Here iam preparing two recipes – Simple, very flavourful peas pulav and buttery soft brinjal in onion masala gravy in cooker. I Prefer to use 3 litres cookers.
PEAS PULAV:
Ingredients:
Basamathi rice / Sona masoori rice – 225 Gms ( 1 and 1/2 cups ),
Fresh or frozen peas – 100 Gms,
Onion – 1 medium, sliced fine,
Green chilli – 3 if very spicy,( each slit vertically into 2 ),
Ginger garlic paste – 1/3 Tsp,
Cloves and cardamom each two,
Cinnamon – 1/4 inch pieces – 2,
Bay leaf 1,
Salt,
Shajeera – 1/4 Tsp,
Stone flower – I/4 inch piece,
Oil – 3 Tablesp,
Desi ghee – 1 Tablesp,
Garam masala powder – 1/2 Tsp,
Cashew nuts – 7 to 8 ( optional ),
Chopped coriander leaves and mint 1 Tablesp each,
Carrot – small 1, cut into small cubes ,( optional ),
Method:
1).Wash and soak rice for 1/2 hr,
2).Heat oil + ghee in a cooker, add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, shajeera ,stone flower and saute for 30 seconds.
2).Add onions, chilli, fry till onion turns pink and soft. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add drained rice ,fry for a minute, add peas and carrot pieces. Fry for few seconds and add salt along with 3 and 1/2 cups of water.
3).Add garam masala, mint leaves, coriander leaves , mix well and close the cooker. Put flame on high ( with out weight ).When steam starts to come out, put the weight and lower the flame to low medium. Pressure cook for 3 Whistles.
4).When cooker cools down, remove the lid and sprinkle little chopped coriander leaves and mix gently. Close the cooker till it is served. Garnish with fried cashew before serving.
BRINJAL in ONION MASALA:
Ingredients:
Small tender brinjal – 250 Gms,
Onion – medium 3, chopped roughly in to big pieces,
Tomato – 1 medium,cut into 4 pieces,
Green chilli – 1,slit into 2,
Red chilli powder – 1/2 Tsp if very spicy,
Haldi – 1/4 Tsp,
Salt,
Ginger garlic paste – 1/3 Tsp,
Cloves 2, cardamom 1, cinnamon 1/4 inch pieces 2,
Dhania powder – 1 Tablesp,
Garam masala – 2 pinch,
Oil – 3 Tablesp,
Method:
1).Fry onion, tomato, ginger garlic paste in a tsp of oil till onion becomes just soft. ( I kept in the microwave oven for 3 minutes with out oil ).
2).Blend the above in mixie along with dhania powder, chilli powder, haldi, garam masala into a fine paste.
3).Cut brinjal vertically into 4 parts, preserving the stalk part intact.
4).Heat a tablesp.of oil in pressure cooker, fry the brinjals for 2 minutes with a pinch of salt and remove. keep it aside.
5).Add remaining oil and ghee to the cooker ,add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and the prepared paste. Fry for 2 minutes and add fried brinjal. Add required amount of salt, mix gently and add 150 ml.of water. Again stir once and close the cooker. Keep the flame high( without weight ) till continuous steam comes out. Put the weight, lower the flame and cook for 2 whistles.
6).when cooker cools down,remove the lid and check .Usually the water added will be sufficient. If you want more gravy add little hot water and keep cooker on low flame for two more minutes.
Tip:
a).If brinjals are large you can cut them into big cubes.( Like 3 inches ).
b).Both the recipes are easy and quickly be prepared with in 45 minutes.