Here is a fool proof, Karnataka special Vegetable pulao recipe (vegetable palav) with step by step pictures and video. This mixed vegetable pulao is a must and should recipe in all the weddings, lunch buffet and parties in Bangalore, Karnataka. In hotels, its called as rice bath or veg palav in the menu. In our school moms group, we used to conduct kitty party once in a month in one of our houses. Mostly it would be a lunch party. I still remember Tara’s kitty party lunch menu. I had this pulao for the first time in her house and after that in few hotels, marriage functions and birthday parties. My friends call this as “Palav” in Kannada. I am a big fan of this Karnataka style pulao especially for its wonderful flavor. I don’t mind eating one full plate of it.
I got this recipe from Tara and made it for our Sunday Lunch last week. It came out very well with the awesome masala flavor which is the highlight of this pulao. Tara makes it super spicy and very tasty. The whole pot gets emptied in few minutes. Thanks a lot Tara for teaching me this wonderful, authentic Karnataka veg pulao recipe to me. Now I am confident enough to try this rice variety for my guest and parties. This pulao looks mild green in color.
In some hotels here, they serve a red colored pulao adding red chilli powder. If you are looking for that version, check out this delicious and Restaurant style SPICY VEG PULAO recipe which I learnt from my another friend Megha. Now lets see how to make this yummy, Karnataka style Vegetable pulao with step by step pictures and video !
Karnataka style vegetable pualo recipe
How to make Karnataka style veg pulao recipe at home
Green chillies - 6 nos ( use 8 for more spicy taste, 4 for less spice)
Mint leaves - a handful
Big onion - 1/2 no
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
Cloves - 3 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos
Ginger - 1.5 inch piece
Garlic cloves - 8 nos
Water - as needed ( to grind to paste)
HOW TO MAKE KARNATAKA VEG PULAO - METHOD
Wash and soak 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water for 15 to 30 minutes. Wash and chop the vegetables into small cubes.
Grind the ingredients given under “ To grind” to a smooth paste by adding required water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base and add the whole garam masala. Saute until aromatic and then add sliced onions. Saute till transparent. Now add the tomato pieces and saute till mushy.
Add the ground masala paste. Mix well for a minute. Now add chopped vegetables, mix well for a minute. Then add the soaked rice along with water. Add dhania powder, crushed kasoori methi(optional) and required salt in the water. Mix well. Take some water and check for taste. Add more salt if required and slit green chilli for spicy taste.
Pressure cook in very low flame for two whistles. Open the lid after the steam is released completely. Fluff the rice gently with a fork. Remove in a plate and serve hot with onion raita ! This rice looks slightly mushy when hot. But rice grains become fluffy and separate as it cools down.
If you are making it for parties or functions, make this pulao one hour in advance and let it be in the cooker to stay warm. If it cools down, sprinkle very little water and reheat it for few minutes before serving. Tastes and smells yum !
Enjoy !
Note
My friend Tara adds 8 to 10 chillies for the mentioned quantity. But I used 6 as my chillies were spicy. Adjust the quantity based on your taste. You can even add slit chillies in the water if you feel spiciness is less.
If you want, you can use red chilli powder or red chillies instead of green chillies while grinding the masala.
Addition of dhania powder and kasoori methi gives a nice flavor to pulao. Kasooi methi is not added usually in Karnataka style pulao, but I followed my friend's suggestion :)
Good quality raw rice is used for Karnataka style pulao. You can replace with basmati rice of you wish. In that case, use 1:1.5 cups of rice and water ratio based on the rice you have.
For variations, you can use coriander leaves instead of mint leaves but flavor may vary.
Try this yummy, spicy Karnataka style veg pulao for your weekend lunch or lunch box, Enjoy !
I am a big big fan of South Indian tomato rice (Thakkali sadam in Tamil). So I keep trying varieties of tomato rice recipes. Earlier I had posted my version ofthakkali sadam in which the spicy tomato paste is mixed with cooked rice. Then I shared my friend Shalini’s tomato rice recipe using electric rice cooker.
Today I have shared about how to make tomato rice directly in a pressure cooker. I learnt this recipe from my Thangam Athai ( My dad’s sister). Its a very simple, quick and easy to make rice variety that is ideal for lunch box preparation.
