Dear lovely people.. While summer is taking a break and winter is sneaking in, that’s exactly when we need things to spice up a little bit and so here I am today with a spicy brown rice recipe that your entire family would love eating and of course kids are not any exceptional here ;). Before starting the recipe I just want you to know that cooking brown rice consumes a bit more time than cooking white rice, so make sure that you start cooking it ahead of time than you usually do.
This recipe tastes delicious and is power packed with all the nutritious goodness from vegetables, spices and of course brown rice.
Ingredients :
The list of spices may seem little overwhelming but I assure you that you will be overwhelmed by the taste of all it’s goodness, so excuse a little bit and give yourself permission to get into a nearby Indian / Asian/ Iranian store for the treasure hunt of finding these spices. Also don’t get stressed over having all the vegetables and species that I have mentioned here, use the ones that are available at your stores. Also if you are sensitive to spicy food, try to cut down the amount of spices that I have mentioned into half.
Brown rice-1 cup (add water according to the instructions on the rice packet)
Water- 3 ½ to 4 cups
Onion- 1 medium
Cherry tomatoes- 6 to 7
Potato’s-2 medium
Carrots- 1 large
Beetroot- 1 medium
Green chili- two
Cloves- 3
Black cardamom-1
Green cardamom- 2
Cinnamon stick- 2 inch sized
Dried kapok bud- 1 small (optional)
Black stone flower- little (optional)
Black peppercorns- 5
Bay leaves-2 small
Star anise-1 big
Ginger garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder-1 teaspoon
Garam masala -1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric- half teaspoon
Salt- 2 tea spoons
Oil /butter- 3 tablespoons
Mint leaves- a handful
Feel free to add some cashews if you have some.
Procedure:
Hey do remember to turn on some music and spice up your moves ;), because that’s all we are aiming for today’s recipe :p.
Also, make sure to soak your brown rice in lukewarm water before you put your knife on the veggies :)).
First things first, turn the stove to medium flame/heat and place a pot that has a flat bottom ensuring that the heat spreads evenly in the vessel. Add 3 spoons of oil/ butter or add 2 spoons of butter and one spoon of oil, whichever way you prefer, as my recipes always have room for little flexibility ;). I added 2 spoons of butter and one spoon of oil to give it that extra flavor. Alright, let the oil heat a bit and add all the whole masala items into it i.e peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, black and green cardamom, bay leaf,star anise, and let it cook for about a minute or two until you can feel the nice aroma of the spices, then add finely chopped onions and little bit salt to help them get cooked little faster. After the onions become translucent add turmeric and ginger garlic paste to it and cook it until the raw flavor of the ginger garlic is gone.
Now it’s time for you to add your colors i.e vegetables and mix it well and let it cook for about 5 minutes putting the lid on in a medium flame. After 5 minutes add freshly chopped mint leaves to it ( here you can also use dry mint leaves or frozen ones for example). Also add sliced tomatoes along with cumin powder and green chili to it. Mix it all very well and keep the lid on for 2 mins and then add your soaked brown rice to the masala mixture that you have been cooking until now. Give it a good stir and add water as per the instructions on the rice packet ( anywhere between 3 ½ to 4 cups), put on the lid. At this point increase the heat /flame to high and turn it down to medium once you see the rice and water is boiling. When you notice that almost all the water is used up, that’s when you need to turn down the flame completely and let it simmer keeping the lid on, until it’s finally done (brown rice takes anywhere between 30 to 40 mins to cook so… have some patience please). Here I have not used any cashew nuts but adding cashew nuts that are roasted in butter makes it more interesting in every little way, so feel free to add a handful.
Ones you are done with the cooking, give it a good stir and serve it onto the plates with Raita (i.e Diluted Yogurt with diced cucumbers, tomato’s, very finely sliced ginger and chopped onions ( your choice), cilantro or coriander, last but not the least a dash of cumin powder and little salt.
Mmm.. Nom Nommy..!! was my kids reaction to having it, also my dear friend’s 2 years old daughter enjoyed it as much as we all did.
If you are looking for a healthy swap to white rice with extra deliciousness,this is the recipe for you. To make your everyday meal interesting, include this recipe into your meal plan and enjoy every bite of it…
I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we all did. I will see you next week with another nutritious and delicious recipe, until then give yourself permission to spice up a little bit.. 😉
Kaman's Happy Tummy 