Rajma Pulav

Rajma Rice in Marathi

Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Makes: 3 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Rajma, dried
1 cup Basmati Rice
2 Bay Leaves, 2 Cloves, 2 Cardamoms
1.5 tsp Garam Masala
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tbsp Ghee
1/2 tsp Turmeric, 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Cilantro, finely chopped

Method:
1) Soak Rajma in water for 7 to 8 hours. Pressure cook Rajma, add some salt. Cook Rajma beans firm but still not hard.
2) Soak rice in water for 10 minutes. Drain water. Heat oil into a deep pan. Add bay leaves, cloves and cardamoms. Add drained rice and saute until completely dry. While roasting rice, heat 2 cups water on another stove.
3) Once rice is roasted nicely, add hot water. Also add 1 tsp salt. Let it boil over high heat until water on the surface is almost evaporated. At that point, cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Let the rice cook. Give a gentle stir once or twice. Once rice is cooked, keep it aside until we make Rajma curry.
4) Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and ginger-garlic paste. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes and little salt. Cook tomatoes until completely mushy.
5) Add cooked Rajma beans and around 1/4 cups water. Boil for few minutes. Add garam masala. Boil gravy until thick enough as we are going to mix it with rice.
6) Add rice to the gravy and mix well (tip). Cover and steam cook for 5 to 8 minutes over medium-low heat. This will help to infuse the flavors.
Garnish rajma rice with cilantro and serve hot with raita.

Tip:
1) Add Rice to the gravy in batches. It will be convenient for mixing and you will be able to mix in just enough rice proportionate to the gravy.

Vegetable Pulav

Vegetable Pulav in Marathi

Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 3 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
1 + 3/4 cups hot water
3/4 cup Carrot, small dices
3/4 cup Green peas
1/4 cup French beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp cashew nuts
2 bay leaves, 2 cardamom pods
1 green chili, slit lengthwise
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Soak rice in water for 5 minutes. Then drain the water and keep the rice aside for 10 minutes.
2) Heat a nonstick saucepan. Add ghee and wait till it melts. Add bay leaves, and cardamom. Add green chili, ginger garlic paste and cashew nuts. Saute for few seconds.
3) Add drained rice and saute over medium-high heat until it becomes completely dry. It will take about 5 to 7 minutes. You will notice the difference in rice. Add french beans, carrot and peas. Saute for couple of minutes.
4) Add hot water and salt. Give a nice stir. Keep the heat on high. Cook uncovered.
5) Within few minutes you will see very less water on the surface. At this time, turn the heat to very low and cover the pan. Cook until rice is completely done. Stir one or two times only to prevent burning rice. Over-stirring will result into broken rice grains. This way you will get fluffy rice with each grain separated.

Tips:
1) You may add your choice of vegetables to the pulao.
2) Adjust the amount of ghee according to your need.

Bisibelebath

Bisibele Bhat in Marathi

Time: 40 minutes
Makes: 3 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup rice
1/4 cup toor dal
1 tbsp tamarind
1 and 1/2 cup cut vegetables (Potatoes, green beans, eggplant, carrot, cauliflower)
Spices: 1 inch piece of cinnamon, 2 cardamoms, 2 bay leaves
For tempering: 1 tbsp ghee, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp hing, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp Homemade sambar masala
Salt to taste
Special Tadka : 2 tbsp ghee, 1/4 tsp hing, 2 to 3 tbsp peanuts, 7-8 curry leaves

Method:
Bisibele bhat
1) Wash toor dal and pressure cook upto 4 whistles.(tip 1)
2) Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water. After 10 minutes, squeeze the tamarind and bring out all the juice.
3) Heat a deep pan. Add 1 tbsp ghee. Saute cinnamon, cardamons and bayleaves for 5-7 seconds. Add cumin seeds, hing, turmeric powder, and red chili powder. Add all the vegetables except eggplant. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Now add rice and 3 cups of water. Add tamarind juice and sambar masala. Cover and cook over medium heat.
4) We need semi solid consistency. Hence, add some water and adjust the consistency. When rice is 60 % done, add cooked dal and eggplants.
5) Cook for 10 minutes or till the rice is completely done.
6) Serve the Rice in plates. Heat a tadka pan. Add 2 tbsp ghee, hing, and peanuts. Keep the peanuts moving to cook them evenly. When peanuts become brown, add curry leaves and turn off the heat.
8) Pour this tadka over served rice. This tadka is very important and gives very nice flavor.