Bachelors and working women would love this recipe. This tomato rice recipe is prepared with very less whole garam masala ingredients and had a slight spicy taste.So it has become our family favorite.I loved it very much and had the same for my lunch & dinner as well. Simple onion raita and a papad or vadagam would be the best side dish for this tomato rice.
Friends, Do try this yummy South Indian style Tomato rice recipe for your lunch box. I am sure you will love its taste. Now lets see how to make Thakkali sadam using a pressure cooker easily with step by step photos. I have updated this recipe with a full video, Please check it !
Green chilli - 1 no ( Long one, Finely chopped, use 3 slit chillies for spicy rice)
Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( add 1.5 tsp for spicy rice)
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
Cloves - 2 nos
Garlic cloves - 5 nos
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - a fistful ( finely chopped)
Salt – as needed
Water – 2 cups
HOW TO MAKE TOMATO RICE IN COOKER - METHOD
Wash and chop the onion, tomato, green chilli, garlic cloves, curry leaves and coriander leaves very finely. Wash and soak the rice adding 2 cups of water for 30 minutes. ( If using basmati rice, add 1.75 cups of water)
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base, add cinnamon and cloves. Add finely chopped garlic cloves and saute for a second. Then add the chopped onion and sauté till transparent. Add finely chopped green chilli and curry leaves. Saute for few seconds.
Add finely chopped tomato pieces and the required salt for rice. Saute until tomato turns pulpy and mushy. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix well for few seconds. Lastly add the soaked rice along with water. Mix well and check for taste. Add more salt & red chilli powder based on it. Pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It takes 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid after the steam is released.
Mix the cooked rice with a fork. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves, mix well and serve hot with raita & papad.
Enjoy !
Note
Add more chilli powder if you want spicy tomato rice.
Adding coriander leaves gives a nice flavor to this rice. So do not skip it
You can also add mint leaves along with curry leaves if you like the flavor of mint leaves.
I have used steamed rice/ puzhungal arisi. You can use basmati rice or raw rice. But soak the rice in water for minimum 30 minutes to get fluffy, soft and grainy rice.
Enjoy this delicious South Indian style tomato rice recipe and have a quick lunch !
Andhra Pulihora also known as Chintapandu Pulihora in Telugu is a must try recipe during festival time. As Varalakshmi Vratham is fast approaching, I thought of sharing some Andhra style neivedyam recipes for this festival. This morning, I was asking my friend Megha about Varalakshmi Vratham special recipes as her MIL belongs to Andhra. She suggested recipes like Boorelu, appalu, Garelu and Pulihora. As our family is a big fan of tamarind rice, I started with this recipe. The ingredients and preparation of Andhra Pulihora is completely different from our Tamil nadu style Puliodharai. Its a very simple recipe without any grinding job. In the traditional temple style pulihora recipe, they add sesame seeds powder or mustard powder. But I made the basic version as told by Megha and watched Attammaa TV YouTube video recipe too for more reference. This Puliogare paste i.e. Pulihora Pulusu can be quickly made in minutes if you have readymade tamarind paste in hand. Its an ideal choice for quick lunch box recipe. Raksha loved it a lot and asked me for second serving as well. But this pulihora needs a standing time of minimum 2 hours for all its flavors to blend well. So friends do prepare this rice at least two hours before serving to relish its actual taste and flavor. Now lets see the step by step recipe of how to prepare Andhra Pulihora / Chintapandu pulihora in detail.
I got this recipe from Captain TV cookery show. It was demonstrated by a Muslim lady, Mrs. Humayun ( Sorry I don’t remember her name exactly) and she told its one of the traditional breakfast recipes of Tamil Muslims. This is an entirely different version from our usual dal kichdi recipes served in hotels. Its cooking procedure and ingredients are more like biryani. So I got impressed with the recipe and thought of trying out this authentic version. I made it for our Sunday lunch along with curd rice and fruit custard. It was mildly spiced and tasted yummy with nice flavor of moong dal and masala .I served this khichdi with Mint leaves chutney/Pudina chutney as suggested by her. Sendhil & Raksha loved it and told me prepare this for their lunch box too . Its a very easy, quick, one pot meal ideal for breakfast and lunch box. Try this once. Ok, lets see how to make this easy, one pot Muslim style Khichdi recipe for breakfast/ lunch!
Check out my Muslim Veg Dalcha and ghee rice recipes too !
