Jeera Rice Veg Biryani - Seeraga Samba Rice Veg Biriyani Recipe - Jeerakasala Biryani

Jeera rice vegetable biryani (Seeraga samba arisi biriyani in Tamil , Jeerakasala biryani in Malayalam) is an awesome, flavorful biryani that everyone must try at least once in your kitchen. Most of the South Indian special, traditional biriyani recipes uses jeera rice.This tiny-grained seeraga samba rice gets its name from its resemblance to cumin, which is known as seeragam in Tamil Nadu. It is also known as Kaima rice. Most of us use Basmati rice for making veg biryani. I was also using the same till I tried Ambur veg biryani using jeera rice. I just love its flavor and texture more than basmati rice. From then, I started to use this rice very often for preparing veg biryani at home.  So far I have prepared Dindigul thalappakkati biryani, Bangalore special Donne biryani (Veg version using mushroom and soya chunks), Coimbatore Angannan biryani using seeraga samba rice. 

This is yet another version of Tamil nadu style jeera rice veg biryani using a pressure cooker. Its so easy to make. It tastes and smells awesome. I have used carrot, potato and soya chunks. You can use beans, green peas, cauliflower to make it colorful and healthy. Do try this easy, yummy vegetable biryani using jeera rice in a pressure  cooker. I am sure you will love its taste. Ok, lets see how to make this seeraga samba biriyani with step by step pictures and video.

Do check out my 40+ Vegetable biryani recipes collection.

Jeera Rice Veg Biryani Recipe

How to make Vegetable biryani using jeera rice in a pressure cooker

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Biryani Recipes

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Jeera rice / seeraga samba arisi - 1 cup Water - 1.5 cups Mixed vegetables – 1 cup ( 1 carrot, 1 potato, handful of soya chunks) Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Bay leaf - 1 no Black stone flower / Kalpasi - 1 no Big onion - 1 no Ripe tomato - 1 no Mint leaves - 1/2 tbsp (optional) To Grind Cinnamon - 1 inch Cloves - 2 nos Cardamom - 1 no Green chilli - 3 nos Big onion - 1 no ( medium size) Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Mint leaves - 1 tbsp Coriander leaves - 1/2 tbsp Water - as needed ( to grind paste)

HOW TO MAKE JEERA RICE VEGETABLE BIRYANI - METHOD

1. Wash and chop carrot and potato into thin, long strips.
2. Grind ingredients for masala. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute bay leaf and black stone flower.
4. Add onion. Saute well. Add tomato, saute till mushy. Add masala paste, salt.
5. Saute till raw smell goes off. Now add vegetables, soaked soya chunks, washed rice and mix well.
6. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Remove and fluff the rice. Serve with raita !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the jeera rice / seeraga samba rice and keep aside. No need to soak the rice in water. Wash and chop all the vegetables and keep aside. Grind all the ingredients given under “to grind” to a smooth paste.Set aside. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Saute bay leaf, kalpasi. Saute onion till transparent. Add tomato, required salt and saute till mushy. Add the ground masala paste, turmeric powder. Saute till its raw smell goes off. Lastly add the chopped vegetables and saute for a minute to coat the masala. Add water. When the water roll boils, add washed rice. Add some mint leaves if you like. Mix well. Pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. Remove the lid after steam is released. Mix gently and serve hot with onion raita or brinjal gravy for biryani if you like. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the number of chillies as per your taste. You can add 1 tbsp of grated coconut while grinding. You can also use coconut milk & water in equal quantity.

Enjoy this yummy, flavorful Jeera rice veg biryani at home !

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Mochakottai Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu Recipe – Mochai Kulambu For Rice

Mochakottai kathirikai kuzhambu  ( Field beans, brinjal gravy for rice) is one of the most popular kuzhambu varieties in Tamil nadu. Now mochai is in peak season. So I bought one kg of it during Pongal festival and started trying varieties of Tamil nadu and Karnataka style recipes. Usually my MIL makes pacha mochai kulambu without coconut (Fresh beans). 

