Mavinakayi Chitranna (South India)

Mavinakayi Chitranna is one another recipe that goes with the taste of most South Indian cuisines. However, this recipe is from the kitchens of Karnataka.

Ingredients

Cooked rice 2 cups

Raw mango 1 cup (grated)

Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds 1½ teaspoons

Fenugreek seeds ¼ teaspoon

Curry leaves 8 to 10

Green chilies 5 to 6

Coriander leaves a few

Chana daal ½ tablespoon

Urad daal ½ tablespoon

Grated coconut 1 tablespoon

Asafetida 1 pinch

Vegetable oil as required

Salt to taste

Method §  In a frying pan dry roast ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds separately; pound them to smooth powder and keep it aside. §  Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoon vegetable oil; add remaining mustard seeds to crackle; add cumin seeds, asafetida, and curry leaves one by one and sauté for a few seconds; add chana daal and urad daal to the same frying pan and stir for a minute or two; add green chilies and sauté for some time; add powdered ingredients and grated coconut and cook by stirring until coconut is cooked; add grated mangoes and cook well by stirring until water is absorbed and mixture gets thicken; add salt to your taste and coriander leaves; once cooked to your taste allow the mixture to cool. §  Mix with cooked rice to your taste and enjoy.

Mavinakayi Chitranna (South India)

Mavinakayi Chitranna is one another recipe that goes with the taste of most South Indian cuisines. However, this recipe is from the kitchens of Karnataka.

Ingredients

Cooked rice 2 cups

Raw mango 1 cup (grated)

Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds 1½ teaspoons

Fenugreek seeds ¼ teaspoon

Curry leaves 8 to 10

Green chilies 5 to 6

Coriander leaves a few

Chana daal ½ tablespoon

Urad daal ½ tablespoon

Grated coconut 1 tablespoon

Asafetida 1 pinch

Vegetable oil as required

Salt to taste

Method §  In a frying pan dry roast ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds separately; pound them to smooth powder and keep it aside. §  Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoon vegetable oil; add remaining mustard seeds to crackle; add cumin seeds, asafetida, and curry leaves one by one and sauté for a few seconds; add chana daal and urad daal to the same frying pan and stir for a minute or two; add green chilies and sauté for some time; add powdered ingredients and grated coconut and cook by stirring until coconut is cooked; add grated mangoes and cook well by stirring until water is absorbed and mixture gets thicken; add salt to your taste and coriander leaves; once cooked to your taste allow the mixture to cool. §  Mix with cooked rice to your taste and enjoy.

Goan Mussel Pulao (Goa)

Another tasty recipe from Goa is Mussel Pulao. Being one of the costal states of India, Goa’s seafood recipes are many and finger licking tasty, and this one with Mussels is one among them.

Ingredients

Long grain rice 2 cups

Mussels 1 cup

Onion 1 large (sliced)

Tomato 1 (chopped)

Cinnamon 2 small

Cloves 4

Cardamom seeds 1 teaspoon

Red chilies 3

Turmeric ½ teaspoon

Coriander leaves and grated coconut for garnishing

Vegetable oil as required

Salt to taste

Method §  Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes; §  Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan; add finely sliced onion into it and fry to translucent; add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chili and sauté for a minute. §  Add mussels and fry for 5 minutes; add tomatoes and stir in low flame for another 6 to 7 minutes. §  Add turmeric powder and salt and stir well to mix. §  Add rice and 3 cups of water; cook by covering until rice is cooked and all water is absorbed. §  Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut; serve hot.

Arroz Refogado (Goa)

Don’t you feel the name is quite complicated to pronounce? Anyway, we feel it is quite difficult to pronounce. Name is in Portuguese language but the meaning is Fried Rice. This famous Goan recipe is a good option for lunch.

Ingredients

Long grain rice 4 cups

Boneless chicken pieces 4 cups

Chicken stock 8 cups

Onions 6 (sliced thinly)

Tomatoes ½ cup (chopped)

Beans ½ cup chopped

Carrots ½ cup (diced)

Green peas ¼ cup

Garlic 6 (chopped)

Cloves 6

Cocktail sausages 4-6

Boiled eggs 2

Salt to taste     

Vegetable oil as required

Water as required

Method §  Wash and soak rice in water for 30 minutes; §  In one deep bottom vessel boil water; add boneless chicken pieces, salt, diced carrots, beans, green peas, and a little onions; cook until chicken is done in low flame. §  Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan and fry onions to translucent; add tomatoes (after removing all seeds) stir to mix; §  Add rice and cloves to the saucepan and stir well for 5 to 6 minutes in low flame. §  Pour in chicken gravy, 2 cups of water, and chicken stock to the rice; add salt and cook until rice is cooked and gravy dried out remove from fire and serve hot.