Tips:
1) After pressure releases, take the dal out. Do not whisk it. Let it dissolve on its own. Whisked dal changes the texture of bisibele bhat.

Dahi Butti

Dahi Butti in Marathi

Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Makes 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Rice
3/4 to 1 cup yogurt
1/4 to 1/2 cup cold milk
1 tsp ghee, 3-4 curry leaves, 2 dry red chilies, 1/4 tsp urad dal, 2 pinches cumin seeds, 2 pinches hing, 1/4 tsp grated ginger
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Wash rice. Add 1.5 cups to 2 cups of water and pressure cook upto 2-3 whistles. Do not add salt while cooking. Let the pressure release on its own.
2) Get the rice out and transfer it into a medium bowl. Add milk and mix well. Adding cold milk will help the rice to cool down quickly. Do not add yogurt in hot mixture, it will separate.
3) Add yogurt and salt. Mix.
4) Heat ghee in a tadka pan. Once ghee is hot, add urad dal and wait till color turns pink. Then add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and red chilies. Turn off the heat. If chilies are not immersing in ghee then press them with a spoon. Add ginger and stir with a spoon. Pour this tempering into curd rice.
Mix well and serve.

Tips:
1) Leftover rice can be used to make dahi butti. This rice becomes slightly hard. We need soft textured rice for making dahi butti. Steam cook in pressure cooker for 5 minutes and then follow the above recipe.
2) You may add 1/2 tsp sugar to give a hint of sweetness.
3) Amount of yogurt may be vary slightly. Add quarter of a cup at a time

Tomato Rice

Tomato Rice in Marathi

Serves: 2 persons
Time 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked Rice (basmati)
2 big juicy red tomatoes, finely chopped
3 to 4 big garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp ghee or oil, 2 pinches cumin seeds, 1/8 tsp hing, 2 green chilies, 1 spring of curry leaves
Salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1) Heat ghee into a pan. Add garlic and cook over high heat. Stir continuously. Saute garlic until edges become brown.
2) Once garlic cooks nicely, add cumin seeds, hing, green chilies, curry leaves. Fry for 15 to 20 seconds.
3) Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Cover and cook over high heat, stir occasionally. Let tomatoes become completely mushy.
4) Mix in the rice and toss well. Rice should get coated with sauteed tomato. Cover pan and cook for couple of minutes over medium-low heat.
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Tips:
1) dried Red chilies can be used instead of green chilies
2) Garlic should get nicely brown (do not burn). Raw flavor of garlic doesn't taste good.
3) Choose good quality, red, fully riped and juicy to get tomato flavor.
4) You may add garam masala in the recipe. However, garam masala overpowers flavor of tomato.

Masoor Pulav

Masoor Pulao in Marathi

Time: 40 to 50 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients:
:: To cook Rice ::
1 and 1/2 cup Basmati Rice
3 cups hot water
1 star anise, 2 bay leaves, 2 Cloves
1 tbsp Ghee
1/2 tsp salt
:: To make Masoor Gravy ::
1/2 cup Masoor
1 tbsp ghee
2 cardamoms, 2-3 black pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder (I used 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilil powder for color and 1/2 tsp normal red chili powder for spiciness)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp golden raisins, few cashews
salt to taste