But today I tried this mochai kara kulambu with coconut for the first time today after referring so many recipes. I made it directly in a pressure cooker to easy my job. It came out very well with a nice flavor of mochakottai and brinjal. I loved it very much. I am sure it will taste even better tomorrow. So I have reserved some gravy in the refrigerator. 

Friends, do try this Tamil nadu special mochai kottai kathirikai kuzhambu and share your feedback with me. You can also add kidney beans, brown chana and make this gravy. Ok, lets see how to make mochai kuzhambu with step by step pictures.

Do check out my Vendhaya Kuzhambu, Brinjal Kara Kuzhambu recipe too.

Mochakottai Kathirikai Kuzhambu Recipe

Mochakottai Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu for rice

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Kuzhambu Recipes

Serves: 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Mochakottai / Field beans - 1/2 cup Tamarind – Big gooseberry size Brinjal -1 no (I used 2 small brinjals) Tomato - 1 no Big onion - 1 no OR small onion - 10 nos Garlic cloves - 10 nos Grated Jaggery – 1/2 tsp Salt & water - as needed To grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Garlic cloves - 2 nos Big onion - 1/4 no. Or small onion - 2 nos Red chilli Powder – 1.5 to 2 tsp ( adjust) Coriander seeds powder / Dhania powder – 1.5 tsp Water - to grind To Temper Cooking oil or Sesame oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Methi seeds - 1/8 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Chana dal - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - Few

HOW TO MAKE MOCHAKOTTAI KUZHAMBU

1. Wash and chop brinjal, tomato, onion. Peel garlic. Wash mocha kottai. Keep in water.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker & temper it. Saute onion, garlic, curry leaves. After it turns golden, add tomato and saute till mushy.
3. Add the ground paste, saute till raw smell goes off.
4. Add tamarind extract,  chopped brinjal, jaggery, salt and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
5. If the gravy is thin, boil till thick. Serve hot with rice.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop brinjal into lengthy, thick pieces. Keep immersed in water to avoid color change. Wash and clean fresh mochai kottai. Keep in water along with brinjal. (If you are using dried mochakottai/ field beans, you must soak it over night or for 8 hours).Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water and take the extract. Grind all the ingredients given under “To grind” to a smooth paste. Set aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Temper mustard seeds, methi seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds,chana dal and curry leaves. Saute onion, garlic cloves till it turns golden. Add tomato and saute till mushy. Add the ground paste and saute till its raw smell goes off. Now add the tamarind extract, jaggery, chopped brinjal, salt and mix well. Pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. Open the lid after the steam is released. If the gravy is too thin, boil for few minutes till it becomes thick. If the gravy is too thick, add some water, give a roll boil and remove it. Serve hot with rice. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per your taste. Addition of fennel seeds gives a mild masala flavor to this gravy. Mochai and kathirikai adds a nice smell to this gravy. You can also make this gravy with small onions alone. You can also use cooked brown chana, red beans or cow peas/ Thattai payaru.

Try this easy, yummy mocha kottai kathirikai kara kuzhambu recipe for rice and enjoy !

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Pongal Kuzhambu – Pongal Festival Sambar With Mixed Vegetables

People in Tamil nadu prepare Pongal kuzhambu on Pongal festival day adding 5 or 7 vegetables. We call it as 7 kai kuzhambu or kootu in Tamil. There are many versions for Pongal kuzhambu. It differs based on their custom. In Chettinad region, people make it without adding any dal or coconut. But this version is a no onion, no garlic Arachu vitta sambar kind of Pongal kuzhambu I learnt from my friend Shalini. But the quantity of dal and coconut used is very less for this kuzhambu. It is prepared with freshly roasted & ground spices. So its too flavorful just like Brahmin’s style arachuvitta sambar.

 Shalini told me to use 5 vegetables. So I blindly followed her recipe and came up with this version. If you are making on a normal day, you can skip all these vegetables and use yellow pumpkin alone. This pongal festival sambar tastes good with white pongal / Paal pongal, rice, ven pongal and idli,dosa.

