10 ways of eating rice in India

One Page Cookbooks 10 ways of eating rice in India All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Thin flattened rice Rice is parboiled, flattened and dried. It can then be eaten as a breakfast cereal, with just sugar or mixed with yogurt / milk / fruit puree .Sample Recipe : Choora Dahi .( Rice flakes and yogurt) Take a handful of thin rice flakes. Mix with half a cup of yogurt and three pinches of jaggery / sugar. Replace yogurt with mango puree and it becomes Chura Aam ( Bihar)	Rice is the staple food of South India, East India, Kashmir and most of North East India. Different regions have their own special ways of eating rice as listed below. Soaked Rice: Soaking rice is a method of ‘cooking’ it. In fact, Kumol saul, a rice from Assam can be eaten without cooking. It is soaked in water for 15 minutes till it is soft and fluffy. It is then eaten mixed with milk,/ yogurt & jaggery / sugar. Pressed and Puffed rice Another Assam specialty called Hurum rice is both pressed and puffed and can be eaten straight. Rice crepes Sample Recipe :Mangalore Neer Dosa: Take a cup of rice. Soak in two cups of water overnight. Drain. Mix in half a handful of grated coconut, three pinches of salt and blend to a smooth paste. Mix in enough water to make a thin batter. Pour a ladle on a hot non stick skillet and spread to a thin pancake. Cover with a lid and cook till done. Leavened Rice crepes: In the recipe above, replace coconut with cooked rice and mix in a pinch of yeast. Let ferment overnight. This batter is used to make Kerala aappam (usually cooked in a hemispherical pan) Seasoned rice flour: Soak two cups of raw rice in water for about 3 hours. Drain water. Spread the rice in a cloth and let dry for 3-4 hours. Grind the dried rice to a fine powder. Heat a pan. Add the powder. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. This semi cooked rice powder is the basis for a whole class of recipes below. Steamed flour (Puttu) : Take half a cup of rice powder. Add four pinches of salt and half a cup of grated coconut. Mix in water if needed so that the flour holds its shape when you press it together, but falls apart easily. The flour should resemble wet sand. Press gently in a mould and steam for 3-5 minutes. The mould should let steam pass through the bottom, through the packed flour and exit through the top, cooking it. Can also be steamed in a idli cooker. Steamed Rice noodles (Nool Puttu / Idiappam): Boil two cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and a spoon of oil. Reduce flame and gradually stir in a cup of rice flour. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate, cover with a wet cloth and knead while the dough is still hot. Pinch off tomato sized balls, place in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes. Place in an extruder and extrude into fine strands. Steamed rice dumplings: (Modak / Kozhukattai) From the dough above, pinch off a lemon sized ball of the dough and shape it into a cup. Add filling (sweet/ spicy coconut paste), close cup and steam for 5 minutes. Shopping List 250 gms : Flattened rice ( thin & thick), Puffed rice, Plain Rice, Basmati rice, Rice grits, Rice flour. 250 gms : Yogurt, coconut, mung dal, onion, Coconut 50 gms : Jaggery, peanuts, green chili, onion, oil, ghee, cumin, mustard, urad dal, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, lemon, mint, pepper.
2.: Puffed rice Rice is soaked in salt water, drained and mixed in with hot sand, which puffs it up. This crunchy snack can be eaten straight or mixed with various additives. Sample Recipe : Jhal Muri (Puffed rice salad ) Take three handfuls of puffed rice. Mix in half a handful of crushed, roasted peanuts, three pinches of grated coconut, a chopped green chili, half a handful of chopped onion and a dash of oil. ( Bihar / Bengal /Orissa)
3.: Thick flattened rice Sample Recipe : Poha (Stir fried rice flakes ) Thick rice flakes cannot be eaten straight and need to be cooked. Sample Recipe : Take two handfuls of thick rice flakes. Dunk in water and drain. Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of cumin & half a handful of chopped onions. Stir and cook till onions brown. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, chili powder, two pinches of salt and two handfuls of rice flakes. Sprinkle a bit of water. Stir and cook for 2 mins.
4.: Parched / Roasted rice flakes Thick / thin rice flakes can be dry roasted into a crunchy snack that doubles as a breakfast. Choora Ka Bhuja .( Toasted Rice flakes) Heat a spoon of oil. Add half a handful of chopped onion and a finely chopped green chili. Add two handfuls of pressed rice and two pinches of salt. Stir and cook till rice is crisp. ( Bihar)
5.: Boiled rice Rice is boiled in water and is eaten mixed with ghee / yogurt/ boiled lentils/ curries. This is by far the most common way rice is consumed in India. Sample Recipe : To one cup of rice, add two cups of water. Add to pressure cooker, close lid and pressure cook for two whistles.
