Vegetable Rice

I haven't been cooking a great deal. It is already so hot in Delhi/Gurgaon that all I want to do is sit down with tall glasses of juice or iced tea. But meals must be eaten and one dish meals rule my roost during these hot months. This rice makes an excellent lunch idea and I'm sure it will be a hit at parties too.

Ingredients:

250 g Mixed Boiled Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Peas)

Rice:

1 cup Basmati Rice

¼ tsp Turmeric Powder

½ tsp Oil

1 tsp Salt

Masala:

2 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1/8 cup Coconut, scraped

2-3 Cloves

2-3” stick of Cinnamon

2-3 Red Chillies

2 tbsp Tamarind Paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp Oil

Tempering:

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

¼ tsp Asafoetida

8-10 Curry Leaves

Coriander Leaves for the garnish

Heat the oil and roast the coriander seeds for 2-3 minutes. Add the chillies, cloves, cinnamon and coconut and roast for a little longer. Grind this mixture to a paste adding the tamarind paste and salt.

Add 2 cups of water and cook the rice in a pressure cooker with the oil, turmeric and salt.

In a pressure pan, heat the oil for the tempering, add the mustard seeds and the asafetida. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and the mixed vegetables. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add the ground masala and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked rice along with salt and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook on a low flame for 2-3 minutes.

Cloves form an important ingredient in this dish and I am sending this to Canela & Comino for the Think Spice - Think Clove event, Sunita's initiative.

I must admit I got a wee bit jealous last week when I read Nupur's post. I thought about how happy it would make me to receive a small package filled with lovely stuff. And my dear friend, Nandita, seemed to have read my mind. I received this cute parcel from her yesterday and I am so thrilled.

Apart from a sweet letter, the box contained a packet of methkut, some kairi murabba, an assortment of flavoured teas, an agarbatti holder and the garlic-groundnut chutney that I have been craving for quite a while now. My colleagues who watched me open the parcel were shocked to see its contents. They're used to seeing calendars, organizers, placement brochures and random stuff, but never food. Did I notice a bit of jealousy? I sure did. But that's OK. At about the same time that I was in seventh heaven, my namesake got a small package from me with some Nankhatai, aloo mash, fake chicken drumsticks and a readymade curry paste. I'd been meaning to send her the fake chicken drumsticks for weeks now. I noticed her handwriting in her mango pickle post and was shocked to see how similar it was to mine. The only way I could show her was by sending her a sample. Now, this weekend, I shall make some sweet and savoury nankhatai and send them over to the doctor. I do want a clean chit of health afterall. Thanks Nandita! You're a darling.