One Pot Meal - Bean Rice

Meme first.....
Sandeepa of Bong Mom's Cookbook has tagged me for this intriguing Meme "What Your Blogger Friends Look Like and Why". I thought I'd give it a shot. It would be interesting to give some thought and face to the person(s) who are writing the blogs I frequent. My familiarity with the blog owner is through their writings, Do I give a face to them? sometimes and it easier when the name is same as someone I know of in real life and which in itself is going to be wrong 100% but that is how I associate them. Am I calling blog writing Reel life? In a way yes. I think I know the character of the blog itself but never the person writing it most of the time. Some blog friends share their family information some of them just give few tidbits like "I have kids", "I have twins", "I have pets" "I love gardening" etc., Connections and assumptions are made based on what the blogger writes about like

1. That blogger is a fantastic cook and is passionate about what she writes.
2. That blogger is an excellent photgrapher.
3. That blogger is an excellent cook and super photographer.
4. That blogger has a wicked sense of humor.
5.That blogger writes so eloquently.
6. This blogger I know a bit more because she shares more and makes me feel at home
7.These bloggers are they professional caterers.
8.This blogger cares a lot about food and health.
9.This blogger does a lot of stuff with her kids.
10. This blogger has the same name as a dear friend
11. This blogger lives in a place I would love to visit
12. This blogger could have been Indian in her previous birth
13. This blogger is lucky to live so close to .... she can visit home often
14. This blogger revealed she was an architect, something clicked.
15.This blogger should be a professional baker.
16. I have reads this blogger's article in a magazine.

and so on ............... and when some of them stop writing for an extended period of time you start to miss them, do I miss them as real people or their writing not sure but sure hope they are doing alright.

The connection I made with Sandeepa was love of listening to NPR and when she talked about a show she had listened to on NPR "And this mention sent a shiver of happiness down my spine, and I felt how I miss my country and how a simple mention of its river made me all proud. Would my daughter feel the same hearing about Hudson River, ok at least Niagara on AkashVani?" I had the exact same feeling when I listened to the very same show, there a connection was made and she being a Bong with a natural love for cooking Fish it was even better and maybe we code too...

Would like to invite Asha, Priya S&S and Krithika if they feel like it.


Now on to my recipe.
Bean Rice
This is to keep up with my theme of reducing carbs and increasing protein. My husband called it a fancy arsim paruppu (dal rice) so be it. Handy when you want something quick and also excellent if you want to pack lunch for the next day.



Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 Cups rice (I used basmati Rice:Water:: 1 : 1 1/2)
2. 1 1/2 Cups of Beans (Butter beans, Garbanzo and White Northern Beans) soaked overnight
3. 1/2 Cup Green Beans and Carrot cut into strips
4. 1 Onion Cut lengthwise
5. 4 Garlic cloves chopped
6. 1/2 inch piece ginger chopped
7. 1 tomato chopped
8. 4 green chillies slit
9. Seasonings -cumin, curry leaves (cloves, cinnamon, fennel optional)
10. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
11. 1/4 cup corriander leaves chopped

Method
1. Saute 1/4 of the onions, garlic, ginger and blend to a smooth paste. If you do not want to do this saute them with the onions after step 2.
2. In a Pressure cooker heat a tsp of oil, add the seasonings, add the onion and saute till translucent. Add the green chillies. Add the tomatoes and saute till they are become mushy.
3. Now add the blend mixture and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the turmeric and the fresh veggies and the beans, add a cup of water,cover and cook for 8-10 minutes till they are half way cooked.
5. Now add the rice and mix well. Add required amount of water, salt. Check for taste.
6. Cool till the rice is almost cooked and there is only a little bit of water.
7. Now cover the lid, put the weight on and keep on medium low for 5-6 minutes.
8. Remove from fire, don't have to wait for the whistle.

Serve with Onion Raitha or just plain Yogurt.

Moong Dal Spinach Sundal

The New Year has arrived, and time for New Year resolutions. Mine does change year to year, some years there is only one that being - lose a few pounds and eat healthy. Reducing carbs is also high on the list but going cold turkey will not work for sure, end result craving which will do more harm. So find ways to add more protein and cut down the carbs and weaning slowly from rice. My first attempt on New Years was this Moong Dal Spinach Sundal(poriyal). Nothing fancy but to borrow Vaishali's phrase a Ton of Protein. So Ton of Protein is what came to my mind and it tasted, well a 8 and 2 year old polishing it off without a murmur should speak for itself.



Ingredients
1. 2,10oz boxes of frozen spinach thawed(substitue with Thandu keerai or any greens)
2. 1 medium sized onion chopped
3. 1 or 2 cups moong dal cooked and drained(should not be mushy mine turned a little mushy)
4. 2 Red Chillies split in half and seeds removed.
4. seasonings (1 tbsp urad dal, cumin, mustard ,curry leaves)
5. 1/2 tsp of oil
6. 1 tbsp coconut (optional) (I did not add)

Method
1. Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan, add urad dal when it starts to brown add cumin, mustard and curry leaves.
2. When the mustard starts to splutter add the onion and when the onions starts to brown add the Red chillies and the thawed spinach and cook for a few minutes
3. When the water is almost gone add the Moong dal, enough salt and cook till all the water is gone.
4. When you are ready to turn off the heat add the coconut if doing so.

Serve with chappathis or just by itself.