt and close the lid of the cooker and cook for 20 minutes.
6. When the pressure is released transfer a part of it to your serving plate and enjoy with tomato-onion salad!!!Yummmmmm as usual!!!!!!!
Serves :4-5
Time taken: 1 hour
Good to remember: 1. Avrekalu should be fresh for better taste.
2. Use quality Basumati rice for the dish.
3. One can enjoy the dish with any side dish of his/her choice.
4. Spice level should be adjusted as per your pallot.
Almond – Parsley pulav
Ready to serve Almond-Parsley pulav with Alu-mattar
Time taken: 45 minutes
Serves – 3-4
Parsley is the world’s most popular herb. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning “rock celery” (parsley is a relative to celery). It is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it is established.The delicious and vibrant taste and wonderful healing properties of parsley are often ignored in its popular role as a table garnish. Highly nutritious, parsley can be found year round in your local supermarket.
A sprig of parsley can provide much more than a decoration on your plate. Parsley contains two types of unusual components that provide unique health benefits. The first type is volatile oil components—including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and alpha-thujene. The second type is flavonoids—including apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin.
Parsley is also a rich source of Anti-oxidant nutrients too. Parsley is also for a healthy heart. It is an excellent source of vitamin K, C as well as a good source of vitamin A, folate and iron.
After knowing the goodness of this particular herb i just tried out this recipe of a one pot meal which i want to share with you all here. It really tastes excellent and so i have not used any strong masalas etc to retain the flavour of the herb.., So here goes the recipe….
What you need to have:
1. Basumati rice – 1 cup
2. Butter/Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
3. Chopped onions – 2/3 cup
4. Chopped Almonds – 1/3 cup
5. Slit green chili – 2-3(less spicy)
6. Chopped garlic pods -4-5
7. Pepper powder – 1/4 teaspoon
8. Garam masala powder – a pinch
9. Salt – as per taste
10. Chopped parsley – 1 cup(to garnish)
Ingredients of seasoning & others
Basumati rice & chopped parsley
Fresh bunch of parsley
What you do with what you have:
1. Wash and drain water from rice and keep it aside.
2. wash, peal onions, slit green chili, peal and slit garlic pods, wash and chop parsley and also chop almonds and keep it aside.
3. Place a cooker with 3 tablespoons of olive oil/butter in it and add slice garlic pods to it. While being fried add slit green chili followed by chopped almonds to it. 
Seasoning in proogress
4. When done add chopped onions and and a little salt to it. When done , add garam masala powder, pepper powder and stir for a few seconds. Finally add basumati rice from step-1 to it and add required quantity of water checking for salt and set the cooker and is done in 20 minutes.
Almond-parsley pulav being cooked
5. While the pressure is released check for salt and transfer it to a serving plate garnishing it with chopped parsley and relish it with any side dish of your choice!!!Yummmmmmmmmm Ready to serve Almond-parsley pulav with Alu-mattar
Serves : 3-4
Time taken: 45 minutes
Good to remember: 1. Use as much herb as you want as per your pallot and fresh too.
2. Garnish when hot so that you get the aroma of the herb.
Curry leaves rice(karibevina chithranna)
Ready to serve curry leaves rice(Chithranna)
Serves: 3-4
Time taken: 45 minutes
Kadi patta or curry leaves is a staple in Indian dishes . Commonly used as seasoning, this leaf adds a special flavour to every dish it is added to. But there is more to the humble curry leaf than simply flavour. Packed with carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, copper, minerals and vitamins like nicotinic acid and vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, antioxidants, plant sterols, amino acids, glycosides and flavonoids, curry leaves help your heart function better, fights infections and can enliven your hair and skin with vitality.
It has a load of health benefits. It keeps Anemia at bay.It protects your liver from damage. It keeps your blood sugar level under check(fights diabetes). It also lowers cholesterol levels and protects you from heart disease. Can help relieve the symptoms of diarrhoea. It can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Reduces congestion in the chest and nose. It is geat to stop hair fall. It stops premature ageing. It strengthens the organs of your stomach and helps with digestion
Curry leaves in english is karbevina soppu in kannada , karuvpale in tamil , kadi patta in marati and Karibevu in konkani is well known and needs no introduction. We south indians use this in most of our seasoning in the daily menu. I have already put up curry leaves chutney powder on this blog. This chithranna being the second recipe. Here it goes:
What you need to have:
1. Basumati rice – 1 cup
Ingredients of Seasoning & garnishing:
1. Mustard – 1 teaspoon
2. Blackgram dal – 1 teaspoon
3. Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
4. Peanuts – a handful
5. Cashews – 1 teaspoon
6. Curry leaves – 1 sprig
7. chopped green chili – 1
8. Turmeric powder – a pinch
9. Cooking oil – 2 teaspoons
10. Fresh grated coconut – 2 tablespoons
11. Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
12. Salt – as per taste
Ingredients of seasoning & garnishing
What you do with what you have:
1. wash and drain water from basumati rice and keep it aside for a while. Later on cook it in the cooker adding required quantity of water till done. The rice grains should be separate.
2. Place a wide skillet with 2 teaspoons of cooking oil it on low/medium flame. When heated add mustard seeds to it. Once it starts spluttering add blackgram dal to it and fry till done. When done, add chopped green chili and curry leaves to it. Later on add broken cashews and peanuts together and fry till brown and crispy. Add turmeric powder as well to it and stir for a second.
Seasoning in progress
Ingredients of wet masala:
1. Curry leaves (tender) – 1 cup(packed)
2. Pepper corns – around 5
3. Black gram dal – 1 tablespoon
4. Green chili – 2-3(as per taste)
5. Fresh grated coconut – 2 tablespoon
6. sugar – a big pinch
7. Salt – as needed
Ingredients of wet masala
3. Place a wide skillet and dry roast curry leaves till crispy on a low/medium flame. Make sure the colour is intact but it turns crispy. Cool it and keep it aside.
Curry leaves being dry roasted till crispy
4. Dry roast black gram dal in a spatula till crispy and light brown. Allow it to cool.
Blackgram dal being dry roasted
5. Adding a few drops of cooking oil and fry green chili till done and keep it aside. Transfer all the ingredients of wet masala to a mixy bowl and grind it to a medium fine consistency adding very little water in steps.(curry leaves, green chili, blackgram dal, pepper corns, grated coconut , sugar and salt)
The ingredients of wet masala in the mixy bowl
The grind wet masala
6. Add the grind wet masala to the seasoning from step-2 to it and stir till done.
Wet masala being added to the seasoning
7. Add a little water and fry till all water evaporates and a homogeneous mix is formed. Add rice from step-1 and give a stir with wooden spatula gently. Add grated coconut and lemon juice checking for salt too…
Cooked basumati rice being added
Ready to serve curry leaves rice
8. Transfer it to a serving plate and enjoy with any side dish of your choice or even plain..Yummm!! Ready to serve curry leaves rice with capsicum side dish
Serves 3-4
Time taken: 45 minutes
Good to remember: 1. Use tender curry leaves for the dish. As there are chances that the dark green ripe curry leaves tend to turn bitter.
2. Rice corns should be separate and well cooked.
3. One can even relish the dish with a salad.
The Indian Food Court 