South Indian Rices

Mixed rices remind us of either the prasadams we get in the Indian temples (even in the U.S.) or the Tamil festival called “Pathinettam Perukku” (the 18th day of the Adi month in the Tamil Calendar, when people pack mixed rice dishes and picnic on the riverside).

These dishes provide a welcome change from the daily routine of sambar, rasam or kootu. They also provide an easy solution when you have to pack lunch for your family every day. Here are some time- tested and well liked recipes that will appeal to all your palates.

Bisi Bele Bath (Serves 2)

Bisi Bele Bath (hot lentil rice) is a traditional dish from Karnataka. The authentic version has a bit of sugar/ jaggery which provides sweetness to the otherwise spicy rice dish. I usually leave out the sweet factor as my husband and I prefer it to be spicy.

The first time I planned to make Bisi Bele Bath, I Googled the name and numerous recipes popped up...this was one of the simplest versions.

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup

Toor Dal (pigeon pea) – 1/4 cups

Chopped Mixed Vegetables (carrot, beans, potato, onion, brinjal, drumstick) – ¾ Cup

Tamarind Extract – 2 - 3 tbsps (if using paste 1 tbsp should do because it is a concentrate)

Sambar Powder – 2 – 3 tbsps (available in Indian stores)

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 4-5 nos

Red chillies –2-3 nos

Hing (Asafoetida) – a pinch

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Chilli powder - optional

Water – 2 ¾ cups

Ghee (Clarified butter) – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Soak tamarind in hot water and extract the juice. Soak rice and dal in warm water and keep aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds. Allow the seeds to splutter and then add the curry leaves and red chillies. Sauté for a few seconds and add the vegetables. Add hing, salt, sambar powder, tamarind extract, salt and turmeric. Add water and taste to check if salt is enough. If the sambar powder is not spicy enough, you can add a little bit of chilli powder.  Add water and cook the rice in a pressure cooker. . I usually keep it for four whistles as this dish is generally a little mushy and well cooked. Once the pressure has settled, open the lid and mix well. Before serving add a tsp of ghee and chopped coriander leaves. This gives the dish a wonderful aroma.

This rice can be eaten on its own or served with pickle, raita (given below) and papad.

Onion Raita

Ingredients

Yogurt – 1 cup

Onions – 1 (finely chopped)

Green chillies – 1 - 2 (finely chopped)

Salt to taste

Method

Mix chopped onion, chillies and salt into the yogurt and serve with entrées.

Note – More options for Raitas are cucumber, tomato, boondi and grated carrot.

Bagala Bath (Semiya / Vermicelli)

The cool yogurt and sweet and tart fruits and vegetables make a lovely, crunchy complement to the soft semiya. I am sure you will enjoy this yummy dish with your family this summer.

Ingredients

Semiya – 1 cup

Yogurt – Enough to make right consistency (shouldn’t be too thick or too watery)

Chopped Vegetables – ½ cup (capsicum, carrot, peas)

Fruits (optional) – Pomegranate, grapes, raw mango

Oil/Ghee – 1 tbsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 -3

Green chillies – 1-2 (variable according to taste)

Ginger – finely chopped 1 tsp

Coriander leaves – finely chopped for garnish

Cashew nuts (optional) – for seasoning

Salt

Method

In a big vessel, take enough water to immerse the semiya. Once the water starts boiling, add salt and 1 tsp of oil (keeps semiya from sticking). Add semiya and let it cook till it is al dente. Strain the water and let the semiya cool.

Once it has cooled completely, add the vegetables, yogurt, and chillies and mix well. Add salt if required. In a small pan, take 1 tbsp of oil/ghee. When warm, add cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add curry leaves and cashew nuts. Fry till the nuts turn slightly brown and take it off the stove. Add the seasoning to the semiya, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Note - This dish tastes even better when served cold, especially on a hot summer day. So you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate.

Coriander Rice (Serves 2)

Many folks don’t like coriander leaves when used as garnish. So this is an alternative way to get them to eat this fragrant herb. Once it has been ground and sautéed, and added to rice, all that remains is a wonderful flavour.

