Arachuvitta Sambar Without Dal For Rice | Sambar without dal for rice

I wanted to try arachuvitta sambar without dal for rice for a long time. My friend told it tastes great for both rice and idli. So I wanted to give a shot and I had bookmarked some YouTube videos too. Finally I tried it last week for my lunch as I was in short of toor dal in my kitchen. This is more like Tamil brahmin’s style varuthu aracha kuzhambu / arachuvitta kulambu for rice but without using dal. 

You don’t need to use toor dal or moong dal in this recipe. The aroma of freshly roasted and ground spices is the highlight for this sambar recipe. It helps to give great flavor and thickness to this sambar. Not only dal, less tamarind and coconut is used in this recipe. 

When you feel bored of the regular paruppu sambar for rice, you can try this. If you want to avoid dal in your diet for health reasons, you can make this kuzhambu. As I prepared this with mixed vegetables like carrot, beans, potato, chayote, brinjal it came out very flavorful, tasty and healthy. You can also add drumstick, lady’s finger, pumpkin, turnip if you like. 

You can also prepare this masala powder in advance and make this sambar instantly. Bachelors and working women would find it helpful. Friends , do try this sambar recipe without dal and enjoy with rice. I personally liked it with idli, dosa too !

Check out my brahmin style arachuvitta sambar, no onion no garlic udupi sambar,  brahmin style potato curry, brahmin style vatha kuzhambu

Arachuvitta sambar without dal for rice

Arachuvitta sambar without dal for rice adding mixed vegetables.

Cuisine: Tamil nadu

Category: Side dish

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Mixed vegetables - 1 cup ( 1 carrot, 5 beans, 1 potato, 1/2 chayote, 2 brinjals) Big onion - 1 (Chopped) Ripe tomato - 1 Tamarind – Big gooseberry size Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Hing/Asafetida - 2 pinches Salt & water - as needed To roast and grind Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Coriander seeds / Dhania - 1 tbsp Chana dal - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Methi seeds/ Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaves – 5 leaves Red chilli - 4 ( I used Kashmiri chilli/ Byadgi chilli for bright red color and less spice) Grated coconut - 1 tbsp Raw rice – 1/2 tsp To Temper Ghee – 2 tsp Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera – 1/4 tsp Curry leaves - Few

HOW TO MAKE SAMBAR WITHOUT DAL FOR RICE

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables into cubes. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a kadai and roast all the ingredients given under ‘To roast’. Lastly add coconut, roast for a minute. Grind to a powder. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute onion,curry leaves and mixed vegetables.
4. Add tomato and saute till mushy. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and tamarind extract.
5. Lastly add the ground powder, mix well. Add some water if needed.
6. Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Temper mustard seeds in ghee and add to sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with plain rice !

SAMBAR WITHOUT DAL FOR RICE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop vegetables, onion, tomato and set aside. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Heat oil in a kadai. Roast chana dal, coriander seeds, red chilli, methi seeds, cumin seeds, raw rice in low flame till nice aroma arises. Lastly add curry leaves , grated coconut. Saute for a minute. Switch off the flame. Grind to a powder. Set aside.   Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute onion few curry leaves, mixed vegetables. Then add tomato and saute till mushy. Add salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder. Saute well. Add 1 cup of tamarind extract.  Add the freshly ground masala powder too. Mix well. If the kuzhambu is too thick, add 1/2 cup more water. Pressure cook everything in very low flame for one whistle. For this, keep the flame high till steam comes out. As soon as steam starts to come off, reduce the flame to completely low. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Switch off the flame. Remove the lid after steam is released. Mix well and see the consistency of kuzhambu. If thick, add some water, check for salt and boil for a minute. If texture looks fine, you can do the tempering part. For tempering , heat ghee in a small kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds. Add to the sambar and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Close the bowl with a lid. Give a standing time of 30 minutes to 1 hour for best taste. Tastes great the next day. So you can refrigerate and use this kuzhambu for 2 to 3 days. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chillies as per your taste. I used byadgi chillies which gives bright color but tastes less spicy.  Flavor of this sambar varies based on the red chilli.  Addition of rice in the masala helps to give thickness to the kuzhambu. You can skip it too.

