Cabbage Rice

Back after months! Very very sorry for not responding to your queries, was that much busy making home better.. :) Now back with a simple rice recipe to fill our little pearls' lunch boxes, Cabbage Rice.. Its a real pleasure getting a "satisfied" feedback while they come back from school..



Ingredients
basmati rice 1 1/2 cups
cabbage chopped length wise 2 cups.
capsicum chopped 1
onion 1
pepper powder 1 tsp
cheese grated 2 Tbsp
oil
salt



How to prepare
Cook rice and keep aside.
Heat oil, saute chopped onion until transparent.
Saute cabbage and capsicum in the same.
When it is about to cook, add salt and pepper, mix well.
Add cooked rice in this stir.
Sprinkle cheese over this, serve hot.

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Thalassery Chicken Biryani

While writing this post I thought about a song, which we used to sing in the childhood.. biryani vekkalalla perunnalu... :) Yeah, that is true, but I was waiting to give you all my special Eid gift, this Thalassery Biryani. This one is easy to prepare, not much worries about the cooking time of rice, but the amount of ghee used is much higher than the other biryani recipes I have posted here. Try out, enjoy with your family and don't forget to leave your valuable opinions... Eid Mubarak!



Ingredients used,
chicken 1/2 kg
onion 4 medium size
tomato 2 medium
garlic cloves 7 big
ginger 1 1/2" piece
green chillies 2
coriander leaves 1/2 cup chopped
mint leaves 2 Tbsp chopped
pepper powder 3 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
garam masala powder 2 tsp
curd 3 Tbsp
lemon 1
essence or rose water as desired
salt
ghee

For marinating chicken,
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
chilli powder 1 tsp
garlic ginger and green chilly paste 2 tsp from the ground paste
garam masala powder 1/4 tsp
salt

For making ghee rice,
basmati or biryani rice 3 cups
onion 1 medium
cinnamon sticks 3 each 1/2 "
cardamoms 3
cloves 3
water 5 cups
salt
ghee

For garnishing,
onion 1
cashews few
raisins few



How I Prepared,
Heat little oil or ghee,roast cashews and raisins and remove from the pan.
Fry the finely chopped onions in the same oil, until golden brown.
Remove and keep aside.

Grind together garlic cloves, ginger and green chillies.
Take the juice of lemon and remove seeds.
Heat 2 Tbsp ghee in a non stick frying pan, shallow fry the chicken.
Fry until the outer part turns slightly golden, no need to cook the chicken well.
Remove and keep aside.

Heat 3 Tb of ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, saute chopped onions until semi transparent.
Add remaining garlic, ginger and green chilly paste, saute well, until the mixture turns light brown.
Add chopped tomatoes and salt, cook until the tomatoes are mashed well.
Add chopped leaves, pepper powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, curd and chicken pieces.
Pour the melted ghee too that remained after frying chicken.
Mix and cook on a low flame covering the vessel.
Stir occasionally to avoid the masala stick to the bottom of the vessel.
When cooked well, switch off fire, keep the lid closed.

Then make ghee rice according the instructions in the ghee rice recipe, but use the amount of water used here.
When the ghee rice is cooked, spread it over the masala, evenly without breaking the rice.
Pour some ghee over this, as desired.
Sprinkle little garam masala, very less, over the rice.
Sprinkle lemon juice, and place some pudina stems (with leaf) over the rice.
Cover with an aluminium foil, then place the lid over it.
Place a tea pot or another pan with hot water over this.
Place the vessel on a very low flame for 15 minutes, then switch off fire.
Open after 1/2 hours at least, then remove pudina stems, mix carefully.
Garnish with fried onions, cashews and raisins and serve hot with raita and pudina chammanthi!

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Prawn Pulav / Shrimp Pilaf

Eating vegetables is a hard task for my kids.. :) My son wouldn't have lunch if I give him ordinary rice and veg curries. He comes back home tired, it made me worried every time. So I started giving rice dishes, especially Arabic rice, or vegetable or egg biryani or prawns pulavu etc. Preparing this simple form of biryani is really easy and no worry at all! Now before leaving to school, he checks his lunch box and says, ma.. keep some rice for dinner.. :)



Ingredients,
prawns 1/2 cup cleaned
biryani rice / basmati rice 1 1/2 cup
onion 1
tomato 1
chopped carrots 2 Tbsp
cardamoms 2
cloves 2
cumin 1 pinch
cinnamon 2 small pieces
garam masala 1/2 tsp
ghee 1 tsp
coriander leaves chopped few
water 3 cups
garlic and ginger paste each 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
chilli powder 1/2 tsp
oil
salt



Prepare Prawn Masala,
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel , allow cumin seeds splutter.
Saute finely chopped onion.
When it is semi transparent add carrots and continue stirring.
When onion is slightly brown add garlic and ginger paste, chopped tomato and powders.
Add salt and cook until the tomatoes are mashed well.
Add prawn and pour 1/4 cup water.
Close lid and cook for 10 minutes or until done.
Add chopped coriander leaves.
Keep aside.

