Thursday, January 25, 2018

Pudina Rice

Pudina Rice (without onion, garlic):



This is one amazingly flavorful rice brimming with the goodness of 2 powerful herbs- mint (pudina) and cilantro(kothamalli). Pudina is a powerful appetizer and has been touted as a panacea in Ayurveda for calming the stomach and taming inflammation issues. It is great for dental health, as well, which is why, it is an added ingredient in some tooth pastes. Pudina is a very versatile herb which can be used to make pulavs, rotis as well as chutneys.

This rice variety really comes in handy for packing in lunch box as well. It can be had with a simple raita.

Let's proceed to the recipe

Ingredients:

Basmati rice/Sona Masoori rice- 1 cup (cooked)
Mint (pudina)- 1 bunch (1 cup of tightly packed leaves)
Cilantro - a handful
Salt- to taste


Ingredients to be ground into a paste:

Urad dal- 1 tsp
Channa dal-1 tsp
Green chillies- 2 (finely chopped)
Mint leaves
Cilantro
Asafoetida- a small pinch
Oil- 2 tsps

Heat 2 tsps of oil in a kadai. Add the asafoetida, urad dal and the channa dal. Once the dals turn golden brown, transfer them to a different container. In the same kadai, add the green chilles, mint and cilantro. Turn off the stove. Let these ingredients wilt in the heat of the pan itself. 

Once it cools down, add all these ingredients to a mixer. Grind to a slightly coarse paste, adding enough water. Add the salt. The spice paste for the rice is ready.

Preparation:

Spread the cooked rice in a plate to let it cool. Adding few tsps of sesame oil to the rice will keep it from getting too sticky. Now add the prepared mint-cilantro paste to the rice. Mix gently, so as  not to break the grains. Make sure the paste gets blended well. Adjust for salt, if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Immensely aromatic and healthy pudina rice is ready to be enjoyed.

Notes:

1. You can make this rice with just mint leaves. I added cilantro to give it more volume.
2. In place of green chillies, red chillies can be used.
3. The spice paste can be prepared in advance, and stored in a clean air tight container in the refrigerator. It can be mixed with cooked and cooled rice, when needed.



    

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