Jeera Rice Recipe | How to make Jeera Rice [Video]

Jeera Rice or Cumin Rice is a simple flavorful rice main made by cooking Basmati rice with whole and ground cumin seeds. Jeera Rice is earthy, fragrant, healthy and delicious. It also fits into various diets - vegan, gluten-free and plant based with no or minimal alterations.

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I always considered December as the slowest month of the year at work. With everyone in the world looking forward to the holidays and doing their last minute holiday shopping, baking boozy cakes, and making travel plans. This year hasn't turned out to be that - Slow. Come December, and I've been busier than usual at work, and it may have something to do with the holidays. May be everyone wants to complete what they started before going off to enjoy some quality time with family. And that means we are all working twice as hard and scrambling to get stuff done at office. All in all, extremely exhausting and stressful. Add in all those pending treats from friends and dinners with family. It's led to me barely cooking on weekdays.

And when I am stressed out or busy, all I look forward to is comfort food. And my idea of comfort food is simple Indian food, especially, Rice. I hate to say this, but I think I secretly like rice. I spent a better part of my life, telling people how much I hate rice and how much I love wheat. If it was a battle of the cereals, my teenage self would have fought front and center of the wheat army. But now a days, I realize that although I eat wheat more regularly than rice, I tend to lean towards rice when I need comfort. And with such chaos at work, I've never needed more comfort. And this Jeera Rice is that and more. It is flavorful comfort food that is easy on your body and time.

This Jeera Rice is not hot nor heavy on the spices, but it is definitely not flavor less. It has loads of that earthy cumin flavor. Plus it has the fragrance of Basmati Rice. You can get all chefy on this recipe and add all sorts of whole spices, but I kept it simple. Of all the spices out there, Cumin has to be my favorite. I add cumin to my tadka all the time.

You can make Jeera Rice two ways, one by tempering leftover rice with cumin seeds and the other by cooking raw rice along with cumin seeds. This recipe is the latter. I made this Jeera Rice in a pressure cooker, you can also make it in a pan or in a rice cooker. Jeera rice is Vegan, gluten free and healthy. It can also fit into a plant based diet, by totally eliminating the oil in the recipe.

Jeera Rice is almost always accompanied by a flavorful Dal. There are several recipes of Dal on One Teaspoon Of Life that will go wonderfully with this Jeera Rice.

• Restaurant style Dal Fry
• Pancharangi Dal or Panchmel Dal
• Palak Dal
• Heerekai Tove
• Dal Makhani

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Jeera Rice Recipe

Jeera Rice is a vegan and gluten free rice main dish made by cooking basmati rice along with cumin seeds.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Total time:     50 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Basmati Rice
1.5 cups Water
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 Green Chilli, chopped
3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash the basmati rice 5-6 times until the water runs clean. Drain and keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds.
3. Once they brown slightly, add in the chopped green chilli.
4. Add the basmati rice and mix until the oil coats the rice grains.
5. Add in the water and cumin powder.
6. Add salt to taste.
7. Cover and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles or 5-8 minutes after the pressure builds up.
8. Serve hot with dal.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Corn Spinach Pulao

Ghee Rice

Mint Rice

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Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters Recipe | Broccoli Cutlets Recipe [Video]

Broccoli Zucchini Fritters or Tikkis are cutlets made from finely chopped broccoli, grated zucchini, carrots and peas along with some cheese and spices. The fritters are shallow fried in this video. Broccoli Zucchini Fritters are a fun way to eat the healthy vegetables. This recipe is kid-friendly and the perfect dish to sneak in vegetables to your children.

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It's a Fabulous Friday and I'm back with a snack recipe. I realized you can never have enough of those.

These fritters are so DELICIOUS, you won't even know they are made from such healthy ingredients. It has so many vegetables, it is almost a salad! So these fritters are made with one of my favorite veggies - Broccoli. I've been in love with the vegetable since I first tasted it. The taste, the texture, the color, I cannot get enough of it and I find it hard to accept that there are folks out there hating this awesome vegetable. 

You have to try these Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters if you are a Broccoli lover like me, and you have to especially try it if you hate Broccoli. This recipe will CONVERT you! Trust me when I say, you won't even realize that you ate it with all the delicious medley of flavors in there. 

So these cutlets or fritters are not just about the Broccoli, as I mentioned, it is practically a salad, just shaped beautifully and shallow fried, but a salad nevertheless. It has the added goodness of carrots, now all of us love carrots, right? Now tell me you definitely love Zucchini. I totally do. Carrots, eh, not so much, but Zucchini, I can do so much with. Zucchinis are so versatile, use them in Zoodles, use them as a Lasagna sheet, or you can use them in a frittata like I did. Then I just added in some frozen green peas, because I just wasn't satisfied with all the other healthy ingredients... ok, jokes apart, the peas add a slight sweetness and texture that I really really like.