Cooking Rice,
Wash and soak rice for 1/2 hour.
Boil three cups of water in a pressure cooker.
Add spices, ghee, and salt along with rice.
Pressure cook for two whistles and allow the heat to settle down its own.
Or cook rice as you do for ghee rice.
When the rice is cooked allow to be warm and mix with prepared prawn masala.
Serve with pickle, raita etc.

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Turkish Eggplant Pilaf / Patlicanli Pilav

Eggplant / aubergine has an important role in Turkish Cusine. You can find various Turkish dishes prepared with eggplants. This one is similar to the brinjal rice recipe from Middle Eastern Cuisine, that I had posted long back.



Ingredients,
eggplants 3 medium
onion 1
tomato 1 big
cinnamon 1 " stick
long grain rice / basmati rice 2 cups
coriander leaves chopped 1 Tbsp
mint leaves chopped 1 tsp
pepper crushed 1 tsp
hot water 4 cups
olive oil 1/4 cup
salt



How to prepare,
Soak rice for 1/2 hour.
Chop eggplants and soak in salt water for 1/2 hour.
Squeeze the eggplants, and keep aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil, and fry the eggplants until slightly brown.
Remove from the pan.
Add remaining oil to the pan, saute chopped onion.
When semitransparent, saute chopped tomato, mint and coriander leaves.
Add hot water, enough salt, cinnamon stick, pepper powder, rice and allow to boil.
Put fried eggplants, and cover the pan, reduce heat.
Cook on a low flame until the rice is cooked.
You can keep half of the eggplants and add it before serving pilaf.
I cooked rice in the pressure cooker until 2 whistles come.
Cooking time may vary depending the quality of the rice.

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Ribbon Rice

Do you feel guilty about taking much non vegetarian food? Then ribbon rice is a good choice for you, a biryani like meat mixture to satisfy your desire to take non, a delicious garlic-ginger added chutney to reduce your cholestrol levels, a simple vegetable mixture to quench the flames of your guilt.This rice is made with three layers, one with meat, one mixed with chutney and last one is with some veggies. Since the three main characters here do not love more-spicy things, I have been compelled to reduce the use of chilly.Make your own meat/veg mixtures and chutney and experiment!

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Green Peas Pulao / Pilaf

Pilaf / pulao is a simple form of making rice dishes mixed with meat or vegetables. Mine is a similar version of biryani, which is born once during usual experiments in the kitchen. So you can call it "green peas biryani" too. I made this for dinner with butter chicken, and was loved by everyone. It has been long since I participated in any blog event, so after a long time, sending this to Monthly mingle hosted by Nag's.



Ingredients for making Green peas pulavu
green peas cooked 2 cups
basmati rice 2 1/2 cups
onion 1 big
tomato 1
lemon juice 1/2 lemon
coriander leaves chopped 2 Tbsp
mint leaves chopped 1 Tbsp
garlic 3 big cloves
ginger 1 " piece
green chillies 4
cinnamon sticks 3 , half inch pieces
cloves 4
cardamoms 2
ghee 1 tsp
water 5 cups for cooking rice
ghee or oil
salt



How to prepare
Wash and soak rice in water for 15 minutes.
Grind garlic ginger and green chillies together.
Chop onion and tomato.
Boil water in a vessel adding enough salt and cinnamon, cloves,cardamoms and 1 tsp ghee.
Squeeze lemon and pour the juice into this.
Allow rice to cook.
Heat ghee or oil in a pan.
Saute onion, until semi transparent.
Saute garlic ginger and green chilly paste in this.
Add chopped tomato,and coriander and pudina leaves.
When the tomato is cooked add green peas and rice into this.
Stir well.
Serve hot.

