LUNCH MENU IDEAS : 3

FROM RAK'S KITCHEN:

LUNCH MENU IDEA 3: VEGETABLE BIRYANI, CURD RICE, RASMALAI

Recipe Cuisine: Indian   | Recipe Category: Lunch 
Prep Time: 30 mins     | Cook time: 1 hr.     |  Serves: 4

1. Rasmalai can be prepared the before day and kept refrigerated. But I prepared it today after my breakfast works and kept in the fridge. I made it from scratch that is made rasgulla and then made it as rasmalai.
2. Soak rice for biryani and pressure cook rice for curd rice.
3. Finish chopping veggies for biryani. Lastly slice onion for both biryani and raita.
4. Chop tomato and keep all the other ingredients like garlic, ginger, chilli, mint, coriander ready.
5. First prepare for biryani and when it is simmered for cooking, prepare curd rice and raita.

Serve with the chilled rasmalai as dessert.

EASY RASMALAI RECIPE

Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Sweets
Prep Time: 5 mins    | Cook time: 25 mins    | Serves: 4

Ingredients

Rasgullas - 1 tin (or 8)

Milk - 2 & 1/2 cup

Evaporated filled milk - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Saffron - A pinch

Cashew nuts - 8

Elachi, powdered - 1

Pistachios - 8

Ghee - 1 tsp.

Method

1. Warm 2 tablespoons of milk and crush the saffron to it and keep it soaked till needed.

2. Take an heavy bottomed/non-stick  vessel, grease the bottom of the pan with few drops of ghee.(this is to prevent burning  of milk at the bottom)
3. Boil milk for 20-30 minutes in very low flame. Keep stirring now and then.

4. When the volume reduces almost half, add the saffron soaked in the milk, evaporated filled milk and boil for 2 more minutes.

5. Chop the nuts and fry it in ghee till golden brown and add it to the milk too, add the sugar and simmer for few minutes
6. Squeeze the sugar syrup from the rasgullas, take care you don't squeeze the rasgullas hardly (this will make the rasgulla break), just squeeze it gently.

7. Add it to the milk when it is still hot. Let it get soaked. After cooled down, refrigerate and serve cold.

8. Thick boiled milk with the caramelized smell of the evaporated milk + the saffron when combines, is the meaning of divine smell! Delicious!! The rasgullas dunked becomes soft and combines well with the rabri!

Notes:

• Do not add more than the mentioned evaporated milk as it will turn the rabri look ugly in color.
• Also too much of saffron will spoil the taste, make sure you add just a few strands.
• Keep refrigerated and tastes best when served cold….

VEGETABLE BIRYANI RECIPE

Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 30 mins    | Cook time: 30 mins     | serves: 3

Ingredients

Onion - 1 

Mixed vegetables* - As needed

Sambar powder/red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.

Salt - As needed

Coriander leaves - 2 stems

Ghee - 1 tblsp

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

^{*I used 1 carrot,1 potato,8 beans,1 fist full of frozen peas,2 baby corns,10 small florets of cauliflower.}

To grind

Mint leaves - 10 

Green chillies - 4 

Garlic (big variety) - 4

Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp.

Cardamom - 1

Cloves - 1

Star anise - 1/2

To Temper

Oil - 3 tblsp

Jeera - 1 tsp.

Bay leaves - 1

Method:

1. Soak the rice for at least 1/2 an hour. Grind the items given under ‘to grind’ table with little water to a smooth paste.
2. 

2. Chop the veggies to your desired size. Slice the onion. Heat a cooker with oil/ghee and add the items given under ‘To Temper’ table in order.
3. 

3. Add onions and fry just transparent. Add the ground masala.
4. 

4. Add sambar powder and fry in medium flame for 2 minutes. Add the veggies except cauliflower.
5. 

5. Fry for 2 minutes and add the drained, soaked rice. Give it a stir.
6. 

6. Add 1 and 1/2 cups water, salt and mix well. Check for salt and bring to boil. Add the cauliflower at this stage and mix well and cover with the lid.
7. 

7. Keep the flame in lowest possible. Cook for 8-10 minutes, give a gentle stir in between. If you want to pressure cook with whistle, then give 2 whistles in medium flame.
8. 

8. Top with ghee and coriander leaves and serve hot with onion raita!

Notes -
Variations you can make

• Add chopped tomatoes or a tsp. of lemon juice along with the veggies.
• Fry cashews and bread squares in ghee and top the Biryani.
• The water quantity varies with the quality of the basmati rice.
• Soaking the rice for more time gives moist rice and gets cooked easily. So soak as much as possible.
• You can add vegetables of your choice.
• I added cauliflower in the end because, the cauliflower we get here gets mushy soon. If you are using organic cauliflower you can use it along with other veggies.
• You can cook in thin coconut milk instead of water.
• You can also grind 1/4 cup of coconut along with the ingredients to grind.
• Add oil or ghee generously to get rich taste.

CURD RICE

Recipe Cuisine: Indian    | Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 10 mins    | Cook time: 20 mins    | Serves: 2

Ingredients

Raw rice (I used sona masoori) - 1/2 cup

Curd/ plain yogurt - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Butter (optional) - 1 tsp.

Mango, chopped finely - 2 tblsp

Cucumber, chopped finely - 2 tblsp

Carrot, chopped finely - 1 tbsp.

Coriander leaves, chopped finely - 1 tblsp

Curry leaves - few

Green chilli, chopped finely - 1

Ginger, chopped very finely - 1 tsp.

Salt - as needed

Asafoetida - a pinch

To temper

Oil - 2 tsp.

Mustard - 1 tsp.

Urad dal - 1 tsp.

Asafoetida - 1 generous pinch

Cashew nuts, broken - 1 tblsp

Curry leaves - A sprig

Method

1. Wash the rice thrice and pressure cook with 1 & 3/4 cups of water for 5 whistles in medium flame. Once done, mash the rice well and mix boiled, hot milk (add butter at this stage). Add more water if needed.

2. Let it cool down. Add the curd and mix well. 
3. Add all the other ingredients in the table and mix well. Lastly temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table.

Notes

• The ingredients like carrot, cucumber, and mango are optional. It’s subject to availability ;) Even cashews are optional.
• If you don't like coriander leaves raw, you can add it while you temper and its gives a unique flavor. Try it yourself for once. (Thanks for the tip Jey)
• Butter is also optional, but if you make it for any special occasion, do add it, it gives a nice creamy flavor!
• Sometimes instead of veggies I add fruits too. Grapes, pomegranate and apple are perfect for it.
• Do not add cold milk to the hot rice. Heat milk and add it. Instead of milk, you can add hot water too, but milk gives richness to the curd rice.
• Before adding curd, ensure the rice is cooled down, because adding curd to hot rice will kill the live cultures in the curd and may not be friendly to your tummy!
• Please adjust the milk, curd and water quantity according to the consistency you need. If you like tangy taste, add more of curd.
• If you are packing for lunch box, I would suggest for more milk and less curd and addition of chilli and cucumber prevents the curd rice turning too sour/tangy.
• You can even add the chillies and ginger while you temper.
• If you make curd rice for kids, avoid green chilli.