Ingredients

Cooked rice – 2 cups

Fresh coriander leaves – ½ cup

Green chillies – 1-2

Onion – ½  medium sized

Garlic - 1 clove (optional)

Ginger - 1 small piece (optional)

Oil – 2 tsps

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Channa dal – 1tsp

Curry leaves

Asafoetida (Hing) – a pinch

Cashews

Salt

Method

Cook rice (with salt if you prefer) and keep aside. Grind Coriander leaves, onion and green chillies to make a nice paste (add garlic and ginger if using). Heat oil in a pan and add chana dal and urad dal. As they turn slightly darker, add curry leaves and hing. Add the coriander paste and sauté for a few minutes till the raw smell goes. Turn off the heat and mix in the rice. Garnish with roasted cashews and serve hot.

This dish tastes good with pickle or by itself.

Karuveppilai Sadham (Curry Leaves Rice) Serves 2

(This recipe is from Revathi Shanmugam, a famous cookbook author)

Similar to Coriander, curry leaves are also usually discarded by most people. Here is an interesting way to incorporate it to your main meal. Enjoy this fragrant and yummy rice dish.

Ingredients

Cooked Rice - 2 cups

Curry leaves - 2 handfuls

Oil - 2 tbsp

Red chillies - 3 - 4

Grated coconut - 3 tbsps

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Tamarind extract – 1-2 tbsps

Ghee - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Urad dal – ½ tsp

Method

Cook rice and keep aside. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a frying pan and add red chilies. Add grated coconut and curry leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Grind the fried items with salt and tamarind and keep aside. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, add mustard seeds and urad dal. Once the spluttering subsides and the dal has turned slightly brown, add to the rice. Add ghee and the ground mixture to the rice and mix well. Serve hot.

It was a Sunday morning in 2009; I was in my kitchen thinking of what to cook. I was bored of making sambar, rasam or kootu. I asked my husband for a suggestion and he agreed that he too wasn’t in the mood to eat the same old sambar or rasam. Both of us sat thinking of something exciting to eat for lunch that day and as we were racking our brains, my husband suggested that we have mixed rice.

So, that day I decided to make a variety of mixed rice and guess what, my husband suggested that we pack our lunch and go to a nearby park and have it. And finally that’s what we did. We had lunch among the birds and squirrels in a park near our house.

Coconut-Mango Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Plain cooked rice – 2 cups

Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
Grated raw mango - 1/2 cup

Gingelly Oil – 1 tbsp

Red chillies – 1 or 2

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 or 3

Hing – a pinch

Salt to taste

Method

Cook rice, with a little salt, in a pressure cooker, spread on a plate and set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter. Add urad dal, curry leaves, and red chillies and saute until the dal turns slightly darker. Reduce the heat, add the coconut and mango and mix well. Add salt and hing and mix. Now add the cooked rice and mix well.

Note - Once the rice is cooked, add one or two teaspoons of gingili oil on top of the rice. This will help to keep the rice from becoming lumpy.

This rice can be served with with papad or spicy kootu.

Spicy Kootu/ Rasa Vangi

Ingredients

Vegetable of your choice – 2 cups (Chow chow, Nhool Khol, Dhoodhi)

Toor dal – 2 tbsp

Tamarind juice – 2 tbsp

Seasoning

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Red chillies – 2 or 3

Curry leaves

Salt

Hing – a pinch

Masala

Oil – 1 tbsp

Corriander Seeds – 1 tbsp

Channa dal – 1 tbsp

Red chillies – 5 or 6

Grated coconut – 4 tbsp

Method

Sauté the masala ingredients and powder them in a blender. Cut the vegetables into small cubes and cook them in tamarind juice. While cooking rice, cook a little toor dal and add it to the cooked vegetables.

Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add urad dal, curry leaves and red chillies. Add the cooked vegetable, salt and hing and mix well. Add the ground masala and bring it to a boil. If the kootu is very watery, mix a tsp of rice flour in water and add it to the gravy. This will thicken the kootu.

This kootu can also be served with plain rice.

