You Need:

• Rice, boiled and cooled – 3 cups
• Beetroot, blanched and grated – 1.5 cups`
• Fresh coconut, grated – 1 cup
• Raw unsalted peanuts – 1 cup
• Salt – to taste
• Pepper corns – 6-7, crushed
• Red chili flakes – 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil (preferably peanut oil) – 1 tablespoon

In the picture above (clockwise from top-left): Boiled rice, raw unsalted peanuts, grated fresh coconut, grated blanched beetroot, red chili flakes and crushed peppercorns.

How To Make Beetroot Rice:

1. Pre-assembly steps

Boil the rice: Boil the rice as you normally would. Make sure it has cooled to room temperature, or better still – refrigerated – before it is used for this recipe. Just before use, sprinkle salt over the rice and fluff it with a fork.

Blanch and grate the beetroot: Wash the beets clean and immerse them in a pan of salted, boiling water. Simmer for ten minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the beets sit in the hot water for another thirty minutes.

Let the beets cool down, then skin and grate.

Keep aside or refrigerate till ready to use.

2. Assemble the beetroot rice

Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add to the hot oil mustard and cumin seeds.

When the mustard and cumin seeds start spluttering, set heat to low and tip in the raw peanuts.

Fry the peanuts for 6-7 minutes, stirring every now and then for even cooking. To the frying peanuts, add chili flakes and crushed pepper corns.

When the peanuts have turned a deeper hue, add the grated beets.

Add some salt (not all, remember the rice is salted too) and stir around a couple of times while the grated beets cook for ~5 minutes.

Tip the boiled rice into the pan. Mix with a gentle hand to avoid breaking the delicate rice grains.

When the rice has taken on the red hue of the beetroot (~5-6 minutes) and heated up, transfer the grated fresh coconut to the pan.

Cook till the coconut has meshed well with the other ingredients in the pan (~2-3 minutes). Switch off the heat.

Beetroot rice is ready.

Serve as soon as cooked or carry in the lunch box.

This rice tastes delicious on its own without any other accompaniments. You could add to the plate a dollop of pickle and raita…

Notes:

Check out other one-pot meals with rice in them…

…and more recipes that use beetroot:

The post Beetroot Rice with Peanuts and Coconut appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

This recipe works with both white and black sesame seeds. The black variety has a stronger flavor than white and gives the dish an exotic black hue. Choose the type that you like or have easy access to.

You Need:

How To Make Sesame Bell Pepper:

1. Prepare the sesame paste

Toast the sesame seeds in a thick-bottomed vessel on low flame, till aromatic (2-3 mins). Let cool.

In a chutney grinder, place the toasted sesame seeds, garlic cloves, chopped onions. Grind to paste.

Then add coconut and grind again. [Do not add any water while grinding.]

2. Cook the capsicum

Core and chop the capsicum (bell pepper) into 1/2-inch pieces.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan or kadhai.

When the oil is hot, set the heat to low and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds to the oil.

Let the seeds splutter. Tip the chopped capsicum into the pan.

Stir and cook covered on medium heat for 6-7 minutes. Turn around a couple of times in between.

3. Put it all together

As the capsicum cooks, sprinkle salt and pepper. Transfer the sesame paste from the grinder to the pan.

Mix well and cook covered for another 3-4 minutes, or till the rawness of the onion and garlic goes away. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan if the sesame paste sticks and browns. Cover and let stand for another 3-4 minutes.

Tilwale shimla mirch (sesame bell pepper) is ready.

Serve warm with chapatis/rice and dal.

Meal below: chapatis, masala chana dal, tilwale shimla mirch and fresh tomatoes.

Here’s a variant with black sesame instead of white. Served with goji berry dal, chayote raita, apple chutney, chapatis, fresh tomatoes.

Notes:

Want to try other sesame-based recipes? Check out sesame almond laddoos, til methi ki chutney, Thai-inspired potatoes with sesame seeds.

For more ways to cook capsicum, see bell pepper rice, paneer peas capsicum curry,  capsicum cherry tomato curry.

The post Tilwale Shimla Mirch: Sesame Bell Pepper appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

I have broadly followed Divine Taste’s stir fried brown rice recipe for it – I used no onion or garlic and loved the touch of almonds.

One key difference is that I went for white basmati rice instead of brown. I did try the recipe with brown rice once but I have this dark variety of brown rice with me, with which the appearance of the final dish wasn’t as appetizing. So I switched the rice – this version is really pleasing to the eye.

You Need:

[for 2-3 servings]

• White basmati rice – 1 small cup
• Green bell pepper/green capsicum – 1
• Red bell pepper/red capsicum – 1
• Salt – to taste
• Almonds – 1 tablespoon
• Ginger – 1/2-inch stick
• Coarsely ground black pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Oil – 1/2 tablespoon
• Fresh coriander leaves – for garnishing

In the picture above: raw basmati rice, almonds, ginger, green and red bell peppers.

How To Make Bell Pepper Rice:

1. Boil the rice

[Do this at least 3 hours before you plan to cook bell pepper rice.]