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Curd Rice / Thairu Saadham

Thanks to all friends who sent me New year wishes, sorry for not responding to you all promptly.
I was in hangover of some unexpected holidays that hubby and kids got. So I don't feel like posting any thing in the blog..Still don't have a plan to post what, this time..There are few recipes in the draft, some veggies, a cake, a payasam, some sweets and nons. Thats all. A lot of dining out has made me think about some simple dish, very very simple..Yeah, it is here.A tasty curd rice from our friend Lalitha is waiting for me (and you).Don't worry about the "muslim style" curd rice,our friend is a typical pattar woman (Tamil Brahmin) coming from "Kalpathi".She has prevented me from writing about her, other wise I will need a big part of my post to write about her.Ok,lets forget all the chickens and parottas , prepare the yummy curd rice this time.. :)



She told me to put this as my own recipe, but I don't want to do it.Read her own words..

That is, first cook rice(pachari choru okay, not motta chaval), after it becomes cold, add boiled and cold milk not the curd, mix well the rice and milk, after you mix well, add sufficient salt and a little curd(actually 75% milk and 25% curd to be added). Then do seasoning. I will write 2-3 types of seasoning.
1. Season with mustard, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves
2. All items as in 1 + add a pinch of asaefotida powder(kaayappodi)
3. Mustard & Kondatta mulaku(Actually Kondatta mulaku should be fried very well, nalla pole black aavanam)


You try all these 3 methods first. S will like all these curd rice.Any method you make, after seasoning and everything is finished, just keep it for 3 - 4 hours to set and then use it. It will be delicious!

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Prawns / Chemmeen Biryani

My mom prepared this biryani. This is for my reader DivyaNair, who requested prawns biryani recipe.(Enjoy Divya!) Actually I thought to post this later after getting a good photo.Mom used some other biryani rice instead of basmati. (There are varieties of rices for biryani, here the rice used is not the usual long grained one.)
I hope you all might have known that kerals.com and tastyland blogspot.com have copied many of blogger's food photoes including salkkaaram's. I too had requested them to remove those pictures but didn't get a response yet. Please do notify us bloggers when you see any of our recipes or pictures in other websites.That would be very helpful.



Ingredients for making chemmeen biriyani
Prawns 1 1/2 cups
basmati rice or biryani rice 3 cups
onions 6
tomatoes 3
garlic paste 2 Tbspoons
ginger paste 2 Tbspoons
green chilly crushed 4
pepper powder 3 tsp
chilli powder as desired
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
coriander leaves 1 cup chopped
mint leaves 1/4 cup chopped
coconut milk thick 1 1/2 cups
curd 1/2 cup
ghee or oil 2 Tbsps
lime juice 2 tsps
garam masala powder 1 1/2 tsp

for marinating prawns,
chilli powder 3 or 4 tsps
turmeric powder 2 tsps
fennel seeds powder 1/2 tsp
garlic and ginger paste 2 tsps
garam masala little
salt



How to prepare
Heat enough ghee or oil in a frying pan and fry the marinated prawns in that.Remove it from the pan when it is done and keep aside.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel and pour ghee or oil. Add the oil or ghee remained after frying prawns too.Saute chopped onions in that. When it is reached transparency, add garlic-ginger paste, chilli paste and saute again for few seconds. Add chopped tomatoes, all the powders, salt, and cook for few minutes by stirring occasionally. Again add chopped coriander and mint leaves, saute them too. Add curd and mix well.Then add coconutmilk and when it begins to boil, put the fried prawns in to that and boil for few minutes. Let the masala turn thick.Check salt.Remove from fire.

Boil water.Put 2 cardamoms, 2 cloves, 2 pieces of cinnamon sticks of 1" length and salt in to it. If you like yellow color biriyani add little turmeric powder also.Cook rice in this and drain water when it is about done.(you can make ghee rice instead of this).

Heat a heavy bottomed or nonstick vessel again, pour little ghee. Remove it from fire. Put about 2 plates of rice. Spread little lemon juice and ghee over it. If you like, use little saffron mixed with milk too. Then spread some prawns masala over it evenly. Again put rice over it and repeat the process until the rice and masala are over. Cover the vessel tightly with the lid, (cover with aluminium foil before you place lid) keep on a low flame for about 10 minutes and remove.(You can see steam comes on top if you open lid a little) Mix well after half hour and keep it like that for a while before you serve.You can add fried onions, ghee roasted cashews , raisins, coriander leaves and mint leaves in between layers.

Have this biryani with pudina chammanthi , curd and pickle.