Some points...

• To make these fritters, the veggies are microwaved before mixing in the other ingredients. This helps in reducing the batter getting moist at a later time. You can also lightly saute the veggies or just steam them slightly before using. 
• Soaked and crumbled bread is added to help bind the veggies together. You can use bread crumbs instead. 
• I used Pizza Cheese, which is a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Use any cheese you have. I recommend something that melts easily.
• Deep fry or bake if you desire, I found shallow frying gives it the texture I desired without using too much of oil.

These cutlets are kid friendly and a perfect way to sneak in vegetables to your children.

These Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters are a perfect appetizer to serve for dinners or as a fancy tea time snack. 

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters Recipe

Broccoli and Zucchini Fritters are shallow fried vegetarian cutlets made from broccoli, zucchini, carrots and green peas.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Total time:     35 minutes
Yield:                Makes 8 cutlets

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped Broccoli
0.25 cup Green Peas
1 Carrot, grated
1 small Zucchini, grated
2 slices Bread
0.5 cup Pizza cheese, grated
2 Tbsp Corn flour (corn starch)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Oil to fry

Method:

1. Add chopped broccoli and green peas to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
2. Squeeze out the water from the zucchini and add to the bowl along with grated carrot.
3. Microwave on high for another 2 minutes.
4. Add grated cheese, cornflour, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix well.
5. Soak the bread in water and squeeze out the water. Crumble the bread and add to the bowl. Mix well.
6. Divide the batter and shape into patties.
7. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the patties in it.
8. Flip when the first side browns.
9. Remove from oil once both sides browns.
10. Serve hot with ketchup.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Curried Rice and Zucchini Fritters

Dahi Kebab

Millet Cutlets

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Mint Rice Recipe | How to make Pudina Rice | Pudina Pulao Recipe [Video]

Mint Rice or Pudina Pulao or Pudina Rice is a simple vegan one pot dish of fragrant Basmati rice cooked along with a fresh mint puree, vegetables and spices. Perfect for weeknights when you are short of time.

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Monday blues came in early this week. I had a one day weekend. Just Sunday… Sigh! I technically had a Saturday, but that was spent attending an event at Office and all my usual Saturday stuff landed into my Sunday and I was left with no rest day.

Between my load of laundry and dusting the house, I have absolutely no idea where that Sunday just disappeared into thin air. Literally, I blinked and my weekend was over.

I’m a planner, at least I try to be most of the times. Not necessarily execute all that I planned but plan I do. My weekly meals are all well planned on Saturday. I buy all the groceries and vegetables over the weekend and chalk out a small menu on a post it and stick it onto my fridge. This way I don’t need to stress out on weekdays wondering what to cook next. I still fret around about what to cook, but that fretting is now limited to Saturdays. I also wash all my vegetables and fruits on the weekend and sometimes chop them and store them in the fridge to make my weeknights easier. With my erratic work schedule, I need all the prep I can do.

Guess what happens when the planner loses one day of prep time. She panics!!!

That’s when come out simple recipes that can be whipped up in a jiffy. And so I made this evergreen Mint Rice or Pudina Rice. I did not have to go out and buy anything. Well… at least not the hero of the dish – the Mint. I’ve spoken a lot about my little Mint patch many times before, so I won’t bore you with that once again. 

This Mint Rice requires no prep in advance at all. It also uses exactly 2 vessels – the blender or mixer and the pressure cooker. Just blend together the mint, coriander leaves, spices, ginger and garlic and cook it along with the rice and some optional vegetables in the pressure cooker. You can use your rice cooker or even a deep saucepan to make this Mint Rice.

I added potato, tomato and green peas. You can skip them or go ahead and add vegetables like green beans or broccoli. I assure you it will taste amazing. 