 Friends If you are planning to make Pongal kuzhambu with mixed vegetables in sambar taste, you can follow this recipe. You will like it for sure. Next year before Pongal festival, I will try to share Chettinad Pongal Kuzhambu Recipe. Now lets see how to make no onion, no garlic pongal festival kuzhambu with step by step pictures.

Check out my Brahmin style Thalagam kuzhambu recipe too !

Pongal Kuzhambu - Mixed vegetable sambar for Pongal Festival

No onion, no garlic mixed vegetable kuzhambu for Pongal festival day !

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Mixed vegetables - 1.5 cups ( 5 cluster beans, 1/2 raw banana, 1/2 sweet potato, 4 pumpkin pieces, 1/2 cup of mochai) Toor dal - 2 tbsp Tamarind - Medium gooseberry size Green chilli - 2 nos Asafetida / Hing - A pinch Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt & water - as needed To roast & grind Cooking oil - 1 tsp Coriander seeds - 1.5 tsp Chana dal - 1 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Pepper corns - 2 nos Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Raw rice - 1/4 tsp Red chillies - 3 to 5 nos Grated coconut - 1 tbsp To Temper Ghee - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - Few Coriander leaves - to garnish

HOW TO MAKE PONGAL KUZHAMBU

1. Wash and soak toor dal. Chop all the vegetables and keep aside.
2. In a pressure cooker base, take toor dal and add vegetables, green chillies.
3. Cook for 2 whistles in low flame. Open and mash the dal.
4. To the cooked dal, add tamarind extract, roasted & ground masala.
5. Boil for few minutes. Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and add to sambar.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with white pongal / Paal pongal.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak toor dal in a cooker base. Wash and chop all the vegetables into cubes and set aside. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water. Take the extract and keep aside. Add chopped vegetables to toor dal. Add slit green chilli. Add required water, turmeric powder and cook for 2 whistles in low flame. Remove the lid after steam is released. Mash the dal well. Set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai. Roast all the ingredients given under “to roast and grind” and grind to a smooth paste. Add this paste and tamarind extract to the cooked dal. Mix well and boil for few minutes till its raw smell goes off.  Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves in ghee and add to sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with white pongal / Paal pongal. This sambar tastes good with idli , dosa too. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chilli as per your taste. Do not add more tamarind. You can skip toor dal if you want to make this kuzhambu without dal. But adjust the quantity of coconut and roasting spices to give thickness to kuzhambu.

Try this yummy Pongal kuzhambu with 5 vegetables and enjoy !

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Iyengar Sakkarai Pongal – Iyengar Style Sweet Pongal Recipe In Pressure Cooker

Iyengar style sweet pongal / Sakkarai pongal recipe was in my try list for long time. Recently I bought a cookbook named “Iyengar Pandigai Samayal “ from Kumbakonam. All the Iyengar specialty recipes are discussed in that book according to the festival. I found a traditional Sakkarai Pongal recipe prepared using a pot ( bronze pot/ Venkala paanai). 

When I saw that recipe, I immediately called my school friend Sumi who is the only source for my Tamil Iyengar Recipes in my website to confirm the recipe and ingredients. She shared all the most important tips to get perfect Perumal temple style Sakkarai Pongal. Thank you so much Sumi.  I became very happy and tried it for my Thursday Guru Pooja Neivedyam yesterday. It came out finger licking good. But for your help, this post would not have come up today :). 

My friend told me to prepare this pongal in a bronze pot to get the authentic flavor and taste. But my pot is too big to make small quantity. So I used a pressure cooker to ease my job. My job was done in less than 30 minutes.

Friends, I have shared all the tips shared by my friend Sumi if you like to try the authentic version like temples. If you wish, you can prepare in a bronze pot like temples or use your cooker to make it quickly. Choice is yours ! But taste wise pot pongal is the best. 

Next year during pongal festival,  I will try to buy a small pot and make a separate & detailed post. Now lets see how to make Iyengar style sakkarai pongal recipe / Sweet pongal recipe with step by step pictures and video.

