Mexican Rice

Mexican rice will be liked by most Indians because it is spicy and colourful. It is simple to make and is different from the regular pulavs and biriyanis. Sometimes we do need a change! Try this tasty,spicy and colourful Mexican rice. Be cautious not to give it to children who do not like spicy food.

Serves four to five people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Cooked Basmati Rice	2 cups
Sliced Red Bell Pepper (Red Capsicum)	½ cup
Sliced Green Bell Pepper (Green Capsicum)	½ cup
Sliced Yellow Bell Pepper (Yellow Capsicum)	½ cup
Sliced Red Tomatoes (deseeded)	1 cup
Chopped Onions	¼ cup
Chopped Garlic	2 tbsps
Pepper Powder	½ tsp
Red Chilly Paste	2 to 3 tbsps
Oil (Olive oil can be used)	2 tbsps
Bay Leaf	2
Onion Rings	a few
Salt	to taste

How to make Red chilly paste
Take fresh red chillies,vinegar and salt and grind them to a paste and store if you like. If fresh red chillies are not available,dry red chillies can be washed and soaked in vinegar for and hour or so and grind to a paste with salt.
Method

1. The grains of the rice cooked should be seperate. Take a pan and add the oil and heat it. Then add the chopped garlic and bay leaves and fry them.


2. Then add the chopped onions,sliced red bell pepper,green bell pepper and yellow bell pepper and stir fry. Add a pinch of salt and add the sliced tomatoes and fry till cooked.


3. Next add little salt and red chilly paste and mix well.


4. Then add the cooked rice and mix well with all the other ingredients.


5. When the rice is piping hot, remove from the heat and dish it out into a bowl or rice plate.


6. Garnish it with onion rings and serve.

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Gooseberry Rice

Indian gooseberry or Amla in Hindi and Usirikaya in Telugu, is associated with many health benefits. First of all, it is very low in saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium, but high in dietary fibre, Vitamin C, A, potassium and manganese. It has been used extensively in Indian medicine - Ayurveda - to make herbal medicines that maintain good health.

Amla has about 500mgms of Vitamin C which is even more than oranges which have a high content of Vitamin C.

Gooseberries also help in weight reduction and acts as body coolant and flushes out the toxins from the body. We are very familiar with amla murabba and chutney and pickles made with Gooseberry. Here I have made Gooseberry rice which is nutritious, tasty, very good for diabetics and is gluten free. Gooseberries can be consumed everday to maintain one's health.

This recipe serves four people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Cooked Rice (any variety)	2 cups
Gooseberries	2 cups
Lime Juice	2 tbsps
Peanuts	1 tbsps
Channa Dal (Bengal Gram Dal)	1 tbsp
Urad Dal (Black Gram Dal)	1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	1 tsp
Chopped Green Chilli	1 tbsp
Red Chillies	2 or 3
Asafoetida (Hing)	a pinch
Fried Cashewnuts	10
Curry Leaves (Karivepakku or Kari Patta)	a few
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	2 tbsps

Method

1. Deseed the washed goosebrries and put them in the electric grinder and grind them finely.


2. Take oil in a pan and heat it. Add the channa dhal, urad dhal, mustard seeds, peanuts, red chillies and hing and fry till light brown.


3. Add the chopped green chillies,curry leaves,tumeric powder and a few fried cashewnuts and mix.


4. Then add the ground gooseberries snd saute them till cooked.


5. Remove from the heat and add salt,lime juice and hot cooked rice and mix well.


6. Serve hot garnished with the rest of the fried cashewnuts.

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Potato Dosa

I was once served this crispy dosa as breakfast by my niece.I relished it so much and to my surprise I found that it was made with potato! Then I tried it out with other vegetables like ridge gourd and bottle gourd{lauki}. Children will love it as their favourite potato is there! We can enhance its nutritive value by adding soaked dhals or lentils paste in the batter.This is gluten and casein free. Less oil can be used and can be made with no oil too except for the first dosa which needs a little oil to spread.This recipe serves about eight medium dosas.

