Sunday, August 26, 2007

Bell Pepper Rice

"Fun in the Sun" was fun alright but surprise surprise we were pleasantly happy the sun hid in the clouds. This is our annual beach trip for and specially for the kids. Usually when we adults are enjoying other vacation spots the kids are just suffering through it most of the time, this time they were happy too. We had a kitchen in the hotel room so a quick lunch with a potato fry, chicken gravy or chickpeas was just 15 minutes, I learnt my lesson and now carry a electric rice cooker and a bottle of pickles if we are leaving home for even a few days. Few years ago we had taken a vacation to Montana and Wyoming by way of Yellow Stone National Park for about a week, though I was kind of surprised to see Veggie Burgers along with Ostrich and Bison Burgers in the menu there was no sign of rice. I craved for rice and pickles like I have never in my whole life. No Indian restaurant in sight, we finally found rice at a restaurant as a side but it was smothered in so much butter, even after I doused it with half a bottle hot sauce it still was not hot enough.


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Rice is as essential as water and air we breathe and it is rice we are celebrating as this month's JFI - Rice, brain child of Indira and hosted by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

When in doubt about what to make with a particular Veggie make a rice dish has been my motto. I had a few bell pepper fresh and bursting with flavor and so chose to make some flavored Bell Pepper Rice.


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Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 Cups of Basmati rice (wash and soak in water) (3 cups of water)
2. 4 Medium Sized Bell Peppers chopped into bit sized cubes(colorful would be good, I had only green ones)
3. a handful of black eyed peas (used frozen ones)
4. 2 small tomatoes chopped fine
5. 1/2 Red Onion chopped fine
6. 3 tbsp of Yogurt
7. Seasonings: cumin, curry leaves
8. Oil + a little bit of ghee

To Powder
1. 2 tsp cumin
2. 1 tbsp coriander seeds
3. 2 Red Chillies
4. 1 tsp Peppercorn
5. few methi seeds

Dry roast the above and powder in a coffee grinder and set aside.

Method
1. In a Pressure pan heat the oil and ghee when hot add the seasonings
2. Add the onions and saute till soft, now add the tomatoes and saute till become soft
3. In a sauce pan put enough water for the rice to boil.
4. Add the bell peppers and saute a little bit, add the black eyed peas and mix well.
5. Add the yogurt and spice powders and mix well. Cook till the raw smell goes for about 2 minutes.
6. Add the rice and salt and mix well.
7. Add the boiling water and check if there is enough salt.
8. Close the lid/place the weight when the rice is mostly cooked and most of the water is gone.
9. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 4 more minutes and switch off the heat.
10. When the pressure is gone fluff the rice up.


Serve with Onion/tomato raita
1. Chop the onion and tomato fine and a green chili split in half
2. Add a little bit of oil to the pan and saute the onion and tomato till soft.
3. Cool add salt and mix with yogurt.

23 comments:

  1. peppers always taste good with rice and noodles. the picture looks tempting. thanks for the nice one.

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  2. Very filling and satisying meal in that platter, dear :). feel like eating some right away, it makes me seriously hungry!

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  3. Yum yum yum! Bell pepper rice looks great ISG. I like the yogurt and black-eyed peas you added! Had to smile about the hotsauce-laced rice "still not hot enough" -- I know from experience making your recipes, you do like your spicy food! :)

    Lovely photo of the ocean... where was it?

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  4. what a beautiful shot of the sea!!!

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  5. Veggies cooked in rice always make for a good dish.

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  6. Hello Indo,
    thanks for the nice recipe :)
    my intent of this comment is something else as well.
    I remember you once talked about swiss chard and also gave a wonderful link to an article.
    Guess what I took it to heart and now I have my own bunch of swiss chard plants and also managed to make dal once using them. Thanks a bunch :)

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  7. That's a great shot of the sea! And bell pepper with pepper is a new combination for me!