Try this yummy arachuvitta sambar without dal. Enjoy with plain rice adding a tsp of ghee !

Technorati Tags: arachuvitta sambar,sambar without dal,sambar without dal for rice,bachelors sambar,instant sambar for rice,sambar for rice,sambar recipe

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Bottle Gourd Sambar Recipe / Sorakkai Sambar / Lauki Sambar

Sorakkai sambar / Bottle gourd sambar with freshly ground spices (Arachuvitta sorakkai sambar in Tamil) is an yummy, flavorful sambar recipe for rice. I have never tried varieties of sorakkai recipes for rice apart from  paal kootu , Poricha kuzhambu,  sorakkai dosai and poriyal. When I heard about this sorakka sambar from my neighbor, I was tempted to give a try.  Basically bottle gourd is a bland vegetable. It doesn’t have any appealing flavor or taste. But its a healthy vegetable with lots of benefits. It has more water content which helps for weight loss, provides cooling effect to body, reduces liver inflammation, treats constipation etc. So I try to include this veggie atleast once in a week in my diet. For this sambar instead of following my usual sambar recipe, I added Tamil brahmin style arachuvitta sambar masala by roasting and grinding the spices, chilli and coconut. It came out very well with an awesome aroma. We loved this sambar very much. In Karnataka, my friends make Sorakkai sambar in a different way by adding a different masala. Soon I will try to learn from them and make a post. Now lets see how to make Tamilnadu style sorakkai sambar recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my other sambar varieties for rice.

Also check out my 70+ kuzhambu recipes !

Sorakkai Samabr / Bottle gourd sambar recipe

Arachuvitta Sorakkai sambar / Bottle gourd sambar for rice with freshly ground masala.

Cuisine: Tamil nadu

Category: Sambar

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Toor dal - 1/3 cup Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Cooking oil - few drops Bottle gourd - 1/2 ( Cut into big chunks) Big onion - 1 (Chop into cubes) Tomato - 1 (Chop into cubes) Green chilli – 1 (slit into two) Curry leaves - Few Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp Tamarind - Big gooseberry size Sambar powder – 1/2 tsp (Optional, Use any brand or homemade) Salt & water - as needed To roast and grind Cooking oil - 2 tsp Coriander seeds / dhania - 1 tbsp Chana dal - 1 tbsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chilli - 6 Raw rice - 1/2 tsp Hing - 2 pinches Grated coconut - 1 tbsp To Temper Ghee - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - Few Coriander leaves - to garnish

HOW TO MAKE SORAKKAI SAMBAR

1. Wash and peel the skin of sorakkai / bottle gourd. Cut into two and chop the spongy portion. Discard it. Chop sorakkai into big cubes and set aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, take the toor dal, chopped bottle gourd, onion, tomato, green chilli, cumin seeds, required water and a drop of cooking oil. Cook for 1 whistle in very low flame. Mash the dal gently and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Roast all the items given under “To roast and grind”. Grind to smooth paste.
4. To the cooked dal add tamarind extract, ground masala paste, salt and some water.
5. Roll boil for 5 minutes till nice aroma wafts. Temper in ghee and add to sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice !

SORAKKAI SAMBAR RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Wash the bottle gourd and peel its outer skin using a peeler. Cut into two pieces and remove the center, spongy part using a knife and hands. Discard the soft part with seeds. Now chop the sorakkai into big pieces as we are making sambar with it. For poriyal or kootu, you can chop it finely. In a pressure cooker base, take toor dal, chopped bottle gourd, chopped big onion, tomato, slit green chilli, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, required water and a drop of cooking oil. Keep the flame high and cook till steam starts to come out of the nozzle. As soon as steam comes out, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Let it pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It may take 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of cooker. (If you use small sized cooker, keep it in small burner gas stove. For bigger sized cooker, use big burner.). Open the cooker lid after the steam is released on its own. Mash the dal gently with a ladle. Make sure you don’t mash the sorakkai pieces. While pressure cooking, you can roast the ingredients for sambar masala. For this, heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. Roast chana dal, urad dal, red chilli, methi seeds, coriander seeds and raw rice. Roast in medium flame till dal turns golden brown. Do not burn any ingredient. After roasting, grind everything to a smooth paste adding coconut and water.    Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, sambar powder (optional), ground sambar masala paste to the cooked dal. Adjust the consistency of sambar by adding water. Add required salt. Let the sambar roll boil for few minutes till nice aroma wafts through your house. Add little water based on the thickness of sambar. Switch off the flame and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Last but not the least do the tempering part. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and add to sambar. Mix well and close with a lid. Give a standing time of 30 minutes to 1 hour for best taste and flavor. Mix this sambar with plain rice. Do not forget to add few drops of ghee while serving !(This sambar thickens as it cools down. So add some water, give a boil and serve hot whenever needed). Enjoy !

Note

Do not chop sorakkai into small pieces. It gets mashed up while pressure cooking. So use big pieces. Adjust the quantity of red chilli as per your spice level. This sambar thickens over time. So you should add water whenever needed, give a boil and serve hot. Addition of sambar powder is optional in arachuvitta kuzhambu. But I use little. Do not forget to temper in ghee for more flavor.

Try this yummy sorakkai arachuvitta sambar and share your feedback with me.

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Palak Pulao Recipe in Pressure cooker – Spinach Pulao Recipe | Easy Lunch Box Recipes

Palak pulao is an easy, healthy one pot rice variety that can be prepared easily in a pressure cooker under 15 minutes. Indian style Spinach rice can be prepared in many ways. Today I have shared an easy version of palak rice using a pressure cooker. Its a healthy and filling lunch box recipe for kids and adults. I learnt it from my School moms friend Tara. 

This recipe is very similar to my Karnataka style veg palav recipe. To make this palak rice bright green in color, add some turmeric powder and sugar. I have added frozen green peas. You can also add mixed vegetables like carrot, beans, potato, paneer pieces to make this rice more healthy and filling. 

Ok, lets see how to make palak pulao / spinach rice recipe with step by step pictures and a video. 

Check out my

• Palak sambar

• Palak kootu

• Palak chapathi 

• Palak paneer 

• Dhaba style palak paneer

• Palak poori

• Aloo palak gravy

• Palak biryani

• Andhra dal palak 

Palak pulao recipe

Palak pulao recipe / Spinach rice using a pressure cooker for lunch box

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Basmati rice - 1 cup Water - 1.5 cups Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Bay leaf - 1 Black stone flower / Kalpasi - 1 Big onion - 1 (finely chopped) Cashew nuts - Few Green peas – 2 tbsp Sugar - a pinch Salt - as needed Lemon juice - few drops To grind Palak leaves - 1.5 cups Green chilli - 2 to 3 Ginger - 1 inch piece Garlic cloves - 5 Cinnamon - 1 inch Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 1 Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp Big onion - 1/2 Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp

HOW TO MAKE PALAK PULAO / SPINACH PULAO

1. Wash and chop the palak leaves. Wash and soak Basmtai rice for 15 minutes.
2. In a mixie jar, grind palak and other ingredients given under “To Grind” to a smooth paste.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute the spices, onion and cashews.
4. Saute the palak masala adding sugar and salt. Add peas.
5. Add water and bring to boil. Add the rice and lemon juice.
6. Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
7. Open the cooker after steam is released. Fluff the rice and serve with onion raita !

