Beetroot or Carrot Rice

Ingredients:

• Carrot or Beet root - 3
• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Briyani Leaves - 2
• Ghee - 3 tablespoons
• Onions - 2

To powder:

1. Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoons
2. Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
3. Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
4. Urad Dhal - 1 teaspoon
5. Split yellow Channa dhal - 1 teaspoon
6. Cloves - 3
7. Cinnamon - 2cm stick
8. Cardamon - 2
   
9. Curry Leaves - 1 sprig or 10
   
10. Sherrded coconut - 2 tablespoons
11. Red Chillies - 6 (as required)
    

Method:

• Cook the basmati rice with 4 cups of water, required salt and keep it aside.
  
• In a dry pan first fry coriander seeds on medium heat for 5 mins
• After that add the items in "To powder" from 2 - 11 one after the other and fry for another 5 mins on low heat or when the mixture turns light brown color.
• When the mixture cools down grind it to smooth powder
• You can prepare the powder in excess quantity and can store in air-tight container in freezer for a month or so.
• Shred the Carrot or Beetroot and keep it aside.
• In a pan heat 3 tablespoons of ghee and add the briyani leaves.
• Add lengthwise cut onions and fry until onion is light brown in color.
• Add the shredded vegetable, salt required for vegetable(as rice already has salt in it) and fry for 2 mins.
• Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the vegetable is cooked. Don't add water any water.
• When beetroot or carrot is done add 2 tablespoons of grinded masala powder and mix well.
• Add the cooked rice and stir in. If required add more masala powder as per your spice needs.

Quick Egg Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked and Cooled Basmati Rice - 2 cups ( Rice should not be sticky)
Onions - 2 large
Tomatoes - 2 large
Green Chillies - 4 or 5
Curry Leaves - 2 sticks
Fennel seeds - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Chicken Masala - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Eggs - 2 or 3
Coriander leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

• Cut Onions, tomatoes and green chillies lengthwise.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of oil and add the fennel seeds, the fennel seeds will splutter and the oil will be fully flavored with fennel seeds.
• Now add the onions and green chillies fry till onions become light brown in color and add curry leaves and tomatoes.
• Fry the tomatoes till you get a paste consistency add chicken masala if required, salt to taste and fry for a minute.
• Add 1 or 2 eggs and fry the egg to 3/4 cooked and add the cooled basmati rice and fry in medium heat.
• when the rice absorbs all the ingredients add one more egg and give a stir and leave it for 2 mins.
• Garnish with coriander leaves

Easy lunch box recipe, different alternate for the normal tomato rice.

Tips:

Another variation would be instead of using tomato and chicken masala use turmeric powder and pepper.

Picnic Parata

Ingredients

For Parata:

• Maida or Plain Flour - 1 cup
• Butter - 1 teaspoon
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Salt as required

For Filling:

• Potato - 1
• Onion -1
• Green Chillies - 2
• Ginger - small piece
• Garam Masala - half teaspoon
• Coriander leaves
  

Method:

Mix all the "For Parata" ingredients to make a smooth dough. Boil the potato, peel the skin off
and mash roughly. In a frying pan add oil and fry the onion, green chilli and ginger. When onion turns light brown add the mashed potato, garam masala and salt to taste. Add chopped coriander, mix well and leave the stuffing to cool. Make small balls of the dough and make round shaped parata's. Fry the paratas in a pan just to half cooked on both sides, spread the potato filling and fold the parata so that the filling does not comeout. Fry the parata again in the pan with ghee on both sides. Parata can be had as such or accompanied with any chutney. Plain yoghurt and mango pickle is a best combination for stuffed parata's.