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Fried Rice

I always loved coconut oil in cooking and for other purposes. I know many people have coconut oil phobia, and seeing their comments in other food blogs prompted me to start a blog for coconut oil to write down some of it's benefits..
Many had left their comments there and seeing this comment yesterday, I thought to share with you, just to make you understand.
Dr. TN from naturalsportsmedicine wrote,

People still think the Saturated fat in coconut is bad for you and that couldn't be further from the truth.

Everyone focuses on fats and cholesterol as the primary problem of our ills when it's really refined sugars and grains.

We were meant to eat a hunter-gatherer diet, not a refined sugar-refined grain diet.

And, best I can tell, coconuts have been something that has been a part of the human diet for over a 100,000 years...

Ok, What about fried rice? I know you all really love it. My version is without ajinomotto (MSG) , I wouldn't use it for cooking. So taste may be different from the real fried rice.
An experienced 'fried rice maker' advised me to keep cooked rice in the refrigerator before making fried rice and mix small portions at first and mix together later.



Ingredients used
Basmati rice or biryani rice 1 1/2 cups
onion 1
mixed vegetables 1 cup chopped (carrot, beans, cabbage , peas, spring onion and celery)
chicken pieces 4 or 5 pieces
egg 1
pepper powder 3 tsps
soya sauce 2 Tbsp
chilli sauce 1 tsp
salt
oil



Preparation method
Cook rice in water adding salt. Drain and chill.
Cook chicken in water with 1 tsp pepper powder and salt. When cooked take them out and remove from bones. Make small pieces.
Heat oil, saute chopped onion. When it is done , add veggies and saute until well cooked.
Then break one egg into it and scramble it slowly. Add chicken pieces and 2 tsp pepper powder, soya sauce and chilli sauce.
Mix well and add rice too.Shake the pan or stir them well.The taste of fried rice depends on the soya sauce and oil you use,so add it according to your taste.I wouldn't add them much.. :)

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Ghee rice -Thalassery style

I had posted a ghee rice / neichor recipe before which is the normal method of cooking rice with water in a 1 : 2 proportion. This is the method we usually follow at home, which is the easiest way of cooking rice. I have seen my Thalassery neighbour always cooked ghee rice using the frying method. She fried rice in an immense amount of ghee, before cooking it in hot water. If she makes Biryani, she prepared ghee rice first using the same method and then mixed it with biriyani masala. (See the procedure here) The amount of water used is lesser in this method since we cooked rice once in ghee. I don't know this method is followed in any other place.
Two of my readers had the same doubts, why their ghee rice turns yellow or the rice is so sticky after cooked. A poor quality rice, the excess amount of water, the color and less amount of ghee etc may affect the outcome.



Ingredients
Basmati rice 2 cups
ghee 3 Tbsp
onion 1
cashews and raisins as desired
fennel seeds 1/4 tsp
cardomam 2
cloves 2
cinnamon 1 " piece
water 3 cups(for 1 cup rice 1 1/2 cup water)



How to prepare
Wash and soak rice for half hour in water. Drain it and keep aside.
Boil water with salt and keep it hot.
Heat ghee.Roast cashews and raisins and take out and keep aside. Add fennel seeds and other spices with chopped onion.
When the onion is transparent, add washed and drained rice.Roast rice until it slightly changes color. Add the previously boiled hot salty water into it.
Boil , reduce heat. When the water absorbs and holes appear on top,keep the lid closed and switch off fire. Keep it covered for half hour.
When you serve, slowly separate the rice with a fork or a big spoon without pressing it much.
Garnish with the roasted cashews and raisins.
If your rice is not roasted properly, the amount of water wouldn't be enough for cooking rice completely. If so, add 1/2 cup or more hot water into it and cook for few seconds too. So keep extra hot water aside when you cook.
Keep the lid closed in the whole process. You can open the pan in-between and just stir the rice until you switch off fire.



Ghee rice is usually served with parippu / dal curry, kachambar and thairu / raita..See the dal perparation here.

See neichor with kachambar here.

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Fish Machboos / Kabsa

Arabic Rice is also known as Kubsa or Machboos. The one with chicken is always a hit at home. I love it since the preparation time is less and recipe is easy to follow. This is the traditional dish of Arabs and they add lots of raisins and nuts like almonds , pine nuts in this.Some add vegetables too.The Machboos (read makboos) preparation varies from region to region and each Middle east country has its own version of Kubsa Rice.