Mint Rice tastes great with mixed vegetable Raita or plain yoghurt.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Mint Rice | Pudina Rice | Pudina Pulao

Mint Rice is a one pot dish of rice cooked along with a mint puree, vegetables and spices.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Total time:     35 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped Mint leaves
0.5 cup chopped Coriander Leaves
0.75 cup Basmati Rice
1 Onion
1 Tomato
1 Potato
0.25 cup Green Peas
1-2 Green Chilli
1 Tbsp chopped Ginger
1 Tbsp chopped Garlic
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
0.25 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Cloves
1" Cinnamon stick
1 Bay Leaf
0.5 Lime
3-4 tsp Oil
1.5 cups Water
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash the basmati rice until the water runs clean. Drain and keep aside.
2. Slice the onions and chop the tomato. Peel and dice the potato.
3. In a blender or mixer, blend together the mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilli, ginger, garlic, coriander powder, cumin powder and juice of half a lime along with 1-2 Tbsp water to a smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon and the bay leaf.
5. Fry for 1 minute on medium heat or until fragrant.
6. Add the onions and fry until browned slightly.
7. Now add the green peas, potato and tomato and fry for 30 seconds.
8. Add the mint-coriander paste and mix well.
9. Add in the rice and mix well.
10. Add 1.25 cups of water, garam masala and salt to taste.
11. Cover and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles or 5-8 minutes after the pressure builds up.
12. Serve hot with raita.

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Misal Pav Recipe | How to make Misal Pav [Video]

Misal Pav Recipe. This video shows how to make popular Maharashtrian spicy vegan curry called Misal. Misal is a curry made with sprouts and coconut that is topped with Sev or Mixture and served with Pav.

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Bangalore has the weirdest weather of all places I've been to. It can be bright and sunny one day and pouring cats and dogs the next. We ran through October like it was Summer, barely a hint of chill in the air and the Sun was all powered on. And then we got loads of rain, just when I was ready to get those light trousers and leather footwear out !!  Finally, since mid-November, the chill has been setting in and it feels like Winter, at least in the evenings. The days are still as hot as Summer.

When it's cold outside, I want to stay cozy inside and eat warm spicy curries while lazily watching reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. And this Misal Pav totally fits the bill. It is spicy, hearty and best of all, you can top it up with awesome crunchy things.

When I think of Misal Pav, it takes me back to my college days. Thursday night dinner in hostel was Misal Pav and it was actually horrible. If one were to eat that Misal Pav, one would never ever dare to eat one again. I don't know how the cooks in the hostel mess could mess up something so simple, but they managed to put up an unappetizing dish in the name of Misal Pav. It was only when I ate Misal Pav in a Maharashtrian restaurant that I came to appreciate the flavor and texture of this spicy vegan affair.

Misal pav is a simple yet complex dish. It is simple to cook, but the flavors are complex, the textures are complex. Misal consists of 3 main things:

• Usal - Usal is a quick curry made from sprouts. Sprouts are boiled with turmeric, salt and a little bit of asafoetida. You can add other spices to usal when you want to have it plain, but when you are cooking usal for Misal Pav, it is best to keep it simple. Generally, moth bean sprouts or matki sprouts are used for Misal Pav, but if you don't have moth beans, just use mung beans or any other sprouts that you can.
• Kat - The spicy coconut based curry that dominates the flavor of Misal Pav is called the Kat. Kat is made by grinding together spices, coconut, onion and tomatoes and boiling them until the flavor develops. I have used Kokum as the souring agent in the Kat, you can use tamarind pulp instead. Kokum helps in giving a darker color to the Kat, that you may miss if you use tamarind. If you have access to Misal masala powder, then you can use that instead of the whole spices I have used.
• Sev/Mixture/Farsan - This is the fun part of Misal Pav. Misal is always topped with crunchy spicy mixture. You can use any topping of your choice - papdi, ghatia, sev, chiwda etc. The more you add, the better it tastes. Only thing to remember is to add this at the end, while serving, else your mixture will get soggy and loose its texture and flavor.

Serve Misal with toasted Pav or regular bread. And always serve it piping hot!!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Misal Pav Recipe | How to make Misal Pav

Misal is a popular spicy vegan Maharashtrian curry that is served with Pav bread. Misal is made with sprouts and coconut and is topped with Sev or Mixture.

Recipe Type:  Curry
Cuisine:            Maharashtrian, Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

For the Usal:

2 cups Sprouts
2 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the Kat:

1 large Onion
1 large Tomato
0.5 cup grated Coconut
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Clove
1" Cinnamon
0.5 tsp Pepper
1-2 Bay leaves
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 Tbsp chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp chopped Ginger
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
3-4 Kokum peels or 1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
1-2 cups Water
Salt to taste

To assemble the Misal:

1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
2 cups Sev or Mixture
0.5 cups Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:

To make the Usal:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
2. After the mustard seeds splutter, add the sprouts, turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida (hing) and 1 cup water. Cover and cook until the sprouts are cooked.
3. Grind the clove, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, garlic, coriander powder and cumin powder into a coarse masala without any water.

