Peas pulao

One pot dishes are my favorite kind. A few veggies, some form of protein and carbs, a few spices and seasonings - all thrown into one pot - that's all it takes to make this pulao. On days when you aren't inspired enough to create something that takes more than 10 minutes of time and effort, this kind of dish is there to the rescue. Having frozen green peas on hand makes it even easier.

What you need:
Basmati rice - 1 cup (soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained)
Green peas - 1 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup (optional  - can be substituted with a cup of water)
Water - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 chopped fine
Ginger - a small piece
Green chilli - 3 or 4
Garlic - 4 cloves
Butter - 3 tbsp.
Cardamom - 2
Clove - 5
Cinnamon - a small piece
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Biriyani masala - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt
Sliced almonds - a few, to garnish

Melt butter in your pressure cooker. Add cardamom, clove, cinnamon and bay leaf. Saute on low flame till fragrant. Grind the ginger, chilli and garlic to a coarse paste without adding any water. Add this into the cooker and saute. Mix in the sliced onions and fry till translucent. Add the green peas, biriyani masala, salt, drained rice, coconut milk and water. Close the cooker and cook till one whistle. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Once the pressure settles, serve hot with raita.

This is my third post for Week 2 of Blogging Marathon #72 under the theme vegetarian dinners.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM

Bajra Vermicelli Upma

Cooking in summer is all about spending as little time as possible in the hot kitchen. It is about making one pot meals that are nutritious, filling and quick to make. This bajra(pearl millet) vermicelli upma is one such dish that can be made with minimal effort.

What you need:
Bajra (pearl millet) vermicelli - 1 pkt (180 gms)
Onion - 1, chopped fine
Green chilli - 2, minced
Ginger - a one inch piece, julienned
Sprouted green peas - cooked, 1/4 cup
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Broken Urad dal -  1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a handful

Soak the vermicelli in plenty of water for a minute. Drain and transfer to a perforated pan. Steam cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the urad and mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add the curry leaves, green chilli and ginger. Saute on low heat for a minute. Add the peanuts and fry till they start to brown. Now add the onion and saute till translucent. Stir in the green peas and heat for a minute. Add the cooked vermicelli and salt. Stir well and heat for a minute or two.
Serve hot with pickle and curd or with any chutney of your choice.

Note : If you live in or are visiting Coimbatore, Bajra vermicelli is available in Kannan Department Store, which also stocks other varieties like Wheat vermicelli and tomato vermicelli. The tomato vermicelli tastes really good too. 
Veggies like carrot, beans, potatoes can be added to the upma to make it more nutritious. My little one love peas and I happened to have sprouted green peas on hand which is why it has been added.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other marathoners doing BM#16.
This post goes to Smitha who is hosting Kids' Delight this month 

Green gram & Corn pulav

Green gram is one of the lentils that I sprout almost every week. It is very easy to sprout and highly nutritious too. This afternoon, for lunch, I paired sprouted green gram with sweet corn to make a delicately spiced and fragrant pulav.
 
What you need:
Rice - 1 cup
Sprouted green gram/green moong - 1 cup
Corn kernels - 1 cup
Ginger - a one inch piece
Green chilli - 1 (adjust to taste)
Onion - 1, chopped fine
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Corriander/Cilantro - 2 tbsp, chopped
Butter/ghee - 1 tbsp

Grind the ginger and green chilli to a coarse paste or crush it using a pestle.
Heat butter in a pressure cooker. Add the ginger-chilli paste to it and saute for a minute on a low flame. Add the chopped onions and saute until pink.  Add the sprouted gram, corn, rice, garam masala and salt. Stir to mix well. Add 2 cups of water and cook until one whistle.
When the steam settles down, fluff with a fork and garnish with finely chopped corriander.

Enjoy!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#14

Sev Usal

This is a wonderfully hearty and lip smackingly good dish - the recipe of which I learned from my SIL in Gujarat. It is very simple to make and at the same time, will keep people coming back for more. A hot bowl of this sev usal is a great way to warm yourself up on a cold, winter night.

What you need:
Soaked peas - 2 cups (I used sprouted peas as I had them on hand. )
Salt - to taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Sev, finely chopped onions and corriander - for topping
Grind together:
Cardamom - 5 pods
Clove - 5
Onion - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomato - 2

Add 3 cups of water to the peas and cook in a pressure cooker. Once the steam has settled, open the lid and add the ground masala to the cooked peas. Add salt, garam masala and two cups of water. Let it boil for 20-25 minutes on a low flame until the raw smell goes away. The final product should be quite watery. So use your judgement and add water as required.
While serving:
This is usually eaten with bread/pav. Ladle out a bowl-ful of the hot usal. Top with generous helpings of finely chopped onion, corriander and sev. The usal will thicken up a bit once you add all the toppings. Scoop up the usal with bread/pav or alternately eat spoonfuls of the usal and bread. Either way, you are bound to enjoy your meal.

This is my entry to Spicy Treat's First event - Show me your hits and to Srav's Dish for loved ones.