PALAK PULAO / SPINACH PULAO - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Cut the root and stem part of palak leaves/ spinach. Wash it well. Chop roughly and set aside. Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, grind the masala. In a mixie jar, take the palak leaves, cinnamon , cloves, cardamom, ginger, garlic, green chilli, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, big onion and turmeric powder to a smooth paste adding water. Set aside. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute a bayleaf and black stone flower. Add onion and saute till transparent. Add cashews and saute for a minute. Now add the ground palak masala paste. Saute in medium flame till its raw smell goes off. Add some sugar and required salt. Add frozen green peas and mixed vegetables (if using). Mix well. Lastly add 1.5 cups of water and sprinkle some lemon juice. Let it come to a roll boil. Taste the water to check the salt and spices.  Now add the soaked rice. Mix gently and close the lid of pressure cooker. Keep the flame high till steam comes out of the nozzle. As soon as vapor comes out, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It takes nearly 8 to 10 minutes. Switch off the flame. Open the lid after the steam is released. Fluff the rice gently with a fork like ladle. Serve hot with onion raita. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste. To retain the green color of rice, add some turmeric powder and sugar. Do not keep the palak puree for long time. Use it as soon as you grind the masala to avoid discoloration.

Easy, yummy, one pot palak pulao is ready, Enjoy !

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Karamani Kuzhambu – Thatta Payaru Kulambu Recipe

I tried this Karamani kuzhambu aka Thatta payaru kuzhambu in Tamil (cowpeas / black eyed pea gravy in English) for the first time by getting the recipe from a friend. This kulambu recipe is with coconut and fennel seeds masala. So it was so good and flavorful just like hotel kara kuzhambu. The flavor of roasted red karamani enhanced it even better. We all loved this Kulambu. We had a satisfaction of including a healthy legume in our regular diet. 

My friend told me to soak the cowpeas over night and pressure cook it before adding to the kuzhambu. But I simplified the job by following my MIL’s technique of cooking karamani instantly without soaking. Yes, I roasted the karamani in little oil till its aromatic and then pressure cooked it in the kulambu itself. It was well cooked and soft to eat. 

Friends, if you follow this method you can make cowpeas gravy for rice under 15 minutes using a pressure cooker. I am sure you will love to see the layer of oil floating on top once you open the cooker. If you want try the same recipe by soaking and pre cooking karamani, you can try that too. In that case soak it for 3 to 4 hours in hot water. Similarly you can use white Lobia/ cowpeas or brown chana. If you like, you can pair it with any vegetables like brinjal, potato or lady’s finger. 

Ok, lets see how to make karamani / thatta payir kuzhambu recipe with step by step pictures.

If you want to try this kuzhambu without coconut, please check my brown chana kuzhambu for an idea. You can use karamani instead of kondakadalai.

Karamani kuzhambu / thatta payir kulambu recipe

Thatta payaru kuzhambu / Karamani kulambu recipe for rice made instantly without soaking cowpeas in an easy way using a pressure cooker.

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Kuzhambu recipes

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Cowpeas / red karamani / thattai payir - 1/2 cup Sesame oil or cooking oil - 2 tbsp  Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Fenugreek / Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Big onion - 1 (chopped finely) Garlic cloves – 10 no. Curry leaves - Few Ripe tomato - 1 (chopped finely) Tamarind - Big gooseberry size Sambar powder - 1 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt and water - as needed To Grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

HOW TO MAKE KARAMANI KUZHAMBU

1. Wash and keep the karamai aside. You ca n soak it for 4 hours optionally. Wash and chop onion, tomato.
2. In a pressure cooker base, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.
3. Saute onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves till transparent.
4. Add karamani and roast for 5 minutes in low to medium flame.
5. Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Add sambar powder, salt and turmeric powder.
6. Saute quickly without burning. Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, ground coconut paste. Mix well.
7. Pressure cook in low flame for 3 to 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and remove after steam is released. Mix well and serve hot with plain rice. Enjoy !

