Bhat/Rice


Bhat/ Steamed Rice

In a deep pan boil water at least thrice the volume of the rice. Wash and drain the rice. When the water comes to boil, add the rice and cook over medium heat till done. Drain immediately. Wash with cold water and drain again.

Serve hot with dal and bhaja or torkari (vegetables).





Kichudi/a mixture of rice, lentils and vegetables
all cooked together.




Musur Daler Kichuri - Kichuri in which red lentils are used.


- Rice 1 cup,
- Musur Dal- Red Lentils 1 cup
- medium sized potatoes- 2
- Peas-100 gms,
- Tomato (big sized)- 1
- Cauliflower- small, 1
- Onions- 5 to 6
- Ginger paste (Ada Banta) 1 teaspoon
- Red chillies, dried, 2 (Shukno Lonka)
- Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon (Jirey)
- Bay Leaves 2
- Sliced Green Chllies 2
- Salt to taste
- Sugar 1 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
- Ghee 1 table spoon
- water 2 to 3 lits


First cut the potatoes and the cauliflower into fairly big pieces. Grate two onions and cut the remaining onions into halves.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the bay leaves, cumin seeds and dried red chilly in the hot oil. Once they start sizzling add the potatoes and cauliflower pieces in the oil. Fry them till golden brown. Once they are golden brown in colour add the onion and ginger paste to it along with the tomato pieces, tumeric and salt. Toss them for a while and then remove them from heat.
Wash and drain the rice and dal separately. Pour the water in a stock pot and allow it to boil. Once it starts boiling add the rice and musur dal. After a little while add the fried vegetables which were kept aside followed by the peas and the onions. Stir it well. Now close the lid of the pan. Check the water while cooking. Some people love Khichuri quite runny others dont- if you want it to be runny add some more water.

remove it when the dal (pulse) and rice are completely cooked and have a semi-solid consistency. Pour the ghee over the cooked Kichuri and add the sliced green chilies. Serve hot with Brinjal fritters, papadum and fried egg or Hilsha fish.

Mung Daler Kichuri - Kichuri in which Mung lentil are used.

- Basmati Rice- 1 cup
- Mung Dal- 1 cup
- Potato - 250 gm
- Turmeric Powder- 1 teaspoon
- Dhoney Banta/Coriander Paste- 1 teaspoon
- Jirey Banta/Cumin Paste-1 teaspoon
- Ginger Paste/Ada Banta- 1 teaspoon
- Coconut sliced into small pieces- ½ cup
- Sultana- ¼ cup
- Bay Leaves- 2
- Garam Masala- 1 teaspoon(4 Cardamom pods and 2 Cinnamon sticks)
- Salt to taste
- Sugar- 1 teaspoon
- Ghee- 1 tablespoon
- water- 2 lits


First wash the rice and leave it to drain . Peel the potatoes and cut them into fairly big pieces.

Roast the pulse till light golden. Heat the ghee in a pan and pour the potatoes and coconut pieces in the ghee. Fry them lightly and keep them aside.
Now put the Garam Masala ( i.e cardamoms and cinnamons) and the Bay leaves in the rest of the hot ghee in the pan. Pour the rice and dal and stir them thoroughly. Do this for 5 minutes. Add the coriander and the cumin paste along with the dried chillies. Stir them all thoroughly. Add the potatoes, the coconut and sultanas and stir them altogether.
Now pour the water and add the turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Stir it all again. Cover the lid of the pan and wait for it to cook in low heat.
Check the potatoes, rice and dal if they are cooked your Kichuri is done.

Serve it hot with an additional tea spoon of ghee on it. Eat it with Beguni - Brinjal Fritters and Dim Bhaja.



Pulao - is a rice dish containing whole spices, which can be either
plain or combined with meat, chicken or vegetables.



Vegetable Pulao


- Basmati Rice- 2 cups
- Small potatoes- 2
- Carrot- 1
- French Beans- 4
- Peas- ½ cup
- Cauliflower- floretts cut into small pieces
- Ghee- 6 table spoon
- Finely sliced ginger- 1 table spoon
- Tmato big-2 finely chopped
- Cloves- 8 pieces
- Cinnamon- 1 stick
- Cardamoms- 2
- Black Pepper- 8
- Chopped Coriander leaves- 1 tablespoon
- Green Chiily sliced- 6(deseed the chillies if you are not into hot food)
- Onion big- 1
- Cashew Nuts- 2 table spoon
- Salt to taste


Peel the carrot and potatoes and slice them finely. Slice the French Beans finely. All the vegetables should be thinly sliced in small long strips.
Thinly slice the onion. Toss the Cashew nuts and the sultanas in hot Ghee. Crush the Cardamom and the Cinnamon. Heat three tablespoon of Ghee and toss the crushed Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove and Pepper Corns along with the ginger slices and chopped tomato in the hot ghee.