Muslim Khichdi Recipe
Muslim khichdi recipe using rice, moong dal and vegetables served with Mint chutney - A healthy breakfast recipe with a side dish !
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Breakfast recipes
Serves:Serves 3
Prep time:10 Minutes
Cook time:20 Minutes
Total time:30 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 240ml
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Mixed vegetables - 1/2 cup (1 carrot, 1 potato, a handful of green peas)
Water - 1.5 cups
Salt - as needed
To saute
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom - 2 each
Big onion - 1 no
G&G paste - 2 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos ( use 4 nos for more spicy)
Tomato - 2 nos ( small)
Mint + coriander leaves - a handful
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
METHOD
Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 minutes. Wash and soak the dal in another bowl separately. In the mean time, chop the onion, tomato, mixed vegetables.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base and saute cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Now add the sliced big onion,g&g paste slitted green chilli and saute until onion turns transparent and raw smell goes off.
Now add the chopped tomato pieces, mint + coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt. Saute till tomato turns pulpy. Drain the excess water from the soaked dal and add the dal to the cooker. Saute for a minute. Add the chopped vegetables and mix well.
Add 1.5 cups of water and check for taste after the water starts to boil Add more salt or put some slit green chillies if you want to add more salt or make it more spicy.Mix well and add the soaked, drained rice. Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Remove the lid after the steam is released. Fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve hot with Mint chutney and onion raita .Enjoy !
For Mint chutney
Take a handful of mint leaves + coriander leaves in a mixie jar. Add 3 tbsp of grated coconut, 2 green chillies, 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, salt , a pinch of turmeric powder and a small piece of tamarind. Grind everything to a smooth paste. Serve it with khichdi.
Note
Add 3-4 green chillies for spicy taste.
Do not forget to use mint+coriander leaves as it gives a nice flavor. Add Mint leaves at least.
Adding ghee at the end gives richness and nice flavor. Skip it if you don’t want to increase the calorie.
Try this easy, healthy one pot meal at home and enjoy !
When I shared Muslim wedding biryani & Kuska recipes in my Biryani series, few readers asked me to share Muslim home style Brinjal gravy ( Kathirikai Kuzhambu) for biryani. I did share an Ennai Kathirikai Gravy for biryani. But later I realized it was not the one my readers asked for. Again I got a mail and a comment in my biryani recipes to share Muslim Veg Dalcha recipe which is served as a side dish for ghee pilaf/Nei choru and they call it as Bahara Khana. Its very special among Nagore,Tamilnadu and Hyderabad Muslims. I started searching for the authentic recipe and found it in Jaleela Kamal mam’s blog. Recently when I was telling about Thalcha kuzhambu to my dad, he told he had tasted it in his friend Mr.Ibrahim uncle’s house & called him immediately.I talked with his wife Sharmila Banu aunty and got the recipe for Dalcha along with ghee rice. She told they make dalcha with mutton & vegetables. But she suggested me to use brinjal and bottle gourd as I asked for a vegetarian version.It was very similar to Jaleela mam’s recipe.It is so easy and quick to make. So I was double happy and satisfied of trying the authentic, original, traditional Muslim style Dalcha gravy recipe.You can prepare Dalcha and ghee rice simultaneously if you have 2 pressure cookers in hand. Sharmila aunty told me to use DUM method for making ghee rice just like Hyderabadi biryani . But I did it in my cooker directly as I started cooking very late. Soon I will try to make a detailed and perfect ghee rice post. Aunty was sooo sweet and patient. She spent nearly half an hour over phone and shared many of their specialty recipes for Iftaar and Ramadan. I must try to post them one by one soon. Thanks a bunch Aunty and Jaleela Mam for sharing this wonderful Dalcha recipe.Now lets see how to make South Indian Veg Dalcha gravy with step by step pictures.
Check out my 40 Veg Biryani Recipes too !
