Recipe> Alu Tehri

Image: Alu Tehri

I found this recipe incredibly simple to make. Alu Tehri comes to the rescue on days when you don't feel like cooking or the arrival of sudden guests for lunch or dinner. All the ingredients are readily available at home, making it one of the most simple yet lavish vegetarian pulaos to make.

Ingredients

• 500 gms Basmati Rice
• 500 gms Potatoes
• 1tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 5 large garlic flakes
• 2 big onions
• Refined Oil
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method

1. Wash the rice and soak for 20 mins. Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes and slice the onions finely.
2. Crush the ginger and garlic and soak it in a little water.
3. Heat oil and fry the onions till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
4. Fry the potatoes till golden brown and remove.
5. In the same oil, add coriander, chilli and turmeric powder and fry gently.
6. Sprinkle the ginger and garlic juice and add the remains in the oil.
7. Stir and cook for a few minutes and then add the soaked rice after removing the water.
8. Add the fried potatoes, and cook for a while while mixing it well.
9. Add water to the rice one inch above the rice level and reduce the heat to low. You can also add double portion of water (1:2 ratio). If cooking in a pressure cooker, wait till the water starts to boil and then cover the lid. Give one whistle on high flame and another on low and shut the gas. If cooking the rice in an open vessel, then cook the rice till done for at least half an hour.
10. Garnish the rice with fried onions and fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with accompaniments like daal, pickle or raita.

Recipe> Prawn Pulao

Image: Yummy Prawn Pulao
Image by: Avlxyz

Text by: Tanya Munshi
Prawns are all time favourite seafood. You can have it as fry, curry, grilled – whatever takes your fancy. Prawn pulao is a non-vegetarian –cum- seafood lover’s delight. Along with the main course, prawn pulao can offer itself a mild flavour that gels perfectly well with accompaniments.
Personally, I would go for the raita and prawn pulao combination. The raita would be curd whipped with grated cucumber and onions and seasoned with green chillies and salt.

Ingredients:

• 500 to 750 gms medium size prawns
• 1 large Onion –sliced in rings
• 1 tej patta (Bay leaf)
• Salt – to taste
• 1½ tsp Ginger – finely chopped
• 1 ½ tsp Garlic – finely chopped
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Chilli powder
• 1-2 tbsp Cooking oil/ ghee/ butter
• 1-2 cups of Basmati rice – cleaned and soaked
• 1½ -2 cups of water

Method:

1. In the wok, heat the oil/ ghee/ butter and add the bay leaf.
2. Add the onion rings and fry till golden brown and set aside.
3. Add the ginger, garlic and sauté it for about a minute and the prawns.
4. Add the turmeric, chilli powder and salt and mix well.
5. Cook the entire mixture with a lid to allow the steam cook the prawns.
6. Ideally, the prawns should be half cooked, so that they don’t melt or crush when rice is added.
7. Add the soaked Basmati rice and mix well. Add the water and allow the entire thing to cook in the steam.
8. Keep checking for doneness. Taste the cooked rice; it should have enough salt that you can have it as an independent dish. But if you have accompaniments like curries then less salt in the prawn pulao is better.
9. Serve hot, with chilled raita on the side (my choice).
10. Or serve hot with accompaniments.