Method:
1) Soak Masoor overnight or 7 to 8 hours in sufficient water. Pressure cook Masoor up-to 1 whistle without adding water (For details see tip below). Add little salt when pressure cooking.
2) Heat ghee into a pan. Add cardamom and black pepper. Saute for 10 seconds. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 15 seconds. Add onion and saute till it becomes translucent.
3) Now add cooked Masoor and 1/2 cup water. Add little salt (remember- salt added while pressure cooking). Simmer for few minutes. Add garam masala, cumin-coriander powder, raisins, cashews. Check the taste and adjust the spices. Remove from the heat. gravy should be thick in consistency as we are going to add yogurt once it cools down.
4) Let the gravy cool down a bit. Add yogurt and whisk well. Add little salt if needed.
5) Soak basmati rice for 10 minutes into cold water. Then discard the water and keep the rice aside for 20 minutes.
6) Heat a medium saucepan. Add ghee and wait till it melts. Add star anise, bay leaves and cloves. Saute for 10 seconds. Now add rice. Saute continuously until rice becomes completely dry. You will also notice the changes in texture of rice.
7) Once rice is nicely roasted, add hot water and salt. Give a nice stir and let it boil uncovered over high heat. Turn the heat to low, the moment water on the surface disappears. Cover the pan and let the rice cook in steam until grains are almost done.
Let the rice sit for a while, because if we add gravy in hot rice, the grains are likely to brake.
8) Fluff the rice with a fork and mix in the gravy little by little. Mix well but gently.
9) Add some ghee. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes over low heat.
Serve hot with Raita

Tips:
1) Roasting rice over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes results in fluffy rice after cooking.
2) If you don’t have enough time for soaking, immerse the masoor in hot water for couple of hours.
3) Pressure cooking without adding water means - Add a cup of water at the bottom of pressure cooker and DO NOT add water in the steel container inside the pressure cooker. In this steel container we are going to put only soaked masoor.
4) To lessen the amount of ghee, use oil for making Gravy and skip adding ghee at the end.

Spinach Rice

Spinach Rice in Marathi

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients:
3/4 cup basmati rice
1 cup finely chopped spinach
3/4 cup hot water
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small green chili
Whole spice: 2 bay leaves, 1 cardamom, 2 cloves
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Soak rice in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water after 10 minutes. Leave the rice for 10 minutes.
2) Add 1/2 cup of water to spinach and puree.
3) Heat 1 tbsp butter into a deep nonstick saucepan. Add cumin seeds, whole spices. Saute for 5 seconds. Add ginger garlic and green chili. Add onion and saute till translucent.
4) Add soaked rice. Roast for few minutes over high heat. Stir continuously to avoid burning the rice. You will notice that rice has become completely dry and rice grains are popping when touched directly to the pan's bottom. That means rice is roasted perfectly.
5) Add 3/4 cup hot water, salt and spinach puree. Keep the flame on high. Boil until you don't see water on the surface of rice. Then put the flame on medium low and cover the pan. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until rice is cooked completely.
Fluff with a fork. Serve hot with raita and fryums/ papad.

Tips:
1) To make this rice more healthy and colorful, add vegetables like peas, carrot, french beans, cauliflower etc
2) Roasting rice helps to keep the grains separate after cooking. Also, use hot water and follow step 5 for better results.
3) Kids would love to eat this green rice. Do not add green chili to make it kids friendly.

Moongdal Khichdi

Moongdal Khichdi in Marathi

Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice
1/2 cup Moong Dal (Tip 1 and 2)
3 to 3.5 cups hot water (Tip 3)
For tempering:- 1 tbsp oil, 2 pinches mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1 pinch hing, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 cup Green peas (Tip 5)
1 tsp goda masala
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Wash rice and moong dal and drain all the water. Leave it for 1/2 an hour.
2) Heat a small pressure cooker (Tip 6). Add oil and wait till its hot. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, turmeric powder and red chili powder. Saute and add washed rice and dal. Saute until nicely dry (about 4-5 minutes).
3) Once rice is roasted, add peas and saute for a minute. Then add hot water, goda masala and salt. Stir. Add little salt if needed.
4) Close the cooker with lid and let khichdi cook upto 3 to 4 whistles. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes to release the pressure.
Do not forget to add a tsp of ghee while serving khichdi.

Tips:
1) Moong dal (peels on), Toor dal or masoor dal can be used instead of yellow moong dal.
2) The quantity of moongdal can be adjusted according to your preference.
3) To get soft consistency add little more water.
4) Roasting rice and dal keeps the grain separate after cooking. Just careful not to burn the rice.
5) Potato cubes, cauliflower florets, capsicum slices, onion slices, carrot chunks etc can be added instead of green peas.
6) Khichdi can be made without pressure cooker. Do the tempering in heavy bottom pan. Roast rice. Only add some more water. Cook over high heat until water is almost soaked into rice, then turn the heat down and cover the pan. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes.While using toor dal, soak in the water before making khichdi as toor dal takes longer to cook.

