Spanish Pulao

Here is the mouth watering recipe of Spanish Pulao, a guest post by my better half.

Ingredients :
To make rice :
2 cups basmati rice
2 tbspns oil
4 cups water
Salt to taste


For dry spice :
3 cloves
3-4 black pepper cons
3 sticks cinnamon (approx 1/2 inch)

For paste :
10 kashmiri red chillies
10 garlic cloves


To make pulao :

4 tbspns oil
1  medium sized potato (boiled in turmeric water and salt)
1/2 cup blanched green peas
1/2 cup blanched carrot slices  (round shaped)
1/2 cup vertically chopped and blanched french beans
2 tomatoes cut in round shape (medium size)
2 finely chopped onions (medium size)
1 vertically chopped capsicum
1/2 cup curd
Cooked rice
Salt to taste


For Garnishing :
Tomato slices


Preparation :
To cook  rice :
Heat 2 tbspns of oil in a pan
Then add rice and fry it for 5 minutes
Thereafter, add water and salt
Transfer it into a plate
Allow it to cool for at least 1 hour


To make spice :
Dry roast all the spice ingredients till aroma is released
Grind it into fine powder


To make Paste :
Soak red chillies in water for 3-4 hours
Blend red chillies and garlic into smooth paste

To make pulao
Heat 4 tbspns oil in a pan
Then add chopped onions and capsicum
Saute it for 8-10 minutes or till the onion starts changing its colour
Then add chilly-garlic paste and saute it for 2 minutes
Add all the blanched vegetables, spice powder, salt
Saute it for 2-3 minutes
Bring down the flame to low
Add cooked rice into the mixture * (See Note)
Cook it on low flame for 3-4 minutes
Garnish it with chopped tomato slices
Serve hot

Notes :
* Alternatively, at this stage,  transfer the pulao mixture  into a tray
   Spread 3-4 tablespoons of grated processed cheese over the pulao
   Heat it in oven at 160 degrees till the cheese is melted

Stepwise Pictures :

 

Pasta in Red Sauce

While shopping at Hypercity I came across section of international food and I saw packet of various pastas. Till now, I have cooked only 'ready to make pasta'. So I picked whole wheat fussili (I am always confused between 'rotini' and  'fussili') and tried this home-made pasta.

Ingredients :

Pasta Cooking :
1 cup Whole wheat pasta [I used Fussili]
2 tspns salt
5-6 cups boiling water

To make red sauce :
6 medium sized tomatoes
1/4 green capsicum chopped in squares
1/4 red bell pepper chopped in squares
1/4 yellow bell pepper chopped in squares
6-8 blanched broccoli florets
1 finely chopped large sized onion
1 tbspn vegetable oil and 2 tbspns butter  (Or 3 tbspns olive oil)
3-4 garlic cloves - finely choped
1/2 tspn oregano
1/2 tspn black pepper powder (I used fresh green pepper)
1 tspn mix herbs
2-3 tbspns tomato ketchup
7-8 finely chopped basil leaves
Salt to taste

For Garnishing :
Grated parmesan cheese

Preparation :

To cook pasta :
Heat 5-6 cups water in a deep pan
Add 2 tspns salt into the boiling water
Add pasta in the boiling water
Cook till it is soft
Drain out the water from pasta
Pour cold water over it so that cooking process is stopped
(Drizzle some oil over it if you feel that it is becoming sticky)
Set it aside

To make tomato puree :
Heat 8-10 cups of water in a deep vessel
Give a small prick to tomatoes and put them into boiling water
Let it boil in hot water for 4-5 minutes
Remove it from hot water and immediately pour cold water over the tomatoes
Now remove the skin of tomaotes
Take two tomatoes and cut it into pieces
Blend the balance tomatoes into puree

To make pasta red sauce :
Heat oil in a pan
Once oil is heated add chopped garlic and  chopped onions
Cook for 2 minutes
Then add chopped blanched tomatoes
Saute it for a minute on high flame
Lower the flame and add green capsicum pieces
Cook it for 3-4 minutes on medium flame
Then add tomato puree into the mixture
Add Mix herbs,  Oregano, fresh green pepper, basil leaves, tomato ketchup and salt
Also add blanched broccoli, yellow and red bell peppers to the sauce
Mix it well and cook for further 2 minutes
Then add cooked pasta into it
Coat pasta with the sauce
Top it with grated parmesan cheese
Serve hot

Notes :

1. While cooking pasta, the instructions given on packet should also be considered and modify the process of cooking given here should be modified to that extent.

2. The green capsicum should not be overcooked.
3. Pasta should be served with Garlic bread and / or fresh vegetable salad
4. In my opinion cheese should be avoided in red pasta, as it takes away the tangy taste.

Stepwise Pictures :