6.: Fermented rice Cooked rice is fermented, mixed in with yogurt and consumed as a breakfast in rural India. Sample Recipe : Pakhala Bhat (Fermented rice) To one cup of cooked rice, add two cups of water, three spoons of yogurt and cover. Let ferment for 2-3 hours (or overnight). Mix in two pinches of salt, half a handful of chopped cucumber, a finely chopped green chili and a pinch of mint leaves. The watery portion serves as a refreshing drink. ( Orissa, Bengal)
7.: Stir fried rice Cooked rice is stir fried with a variety of additives into South India’s much loved variety rice. Sample Recipe : Fry two pinches each of mustard, curry leaves, urad dal, a chopped green chili and two pinches of salt. Mix in two handfuls of cooked rice. 1. To this rice, mix in the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of turmeric powder to make lemon rice. 2. Mix in a handful of grated and stir fried coconut to make coconut rice. 3. Mix in a handful of chopped mint to make Mint rice. Or mix in a cupful of yogurt to make curd rice ( Tamilnadu, Andhra, Karnataka)
8.:. Rice Gruel (Conjee) Rice grits are cooked in water into a soup. Sample Recipe : To one cup of rice grits , add six cups of water. Add to pressure cooker, close lid and cook for five whistles. Add seasoning to taste and serve.( Tamilnadu, South east asia)
9.: Pulao / Khichidi Rice is cooked with meats / vegetables / into Pulao or with lentils into the mushy Khichidi / Pongal. Jeera Pulao : In a pressure cooker with lid open, heat a spoon of ghee. Add three pinches of cumin. Add a cup of basmati rice, three pinches of salt and two cups of water. Close and pressure cook for two whistles. Mix & serve. ( Muglai) Khichidi / Pongal In a pressure cooker with lid open, heat a spoon of ghee. Add a pinch of cumin, 3 pinches each of crushed black pepper, salt and a pinch of chopped ginger. Add half a cup of mung dal , half a cup of rice & 4 cups of water. Close and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Mix well & serve.
10.: Rice Flatbread Sample Recipe: Ari Pathiri: Take a cup of rice flour. Mix two pinches of salt and around half a cup of boiling water. Let cool for a few minutes. While still warm, knead into a dough. Pinch off lemon sized balls, roll into thin circles and cook both sides on a hot skillet ( tava) ( Malabar / Bihar).

Building blocks of Indian Curries - The base

One Page Cookbooks Building blocks of Indian Curries (1 of 3) – The Base All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Raw Yogurt Curries (North Indian Raita, Tamil Thayir Pachadi) The simplest curry of them all. Raw yogurt mixed with raw / cooked vegetables is consumed across India. Pan Indian Recipe: Mix in half a handful of chopped onions / cucumber/ tomato/ carrots and 2 pinches of salt in a cup (200 ml) of yogurt.	Indian Curries: Anything eaten mixed with Indian staples (rice / flatbreads) is referred to as a curry in this cookbook. Most curries are flavoured with Indian spices (chiefly coriander, cumin, chilies etc ). The bewildering array of Indian curries is built from just a handful of bases listed on the left. Combine these bases with a variety of flavouring & additives - you get a never ending variety of curries. Once you get this big picture, you can mix and match bases to your heart’s content and never go wrong. More Lentil Curries Paruppu thogayal : Roasted lentils are blended to a paste with chilies, tamarind and salt. Paruppu /Parippu : Boiled and mashed tuvar / mung dal or even urad dal ( Kashmir) is eaten mixed with rice and ghee. Mashed fresh lentils used as a base in curries like Uttar Pradesh’s Nimona. Podi : Roasted lentils are blened to a powder with red chilies and salt. Roasted & powdered dals are used as a curry base as in Chainsoo & Bhatwani. More Coconut Curries Kootu : Coconut- cumin- green chilies are blended to a paste and vegetables are simmered in this base. A huge variety of Kerala curries use coconut / coconut milk as a base. More Yogurt Curries Rezala : This mugal curry has a variety of meats / vegetables simmered in yogurt flavoured by Muglai spices. Onion curries Dopyaza : Meat / vegetables are cooked in a base of Onion paste. Tomato Curries : Tomato takes the place of Tamarind in many recipes, creating milder tomato curries like Tamil Tomato Kulambu, Tomato Rasam, Bengali Jhol etc., Other Curries : Mustard – chili paste mixed with tamarind / vinegar / lemon juice forms the base for a variety of Pickles, / Tamil Thokku. No base is required for a bariety of dry curries like Khoja muslim kachumber, Tamil, Poriyal, Tamil Sundal, Chettinad Perattal, Andhra Kura, Kannada Paalya or the North Indian Sukhi Sabji. A variety of vegetables / sprouts are create these no-base, dry curries. Sun dried lentil paste is crushed and used as a dry curry as in Tamil Vatrals, Vadam/ Orissa Badi Chura / Jain Papad Choori. A variety of stuff is blended to a paste with chilies and a souring agent to create innumerable chutneys across India like peanut chutney, Marwari Lashun Chutney, Mangalore Catholic Galambi Chutney, Mango chutney , street food chutneys , Kodava Ellu Paji etc North Eastern curries are very different from regular Indian curries and show the south east asian influence. Ghee and Yogurt are probably the most used ‘curries’ across India. They are used as a dipping sauce / spread for flatbreads or eaten mixed with rice.