Dalcha recipe&Ghee rice
Veg dalcha rcipe with ghee rice - Muslim style
Cuisine:Indian
Category:Lunch recipes
Serves:Serves 2
Prep time:10 Minutes
Cook time:20 Minutes
Total time:20 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup – 240ml
To Pressure cook for Dalcha
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Chana dal - 2 tbsp
Big onion - 1 no or small onion - 5 nos ( sliced)
Tomato - 1 no
Green chilli - 1no
Garlic cloves - 4 no
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
Tamarind – medium gooseberry size
Brinjal - 2 nos ( cut into 4 or 5 pieces)
Salt & water - as needed
Raw mango – 2 pieces ( optional, I din’t use)
Mint+coriander leaves - a handful
To temper:
Ghee – 2 tsp
Big onion – 1/2 no ( sliced)
Cinnamon – 1 no
Cloves - 1 no
For ghee rice
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Water - 1.5 cups or 1 cup water + 1/2 cup coconut milk
Cooking oil + Ghee – 2 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp ( for garnishing)
Whole garam masala – 1 each ( Cinnamon, cloves, Cardamom, Kalpasi, biryani leaf, marati moggu)
Big onion – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
Mint + coriander leaves – a fistful
Green chilli – 1-2 no ( slitted)
Tomato – 1/2 no (optional)
Lemon juice – few drops ( optional)
METHOD
In a pressure cooker base, take the toor dal + Chana dal and soak it adding 2 cups of water. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water separately in a bowl.
Chop onion, peel garlic and slit green chilli. Chop the brinjal into pieces vertically and immerse in water till use.Add the chopped onion, green chilli, one whole tomato, Mint + coriander leaves, turmeric powder,garlic cloves, few drops of oil, G&G paste to the pressure cooker. Mix well and pressure cook the dal mixture very low flame for one whistle.( You can add chopped tomatoes if your dal cooks well. My dal doesn’t cook mushy if I add chopped tomatoes.So I added as a whole tomato)
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the dal well with a whisk or mathu. To this, add chopped brinjal & bottle gourd ( and Mutton pieces if using), salt, red chilli powder and dhania powder. Again pressure cook in high flame for 1 whistle just for the brinjal to cook. Brinjal should retain its shape. ( ** Refer NOTES for an easy method). Open the cooker after the steam is released and add the tamarind extract + Mango pieces ( If adding). Mix everything and check for taste.Add more salt , chilli powder based on your taste. Let the mixture roll boil well.
Heat ghee in a small pan and saute cinnamon, clove, sliced big onion. Saute till onion turns golden brown.Remove and add it to the boiling dal mixture. Switch off the flame and remove it. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Ghee rice or biryani. Enjoy !
For ghee rice : Wash and soak basmati rice in 2 cups of hot water for 20 minutes. In the mean time, chop the onion, tomato, slit green chilli. Heat a pressure cooker with Oil +ghee and splutter the whole garam masala items. Add the chopped onion, green chilli, g&g paste and tomato pieces ( skip tomato if u want white pulao). Saute until tomato turns mushy.Now add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of coconut milk and soaked basmati rice ( U can use water or coconut milk completely) . Add the required salt and add chopped mint+coriander leaves, few drops of lemon jucie.Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for 1 whistle.
Remove after the steam is released. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve it. Keep dalcha as the side dish ! This combo tasted simply great : )) Enjoy !!
NOTE
**While making dalcha, you can keep the brinjal pieces in a small bowl inside the cooker and cook all the other ingredients together.After opening the cooker, mash the dal well, add the cooker brinjal pieces and then you can add tamarind extract, give a boil & temper it. By doing this way, you can avoid pressure cooking for 2 times. I just followed what Aunty told me. So I have cooked twice here. Next time, I am planning to try this method.
If you want to follow DUM method for making ghee rice, Just add the rice, water, coconut milk and mix well till all the liquid is absorbed by the rice and becomes thick. Now switch off the cooker. Heat a dosa pan well ( Use a very old, unused dosa pan) and Place the cooker over it. Cover the cooker with a cotton cloth and then place a plate or lid. No need to use the cooker lid. Above this, place a bowl full of hot water. Let the flame be high and dosa pan be very hot. This heat will spread to the cooker and rice cooks soft n fluffy. Remove the cooker after 10 minutes and check the rice. This was the method suggested by aunty. Soon I will try to make a detailed post for this. By doing this way, color of rice can be maintained white.
Try and enjoy this most popular Muslim style Ghee rice + dalcha combo at home. I am sure you will love it. I made this and some curd rice for our Sunday lunch. It was comforting !