Vari Tandul Pulao [Samo Rice Pulav]

Samo Rice Pulao in Marathi

Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4

Ingredients:
1 cup Samo Rice
2 tsp Ghee
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 green chilies
1/2 cup Pumpkin cubes medium (Peel before making cubes)
1/2 cup Potato cubes (Peel the potato)
2 tbsp Coarsely ground peanuts
salt to taste
Approx 3 cups hot water

Method:
1) Heat a heavy bottom pan. Dry roast samo rice for couple of minutes. Transfer the roasted rice to a bowl
2) In that same pan, add ghee and wait till it melts. Add cumin seeds and slit green chilies. Saute for 10 seconds. Flame should be on medium. Add potato cubes. Cover the pan and cook till potato is almost done. At this point, add roasted samo rice.
3) Mix nicely. Pour hot water and add salt. After couple of minutes add pumpkin cubes and peanuts powder. Stir well, cover and cook till rice is done.
Garnish with Cilantro Serve hot with Peanuts curry.

Paneer Biryani

Paneer Biryani in Marathi

Time: 60 to 90 minutes
Serves: 5 to 6 persons

Ingredients:
2 cups Basmati Rice
3-4 Cardamom pods, 3-4 Bay leaves, 3-4 Cloves, 1 small Cinnamon stick
Salt to taste
Paneer Marination
250 gram Paneer
1/2 cup Yogurt
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp Salt
Gravy
1 cup Onion, thinly sliced
5 medium Tomatoes
2 tsp Ginger-garilc paste
2 tsp Ghee
Whole Garam Masala - 2 cardamom pods, , 3-4 Bay leaves, 3-4 Cloves
1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 cup milk powder (or 1/2 cup cream) (Tip 5)
salt to taste
Approx. 3/4 to 1 cup cut vegetables (I used peas, carrot, french beans)
Other Ingredients
4 tbsp Ghee + some more ghee [its optional :) ]
1 cup thin slices of Onion, 8 to 10 Cashew nuts, 8 tp 10 Raisins
1/4 cup Mint leaves finely chopped, 1/4 cup Cilantro finely chopped
2 tsp Milk + 4 strands of Saffron (Tip 6)

Method:
Paneer
Beat the yogurt. Add ginger-garlic paste and salt. Mix well. Marinate paneer pieces in this yogurt for 30 minutes
Rice
1) Wash rice and drain the water. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Then boil 6 cups of water in a deep pot. Add cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves and salt. Wait till the water comes to a rolling boil.
Gravy
1) Blanch the tomatoes. Peel the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes coarsely.
2) Heat 2 tsp Ghee into a pan. Add whole garam masala and saute for few seconds. Add ginger garlic paste and onion. Saute onion until golden brown. Now add chopped tomatoes and saute until tomato becomes mushy. Add red chili powder.
3) Let the mixture cools off. Puree into a blender (Don't add water)
4) Heat 2 tbsp Ghee. Fry cashews and raisins. Remove them with slotted spoon. Add the prepared puree in the ghee. Simmer over medium heat. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and milk powder. Also add vegetables. Mix well and cook for few minutes until gravy become thick. Add salt to taste. The consistency of the gravy should not be too runny or too thick (Tip 1). Once the gravy is thick enough, add marinated paneer. Cook for few minutes.
Fried Onion
Deep fry 1 cup onion slices into ghee or oil until crispy. This fried onion is for decoration.
Biryani (Tips 2,3,4)
Once Rice and gravy is ready, divide rice into 4 equal portions and gravy into 3 equal portions. In a deep nonstick pan, spread 1 tbsp melted ghee at the bottom. Then layer 1 portion of rice. Spread 1 portion of gravy. Sprinkle mint leaves, cilantro, 3-4 cashews and raisins. Complete all the layers accordingly. Sprinkle remaining cashews, fried onion, raisins and milk + saffron on the top layer of the rice
Cover the pan with a tight lid. Cook the Biryani for 15 to 20 minutes over low heat.
Serve the biryani with Raita.

