Variety rice - Lemon, pottuk kadalai, coconut and tomato

Cook one cup rice separately and cool it by spreading it on a wide plate. Add different ingredients to get different types of kalandha saadham


Lemon rice:
Ingredients:
Thalidham - 1 spoon
Lemon - 1
chopped coriander leaves - 4 spoons
curry leaves - 5 leaves
salt & pepper - to taste
turmeric - a pinch
oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Then add thalidham, salt, pepper, turmeric and lemon juice. Taste to make sure that there is a little extra sourness, because after some time, rice will absorb the lemon juice.
Mix them all together and fry in a pan for 5 minutes (add oil to the pan before adding the rice).
Add coriander leaves and curry leaves.
You can add chopped bell pepper or fried cashew nuts or fried peanuts to this rice

Pottuk kadalai saadham:
Same as Lemon rice with the following changes
1. Instead of lemon juice and turmeric, add finely powdered pottu kadalai.
2. Instead of pepper, use dry red chillies
3. No bell pepper, can use fried cashews or peanuts

Thengaai saadham:
Ingredients:
mustard - 1/4 tsp
seeragam - 1/4 tsp
kadalai paruppu - 1/2 tsp
ulundu paruppu - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
curry leaves - 5 leaves
salt - to taste
red chillies - 2
oil - 1 tsp
fried cashews - 10

Method:
1. In a pan, add oil. After a minute, add kadugu, seeragam and kadalai paruppu.
2. When the mustard starts to splutter, add ulundu paruppu and wait till it turns red
3. Now add the coconut, red chillies and salt and fry till coconut turns to light brown colour
4. Now add the cooked rice and fry for 5 minutes in low flame
5. Add fried cashews and curry leaves if desired


Thakkali saadham:
Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 4
mustard - 1/4 tsp
seeragam - 1/4 tsp
kadalai paruppu - 1/2 tsp
ulundu paruppu - 1/2 tsp
pudhina - 10 leaves
chopped coriander leaves - 4 spoons
salt - to taste
turmeric - a pinch
garam masala - 1/4 tsp
dhania powder - 1/2 tsp
chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
oil - 1 tsp
fried cashews - 2 spoon

Method:
1. In a pan, add oil. After a minute, add kadugu, seeragam and kadalai paruppu.
2. When the mustard starts to splutter, add ulundu paruppu and wait till it turns red
3. Now add diced tomatoes and pudhina leaves
4. Add garam masala, dhania powder, turmeric, salt and chilli powder
5. Fry this until it comes to a gravy consistency
6. Now add rice, fried cashews and coriander leaves and mix well.
7. If desired, add one spoon ghee for that extra rich taste

Puli sandhagai

Ingredients:
* Readymade dry sandhagai - 1 packet(200gm)
* mustard - 1/4 tsp
* seeragam - 1/4 tsp
* kadalai paruppu - 1/2 tsp
*udaitha ulundu paruppu - 1/2 tsp
*red chillies - 4
*onion - 1/2(chopped)
* finely chopped coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
* turmeric - 1/4 tsp
* salt - 1/2 tbl spn
* puli - periya nellikkaai alavu (soak it in 1/4 cup warm water)
* curry leaves - 10

Method:
1. Add dry sandhagai to boiling water and close with a lid. After 5 minutes, it should be well cooked(follow instructions on the package, because this might vary from brand to brand)
2. Heat 2 tbl spoon oil in a pan, add mustard, seeragam and kadalai paruppu and wait until the mustard starts spluttering. Then add udaitha ulundu
3. When the dal reddens, add finely chopped onions and red chillies and fry till the onion turns translucent.
4. Now add the cooked sandhagai, turmeric, salt and puli thanni and mix them well
5. Slowly stir them until it is all mixed well and then let it cook for 10 minutes in low heat.
6. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves, mix again and now it is ready to be served.

Vegetables and wild rice

Until my friend Bala sent me wild rice, I had never seen or heard of this grain. It just did not look like rice, it was like thin broken dried grass. Click this link to see a picture of uncooked wild rice. She asked me specifically not to eat this rice with sambar or any indian dish. So finally yesterday I decided to try it out. It came out pretty well - exceeded expectations :)

The rice itself had a good taste. White rice does not have any taste or nutrition, so I've always loved Kerala rice(the big round ones). Wild rice tasted better than the Kerala rice, thanks Bala. I have some more wild rice, I might try a different recipe in the next couple of weeks.

This is a vegan, sathvic recipe.




Ingredients:
Wild rice - 1 cup
Carrot - 1
Green beans - 10
Asparagus - 5
Mushroom - 5
Tomato - 2
Salt and pepper - to taste
Lemon - 1/2
Thyme , marjoram, basil - 1 pinch of each
olive oil
bay leaves - 3
coriander leaves - 1/2 cup


Method:
Wash the rice once and add it to a pan with boiling water. Add some salt and 3 bay leaves and let it cook for 45 minutes.
Drain the rice and remove the bay leaves. Keep it aside
Cut the mushroom into small slices
Cut the green beans into 2 inch long pieces
Remove the base of the asparagus and cut into 2 inch long pieces
Peel the carrot and cut into round slices
Heat a wide pan and add 1 spoon of olive oil. After a minute, add the mushroom and saute till it turns brown
Remove the mushrooms and add 3 more spoons of oil to the pan
Now add the beans and carrot and saute for 5 minutes.
Add 1/4 tsp of thyme, marjoram, basil, salt and pepper
Then add asparagus and cook until the vegetables are 75% cooked (I overcooked them this time)
Add finely cut coriander leaves and mix the rice with these vegetables.
Remove from heat and add fresh lime/lemon juice

Steamed Broccoli
Steam the broccoli until it is half-cooked
Then in a small pan, add one spoon of olive oil
Add broccoli, pepper, pinch of salt, cumin powder and ginger powder and saute until it is crisp and cooked(test with a fork)

Serve the rice with Steamed broccoli