Weekend dinner and Rice pulao

I don't really like the weekends to end. Who does?
Sunday nights are like those nights when you leave your laziness and steel yourself to face another week of organized mayhem instead of lazing around in PJs and reading books/watching TV and let the baby eat loads of popcorn.
Sunday dinners are special cos we rarely have them....we finish our meal as an early supper.
Here is the comforting recipe which was passed to me by MIL.

You need:
Rice- 1 cup
Onions- 1 medium, chopped finely
Garlic- 2-3 cloves, chopped finely
Green chillies- 2
Ginger-1" piece
Tomatoes- 2
Potatoes- 2, cut in wedges
Peas- 1/2 cup
Oil- 1tbsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Dhaniya powder-1 tsp
red chilly powder- 1 pinch
Garam Masala-1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

How  to make:
1. Wash rice thoroughly. Soak in drinking water for 15-20 min.
2. Grind tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies together into a coarse paste.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Saute onions in it till they turn golden brown.
4. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Now add the spices , mix and let it cook till the oil leaves side. Add water if the gravy is sticking to the sides.
5. Add Potatoes and cook for a minute or so. Then add peas and rice.
6. Add more water if required. Cover the cooker and put the whistle.
7. After two whistles, reduce the flame and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait for the cooker to cool.
8. Enjoy your pulao with curd or raita.

Vegetable pulao/rice (open pan cooked)

I like pulao/pilaf.

They are easy to make and yummy (unless you under-cook the rice). They can be made into a simple wholesome meal.

Also you can hardly go wrong with it. My picky 1 year old has never refused any rice preparation..:)


You need:
Ghee/Clarified butter- 1 tbsp
Rice- 3/4 cup
Baby Peas- 1/4 cup ( you can use normal peas too)
Carrot- 1 medium , chopped into small pieces
Onion- 1 medium, chopped finely
Tomatoes- 1 , chopped
Cloves-2-3
Bay leaf- 1
Cinnamon- 1" piece
Salt - to taste
Water to cook rice ( It'll more or less depend on the kind of rice you use, the regular everyday rice takes about 2 cups)
Lemon- 1/2 (optional)
 ( You can add any kind of vegetables that you have at hand in this recipe)

How to make:
1. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak for about 20-30 min.
2. Heat ghee in a Kadhai (wok). Add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf.
3. Add onions and cook until translucent. (If you want a spicy version, please add whole red chillies before adding onion). Now add carrots and cook for a few minutes.
4. Drain water of rice and add to the kadhai. Turn the rice gently otherwise the grains will break.
5. When the rice starts drying out add peas and salt. Cook for some time.Add water and tomatoes. Let it come to slight boil at a medium high flame. Lower the flame and cook till the rice are done.
6. Squeeze half lemon on it and fluff it with fork. Enjoy with raita or plain curd. I could eat it just like that, no sides required.

PS: I've posted a similar recipe previously. You can make your version too!!

Potato and onion curry (aloo-pyaz ki sabzi)

This dish transforms the everyday veggies like potatoes and onions into a delicacy. The spices are intense and completely blended. It has rich aroma which fills the house with warmth. This is an occasional indulgence as it is rather heavy. 

I don't know the origin of the recipe, but we used to eat this in winter weddings in our hometown. It was so tasty that we skipped the whole bouquet just to hog on this one.

I've made a few changes and reduced the use of oil. 
Serves 2 very hungry mortals :)
Recipe adapted from Supriya's blog
You will need: 

1. Potatoes - 1 large
2. Onions - 4 small onions+2 medium sized onions (since i did not have baby onions, i just removed the outer layers of normal sized potatoes and used them to blend for the gravy)
3. Tomatoes - 3
4. Garlic - 7 cloves (you can use less if you want less garlicky flavor)
5. Ginger - 1" piece
6. Green chillies - 1
7. Curd - 3/4 cup (preferably sour)
8. Black Cardamom (badi ilaichi) - 1
9. Cinnamon (Dalchini) - 1 stick
10. Peppercorns (kali mirch) - 2-3 corns
11. Cloves (laung) - 2
12. Salt - to taste
13. Red chilli powder - 1  tsp
14. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
15. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
16. Garam masala - 1 tsp
17. cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
18. Asafoetida (hing) - 1 pinch
19. Oil to fry
20. Fresh coriander to garnish

How to:

1. Remove the peel of small onions and make a slit lengthwise
2. Boil the potatoes. Peel and cut them into big pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the small onions. Keep aside. 
4. Make fine paste of the medium onions, tomatoes, green chillies, garlic, and ginger in a mixer.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds and temper
6. Add the tomato-onion paste. Cover and cook well for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add water if needed
7. Tie the cardamom, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and cloves in a muslin cloth and add to the pan
8. Mix the remaining spices in the curd. Add this to the pan and mix well.
9. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes till the oil leaves sides. Stir occasionally and add water when needed.
10. Remove the muslin cloth of spices.
11. Add the boiled potatoes and onions and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
12. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with rotis or laccha parantha.