THATTA PAYARU KULAMBU / KARAMANI KUZHAMBU RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the karamani/ cowpeas and drain the water completely.  You can soak the karamani adding enough water for 4 to 6 hours OR make it without soaking too. I did not soak the karamani instead I roasted in oil till flavorful and pressure cooked as told below.  Wash and chop onion, tomato finely. Peel garlic cloves. Grind coconut, fennel seeds to a smooth paste adding required water. Set aside. In a pressure cooker base, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, methi seeds and cumin seeds. Add onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves. Saute till onion becomes transparent. Add karamani. Roast it for 5 minutes in low to medium flame till nice aroma arises. Then add tomato and saute till mushy. (Instead of roasting karamani, you can soak it for 4 hours, pressure cook it and add to the cooker. In that case pressure cook the kuzhambu for one whistle in low flame). Add turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Saute quickly. Then add 1 cup of tamarind extract. Mix well. When it comes to a boil, add the ground coconut paste. Mix well and check for taste. Add more salt and sambar powder if needed. Cover the cooker with a lid. Keep the flame high. When the steam starts to come out, put the weight valve. Reduce the flame completely low. Cook for 4 to 5 whistles in low flame. Karamani cooks well and soft. Don't worry, it won't turn mushy. If you are using soaked karamani,  pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Remove after the steam is released. You can see a layer of oil floating on top. Mix well an check for consistency of kuzhambu.  If its too thick, add some water and give one boil. If its too thin, boil for few minutes to evaporate the excess water. Serve with plain rice. If you like, you can add a tsp of oil or ghee over the kuzhambu while serving. Enjoy ! Stays good for 2 days in refrigerator.

Note

For variations, you can use brown chana or white chana instead of cowpeas in this kuzhambu but soak them overnight, pressure cook and then add it. Fennel seeds gives a nice flavor to this kuzhambu. So do not skip it. This kuzhambu stays good in refrigerator for more than 2 days. You can store and enjoy.

Try this easy, yummy karamani kara kuzhambu and share your feedback with me !

Technorati Tags: Karamani kuzhambu,thatta payir kuzhambu,thatta payaru kulambu,karamani kuzhambu recipe,cowpeas recipes,how to make karamani kuzhambu

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Beetroot Rice Recipe – Beetroot Pulao – Beetroot Recipes

Beetroot rice (Beetroot pulao) is one of the yummy, colorful, kids friendly rice varieties for lunch box. It can be prepared in 2 ways. One by making beetroot masala and mix with leftover cooked rice. Second is one pot method using pressure cooker. We can call it as beetroot pulao. Recently my neighbor gave me some beetroot rice to taste. We loved it very much. So I got the recipe from her and tried in my kitchen. As I wanted, its a very simple recipe without any grinding job. 

All you have to do is just saute all the spices, beetroot , add rice and cook. It can be done under 15 minutes. You can prepare it easily for your lunch box. Even kids would love to eat this rice as it looks colorful.  Friends, do try this easy beetroot pulao recipe for your lunch box or a quick weekend lunch. You will love it ! Here you go, Indian style beetroot rice recipe with step by step pictures.

Beetroot rice / Beetroot pulao recipe

Beetroot rice / Beetroot pulao recipe for lunch box.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml Beetroot - 1 ( 3/4 cup chopped beetroot) Green peas - 2 tbsp ( optional) Basmati rice - 1 cup ( I used loose basmati rice used for making hyderabadi biryani) Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1 inch Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 1 Bay leaf - 1 Star anise - 1 Shahjeera / Black cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Cashew nuts - few Big onion - 1 (finely chopped) Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 2 to 3 Dhania powder / coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Water - 1.5 cups Salt - as needed

HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT PULAO

1. Wash the basmati rice and soak in water for 15 minutes.
2. Wash and peel the beetroot skin. Chop into small pieces and set aside.
3. Chop onion, slit green chilli. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base.
4. Saute the whole garam masala one by one. Then add cashew nuts, onion.
5. Saute till onion becomes transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off.
6. Now add the chopped beetroot, green peas. Saute for a minute. Add turmeric powder, dhania powder and garam masala powder.
7. Saute for few minutes. Lastly add water, soaked rice, salt and pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.
8. Open and fluff the rice gently. Serve hot with onion raita !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the basmati rice and soak it in enough water for 15 minutes. Wash and peel beetroot skin. Chop finely. Finely chop onion, slit green chilli. Set aside. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, bay leaf. Add shajeera, cashew nuts, big onion, green chilli and saute till onion becomes transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till its raw smell goes off. Then add chopped beetroot, green peas and mix well for few minutes.   Add turmeric powder, coriander seeds powder, garam masala powder and salt. Mix in medium flame. Add 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the soaked rice and mix gently without breaking the rice. Close the cooker lid. Keep the flame high till steam comes out. After steam starts to come, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Cook in very low flame for one whistle. Switch off the flame. Let the steam release. Then open the cooker and fluff the rice gently. Serve hot with onion raita, chips ! Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste. You can use red chilli powder instead of green chilli but taste of pulao varies.

