Rice is such an important staple in Indian cuisine that there seem to be endless recipes to change things up. Lemon Rice is a classic South Indian dish that provides a real punch of flavor without requiring too many ingredients. “Lemon Rice” is also called “Chitrana” in Kannada or “Nimmakaya polihora” in Telugu. This one… Continue reading Lemon Rice (Chitrana)
Mushroom biryani is an easy, one-pot vegetarian meal, perfect for a weekday dinner. With the exception of morel mushrooms found in Kashmir, mushrooms have not historically been a part of Indian food. That started to change in the 1990s, when mushrooms started to appear in local markets. Mushrooms are a great addition to biryani since… Continue reading Mushroom Biryani
My dad only knew how to make two things for most of my life: Chai and Indian-style fried rice. Today he makes many delicious recipes, but his Indian fried rice is still a favorite. I always think of him when I make fried rice because he would make fried rice from leftover rice in the… Continue reading Quick and Easy Indian Fried Rice (Vagharelo Bhaat)
Kichidi and chaas is my all-time favorite comfort food. My mom used to make kichidi for me whenever I felt a little under the weather. The combination of steaming hot rice and lentils with a cold glass of chaas always made me feel better. Chaas is a simple combination of yogurt, salt, water and cumin.… Continue reading Rice and Lentils with Yogurt Drink (Kichdi Chaas)
Rice Pilaf is ubiquitous across most of the world’s cuisines. This is probably because it is such a great dish for large gatherings. Making a large pot of rice pilaf is not much more difficult than making a small pot.
When I was about 11, I developed an obsession with Jeera Rice. I refused to eat anything unless this rice was on my plate. Not long after I learned how to make simple basmati rice, I quickly learned to make Jeera rice for myself and for a good three month period I made it nightly.… Continue reading Jeera (Cumin) Rice
Puja taught me how to cook basmati rice many years ago but I was never completely happy with it because whenever we would go out to a restaurant the rice seemed so much better to me. It was a problem that lingered with me for years until I finally decided to sit down and figure… Continue reading How to Make Restaurant Perfect Basmati Rice at Home