Tips:
1) Consistency of the gravy should not be runny. Thin gravy makes the biryani mushy.
2) The last part of steaming can be done in the oven. Preheat the oven at 250 F. Then make the layers in a baking pan. Cover tightly with a oven proof lid or aliminum foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
3) If you dont have nonstick pan, use a heavy bottom pan. Do not put this pan directly on the flame. Place a tawa on the flame and put the pan on the tawa. it will avoid burning.
4) Ghee can be added in each layer according to your preference.
5) Try to use milk powder. It quickly gives thickness to the gravy. If using cream, stir nicely until it blends well in the gravy.
6) Saffron can be replaced by edible saffron color.

Coconut Rice Narali Bhat

Coconut Rice in marathi

Time: Approx 45 to 50 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Rice
1 and 1/2 cup Water
2 + 1 tbsp Ghee
2-3 cloves
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
1 cup Jaggery, grated (Tip 2)
1 cup fresh coconut, scraped
8-10 cashew nuts
8-10 Raisins

Method:
1) Wash the rice and drain all the water. Keep aside for 30 to 45 minutes
2) Heat 2 tbsp ghee into a deep pan. Add cloves, saute for few seconds. Add washed rice, and saute for couple of minutes over medium heat.
3) While sauteing rice, boil 1 and 1/2 cup water on another stove-top.
4) Add hot water to the rice. Cover and cook the rice. Once rice is cooked nicely, put it into a big plate and spread evenly to cool down.
5) Gently, mix the coconut and grated jaggery in a bowl. Once rice becomes warm, add coconut-jaggery mixture to it.Fluff the rice with the fork and mix with coconut-jaggery mixture. Mix very gently. Otherwise, rice grains may get crushed and rice will become soggy.
6) Heat a deep heavy bottom pan. Add 1 tbsp ghee to it. Fry cashew nuts and raisins. Remove with a slotted spoon. Turn the heat to low. Now add rice-coconut-jaggery mixture. Also add cardamom powder. Cover with a tight lid. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Cook for atleast 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Once rice becomes dry, add fried cashew nuts and raisins. Add little ghee while serving.

Tips:
1) While cooking the jaggery-coconut-rice mixture, you will notice rice has become little watery. It's due to melted jaggery. However, as you steam for few more minutes, it will start thickening. Also, cook the rice uncovered during last few minutes.
2) If you don't want coconut rice too sweet, add 3/4 cup jaggery instead of 1 cup.
3) If you taste the rice immediately after jaggery is melted, it will taste very sweet. However, the sweetness will reduce after some time as the rice absorbs the melted jaggery.
4) Rice should be cooked 100 %. Under-cooked rice grains may become hard after coming into contact with jaggery. Over-cooked rice will become mushy and unappetising.
5) While cooking the rice, you may add few strings of saffron for flavor and color.

Stir Fried Leftover Rice and Chapati

Manikmoti in Marathi

Serves: 2 persons
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
4 Chapatis (preferably a day old)
1 cup cooked Rice (preferably a day old)
For tempering: 2 tbsp oil, 1/8 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1/8 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 3 to 4 curry leaves.
2 tbsp Peanuts
2 to 3 tbsp frozen green peas
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
Chopped Cilantro and fresh coconut for garnishing

Method:
1) Crumble Chapatis coarsely with hands or in blender. Fluff the rice gently.
2) Heat oil in a medium pan. Add peanuts and saute until color changes to light brown. Then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chili powder and curry leaves. Add chopped onion and saute well. After a minute, add peas and saute for couple more minutes over medium heat. Add salt to taste.
3) Once onion is cooked, add the rice and mix. Add crumbled Chapatis and mix. Add sugar and give a quick mix. Cover and cook over medium low heat for a minute. Add lemon juice. Transfer it to a serving plate. Garnish with Cilantro and coconut. Serve hot.