Last week we had a trip to Valparai near Pollachi,Tamil nadu for summer vacation in our car. We packed few rice varieties for lunch and had it during our road trip in Attakatti. Usually we make Tamarind rice/Puli sadam and Curd rice for travel. But this time, Sendhil told us to prepare some other rice varieties for a change. So my MIL made this yummy, easy, comforting and a healthy South Indian meal for our travel.I thought of sharing this easy travel food recipes idea with you all. It would be helpful for you to plan and prepare food for your short trip/Picnic during this Summer holidays. My MIL made Milagu jeeraga sadam/ Pepper cumin rice, Ellu sadam/ Sesame seeds rice, Lemon rice and Curd rice along with vadam/Vathal. We also carried some store bought sweets and snacks to munch during our travel. Lets see how we prepared this simple and yummy travel lunch menu.
Here is a collage of Valparai-Athirapally Pictures. Check THIS LINK for more pictures.
On the previous day night of travel, prepare the lemon rice paste.Make sesame seeds powder by dry roasting the sesame seeds, red chilli and then powder it adding salt.Make pepper cumin seeds powder. Refrigerate the lemon rice paste alone. Keep the powders in an air tight box and store it.
The next day morning as soon as u get up, wash and soak the rice in required water for 20 minutes. Use two cookers. One for curd rice and other one for rice varieties. Soak the rice separately in 2 cookers. Rice will be well soaked by the time u take bath.
Pressure cook the rice for one whistle in low flame and switch off the flame. Remove the lid after the steam is released.
NEVER USE YOUR HANDS FOR MIXING THE RICE. USE LADLE FOR HANDLING THE RICE.
Spread the rice in a plate and add some gingely oil. Take the rice in curd rice cooker and mash it well adding salt and milk. Do not curd when the rice is hot. Add curd after the rice becomes lukewarm. Add the seasoning ingredients for curd rice. Mix well. Add curd and mix well.Check for taste. Do not make the curd rice too thick or too watery. Make it like a creamy consistency so that it won’t become too hard in the afternoon.Check for taste and add more salt if needed. By the time, u mix the curd rice, the rice spread in the plate would have become warm.
Divide the rice into 2 portions. Take one portion of the rice and make lemon rice adding the lemon rice paste.Add gingely oil generously. Check for taste and add more salt & paste if needed. Take the other portion of rice and divide into 2. Use one portion for making ellu sadam and the other one for milagu jeeraga sadam. Add gingely oil for ellu sadam and ghee for milagu jeeraga sadam generously.Do not forget. NEVER USE YOUR HANDS FOR MIXING THE RICE. USE LADLE.
Prepare all the rice varieties and stack in the boxes. Make Neer mor/Spiced buttermilk (Thalicha more) and store in a bottle. Deep fry Koozh Vadam/Vathal or papad and mormilagai.Store the vadam in a polythene bag or ziplock covers after it cools down. Pack some pickle in a small container. Arrange everything for travel in a bag. Take the sweets, snacks and fruits if any for travel.
Enjoy !
Note
I have shared some general point to remember while preparing food for travel.
Never put your hands to mix the rice varieties, use a spoon or ladle instead. If you mix the rice with your hands, it won’t stay good for more than 2 hours in summer.
Add gingely oil generously while mixing the rice. It helps to prevent the rice from drying.
Make sure you don’t use raw coconut in the dishes. If you use coconut, roast it well or saute the coconut based dish in oil till all the moisture content is completely gone.
If you are making curd rice, add less curd and more milk while mixing. It helps the curd rice to set well while eating.Never add curd in hot rice. Carry a bottle of spiced buttermilk or diluted curd to add in the rice while eating. Suppose if the curd rice becomes too thick, you can add buttermilk and bring it to proper consistency.In the buttermilk bottle, put some slitted green chillies, ginger and few curry leaves with mustard seeds seasoning ( make thaalicha neer mor). It helps to keep the buttermilk fresh and tastes less tangy.
We packed the rice in our steel travelling set. If you don’t have a travelling set, you can pack them in use & throw silver foil packs or plastic boxes. It is better to use banana leaf for packing the food. It gives a nice flavor and a healthy choice as well.
Is it not a happy and comforting meal for your travel ?? Prepare & Enjoy it !!
How to make Karnataka style veg pulao recipe at home 
. Lets see how we prepared this simple and yummy travel lunch menu. 
Prepare & Enjoy it !!
