Geetha's Kitchen

If you like biriyani, a rice and vegetable casserole, this recipe is a must try. Everything is done in one pot in layers; although it is easy, it is quite flavorful and great for company too. When cooked in a glass dish in the oven, it makes a pretty presentation. Very family friendly! A simple and easy recipe, biriyani is awesome accompanied simply by  Chopped Salad , and papadams and non-dairy yogurt; but could be served with  Salna or Korma  or other curries like Aviyal, Vegetable Kofta, or any bean dishes like Chole or Rajma . Notes: If peas are fresh, add them about 5 minutes sooner; but frozen peas do not need very much cooking time and will do fine as directed in the recipe. A favorite curry powder maybe used instead of the Biriyani/Garam masala and Kashmiri chile powder. Feel free to adjust and change the spices according to your preference. Alternately, after layering in an oven-safe pan with cover, the biriyani may be baked in the oven for 30 minut...

Happy Pongal everyone! Join in the celebration of this festival which is similar to Thanksgiving; giving thanks for the Earth, Sun, and all the bounty of the harvest. This Pongal is very similar to Basic Pongal , a wonderful comfort food, quite simple and delicious. Trying to incorporate healthy ingredients while yet keeping food tasty is quiet a challenge; Multigrain Pongal/Risotto more than rises to it! Although similar to the  barley pongal , this one is prepared without any added fat! Paired with a delicious curry of your choice, it makes an awesome meal; the complex carbohydrates, abundant fiber, and proteins from the grains and dal make it filling and satisfying. This pongal may be made soft or fluffy depending on the amount of water used. Other dals like red lentils, toor dal, or chana dal and grains such as steel cut oats, quinoa, coarse cornmeal/polenta, millet or buckwheat may also be used to make pongal. Since pongal is very mild, spicy and saucy dishes go w...

My family adores meals that can be ladled or piled into bowls whether they be Indian, Mexican, Thai, etc! Here is another do-it-yourself Mexican-style meal to suit a family or a crowd and one of our all-time favorites! Have all the ingredients ready and let everyone serve themselves in a bowl/plate in layers or on crisp tortillas for tostadas, soft chapatis/tortillas for wraps/roll-ups, in fact any which way is perfectly delicious. The beauty of this fabulous meal is that most of the ingredients may be made at least a day or two ahead; warm the rice, beans, and veggies just before serving.  The veggies may be roasted in a 400 F oven for about 30 minutes if you wish instead of pan-toasting; I like either way depending on the moment. 8-10 Servings 1 recipe Frijoles de la Olla or   Black / Pinto  beans 1 recipe Cilantro Lime Rice OR Mexican Salsa Rice 1 recipe Pan-Toasted Veggies, recipe below Shredded Romaine Lettuce to serve Radish slices, chopped Onion...

Palak Shorva is a colorful and delicious new way to serve the traditional rice and dal. Typically dal is served over a mount of rice, but here the dal-based soup is topped with a scoop of the fragrant Basmati rice :D! It is practically a one dish meal as it has all the components for a balanced meal with dal, rice, nuts, and plenty of veggies. Cashews are the perfect complement for this soup; but peanuts or almonds may be used instead. 4 - 6 Servings Ingredients: 2 large bunches fresh Spinach (about 2.5 lbs total) 1 cup split Mung dal 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1 Tbsp Oil 1 large Onion 2 cloves Garlic (optional) 1 cup Thick Coconut Milk 2 Tbsp Dry unsweetened Coconut 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds 2 tsp Cumin seeds 1 hot dry red chile 1 tsp Sea Salt 1 Lime/Lemon, juiced 1 - 2 cups cooked Basmati rice, for serving 1/2 cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped Tomato Coulis or Carrot Salad for serving Method: Tomato Coulis: 4 ripe Plum Tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped, juice from 1...

Bisi Bele Huli Rice is another classic South Indian rice-bean dish that is just superb! It is very similar to the North Indian Kichdi or Italian risotto. Just like a risotto, it is often served in restaurants and on formal occasions. Naturally gluten free, it is a flavorful one-pot casserole with an abundance of vegetables. If you don't use ghee, it is vegan as well. You can use a wide variety of vegetables; onions, eggplants, carrots, regular and sweet potatoes, Indian drum sticks (pods of the Moringa tree ), green beans, chayote, opo, zucchini, or other summer squashes, winter squashes like pumpkin, sweet peppers, fresh or frozen peas, etc are all great for this dish; use one or two kinds or an assortment. In India it is considered quite auspicious to use 5, 7, or 9 assorted vegetables and often up to a dozen may be added. I personally like using an assortment of vegetables for the flavor and color as well as nutrition. It is a wonderful one-pot dish that is good f...

Lemon or Lime Rice is a classic lemon colored rice dish and one would not think of a picnic without it! It is part of the category of foods called "chitrannam" - beautiful or "pretty as a picture" food. For my delicious vegetable-laden version of lime rice, click here . Lemon/lime rice is traditionally served along with Yogurt Rice  (check out the NON-Dairy Yogurt Rice too) and accompanied by fried yogurt cured chilies, papadams, Indian pickles, etc. As children a picnic was always a mysterious and joyful event to us as we never knew when it would happen. We welcomed them joyously as we knew it would entail a trip to some wonderful place in the huge truck with lots of other families. We would find our Amma furiously preparing lots of traditional picnic goodies before dawn for our potluck meal. We left early in the morning to arrive at the chosen scenic place in time for a morning romp and then the long awaited meal. The ladies had their chance to have thei...

Here is another delicious rice which is mild but flavorful. Frozen corn makes it a snap to prepare it. When rice is enhanced with a Tadka/Thalippu and various ingredients, it belongs to the category of "Chitrannam" which literally translates as 'beautiful food/rice'! Chitrannam of one kind or another is a must on special occasions and as children we looked forward eagerly for these holidays. Amma would often make them as a special after-school treats with whatever vegetables were on hand. Enjoy! Ingredients: 2 Cups Basmati Rice 1 tsp Salt Scant 4 cups fresh water Tadka/Thalippu: 2 Tbsp Ghee or Coconut oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 2 Tbsp Urad Dal 1 pinch Asafoetida (Optional) 1 sprig Fresh Curry Leaves 1 pinch Turmeric 12 oz. Frozen Corn Kernels 1 small 1 medium Onion 1 Jalapeño Chili (optional) 1/2 tsp Salt or to taste Method: Wash the rice well and let sit; bring the water to a boil with the salt. Add the rice and cook until done....