Tamarind Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup

Puliodhare/ Tamarind gravy

Tamarind extract – 1 cup

Red chillies – 10 to 12

Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp

Salt

Methi seeds – 1 tbsp (powdered)

Turmeric – a pinch

Jaggery – 1 tsp

Seasoning

Gingili oil – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Peanuts – 2 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Red chillies – 1 or 2

Curry leaves – 3 or 4

Method

Cook rice in a pressure cooker and set aside.

Blend the tamarind extract along with the red chillies and salt into smooth paste. Wash, roast and powder sesame seeds. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter. Add urad dal, peanuts, red chillies, and curry leaves. Add the ground tamarind paste and methi powder and mix well. When it starts to boil, add the powdered sesame seeds. Mix well and boil on medium flame until the mixture becomes thick. Add jaggery at the end to bind the mixture. Remove from the stove and store in a dry container. This gravy can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

Mix a small quantity of this gravy with hot, cooked rice. Tamarind rice pairs well with potato chips, papad or kootu.

Lemon Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Plain rice – 1 cup

Lime juice – extracted from ½ a lemon

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Channa dal/ peanuts – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 -3

Green chillies – 2 - 3

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt

Hing – a pinch

Method

Cook rice in a pressure cooker and set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add channa dal/ peanuts, finely chopped green chillies, and curry leaves. Remove from the stove and add turmeric powder, salt and hing. Mix well and cool for 10 minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice and add the cooked rice. Mix well and serve with potato chips.

Tomato Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Plain rice – 1 cup

Tomatoes – 5 or 6 (medium sized)

Onion – 1 (optional)

Ginger – 1 tsp (finely chopped)

Garlic – 2 cloves

Green chillies – 3 - 4

Oil – 1 tbs

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 - 3

Salt

Method

Cook rice in a pressure cooker and set aside. Blend tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, and salt in a blender to make a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add urad dal and curry leaves. Add finely chopped onions and sauté until it turns golden brown. Then add the tomato paste and mix well. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes or until the gravy has thickened.

Mix the cooked rice with this gravy and serve hot with raita or chips.

Curd Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Plain rice – 1 cup

Curd – 1 ½ cups

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Green chillies – 1 - 2 (finely chopped)

Ginger – 1 tsp (finely grated)

Curry leaves or coriander – 1 tsp (finely chopped)

Salt

Hing – a pinch

Method

Cook rice in a pressure cooker and set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add urad dal, green chillies and ginger. Remove from stove and add salt and hing.

Take the cooked rice in a mixing bowl and mash well. Add the garnishing to the rice and mix well. The add curd and mix well. If the rice is very thick, add some more curd or water to make it loose. Add curry leaves or coriander and serve with pickle.

Note - If the curd is sour, add milk while mixing the rice. You can also add more flavour to curd rice by adding grated carrots, grapes and pomegranate to it.

Vangi Bath (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Plain cup – 1 cup

Brinjal – 1 cup (cut lengthwise)

Masala

Coriander seeds – 2 tbsps

Channa dal – 1 tbsps

Red chillies – 6 - 7

Tamarind – 2 tbs

Cloves – 1 - 2

Cinnamon – 1 tsp

Cardamom – 1 tsp

Hing – a pinch

Salt

Seasoning

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves

Method

Cook the rice in a pressure cooker and set aside. In a dry pan, sauté the masala ingredients and then blend it in a blender to make a smooth powder. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add urad dal and curry leaves. Add the cut brinjal and mix well. Add the ground masala and mix well. Cover and cook until the brinjals are nicely cooked.

Mix this paste with the cooked rice and serve with raita and papad.

Note - You can also substitute brinjal with capsicum. The masala can be made in large quantities and stored in the fridge. 

Mango Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Plain rice – 1 cup

Raw mango – 1 (grated)

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Green chillies – 2 - 3

Curry leaves

Salt

Hing – a pinch

Method

Cook rice in a pressure cooker and set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add urad dal, green chillies, curry leaves and the grated mango. Sauté well and cook until the mango is cooked.

Mix in the cooked rice and serve hot with spicy kootu or papad.