Brinji rice
We came back last week after a short trip to India. We went as 5 and came back as 2 :). In case any of you presume Adya and I came back then you are absolutely wrong :). I came back with the other resident kid – D. Honestly, I was looking forward to a few days of just me and D time and just ME time in the evenings before D came in :). When we left mom, dad & Adya at the airport, D wept like a baby. I was gleeing at him for a few minutes & then was a little guilty after that wondering if I were a bad MOM who not only leaves her only child for a few days (Note – he was the one vacationing, not me. I came back to Dubai to work :)) but also has 0 hard feelings about it and in fact is all excited and looking forward to the few days of lone time. But, that was only for a few minutes. I knew I was doing nothing wrong and infact was doing the absolute right thing for him in a sense. He gets to explore the world from a different perspective and with his grand parents sans me. That’s totally fine. He dots on his grand parents (especially his grand dad). I was more worried for them than for Adya cos I knew he was gonna rip them apart those few days in chennai :). And I was absolutely right. Mr Adyant Ramasundar ensured Mr Ramasundar danced to his tunes 200%. Poor dad, I feel bad for him for the physical toll it takes on him. Nevertheless, dad enjoys the attention as well and their world is all hunky dory in general :). Anywho, one of the first few recipes I tried my hands on once I got back was Brinji rice. Once I asked D if he likes Brinji rice, he got so hooked on to it and didn’t wanna deviate from that plan at all. I wanted to make a simple rice without any veggies and he wanted atleast potato to be sneaked in. Finally, he googled and found the recipe that he wanted me to base mine on. Made this similar to that recipe and it was a total winner. D liked it a lot and has given his thumbs up for this to be made again in the future:). I still feel I prefer my brinji rice sans veggies.
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 nos onion
- 1 no potato
- 1/2 no carrot
- 8-10 nos beans
- 8-10 nos mint leaves (optional)
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 4-5 nos bay leaves
- 4 nos cloves
- 2 nos cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 inch ginger
- 3 pods garlic
- 2 nos green chilli
- 3/4 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
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Wash and soak the basmati rice. Set it aside for 15 minutes.
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Grind all the items under 'To grind' and set it aside. Peel & cube the potatoes. Cut the onions, carrots & beans into thin and long pieces.
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In a small pressure cooker, toss in the butter and let it get heated.
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Throw in the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and saute for a bit.
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Add the onions & fry till it starts to brown.
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Toss in the veggies and saute for a few minutes. Add some salt at this stage.
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Add the ground mixture and saute till the raw smell goes.
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Add the rice, some salt, chopped mint leaves, coconut milk & water.
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Close the lid and cook the rice in simmer option for 12-15 minutes followed by a whistle (You can keep the flame at high if there is no whistle after 15 minutes in the simmer option).
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Turn off the heat. Once the pressure is released, open the lid, mix well & serve hot with a side of onion/ cucumber raita.
Stepwise pictures
Chop ginger, garlic & green chillies. Place them in a blender and add fennel seeds.
Grind them all.
Chop up the veggies while the basmati rice is soaking.
In a small pressure cooker, heat the butter and toss in the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Saute for a few seconds.
Throw in the chopped onions & saute for a minute.
Just as the onions start to brown, throw in the ground mixture.
Saute till the raw smell goes off.
Throw in all the veggies – potatoes, carrot & beans and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Drain the rice & toss it in the pressure cooker.
Add the coconut milk, water at this stage. Check and adjust for salt.
Pressure cook at low/ sim option for 12-15 minutes until a whislte and turn off the heat.
Once the pressure is released and you open the cooker, gently stir the rice to incorporate well. Serve it hot with a side or your favourite raita.