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  8. Sorry it was cloudy, but still beautiful!:)
    Make a trip to southern coasts if you want Sun next time.Even now it's blazing hot, saw many Northerns including Canadians when I was there! December will be relatively warm too here. But you won't get too many Indian restaurants here either, they are all very burger and seafood eating folks here!:D
    Capsicum rice is always yummy,great tasting dish.Thank you Indo!:)

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  9. That first pic is simply awesome!! :)

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  10. this is first time in ur blog very nice blog u hv.. liked ur pepper rice recipe is vey nice..
    sushma

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  11. ISG,

    Awesome plate you got there.. for the bell pepper rice.. I am guessing the plate is also one of your creations?? if so, the glazing on the plate is perfect.
    Great work! I have tried several of your recipes and most of them come out very well.

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  12. My hubbby loves peppers...He always asks me to do some dished in pepper...ill try this one...seems great.
    Feel free to visit my blog.

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  13. Hi ISG
    the bellpepper rice looks colorfull!!

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  14. Love the taste of bellpeppers... have always used that as a supproting actor in veggie fried rice... but looks like he is hero material... will try it... Beautiful sea pic btw.

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  15. Hi ISG,

    Rice looks nice and healthy.

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  16. This looks very delicious.

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  17. Nice comforting plate of bell pepper rice. Liked the use of black eyed peas in it. Thanks for posting such a nice recipe.

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  18. the rice looks delicious ISG, I know what we are having for dinner today :) surely it can be an express meal!

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  19. Bell pepper rice is looking great!.. Nice recipe...loveely picture..

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  20. glad to know u had gr8 time indo. with or w/o sun, the beach pic has come out very good.
    and coming to bell pepper rice, if it tastes as good as it looks then i am in;) i always loved bell peppers with rice.

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  21. You are back ? I though you are away for the week !!!
    That rice looks and sounds lovely

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  22. Sharmi, thanks I had intially planned the rice with the hot chilli peppers but there were not that many on the plant.

    Musical, Welcome! It sure is a satisfying meal, you should give it a try.

    Linda, the black eyed peas sure gave the rice the texture.
    Ocean City!

    Bee, thanks

    Cynthia, they sure do.

    Aarthi, I am really happy to see this comment, it is really gratifying growing Swiss Chard isn't it. I get enough leaves every couple of weeks. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know.


    Sra, this is first time I have tried rice with bell pepper but they sure taste good.

    Asha, no no cloudy was actually good, we could spend a bit more time on the beach. Hope the surgery went well and just want to let you know I am thinking of you.

    Sushma , nice to have you over.
    Coffee thanks

    ANI, no way I am not that much of an artist. They are store bought plates. Thanks making me feel great though!

    Swapna, thanks

    Sig, I could not beleive it myself but bell peppers are hero :) material for sure.

    StarChef, glad you stopped by. I did visit your site, looking good especially the chicken pakoda.

    MT, Pamela thanks

    Kribha, the black eyed peas did make a difference.

    Mandira, express meal for sure. Did you give it a try?

    Sia, beaches have this quality of relaxing, we had a good time, if you love bell peppers and rice you are sure to like this.

    Sandeepa, unfortunately DDs school started Monday, we had to get back for that. How was your trip up north?

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  23. I knew I would fit into my husbands family when I found out that his parents also traveled everywhere with a rice cooker. My family always did the trips with my mom packing up idlies/dosai for the first day, and then in the hotel room she'd make rice and we'd buy buttermilk and potato chips! Or she'd bring the homemade tadka and cook paasi daal and rice in the cooker, mix with the tadka and presto -- venpongal. All kinds of innovative dishes. I heard when my hubby's family travelled on a vacation to Bali, they stayed in a fancy hotel but his grandma wouldn't eat outside, so they basically had a electric pot, and rice cooker and would cook a full meal in the room: sambar, curry, rice and a salad! My MIL has been know to make puri and bhaji on camping trips to satisfy requests of the family members.

    You are not alone!

    Kanchana

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