2.: Lentil Curries (North Indian Dal, Andhra Pappu, Konkani Dali Toy, Tamil Paruppu masiyal, ) Tuvar dal and Mung dal are cooked to a mush and eaten with rice / flatbreads across India. Pan Indian Recipe: In a pressure cooker with the lid open, add a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of cumin and half a handful of chopped onion. Stir and cook for a minute. Add a chopped green chili, half a cup of tuvar dal, a cup( 200 ml) of water, three pinches of salt. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
3.: Spinach Curries (North Indian Saag, Tamil Keerai Masiyal) A huge variety of spinach is stir fried / boiled, mashed and used as a base for many Indian curries. Pan Indian Recipe : In a pressure cooker with lid open, add a spoon of oil. Add half a handful of chopped onion. Stir and cook for a minute. Add a chopped green chili, three cups of chopped spinach and half a spoon of ginger garlic paste. Pressure cook for three whistles. Let cool and mash.
4.: Cooked Yogurt Curries ( North Indian Kadhi, Tamil More Kulambu, Andhra Majjiga Pulusu, Kannada Mosaru Baaji,) Pan Indian Recipe : Mix in two pinches each of chili powder, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder in a cup of yogurt. Simmer for 3- 5 minutes, with constant stirring. ( North Indian version uses gram flour for thickening and south Indian versions mix in coconut – cumin paste).
5.: Milk Curries (Muglai Korma, Tamil Kuruma, Kannada Saagu)) Cooking with milk is a mogul technique and many North Indian curries use milk / cream as a base. Replace milk with coconut milk / coconut paste and you get the south Indian version. Pan Indian Recipe: Heat a spoon of ghee. Add a pinch of fennel, a bit of cinnamon, a crushed cardamom, a slit green chili, a bit of ginger garlic paste and a handful of chopped mushrooms. Stir and cook for a minute. Mix in a cup of milk (North Indian version) or coconut milk (South Indian version). Mix in a pinch of garam masala and two pinches of salt. Simmer gently for 3 - 5 minutes.
6.: Onion - Tomato Curries ( Masala) Pan Indian Recipe :: Mushroom masala. Heat a spoon of butter. Add a handful of chopped mushrooms. Cook for a minute. Add a handful of chopped onions, tomatoes and a spoon of ginger garlic paste. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Mix in three pinches of garam masala, chili powder and salt. Let simmer for 5 minutes, adding more water if needed.
7.: Raw Coconut Curries (Andhra Kobbari pachadi, Kerala Thenga Chammandi, Tamil Thenga Thogayal, Tamil Coconut Chutney ) Coconut is a key building block of many south Indian curries South Indian Recipe : Take a handful of chopped coconut. Add a chopped green chili, three pinches of salt and blend to a paste.
8.:. Tamarind Curries (Tamil Kulambu, Andhra Pulusu, Kannada Gojju) Tamarind is another key building block of many south Indian curries. South Indian Recipe : Garlic Kulambu. Heat a spoon of oil. Add a handful of garlic cloves. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Mix a spoon of tamarind paste in a cup of water. Add three pinches of coriander powder, two pinches of chili powder & salt. Add to pan & simmer for 10 mins.
9.: Special Bases A variety of curry bases are used in different regions. Mustard paste ( Bengali shorshe jhol), Poppy seed paste ( Bengali / Orissa posto), Gram flour paste (Marathi Pithale), Fruit puree ( Rajasthani Mathira), Vinegar ( Goan Vindaloo), Lentil stock (Tamil Rasam , Andhra chaaru), Meat stock ( Muglai curries) , Nut paste ( Muglai Korma), Mashed vegetables (Tamil Masiyal. North Indian Bhartha, Bihari Choka), Raw Tamarind ( Kongunadu Pacha puli Rasam) etc.,
10.: Mixed bases It is a little known fact that any mixture of the above bases gives an authentic Indian curry. Some of the popular mixes are listed below: Lentil + Spinach : Kerala Molagootal, North Indian Daal Palak, Tamil Paruppu keerai Lentil + Coconut + Spinach : Tamil Keerai Kootu Lentil + Tamarind: Tamil Sambar, Marathi Aamti, Gujarathi Khatti Dal Coconut + yogurt : Konkani Tambli, Kerala Aviyal Coconut + Lentil : Tamil Kootu Lentil + Onion / tomato : North Indian Masala Dal, Andhra Tomato pappu Tamarind + Yogurt : Tamil Iru Puli Kulambu Spinach + Coconut + Yogurt : Soppina Tambli Spinach + Tamarind : Keerai Thuvaiyal Spinach + Coconut + Lentils : Tamil Keerai Kootu Coconut milk + Tamarind / Kokkum : Saraswat Sol Kadi, Tamil Thengapal Kulambu