Microwave Tondali Bhat

Tondali Rice in marathi

Serves: 2 to 3 persons
Time: 5 to 7 minutes to make Spice blend and tempering + 20 minutes microwave

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati Rice
2 cups water
15 to 18 Tondali (Ivy Gourd)
Spice Blend: 1 tsp oil or ghee, 1 inch Cinnamon stick, 2 Cardamom, 4 pepper corn, 4 cloves, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 3 dry red chilies, 2 tbsp fresh scraped coconut
For Tempering: 1 tbsp Ghee, 1/8 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 2 pinches asafoetida, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 5 to 6 curry leaves
7 to 8 cashew nuts
Salt to taste
Finely chopped Cilantro, fresh scraped coconut for garnishing
Pure ghee

Method:
1) Wash rice with water. Drain and leave aside for 15 minutes.
2) Wash Tondali with water. Cut off the ends. Cut each tondali lengthwise, into 4 quarters. Immerse cut tondali into water.
3) To make spice blend, heat 1 tsp oil and add all the whole spices. Then saute dry chilies and coconut. Saute over medium low heat and remove from heat after 2 minutes. Once this mixture becomes cool, grind it to a fine powder.
4) Heat 1 tbsp ghee into a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder and curry leaves. Turn the heat to low. Add cashew nuts and tondali. Saute for a minute. Now turn off the heat.
5) In a microwave safe bowl, add 2 cups of water. Microwave for 2 minutes over high power. Add washed rice, salt, sauteed tondali mixture (Step 4), and spice blend (step 3). Mix nicely.
6) Microwave over high power (100) for 5 minutes and over medium power (40) for 15 minutes. While microwaving, give a nice stir after 10 minutes.
Transfer cooked rice to serving plates. Garnish with cilantro, coconut, and pure Ghee. Serve hot.

Tips:
1) 2 cups of water is enough for 1 cup of rice. However, some people like little moist Rice. For that, you can use 1/4 cup more water to microwave the rice.
2) The Tempering (Step 4) can be done in the microwave. However, tempering prepared in a pan over stove-top has more flavor.
3) This Rice can be prepared in a deep pan over stove-top. Follow first 3 steps from the above recipe. Prepare tempering (Step 4) in a deep pan, saute washed rice for a minute. Add hot water, spice blend and salt. Mix nicely and cook covered over medium heat.

Vari Tandul - Samo Seeds Rice

Vari Tandul in Marathi

Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 persons

This Rice goes great with Peanuts curry. Click here for the recipe
Other Related Recipes: Fasting Potato bhaaji | Other Fasting Recipes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Samo seeds (Vari Tandul)
2 and 1/2 cup warm water
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Heat 1 tbsp ghee, add cumin seeds. Add samo seeds and lightly roast them.
2) Add 2 and 1/2 cup warm water, add salt to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat.

Tips:
1) You can make plain bhagar by skipping Cumin seeds.
2) To give little sour taste, add 1 piece of dry Kokum while cooking the rice.
3) To make bhagar more soft and mushy, increase the quantity of water by 1/2 to 3/4 cups.

Tofu Basil Fried Rice

Tofu basil Fried Rice in Marathi

Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:
1 cup Jasmine Rice
3 tbsp Oil
3 to 4 Garlic cloves
2 Green chilies
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
1 tsp Sugar
1/4 cup Bell pepper (sliced lengthwise)
1/4 cup Onion (sliced lengthwise)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Tofu (1 inch pieces)
3/4 cup Basil leaves
1 small Carrot (small cubes)
Salt to taste

Directions:
1) Wash Jasmine rice and drain the water. Bring 1 and 1/2 cups of water to boil. Add a dash of salt. Once water starts boiling, turn the heat to medium low and add washed rice. Cover and cook.
2) Squeeze the tofu slightly. Shallow fry over medium heat until light brown.
3) Crush garlic and green chilies together and make a coarse paste. Heat oil in a wok. Add crushed chili and saute for few seconds. Add carrot cubes and stir for around 30 seconds.
4) After 30 seconds, add bell pepper and Onion. Saute for only 10 seconds as we want onion and bell pepper nice and crisp. Add cooked rice, tamarind juice, sugar, soy sauce and little salt (if required). Mix nicely so that all the ingredients mingle together.
5) Once rice is mixed nicely, add basil leaves and shallow-fried tofu. Mix gently for few seconds and serve.

Tips:
1) We are adding tofu at the end to prevent it from crumbling.
2) Do not heat the rice for longer after adding basil leaves as they will become mushy.
3) To give a different flavor I have added tamarind juice. However, you can add half a teaspoon of white vinegar instead.
4) In Thai fried rice, fish sauce is used to give little tangy-sour taste. Non-vegetarian people can use fish-sauce instead of tamarind juice or vinegar.