Ingredients	Quantity
Potatoes	2
Soaked Rice	½ cup
Ginger	small piece
Green Chillies	2
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Coriander Leaves (Cilantro)	a small bunch
Finely Chopped Onions (For Garnishing)	2 tbsps
Salt	to taste
Oil	for shallow frying

Method

1. Cut the peeled potatoes into pieces.


2. Grind the chopped potatoes,rice,salt,cumin seeds,green chillies and coriander leaves in the grinder to a fine paste.The consistency of this batter should not be very thin nor very thick.


3. Heat a griddle or a nonstick flat pan which is smeared with alitle oil.


4. Pour a ladle full of the batter in the center of the pan and spread it into a circle shape with the ladle.


5. Put some oil on all the sides and in the centre and let it cook till the sides become golden brown.


6. Turn the dosa and let the other side become crisp too.


7. Make dosas with the rest of the batter.


8. Serve it hot,garnished with chopped onions with coconut chutney or mango ginger garlic chutney or tomato chutney or with vegetable kurma.


9. Note:The batter should be made preferably just before serving as there are chances of the potato getting brown.Instead of potato,ridge gourd or bottle gourd can be used and grated carrot mixed just like that to make it more nutritious for children especially.

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Steamed Rice Balls

Steamed rice balls are fat free and easily digestable. These are made particularly in South India on Ganesh Puja day. It is gluten and casein free and nutritive too.The dhal used can be substituted with green gram dhal and grated vegetables can be included too.

Ingredients	Quantity
Rice	¾ cup
Bengal Gram Dhal (Channa Dhal)	1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Grated Coconut (Optional)	2 tbsp
Salt	to taste
Water	3 cups

Method

1. Grind rice coarsely so that it is broken and resembles semolina or suji.Wash it and drain the water and keep it aside.


2. Heat two cups of water in a big pan and add cumin seeds and washed bengal gram dhal and cook.


3. Cook the dhal till it is half cooked.


4. Add the rest of the water and add salt,grated coconut and rice and mix.Cover it and lower the heat.


5. Cook the mixture till it is threefourths cooked and there is no water.


6. Remove from he heat and cool it.


7. Make about twenty medium sized balls and place them in an idly steamer and steam them for seven minutes.


8. Remove the rice balls carefully and serve it hot with coconut chutney or vegetable kurma.

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Veggie Rice Rolls

Ingredients	Quantity
Rice sheets (Putharekulu [1] sheets)	10
Boiled potato	1 big size
Chopped Carrots	2 tbsps
Chopped French Beans	2 tbsps
Peas	2 tbsps
Shredded Cabbage	1/2 cup
Chopped Onions	1/4 cup
Chopped Coriander Leaves	1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste	1 tsp
Chilli Powder	1/2 tsp
Garam Masala	1/2 tsp
Coriander Cummin Powder	1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	for deep frying

Method

1. Steam the carrots, beans, peas and cabbage in a pan and keep it aside.
2. Take a pan and add one tablespoon of oil and heat it.
3. Add the onions and ginger garlic paste and fry till light brown.
4. Mash the potato and add it along with steamed vegetables. Then add salt, turmeric powder,garam masala powder, chilly powder and coriander cumin powder and stir till all the ingredients are mixed and is some what dry.
5. Add half of coriander leaves and mix.
6. Cool this vegetable stuffing and leave it aside.
7. Take a rolling board and place a damp napkin or cloth over it.
8. Take two rice sheets and place on the cloth.
9. Keep one tablespoon of the stuffing and place it in the center of the rice sheets. Fold the rice sheets quickly from either side in such a way it forms a roll neatly packed.
10. Continue making the rolls with all the stuffing.
11. Heat oil in pan for deep frying and add three or four rolls at a time and fry them till light brown. Serve hot with tomato chutney or sauce and garnish them with coriander leaves.
12. Alternatively, these rolls can be shallow fried or baked in an oven.
13. For baking, place these rolls on greased baking sheet and sprinkle little oil on these and bake them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees centigrade (350^oC) till the become light brown. Serve hot.

^[1]Note: Putharekulu sheets are thin rice sheets available only in Andhra Pradesh, India. Alternatively Oriental rice sheets can be used. This preparation is good for Gluten free diets.

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