Arroz Refogado (Goa)

Don’t you feel the name is quite complicated to pronounce? Anyway, we feel it is quite difficult to pronounce. Name is in Portuguese language but the meaning is Fried Rice. This famous Goan recipe is a good option for lunch.

Ingredients

Long grain rice 4 cups

Boneless chicken pieces 4 cups

Chicken stock 8 cups

Onions 6 (sliced thinly)

Tomatoes ½ cup (chopped)

Beans ½ cup chopped

Carrots ½ cup (diced)

Green peas ¼ cup

Garlic 6 (chopped)

Cloves 6

Cocktail sausages 4-6

Boiled eggs 2

Salt to taste     

Vegetable oil as required

Water as required

Method §  Wash and soak rice in water for 30 minutes; §  In one deep bottom vessel boil water; add boneless chicken pieces, salt, diced carrots, beans, green peas, and a little onions; cook until chicken is done in low flame. §  Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan and fry onions to translucent; add tomatoes (after removing all seeds) stir to mix; §  Add rice and cloves to the saucepan and stir well for 5 to 6 minutes in low flame. §  Pour in chicken gravy, 2 cups of water, and chicken stock to the rice; add salt and cook until rice is cooked and gravy dried out remove from fire and serve hot.

Thenga Choru (South India)

The name is actually from Kerala but the recipe is popular throughout South India either as Coconut Rice, Kobbari Annam or Thenga Choru. Comparatively easier than Biryani to prepare, this dish is very tasty.

Ingredients

Long grain rice 2 cups

Coconut milk 4 cups

Carrot ½ cup (diced)

Beans ¼ cup (chopped)

Lemon ½ (juice)

Cummin seeds ½ teaspoon

Cinnamon 1 stick

Cloves 3

Cardamoms seeds ½ teaspoon

Green chilies 3 (slit)

Onion 2 large (sliced)

Cashew nuts 8 to 10 (split)

Raisins 8 to 10

Ghee, water and curry leaves as required

Method §  Wash and soak rice for 1 hour; drain and keep aside. §  Heat ghee in a saucepan; sauté cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, green chilies, and curry leaves; add half of the sliced onions and sauté to translucent; add carrots and beans and stir for 2 to 3 minutes in medium flame. §  Add rice and stir in low flame for 4 to 5 minutes; add coconut milk and allow it to boil; add salt and lemon juice; cook under cover until rice is done and all coconut milk is absorbed; if required add a little more water to get the rice cooked well; once cooked keep aside. §   Heat a frying pan with ghee; add remaining onions to it and fry until brown and keep aside; in the same ghee fry cashew nuts and raisins separately and keep aside; mix the leftover ghee with cooked rice and garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins.

Bisi Bele Bath (South India)

This rice made dish is quite similar to Pongal or Kichuri with a slight variation in taste and preparation. Though Bisi Bele Bath is widely available through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, it is originally a Karnataka dish. We tasted the dish first time from a vegetarian restaurant in Bangalore and we liked the taste.

Ingredients

Rice 1 cup (long grain)

Toor daal 1 cup

Potatoes ¾ cup (diced)

Carrots ½ cup (diced)

Beans ½ cup (chopped)

Green peas ½ cup

Tamarind juice ½ cup

Cashew nuts 8 (slit)

Asafetida 1 pinch

Ghee 1½ tablespoons

Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon

Coriander leaves a few

Vegetable oil as required

Ghee 3 teaspoons

Water as required

Salt to taste

Masala powder ingredients

Coriander seeds 2 tablespoons

Fenugreek seeds 1 tablespoon

Chana daal 1 tablespoon

Urad daal ½ tablespoon

Red chilies 6

Clove 2 to 3

Cinnamon 2 (small)

Method §  Roast all masala ingredients and grind them to fine powder. §  Wash & soak rice for 30 minutes. §  Wash & soak toor daal for 10 minutes; drain and pressure cook toor daal to tender. §  Heat a frying pan with 3 teaspoons of ghee; fry cashew nuts and keep aside; §  Heat some vegetable oil to the same frying pan with leftover ghee in it; add all vegetables and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes. §  Add salt, turmeric powder, asafetida, and masala powder; sauté for another 2 minutes. §  Add rice and stir for a minute; add cooked toor daal and stir to mix well; add tamarind juice and 4 cups of water; cook until all water is absorbed. §  If rice is not cooked well, add some more water and cook until done. §  Garnish with fried cashew nuts, coriander leaves and serve hot. A similar dish from Tamilnadu is known as Sambar Sadham, though taste may differ a little.