Ingredients
Fish 6 fillets big
basmati rice 3 cups
onion 1 big
tomato paste 3 Tbsp
cardamoms 3
cinnamons 3 pieces 1/2 " size
cloves 3
pepper corns 1 tsp
cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
pepper powder 1 tsp
saffron few strands
dried lemon 1 whole
zaatar 1 tsp optional
garlic ginger paste 2 tsp
olive oil 2 Tbsp
Hot water 6 cups
salt



How to prepare
Marinate fish pieces using pepper powder, salt and garlic ginger paste. Heat little oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces. No need to make too crisp.
Heat olive oil, add cumin seeds and all spices . Saute chopped onion in this. When it is transparent add tomato paste , washed rice and dried lemon . Add 6 cups boiled water into this. Cook it on a medium heat. When the rice is about 3/4 cooked , reduce heat, add saffron, thyme and place the fish pieces on top.Cover with a lid and cook this on low flame until done. Swich off fire when the rice is cooked. First place the fish pieces into a serving bowl. Then serve rice without breaking the fish pieces.

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Keema / Minced Meat Biryani

Ingredients
Keema 400g
basmati rice 1 1/2 cups
onions 2 chopped
tomato 1 chopped
green chillies 2
garlic paste 1 tsp
ginger paste 1 tsp
coriander leaves chopped 1/2 cup
mint leaves 1 tbsp chopped
garam masala 1 1/2 tsp
pepper powder 2 tsp
cinnamon sticks 2 numbers of 1/2 " size
cardamoms 2
cloves 2
hot water 3 1/2 cups
salt
oil or ghee
saffron few strands

How to prepare
Heat ghee in a thick bottomed vessel.
Saute onion, when transparent saute garlic and ginger paste. Add tomatoes, coriander leaves and saute for few seconds. Put crushed green chillies, pepper powder, garam masala and keema together.Add salt and 1/2 cup water and boil. When the keema is approximately cooked and the water is reduced, add rice, saffron, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves with 3 cups of hot water.
Mix and check salt and add required. When this boils mix one again, reduce heat, sprinkle the mint leaves on top and cover the vessel.
After few minutes check the water is reduced. If yes, switch off fire and keep the lid closed until the rice is cooked wholly. If you find the amount of water is not enough to cook rice add little more hot water and cook for few seconds more. See the procedure for ghee rice too for cooking rice.
You can add green peas, carrots, beans and other veggies you like to this.
Enjoy with salad and pickle!
Special thanks to dear Mona for giving the nice matters award, this is the second time, am I so nice?

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Tomato Rice

This is the way my mother cooks tomato rice.I prefer eating this as a breakfast dish or evening snack with tea. This was my usual lunch during school days. You can use any oil instead of ghee for preparing this.

Ingredients and Method
Basmati rice 2 cups
Cook rice with little salt.Drain and keep aside.

Chop 4 medium size tomatoes, 2 green chillies and 2 onions.
Heat 2 table spoons of ghee in a pan.
Put 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds.
Let it splutter.
Then saute onion in this.
Add 2 teaspoons garlic and ginger paste with 2 pinches of fennel seeds powder.
Stir for few seconds, add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves into this.
Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons (or according to taste) red chilly powder and salt into this.
Stir well.
Add 1/4 cup water for cooking tomatoes.
When tomatoes are cooked well, mix cooked rice with this. Mix well.
If you like , sprinkle little garam masala over this.

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Egg Biryani

Ingredients
Basmati rice 2 1/2 cups
Eggs hard boiled 4
Eggs to make omelet 2
onion 6
tomato 3
garlic 5 cloves
ginger 1 inch piece
green chillies 5
pepper powder 2 teaspoons
coriander leaves chopped 1/2 cup
mint leaves chopped 1 table spoon
curd 2 tablespoons
coconut grated 1/2 cup
ghee 1/4 cup
water 4 1/2 cups
garam masala powder 1 teaspoon
cinnamon stick 1 inch piece
cloves 2
cardamoms 2



How to prepare
Soak rice for 1/2 hour.
Remove outer shell of hard boiled eggs and keep aside.
Chop 1 onion and 2 green chillies. Make an omelet using these and 2 eggs.Cut the omelet into 4 or 6 pieces.
Boil water. Add cinnamon stick,cardamoms and cloves. Add enough salt. Keep it aside.
Blend coconut with curd to get a fine smooth paste.If required add very little water while blending.
Grind together garlic, ginger , green chillies and half of the coriander leaves.

