Potato Pulao/Potato Rice

Potato pulao is a perfect lunch box recipe. This is also best suitable for a quick meal/simple dinner as it is very easy to prepare in just 30-40 min. Papad/Apalam would be best accompanied with potato rice or it is simply fine with no side dish. Raitha also goes well with this spicy pulao. Potato pulao is a very tasty rice recipe, kids would love them more as it has their favourite vegetable -Potato. Simple step by step procedure associated with pictures to explain each step for Potato Pulao/Potato Rice recipe.

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Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Serves: 2
Category: Variety Rice
Recipe by Vidhya

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Ingredients

Basmathi rice - 3/4 cup

Potato - 2 Medium sized chopped

Onion - 1 Medium sized, chopped lengthwise

Garlic - 1 spoon chopped

Ginger - 1 spoon chopped

Green chilli - 1 finely chopped

Oil/Ghee - 1 table spoon

Salt - As per your taste

Spices

Bay leaf - 1

Cinnamon Stick - 1 to 1 1/2 inch

Star Anise - 1

Cardamom- 3 nos

cloves- 3 nos

 Spice powdered/Ready-made Powder

Turmeric powder - 1/4 spoon

Chilli powder - 1/2 spoon

Garam masala powder - 1/2 spoon

Coriander powder - 1/4 spoon

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Method

• Cook the basmathi rice and allow it to cool. 
  
• Chop onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli.
  
• In a kadai, add a table spoon of ghee/oil (I used ghee), when it is hot add the spices mentioned in Spices section.
  
  
• Fry until the spices are aromatic. Add chopped onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli. 
  
• When the onion is golden brown/transparent, add chopped potatoes.
  
• Add turmeric powder and mix it well.
  
• Close the kadai with lid and cook in medium heat for at least 15-20 min.
  
• Now add chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt. mix it well and cook for another 10 min in low heat.
  
• When the potato curry looks well blended, add the cooked basmathi rice. Mix well and remove it from hot plate.
  
  
• Potato pulao is ready to eat or for lunch box.
  

Notes:

1. If you are doing it for your kids, you can avoid green chilli.
2. When the curry is completely blended, you can stir fry for few more minutes in low heat to roast the potato, it adds more taste to the pulao.

Sepankizangu/Taro fry

In everyday meal we include one or other usual poriyal/curry, this Sepankizangu fry is a special recipe which you can prepare as a curry for your regular meal. The fry is best to eat with sambhar, rasam or mor kuzhambu. This deep fry recipe so tasty and kids would love them, so it is totally worth cooking at least for twice in a month. And this can also be a quick snack for monsoon evenings. Very minimal ingredients, less time consuming, no much preparation work and totally tasty- Seppankizhangu/Taro fry. Look out for step by step procedure with photos below.

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Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 10 min
Serves: 2
Category: porial/curry/evening snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Recipe by Vidhya

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Ingredients

Taro root/Seppankizhangu - 400 grms (this serves for 2)

Rice flour - 1 - 1 1/2 table spoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 table spoon

Chilli powder - 3/4 - 1 table spoon depending on your taste

hing - a pinch

Salt - as per your taste

oil - for deep frying

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Method

• Boil the Taro root in pressure cooker for 5 whistles, it should not be too soft.
  
• Allow it to cool, removed the skin and cut into slices
• Add rice flour, chilli powder, turmeric powder and hing.
  
  
• Mix it well and set it aside for 10 min.
  
• In a kadai, add oil and allow it to heat. Try adding a small portion of mixture into the hot oil and it should rise immediately, now oil is ready.
• Start frying taro root in batches.
  
• When outer part changes colour, remove it and drain the oil in a tissue.
  
• Seppankizhangu/Taro fry is ready.
  

Notes:

• Sprinkle a generous pinch of chat masala and toss the fry. Your quick snack for a monsoon evening is ready.

Chilli Idli/Fried idli

Chilli idli is a spicy and delicious dish. During childhood days it is one my favourite restaurant items. I always wanted to try chilli idli at home and tried preparing without deep frying the idlis. But it turns out to - deep frying makes the best Chilli Idli. I have not used any sauces like tomato sauce or soy sauce and prepared with just the basic ingredients available at home. So once in a while, when you have left over idlis you can definitely try this and it would be a real treat for your taste buds.

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Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 45 min
Serves: 2
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: South Indian
Author: Vidhya

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Ingredients

Idli - 6 nos
Maidha or all purpose flour - 2 1/2 table spoon
Rice flour - 1/2 table spoon
Onion - 1 Medium sized chopped lengthwise
Tomato - 1 finely chopped
Capsicum or Bell pepper - 1/2 chopped lengthwise
(I used 2 different colors each 1/4 portion)
Garlic - 3 finely chopped
Spring onion - 2 springs
Green chilli - 1
Chilli powder - 1 table spoon
Garam masala - 1/2 table spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 table spoon
Salt - as per your taste

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Method

• First of all we need idlis, which may be freshly cooked or left over idlis. If you are using left over idlis prepared in the morning, refrigerate it for 15 min before cutting them into pieces. If you are using freshly prepared idlis then refrigerate it for at at least 1 hour.
• Cut the idlis into cubes.
• In a bowl add maidha, rice flour, salt, a little amount of water and preapre coating dough. Careful not to add too much water as it might not coat the idlis properly.
  
• Now add cubed idlis to the blowl and coat them nicely in the prepared dough. Leave it for 10 min.
  
• Chop all the vegetables and keep them ready.
  
• Deep fry the coated idlis until it is golden brown. Fry them in batches.
  
• Take a kadai, pour a table spoon of oil, when it is hot add onion, white part of spring onion, chilli and finely chopped garlic.
  
• Fry until onions become transparent/golden brown.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes. Stir it until tomatoes become soft.
  
• Add chilli powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and salt. Give a stir.
  
• Add capsicum and green part of spring onion. Stir occasionally and cook it for 15 - 20 min in medium hot. If the content looks dry sprinkle water in between and stir again.
  
• When it looks all blended, add fried idlis. Mix it well and allow it to cook for 5 - 7.
  
  
  
  
• Serve hot chilli idli with tomato sauce or onion raitha.