40 minutes is all you need to make this spicy and nutritious-rice dish. having browsed through three or four online recipes for the same, i worked out the easiest method and it turns better everytime!

since i’m used to making this for just praveen and me, i’ll list the ingredients below to serve two or three people.

3/4th cup – rice
1/4th cup – tur dal
two cups water
one cup vegetables sliced, long pieces as for pulau – beans, carrots, potatoes, peas or green pepper (simla mirch). the more the vegetables, the tastier the rice.
two tbsp sambar powder
two tbsp oil for seasoning (mustard and cumin seeds, dry red chillies, hing and cury leaves)
half tsp each turmeric and chilli powder
one spoon concentrated tamarind paste
salt to taste.

— wash the rice and dal together, add double the quantity of water along with turmeric, sambar and chilli powder and and pressure-cook until done.
— slice the veggies in the meantime
— heat oil in a kadhai and season with mustard and cumin seeds, one or two dry red chillies, curry leaves and hing
— add the sliced vegetables and stir-fry on high heat until they break easily. DO NOT however try breaking all of them!
— add the cooked veggies to the rice and dal in the pressure cooker and mix well. never mind if the rice gets mashed easily.
— dilute the tamarind paste in quarter-cup water and add to the mixture
— cover and cook on low heat so the tamirind is absorbed well into the rice.
serve hot with thick curd and pappadum 🙂

there are many variations to preparing this dish. in karnataka where this dish originates from, i think they also add avarekkai seeds. i don’t know what they are called in english but will find out soon enough!

anyway, i enjoy making this since it’s praveen’s favourite rice-dish. you let me know if you like it too 🙂