Try this yummy, colorful beetroot pulao and share your feedback !

Technorati Tags: beetroot pulao,beetroot rice,beetroot pulao recipe,beetroot recipes,how to make beetroot rice,how to make beetroot pualo.

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Tindora Rice / Kovakkai Sadam Recipe / Ivy Gourd Rice

Tindora rice / ivy gourd rice known as Kovakkai sadam in Tamil (Dondakaya annam in Telugu) is an easy, yummy Indian lunch box recipe . As many of my readers are asking me to share more rice varieties for lunch box, I thought of posting this easy, one pot rice recipe made using our Indian pressure cooker.

As this recipe has no grinding job, you can prepare it easily under 15 minutes. Ideal for bachelors and working women to pack it for lunch box. I adapted this recipe from

Sailus blog. I made some variations  and tried it without coconut as per my convenience. It came out really well. Sendhil and Raksha are not a fan of tindora vegetable. Still they liked this rice. I am sure your family would love it too. 

Do try it once and share your feedback with me. For variations, you can make the tindora masala separately and mix with leftover rice or freshly cooked rice. Ok, lets see how to make kovakkai sadam / tindora rice with step by step pictures.

Check out my 40+ Vegetable biryani and pulao recipes. 

Also see my other rice varieties for lunch box. 

Tindora rice / Kovakkai sadam

How to make tindora rice easily in a pressure cooker for lunch box.

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Basmati rice - 1 cup ( I used loose basmati rice bought from Metro) Tindora/ Kovakkai / Ivy gourd - 15 Big onion - 1 (finely chopped) Green chilli - 1 or 2 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Turmeric ;powder - 1/2 tsp Lemon juice – as needed Coriander leaves + mint leaves - 2 tbsp Water – 1.5 cups Salt – as needed To saute Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1 inch Cloves - 2 Bayleaf - 1 Black stone flower / kalpasi - 1 Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

HOW TO MAKE TINDORA RICE / KOVAKKAI SADAM

1. Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes.
2. Wash and slice tindora / kovakkai into thin vertical slices.
3. Wash and chop onion. Set aside.
4. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Saute the whole garam masala spices.
5. Saute onion, gg paste, green chilli. Add chopped mint+coriander leaves, sliced kovakkai and saute well.
6. Add spice powders and mix well. Lastly add water and salt. Mix well.
7. When the water roll boils, add the basmati rice. Mix gently.
8. Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Add lemon juice. Fluff the rice and serve hot with onion raita !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, wash and slice tindora/ kovakkai. Trim off the top and bottom. Then cut into thin slices vertically. I chopped into 6 thin vertical slices. Wash and chop onion finely. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Once its heated, saute cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and black stone flower. Add onion, green chilli. Saute till transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off. Now add the chopped mint + coriander leaves. Mix well. Add kovakkai pieces. Saute in medium flame till it starts to shrink. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder and salt. Mix well. Lastly add water and let it roll boil. Add the washed rice. Mix gently. Close the cooker. Keep the flame high till vapor comes out.  Put the weight valve. Reduce the flame completely, cook for one whistle. It may take 8 to 10 minutes. Switch off the flame.  Remove the cooker lid after the steam is released completely.   Add lemon juice. Fluff the rice gently using a fork like ladle. Remove in a plate and serve hot with onion raita or any kurma, chips ! Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spices as per your taste. You can use seega samba rice / Jeera rice or raw rice instead of basmati. I did not soak basmati. So I used 1.75 cups of water to make soft rice.

Try this easy, yummy, interesting tindora rice for your lunch box and enjoy !

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