POINTS TO NOTE

1. To make temple style pongal, you should cook the rice & dal in an open pot, preferably in a bronze pot as it helps to retain the heat longer & maintain the consistency of pongal.
2. Addition of Pachai karpooram/ edible camphor is a must in Iyengar Pongal.
3. They also use freshly made ghee from butter to roast the cashews and add to pongal for neivedyam. They do not use the ghee used for regular cooking. So the taste & flavor of fresh ghee matters a lot.
4. Never use boiled rice. Always use good quality Sona masoori rice for best taste.
5. Do not use basmati rice as well.
6. Roasting moong dal is an optional step. Some people add it as such.
7. My friend told me to soak rice & moong dal in milk & water for 15 to 30 minutes to cook quickly.  But I din’t soak it as I used pressure cooker.
8. Milk should be used in Iyengar pongal. Some people cook the rice only with milk. But I have used a combination of water & milk as suggested by my friend.
9. The quantity of milk may vary based on the consistency of pongal. So reserve some boiled milk and add it while serving if needed.
10. I have used rice & jaggery in the ratio of 1: 2. Some people use 1:1.5 for mild sweet taste. It all depends on your taste buds.

Iyengar Sakkarai Pongal - Sweet Pongal recipe

How to make Iyengar style sweet pongal recipe / sakkarai pongal with milk & jaggery.

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Iyengar recipes

Serves: 3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Raw rice - 1/2 cup ( Good quality Sona Masoori rice) Yellow moong dal - 2 tbsp  Boiled milk - 1 cup Water - 1.5 cups Powdered Jaggery - 1 cup ( Use 3/4 cup if using paagu vellam) Water- 1/2 cup ( to melt jaggery) Ghee - 2 to 3 tbsp ( I used 2 tbsp butter to roast nuts) Cashew nuts - Few Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Edible camphor / Pachai karpooram - A pinch

HOW TO MAKE IYENGAR SAKKARAI PONGAL

1. In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tsp ghee. Roast moong dal for a minute.
2. Add raw rice to it and roast for another minute. Wash them.
3. Add water + milk to the cooker along with a pinch of salt.
4. Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.
5. Mash the cooked rice & dal. Boil and melt jaggery adding water and strain the syrup.
6. Add jaggery syrup, 1 tbsp ghee to the mashed rice. Mix well and boil till semi solid in consistency. Switch off flame.
7. Add cardamom powder, a pinch of edible camphor and cashews roasted in ghee.
8. Mix well and remove from flame. Garnish with more cashews if you like and serve hot !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tsp of ghee. Roast yellow moong dal for a minute. To this, add rice and roast for one more minute. Remove the cooker and wash the rice + dal. Drain the water and keep it back in flame. Add milk + water to the washed rice, dal mixture. Add a pinch of salt as well. Mix well. Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.Open the cooker after steam is released. Mash the rice and dal very well with a ladle or masher. Make sure rice + dal is mashed properly. Add more boiled milk or water if needed. Mix well. Keep the cooker aside. In a kadai, boil and melt jaggery adding water. Strain the syrup in a wire mesh. (If the jaggery tastes too sweet, you can reduce to 3/4 cup) Add the syrup to the mashed rice and mix well. Add little more hot water or milk if the pongal is too thick at this stage. Add 1 tbsp ghee to avoid sticking of rice to the bottom of cooker. Mix well and boil till pongal comes to semi solid in consistency. Do not cook till too thick. It will harden as it cools down. So make it semi thick.  Remove from the flame. Roast cashews in the remaining 1 tbsp ghee and add to pongal. (  I used fresh butter, melted to make ghee and roasted the cashews as suggested by my friend.) Add cardamom powder, a pinch of edible camphor and mix well. Add 1 tbsp more ghee and few more roasted cashews for garnishing. Serve hot ! Enjoy !

Note

The ratio of rice & water depends on the quality of rice. Old rice takes more water. For pongal festival, we buy new rice ( pudhu arisi).So it takes less water. I used 1:5 ratio of rice and water. You can also use 1:4 or 1:6 based on the rice. Similarly the quantity of jaggery depends on the type of jaggery. If you use paagu vellam, you can add 1:1.5 ratio of rice & jaggery else use 1:2 as I did to get nice color and taste. If you feel the sweetness is more, you can add more boiled milk or hot water to reduce the sweetness. Edible camphor is the most important to get temple flavor. You can also add powdered nutmeg and roasted cloves if you like. Do not reduce ghee than the mentioned quantity. You must add more ghee to get ghee dripping pongal else pongal looks dry.

