reStore Food Blog : Masala Bhath inspired

February 14, 2011

Dear All,

A Very Happy 3rd Anniversary to reStore and especial good wishes to all those who had the vision to start this and keep it up for 3 glorious years by pitching in and of course making reStore our primary food source… Wish you all good health, interesting and satisfying livelihoods and more time spent in beautiful thriving nature!

One of the pillars of organic and sustainable food movements is reducing or better still, avoiding wastage. For most of us it seems an elusive goal, especially when you manage to look at the bottom of the refrigerator on a Saturday morning and find wilted greens, a sad looking beetroot lurking in the corner eyeing half a bottlegourd at the other end. Instinct is to gather all of them and drop them in the trash. Two problems solved in one sweep! 🙂  But oh! the guilt!!

Here is a recipe that I use towards the weekend, which is a good alternative to the grand sweep into the trash.

It is a ‘one pot dish’, very inclusive and forgiving. With some simple condiments such as a favourite pickle or chutney, toasted papad for crunch and maybe a raita or kachumber, it makes a satisfying meal.

Use a stainless steel pressure cooker for quick and easy results.

Ingredients

1 cup Rice: Parboiled Ponni works very well.

1 tablespoon of oil (ghee if you prefer)

jeera 1/2 tea spoon

mustard seeds 1/2 tea spoon

Turmeric 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder 1 to 2 teaspoons ( as strong as you like)

Chilli powder to taste

Asafoetida to taste

Optional: Garlic to taste, garam masala to taste

Salt to taste

Water as needed

Vegetables about 2-3 cups: What you have in the fridge  – chop quick cooking or tender ones like beans, carrots and potatoes in larger chunks.  Chop cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli stalks finely.  Medium chop any, onions, capsicum, tomatoes, if using.  Wash and chop and drain greens separately.

Method:

Clean and wash rice and set aside

Heat pressure cooker until almost hot.

Add oil and the mustard and jeera seeds and let sputter

Lower heat and add the turmeric and coriander powder quickly and let fry for 10 seconds

Add the onions, garlic, capsicum and any aromatic greens such as methi (fenugreek)  now, if using.

quickly add the chilly powder and asafoetida . Garam Masala also may be added here

Let saute for about a minute until the aroma is released.

Add the rest of the vegetables and rice

Add enough water to just cover the rice and veggies.

Add the salt and stir.

Cover and cook as you would normally for the kind of rice your using.  For Ponni parboiled, I cook for about 5-6 mins on sim ( simmer setting)  after the first pressure release.

Variations: Cooked left over channa, uncooked leftover sprouts, or panneer too may be added to the rice. Remember to adjust salt and water accordingly. In the summer serve with some yummy lime pickle or mint chutney with some chopped cucumber. Don’t worry if the texture varies from sticky to dry. It will, depending on the kind of vegetables you add in.

Here you have it a complete meal within 30 minutes, even less, if your chopping skills are good! And as a added bonus guilt free fridge cleaning.

Tip for vegan and non-vegan blended families. If you are vegan and your family is not this is a great dish for all to share. Raita for the lacto half and chopped salad or kachumber for the vegan half.

We look forward to your experience with variations from your fridge!

Love those comments, keep them coming!

Gayatri