Wash the rice in running water till the water runs clear.

Soak the washed rice in 2 cups of fresh water at room temperature.

After 20 minutes, drain the water from the soaking rice. Put the rice in a thick-bottomed pan with lid. Add two small cups of water to the rice (that is, two parts of water for one part of rice).

Bring the pan to a boil. Simmer on low heat with lid on for about 10 minutes, or till the rice is almost cooked and the water has been absorbed. Switch off the heat and let the pan rest covered for 15 minutes.

Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork, very gently.

Put the lid back again and let the rice cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the boiled rice till you plan to proceed to the next step.

2. Prepare the other ingredients

Peel, chop and crush the ginger.

Slice almonds into slivers.

Wash and core the bell peppers. Chop them into tiny pieces.

3. Put it all together

Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, set the heat to low and add asafoetida to the pan. Immediately follow with crushed ginger, stirring all the while to prevent burning.

When the ginger starts to turn golden, add coarsely ground black pepper and almonds slivers.

Let the almonds change to a darker hue. Add the chopped bell peppers to the pan.

Cook on medium-high heat, stirring periodically.

Continue to cook for 5-6 minutes or till the bell peppers no longer feel raw. Keep the pan uncovered – this helps the bell peppers retain a fresh color.

Stir in salt and the boiled rice.

Fluff the boiled rice gently with a fork before adding it to the pan on heat. This help to prevent breakage in the delicate grains of rice while stirring the contents of the pan.

Continue to cook the rice for another 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat, tossing regularly. Adjust salt and pepper.

Garnish with a tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Bell pepper rice is ready to eat.

This works well as a one-pot meal. Easy to carry in the lunchbox to work too.

My meal today: bell pepper rice, mango raita, potato adzuki bean curry.

Notes:

For more quick meal ideas, try red capsicum curry, dahi aloo and keep makeahead food parts handy.

For another recipe inspired by the always lovely Divine Taste, check out gur atte ka halwa.

The post Bell Pepper Rice: Prettiness on a Plate! appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

I have used in this recipe carrots and green beans; you could include other vegetables into the mix: zucchini and pumpkin work very well in this recipe.

You Need:

• Kidney beans – 1/2 cup
• Carrots – 2
• Beans – 200 grams
• Tomatoes – 2 large
• Green chili – 1
• Garlic – 2 cloves
• Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
• Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
• Freshly ground black pepper – 1/2 teaspoon (adjust to taste)
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 teaspoons

How To Make Sabziwale Rajma:

1. Boil the kidney beans:

Soak half a cup of dried kidney beans (rajma) overnight (~8 hours) in three cups of water. Drain. Put the soaked kidney beans in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water and salt to taste.

Pressure cook on high heat till the first whistle, then on low heat for another 20 minutes, or till the kidney beans are soft. [Note: The cooking time can vary by the size of the kidney beans, the make of the pressure cooker, etc.]

Open the lid of the cooker after it has released its heat naturally.

2. Prepare the vegetables:

[While the rajma boils, you could set the vegetables cooking on the side.]

Chop tomatoes finely.

Cut carrots and beans into bite-sized pieces.

Crush ginger and garlic. Finely chop green chili.

In a pan, heat some oil. When hot, add crushed ginger and garlic. As soon as the garlic turns golden, add chopped tomatoes and green chili. Cook on medium-high heat till the tomatoes begin to soften.

Add cumin powder, salt and continue to cook till the tomatoes are mushy.

Add carrots. Cook covered for five minutes, follow with beans.

Cook for another five minutes.

3. Put it all together:

Transfer the boiled kidney beans, along with the water used for boiling, to the pan in which the vegetables are cooking.

Adjust salt. Add freshly ground black pepper. Simmer it all together till the vegetables are well done.

Serve sabziwale rajma hot, on its own or with plain rice.

Notes:

Try other recipes that use kidney beans: the classic rajma masala, in salad form as rajma chaat, or turned into spicy rajma parathas.

Be creative with the vegetables you use in the recipe. Here’s another favorite combo of mine – kidney beans with tomatoes, yellow zucchini, coriander leaves:

The post Sabziwale Rajma: Kidney Bean and Vegetable Curry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

This dish is inspired by a recipe by chef Gautam Maharishi on the Food Food channel. The original called for fried plantain and used deep-fried spinach as garnishing. I prefer skipping the plantain altogether, and used sautéed spinach as the primary ingredient.

You Need:

[Serves 2]

• Spinach – 150 grams
• Salt – to taste
• Coconut milk – 1 cup light* + 1/2 cup thick
• Shallots (sambar onions) – 10
• Garlic – 6 cloves
• Pepper corns – 6
• Green chilies – 1 (more if you like it hotter)
• Oil – 2 teaspoons (for the spiced coconut milk) + 1 teaspoon (for the spinach)

*I used homemade coconut milk using fresh coconut: 1/2 cup thick from the first extract, 1 cup light from the second and third extracts.

If you are using store-bought coconut milk, which is usually thick, dilute it with water to get 1 cup light coconut milk. The dish does taste better with homemade coconut milk, though. 