Try this easy, yummy Iyengar style Sakkarai pongal for this Pongal festival at home and enjoy !

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Mangalore Buns Recipe With Coconut Chutney – Banana Poori Recipe

  

Mangalore buns recipe @ Banana poori served with coconut chutney as side dish is one of the most popular breakfast combo in Karnataka. I have tasted this few times in hotels like Anna Kuteera, SLV etc. Mangalore buns is a kind of  Poori/ puri made with all purpose flour, banana, sugar and curd. As this poori tastes soft, spongy with a mild sweet taste, its called as buns. Mangalore buns cannot be prepared instantly. Its dough should be fermented for at least 4 to 6 hours or overnight to get the best results. Recently I prepared it for our breakfast along with coconut chutney by watching few YouTube video. It came out very well. We liked it very much. Its a unique, Karnataka style breakfast recipe. Friends, do try this banana poori / Mangalore buns at home. You will love it for sure. Ok, lets see how to prepare Mangalore buns recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Do check out my collection of 10 Poori varieties & 20 Side dish for Poori. 

Have a look at my Instant Mangalore Bonda recipe as well.

Mangalore buns recipe - Banana Poori

Mangalore buns recipe with coconut chutney as side dish. - Karnataka special breakfast recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Breakfast

Serves: 6 to 8 no.

Prep time: 6 Hours

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 6 Hours 5 Mins

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

For Mangalore buns 1 cup - 250ml All Purpose flour - 1 cup Ripen Banana - 1 no ( I used 2 small yelakki banana) Sugar - 1 tbsp (Add 1.5 tbsp for more sweetness) Curd - 1.5 tbsp  (Add 2 tbsp if needed) Salt - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Cooking soda / baking soda – 1/4 tsp Cooking oil - To deep fry Coconut chutney Grated coconut – 1/2 cup Green chillies – 3 to 5 nos (Adjust based on spice level) Tamarind – a small pinch Curry leaves – 3 leaves (optional) Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp Fried gram dal – 1 tbsp Garlic cloves – 2 no. Salt & water – as needed

METHOD

1. In a wide bowl, mash the banana with a fork.
2. Add curd, sugar, salt, all purpose flour and mix well
3. Make a dough without adding water.
4. Cover and keep it aside for minimum 6 hours.
5. Knead it well and make thick, round poori.
6. Deep fry it both the sides till golden brown.
7. Remove in a tissue paper. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a wide bowl, mash the ripen banana with a fork or hands. Do not grind in a mixie.   To this, add salt, sugar, cooking soda, cumin seeds and curd.Mix well to make a paste. Add all purpose flour gradually and mix well to make a dough. Do not add water. Add little curd if needed. Knead for few minutes. Dough should be thick. Cover the dough and rest for minimum 6 hours or overnight.  Grease your hands with little oil and knead the dough for few minutes. Make small balls of uniform size. Dust the ball with maida and roll it to small, thick poori of palm size. Arrange in a plate. Heat oil and drop a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, drop one poori. Splash oil over the puri and press gently. It will become puffy. Flip it and cook the other side till golden brown. Remove in a tissue paper and drain it. Grind all the ingredients given under “Coconut chutney” to a smooth paste adding required water. You can temper the chutney if you like. Serve hot poori with coconut chutney. Enjoy !

Note

You can add more sugar if you like more sweet taste.But color of poori would be dark.  Do not use water to make the dough.Add little more curd if needed. Resting time of minimum 6 hours is needed. Overnight is also fine. If you rest the dough for lesser time, Poori will come out hard and chewy. For variations you can add equal quantity of wheat flour and maida. But poori comes out bit dense in texture.

Try this yummy, Karnataka special Mangalore buns with coconut chutney for your breakfast.

Tastes Yummy !

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