To make the Kat:

4. Soak the kokum peels in 0.5 cup warm water and keep aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add the coarsely ground masala.
6. Saute the masala until fragrant, then add chopped onion.
7. Once the onions are slightly browned, add in chopped tomato and grated coconut.
8. Fry for 2-3 minutes, then grind everything to a smooth paste with a little water.
9. Pour back the masala into the pan.
10. Add in turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, soaked kokum peels or tamarind pulp and 1 cup water. You can remove the kokum peels after a while if the gravy has reached the sourness you desire.
11. Allow it to come to a boil and let it boil for 8-10 minutes.
12. Adjust seasoning if required. Add more water for a looser consistency. If you want a thicker consistency, boil it longer.

To assemble the Misal Pav:

13. To serve the Misal Pav, add the usal in a bowl.
14. Pour over the spicy kat.
15. Top with finely chopped onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves.
16. Top with sev or mixture and serve with toasted pav.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Goan Pao Bhaji

Bombay Pav Bhaji

Tawa Pulao

Read more ...

Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta [Video]

Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta. Crusty grilled bread topped with sweet cumin roasted butternut squash, artichokes cooked in the oven until soft, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. This vegan appetizer is perfect for soirees and parties. Included is a video that shows how to roast butternut squash and how to cut and prepare artichokes to cook in the oven.

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Hey, we are mid week already!!

If you are an optimist (which I am sure you are), you are thinking you are halfway through to the weekend. So true!! Shouldn't we celebrate? I  say we should with this Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta.

I simply LOVE Butternut Squash. It's a beautiful vegetable. For those who haven't had one, it is the closest in taste to red or orange pumpkin, but slightly firmer in texture. You can replace butternut squash with pumpkin too. But I love the texture of a butternut squash. And roasting it brings out the sweetness of the squash. I kept the flavor profile very simple, just red chilli and cumin. The red chilli brought a nice heat to the otherwise sweet squash and the cumin added a little earthy flavor that worked wonderfully with the sweet squash. The little cubes are so tasty, you won't stop eating them while cooking, so make a little more than you would like to serve. Your own secret stash.


Next in, the Artichokes. This is not something very regularly available in India. I happened to find it stocked in the supermarket near my house and I couldn't resist buying it. Good decision, though. The last time I had cooked artichokes, Raj was totally unimpressed. He almost forbade me to buy them this time. But after this time, I may have at least converted him to tolerating them. I almost steamed the artichokes in the oven and they turned out all soft and melt in your mouth texture, that was really appetizing. I absolutely loved them with just salt and olive oil. Gee preferred adding in some Italian seasoning. Season the artichokes according to your taste.

Good quality crusty bread works best for a Bruschetta, but you can use what you have. You can even use crackers.

This Roasted Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta is a perfect snack or appetizer that you can serve for a Sunday Brunch, or Friday night Cocktails, or a just a soiree with friends. It is also something that you can prepare in advance, so you can leave your hair loose and enjoy with your family and friends and just accept the compliments that will come your way. Happy celebrating!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Butternut Squash and Artichoke Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer in which crusty grilled bread is topped with sweet cumin roasted butternut squash, artichokes cooked in the oven until soft, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. This vegan appetizer is perfect for soirees and parties

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Italian
Prep Time:     15 hours
Cook time:     60 minutes
Total time:     75 minutes
Yield:                Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

2 Baguettes
1 Butternut Squash
2 Artichokes
0.5 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2-3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt to taste
Water as required
1 Lime or Lemon
2 Tbsp freshly cracked Pepper

Method:

1. Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds. Dice it into bite sized pieces of about 1 cm.
2. Add salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil and mix well.
3. Layer them on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 220 degree Celsius or until soft.
4. In the meanwhile, prepare the artichokes. In a large bowl, take water and add lime juice to it and keep close by. Acidulated water prevents artichokes from browning.
5. Cut the top of the artichoke and remove the tough outer leaves. Keep dipping the artichoke in lime water to avoid browning.
6. Trim the stem and cut the artichoke into half and soak it in the lime water.
7. Once all the artichokes are prepped, place them in a baking pan and drizzle olive oil and salt over them. Use your fingers to rub the salt and oil into the artichokes.
8. Add water to the pan and cover with aluminium foil.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until soft in an oven at 220 degree Celsius.
10. Allow the artichokes to cool a little and either chop them or separate the individual leaves.
11. Slice the baguettes and grill them or toast them until crisp.
12. Top with the artichokes and butternut squash.
13. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top with freshly cracked pepper for taste.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Grilled Veg Sandwich

Breakfast Bruschetta Duo

Masala Bread Toast

Read more ...