How To Make Spinach in Spiced Coconut Milk:

1. Prepare spiced coconut milk

Slit green chili vertically. Peel shallots and garlic.

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add whole pepper corns, slit green chilies, and garlic. When the garlic turns golden, add sambar onions.

Cook till the onions get fried lightly. Keep turning them around in the pan for cooking them evenly.

Add a cup of light coconut milk. On low heat, stirring regularly, bring to a gentle boil. Turn off the heat for five minutes to let the curry cool a little. Then add half a cup of thick coconut milk to the pan. Warm it up gently, stirring regularly, and turn off the heat before it reaches boiling point.

Fresh thick coconut milk can curdle if boiled or left unattended on heat. To prevent curdling, (1) simmer on low heat (2) do not cover the pan (3) keep stirring.

2. Sautée the spinach

[This can be done in parallel while the spiced coconut milk is cooking.]

Pluck the leaves off the spinach, discard the thick stem/root if any. Wash the spinach leaves well in several changes of water, till thoroughly clean. Pat dry.

Chop the spinach roughly.

In a separate wide pan, heat a few drops of oil. Add chopped spinach and a pinch of salt. Cook on high heat, stirring regularly, till the spinach wilts and the water evaporates.

Turn the heat to low next and let the spinach dry up (another 3-4 minutes).

3. Assemble it

In individual bowls, ladle out spiced coconut milk. Place a mound of sautéed spinach over spiced coconut milk.

Sautéed spinach in spiced coconut milk is ready to serve. Tip: this curry tastes great with plain rice.

Notes:

Looking for more coconut milk recipes? Try a dessert: sabudana coconut milk pudding with mangoes.

Check out other popular spinach recipes on The Steaming Pot: palak toor dal, corn with spinach and cheese, palak parathas.

The post Spinach in Spiced Coconut Milk appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

You Need:

(for 2 cups of soup)

• Tomatoes – 4 small
• Carrots – 2 small (or 1 large)
• Water – 2.5 cups (more for thinner soup)
• Pepper corns – 10 (adjust to taste)
• Salt – to taste
• Butter – 1 teaspoon
• Fresh herbs for garnishing (optional)

How To Make Tomato Carrot Soup:

Scrape the carrots. Cut into 2-inch pieces if the carrots are too big.

Wash the tomatoes.

Place carrots, tomatoes, pepper corns along with two cups of water in a pressure cooker.

Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook till the vegetables are soft. (In an Indian-style pressure cooker, cook on high heat till one whistle, then on medium heat till another whistle. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, cook the vegetables in any thick-bottomed pan, covered.)

Let the cooked tomatoes and carrots cool a bit. The tomatoes might have split and spilled their juice into the water. That’s fine.

Transfer the contents of the pan into a blender (or use a hand blender). Blend to a smooth puree.

Put the puree back into the cooker or pan, dilute with half a cup of water. Season with salt.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.

Tomato carrot soup is ready. Ladle into individual serving bowls or cups. Top with butter. Serve hot.

Variations: Garnish tomato carrot soup with fresh chopped herbs like coriander, parsley or oregano.

Notes:

Using whole peppercorns gives the soup a grainier pepperiness – the peppercorns don’t fully blend with the vegetables, though they soften and turn milder when pressure-cooked. You could instead, if you wish, powder the pepper corns separately and add to the soup later along with salt.

Looking for more carrot recipes? Check out these favorites from the blog: Carrot Coriander Soup and Jhatpat Achari Gajar (Quick Carrot Pickle).

The post Tomato Carrot Soup appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

You Need:

• Paneer – 300 grams
• Green capsicum – 1
• Green peas – 100 grams (I used frozen peas)
• Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – 1/2 tablespoon
• Salt – to taste
• Tomato puree – 2 tablespoons
• Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
• Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
• Tomatoes – 2
• Ginger-garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
• Onion – 1
• Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
• Oil – 1 tablespoon

How To Make :

Cut capsicum and tomatoes to 2cm cubes.

Thaw green peas if using frozen; if using fresh peas, boil them till soft.

Cut paneer into bite-sized cubes.

Chop onions and ginger finely. Keep ginger-garlic paste ready for use.

In a kadhai, heat a tablespoon of oil. When hot, set heat to medium and add chopped onions and ginger. When the onions turn translucent, add a teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste.

Stir well and continue to cook for another minute. Add chopped tomatoes and capsicum with salt, along with the dry spices: cumin powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, garam masala.

Stir regularly and cook for 5 minutes, or till the spices get cooked and the tomatoes are mushy. Add peas next, along with tomato puree.

Add a cup of water, and bring everything to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, and finally add the paneer cubes.

Add more water if you want the curry thinner. Mix gently, taking care that the soft paneer cubes do not break.

Switch off the heat after another couple of minutes. Garnish with crushed kasoori methi.

Serve paneer peas capsicum curry hot with chapatis or parathas.

Notes:

Like the idea of mixed vegetable curries? Try these:

The post Paneer Peas Capsicum Curry appeared first on The Steaming Pot.