Mango and Avocado Rice

A ripe Avocado in the fridge looked at me with a big happy smile and said 'You got to use me today!" And so I decided to pair it with some fresh spring onions and mango pulp. The result? Aromatic pulao enjoyed by our friends who spent the day with us watching the cricket World Cup 2011 finals. And since India turned out champions that night this recipe will always remain extra special. This recipe serves 8 hungry stomachs.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tspoon ajwain seeds (also called bishops weed)

7 spring onions chopped

2 tspoons ginger garlic paste

2 tspoons paprika powder

2 tspoons black pepper powder

1 tspoon dried parsley

1 tspoon dried oregano

1 tspoon balsamico

3 tablespoons mango puree

1 well riped avocado mashed

salt to taste

6 cups of basmati rice

Wash and cook rice. Keep aside to cool. To speed up the cooling process spread the rice on a large plate. (The rice needs to be cooled to prevent the grains from breaking when mixing.)

In a pan heat oil and add ajwain. Once they turn brown and you get a good aroma add the chopped spring onions. Saute well. Once soft add the ginger garlic paste, paprika and pepper and mix well. Now add the mango, avocado and the remaining herbs, i.e. parsley, oregano, balsamico and salt. Mix well and cook covered over medium heat for about 4 minutes with 1/4 cup water.

Add the cooked mixture to the cooled rice and mix well till every grain is coated. Serve warm.

Natural colour for rice

Are you tired of serving white rice all the time? Are you looking for a simple idea to make your simple pulao look exotic? I believe that the appearance of any delicacy I serve is as important as the taste. I stumbled upon this idea accidentally a couple of months ago when cooking rice in my rice cooker and steaming beet root in the steamer over the same rice cooker. 

You could add bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon to the rice when boiling. Peel the beetroot and cut into pieces and place on the steamer. The red colour from the beetroot will fall over the rice. Let the rice cool down to room temperature and then gently mix it well to get the effect as in the attached photograph. Hmmm so what do you do when you don't have a rice cooker with a steamer? You could use a regular cooker and place the beetroot over a plate with holes. For example, plates used to make idlis. Or you could boil the beet separately and pour some of the coloured water over the rice. Wait for the rice to cool and then mix it roughly.

White Sauce for Pasta

This a simple white sauce recipe for pasta which is completely vegetarian and alcohol free. For non-vegetarians you could add pieces of any meat of your choice. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: serves 4

2 tbspoons butter/ margarine

1 cup maida/all purpose flour

1 cup milk

pepper

salt

Petersillie

Powdered garlic

Oregano

Vegetables of ur choice (brocolli, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini)

2 tablespoons Grated Paneer

Any pasta

In a non-stick pan heat butter. Once melted add maida. Mix well. This will have formed some lumps by now. Add the milk and keep stirring till the lumps are gone. (Or add little maida at first then some milk and little more maida and alternate till all the maida and milk is added and well mixed.) Now add all the spices and herbs to taste. Finally add all the vegetables and cook well till vegetables are soft but crunchy. Don't forget to add the grated paneer and cook for a couple more minutes.

Boil any pasta in hot water or as instructed on the packet. Drain out the water. Run them through cold water to prevent them from sticking.

Serve.