Heat ghee, add chopped onions.When it turns golden, add ground paste. Stir well till the raw smell goes. Then add tomatoes, remaining coriander leaves, mint leaves,pepper powder and cook for a while.Add blended coconut-curd mixture in to this. Add garam masala and enough salt too. Mix well. Make cuts on boiled eggs, put them into the masala and cook for few seconds. Add omelet pieces also in to this.Mix.Check salt.

Pour the previously boiled water (it must be hot) in to this. Then add washed rice. Bring to boil. Reduce flame. Place lid and cook. (see procedure for making ghee rice) When holes appears on top, add 1 teaspoon pure ghee on top and switch off the fire. Keep lid closed till rice is cooked well. After 1/2 hour, mix all the contents. Have with pudina chutney and salad.

If you have any doubt about the amount of water used for cooking, then cook rice separately and add to the mixture as I have described for Chicken Biryani.

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Brinjal/Eggplant Rice

Brinjal or Egg plant rice is an Arabic dish. I learnt to prepare this from my Aunty. Last time when I met her, she cooked tasty Brinjal rice with chilli chicken and salad. This is a good way to make kids eat vegetables.



Ingredients
Rice 2 cups
Brinjals 3
Potato 1
Capsicum 1
Carrot 1
Onion 1
Tomato 1
Cinnamon sticks 3 pieces
Pepper powder 2 tsp
Olive oil or sunflower oil ½ cup
Salt

How to prepare
Boil 4 cups of water with enough salt and cinnamon sticks.

Peel potato.
Chop all vegetables as shown in picture.
Sprinkle little salt on them.
Chop onion and tomato too.
Heat oil, fry brinjal first.
Take them out and keep aside.
In the remaining oil, sauté onion, then add potato, capsicum and carrot.
Stir for few minutes till them are half cooked.
Then add tomato.
Stir by adding pepper powder.
Place the fried brinjal over this.
Then place the washed rice,add the previously boiled water into this and bring to boil.
When it boils, check salt, reduce fire, cook covered on a low flame. .
If the rice is ¾ cooked, remove from fire and keep the lid closed for 1 hour.
Mix before serve.

For making salad,
Curd 1 cup
Onion 1
Tomato 1
Coriander leaves few
Pepper powder
Salt

Chop onion, tomato and coriander leaves.
Mix them with pepper powder, salt and curd.

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Ghee Rice/Neichoru

Ingredients
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Onion(medium) - 1 no
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon(Karugapatta) - 1/2" piece
Cloves(Grambu) - 1 no
Cardamom(Elakka) - 1 no
Fennel seeds(Perinjeerakam) - A pinch
Water - 2 cups
Salt - As reqd



How to prepare
1)Soak rice in water for 30 mins.
2)Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel.
3)Add fennel seeds.
4)After a few seconds, add onion and stir, till, it turns transparent.
5)Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and stir.
6)Add 2 cups of water.:- For 1 cup of rice, add 2 cups of water.
7)Add enough salt and mix well.
8)Allow it to boil.
9)Add washed rice and let it boil.
10)Cover and cook on a low flame.
11)When there is no water, remove and keep the lid closed, until rice is cooked well.:- Serve with parippu (dal) curry , chicken or mutton curry, pickle and curd.

Kozhi varutharacha curry/ chicken curry in fried coconut gravy with potatoes is the curry usually prepares with Neichor.

How to make Kachambar
Kachambar - Chop 1 medium size onion, tomato and green chilly. Add 1/2 tea spoon chilly powder and 1 table spoon vinegar into it. Add 2 table spoons of water and enough salt. Mix well.

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Arabic Rice / Cupsa / Machboos

I have tried this dish many times.Very easy to prepare and delicious.Children will love it since it is no spicy and rice is very tasty.You can add nuts, dry fruits and vegetables to this.

Ingredients
Chicken, cut up- 1 Kg
Tomato paste, small can- 1
Onion chopped - 1
Rice basmati - 4 cups
Olive oil- 1/4 cup
Salt
Cinnamon-4 sticks of 1/2 " size
Cloves-4 numbers
Black pepper corns -1/2 tsp
Cumin-1/4 tsp
Cardamoms-4 numbers

Method
Wash and clean rice.
Heat Olive oil over medium heat in deep cooking pot.
Add chopped onions, and saute until transparent.
Add chicken, stir and cook half way done.(If you like add little pepper powder).
Add spices.Stir in 8 cups water, add tomato paste and rice.
Allow to come to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat.
Let cook until rice is tender.

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