Methi-Tomato Pulao

In the past few months, I've learnt to cook a lot of new dishes. Especially these one pot varieties which is a meal in itself and does not need any side dish to go with it. This is one such dish. After trying out multiple recipes from the internet, I finally struck a balance somewhere in the middle with a few touches of my own. This recipe is with the usual white rice. It will be tastier if you use Basmati/Biriyani rice as it has more flavor. Also I found it to be better if the rice and masala are cooked separately and mixed in the end. 

Serves: 2

What you need:

• Rice: 1.5 cups
• Methi/Fenugreek leaves: 1 bunch
• Onion: 1 medium chopped 
• Tomatoes: 2 medium chopped
• Green chillies: 4 medium finely chopped
• Garlic cloves: 2 medium finely chopped
• Ginger: 1 inch piece finely chopped
• Coriander powder: 1 tsp
• Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 1 Tbsp
• Ghee: 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp

Whole masala:

• Bay leaves: 2
• Cinnamon: 1 inch piece
• Star Anise: 2 flowers
• Fennel/Cumin: 1/2 tsp

For Garnish:

• Almonds (or cashews): 7-8 chopped 
• Raisins: 14 -15

How to Make:

• Wash the rice and cook it using any method which you usually use. Make sure its a little under cooked so that it does not get mushy when mixed with the masala. 
• Wash the methi thoroughly in running water and remove the leaves from the stem. 
• In a kadai or frying pan, heat the oil. Add the fennel/cumin seeds and when it splutters, add rest of the whole masala.
• Turn the heat to medium. Add the chopped chillies, garlic and ginger and fry for a few seconds. 
• Add the chopped onions and saute till glossy.
• Next add the methi leaves and mix well. Cover the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the leaves wilt.
• Add the chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric and give it a good mix.
• Finally add the chopped tomatoes and mix. Add salt to taste and cook until the tomatoes are soft. If the masala looks too dry, add 1/4 cup water.
• Once the masala is cooked (about 5-8 minutes), tip in the cooked rice and mix very gently using a fork. Though its a little tedious, using a fork avoids mashing up the rice. Add the 1/2 tbsp ghee to the rice mixture. 
• Check the salt and sprinkle some more if required.
• In a small frying pan, heat the ghee and roast the almonds and raisins.
• Tip it into the pulao along with the hot ghee. Give a light mix with the fork and the pulao is ready.

Notes:

• The masala powders were enough for my taste, but if you feel the masala is a bit bland, increase the quantity accordingly.
• Adding a bit of salt along with the onions make it fry quicker. I do this when I'm pressed for time or impatient :).
• You can cook this this entirely using ghee. I am not much of a ghee enthusiast so I use it only for the garnish.

Grilled Salmon with Salad

When I visited my cousin N last time, she made this yummy grilled salmon with a side of salad and pasta. This is inspired from her recipe. I was too lazy to make the salad or the pasta, so served the fish with some store bought salad. You can use this recipe for any fish that can be grilled, just that the cooking time varies. So here's the recipe.

Serves: 1 or 2

What you need:

• Salmon fillet: 0.5 lb
• Garlic: 4 cloves - randomly chopped
• Onion: 1 small - thinly sliced
• Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp
• Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric: a pinch
• Salt: to taste
• Oil

How to make:

• Clean the salmon and remove the scales.
• Mix the chilly powder, pepper powder, turmeric and salt in a tbsp of oil. Keep a small quantity of the marinade aside.
• Marinate the fish with this mixture for about 30 minutes.
• Mix the garlic cloves and the onion slices with rest of the marinade.
• Take a roasting pan or tray and drizzle some oil.
• Spread some of the garlic-onion mixture and place the salmon fillet on top. Sprinkle rest of the garlic-onion mixture around the salmon.
• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree F. 
• Grill the fish for 5 minutes. Check once and continue grilling until cooked. It took about 10 minutes for the fillet I used.
• Take the pan out of the oven and turn the fish.. Set the oven to Broil option and broil the fish for 2 minutes. This makes the skin crispy.
• Serve with the salad.

Notes:

• For the fish, I usually leave the skin on. You can take it off if you do not like it. 
• I used olive oil as there was some at home. Feel free to use any oil of your choice