After a little while add all the vegetables and the chopped Coriander leaves. Cover the pot with a lid and let the vegetables cook. If the vegetables get very dry sprinkle a liitle bit of water so that they dont stick to the bottom of the pan.

Now cook the rice in a separate container in 4 cups of boiling water.

In a Dekchi a stock pot pour a little bit of Ghee and spread a layer of rice. Place a layer of vegetable on the layer of rice. Cover this layer of vegetable with another layer of rice and then another layer of vegetable...... Carry on like this until you have used all the rice and vegetable.

Pour three table spoons of hot Ghee over the whole mixture of the rice and vetable.
Now you can cover the dekchi(rimmed,flat bottomed pan) and put the Dekchi in the oven for 5 mins in medium heat.

After 5 mins it will be done.
Serve it hot. Yummmmmmm.......



Lamb Pulao







- Cooking oil- 2 table spoon
- Ghee- 1 table spoon
- Onions medium sized- thinly sliced, 2
- Garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
- Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
- Ginger paste-¼ teaspoon
- Turmeric powder- ¼ teaspoon
- Garam Masala- (Cloves- 5,Cinnamon- 1 stick,Cardamoms- 2)
- Black Pepper- 8
- Salt- 1 teaspoon
- Natural Yoghurt- 2 tablespoon
- Tomatoes medium sized- thinly sliced.
- Lamb mince- 450 gms
- Coriander Leaves- 2 tablespoon chopped
- Basmati Rice- 450 gms
- Water- 5 cups
- Salt to taste- 1 teaspoon
- Green Chillies, fresh- 2 finely chopped
- Lime Juice- 2 tablespoon
- Saffron strands soaked in 2tablespoon milk


Wash the rice and set it aside to drain. Heat the oil and Ghee in a Karhai round bottomed pan. Add the thinly sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, chilli powder, ginger tumeric, garam masala, salt, yoghurt and tomatoes and stir fry for over a minute.
Add the lamb mince and turn up the heat to high. Stir it thorughly to prevent it from getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.While stiring try to break up the lumps of the mince. Now add in the coriander leaves and green chillies and stir them in. Once the lamb is done keep it aside.
Pour the rice into large saucepan with water, cloves, cardamoms, cumin seeds, peppercorns and salt and bring it to boil. When the rice has boiled for 2 minutes, drain off the water along with half the rice, leaving the rest in the saucepan.
Spread the cooked lamb over the rice in the saucepan and spread the remainig rice left in the strainer over the mince.
Add the fresh coriander leaves, green chillies, lime juice and the saffron in.
Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and leave it on low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Check that the rice is cooked through and mix the whole rice gently before serving.

Serve the Lamb Pulao hot.





Fruity Pulao





- Basmati Rice- 450 gms
- Ghee Butter- 6 tablespoons
- Corn Oil- 1 tablespoon
- Bay Leaf- 1
- Black Peppercorns- 6
- Green Cardamom Pods- 6
- Salt- 1 teaspoon
- Sultanas- 75 gms
- Flaked Silver Almonds- 50 gms
- Water- 4 cups


Wash the rice twice and keep it aside leaving it to drain.
Heat the Ghee and the oil in a medium saucepan. Lower the heat and add in the Bay leaf, Peppercorns and Cardamoms and toss them in the hot oil for about 30 seconds.
Add the salt, rice, sultanas, and flaked Almonds. Stirfry it for about 1 minute and then pour in the water. Once it starts boiling cover the container with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave the rice to stand still with the lid on. Wait for about upto 5 minutes.

Serve it hot





Colourful Pulao





- Basmati Rice- 450 gms
- Ghee- 6 tablespoons
- Cloves- 4
- Bay Leaf- 1
- Green Cardamom Pods- 4
- Salt- 1 teaspoon
- Water- 4 cups
-A few drops of each of Yellow,
Red and Green food colouring.





Wash the rice twice and keep it aside leaving it to drain.
Heat the Ghee and the oil in a medium saucepan. Lower the heat and add in the Bay leaf, Cloves, Cardamoms and salt and toss them in the hot oil for about 30 seconds.
Add rice and stir constantly. Pour in the water. Once it starts boiling cover the container with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Just before serving pour a few drops of each colouring at different sides of the pan. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, mix gently and serve it hot.