Capsicum Rice 'n Raitha

I first tasted Capsicum rice when having a group study session with my friends S & K. It's funny how that worked out because we were all from different faculties - Engg, Comp Science & Business Administration - but for quite some time our group studying worked out really well and we had such enjoyable times together. They weren't living in a hostel like me and so would bring in such delicious home cooked lunches that we would share. During one such delicious lunch, I tasted and loved the capsicum rice and went on to recreate it at home later.

I decided to make this yesterday, wanting a quick and easy recipe for the lunchbox... and it was just as satisfying with a Capsicum Cabbage raitha and chips to round it off.

CAPSICUM RICE

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup, dry
Onions - 2 small, sliced thinly into 1 inch pieces
Bell Peppers (Red/Green) - 2 medium, sliced thinly into 1 inch pieces
Tomato - half of a small one, chopped
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 to 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Sambar powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:
1) Cook Basmati Rice with 1.75 cups of water and a few pinches of salt till done. Transfer to a wide plate and allow to cool.

2) Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, once they sizzle, add the chopped onions and the ginger-garlic paste. Allow to fry till the onions are translucent before adding the bell pepper slices & salt (the salt helps the bell pepper cook a bit faster). When they are tender (yet a bit crunchy), add the tomatoes, chilli powder, sambar powder and cook till they turn a bit mushy and the raw masala smell is gone.

3) Stir in the cooked rice and the tsp of ghee until the masala coats the rice uniformly and keep on a medium flame, stir every now and then for about 5 to 10 minutes before removing from the stove.

I would like to send this capsicum rice onto Srivalli for the Rice Mela that she is hosting.

CAPSICUM CABBAGE RAITHA
This raitha may sound strange but believe me, it's yummy. I love how the crunchy texture of the cabbage and capsicum pair well with the creaminess of the yogurt.

Ingredients:
Capsicum (Bell Pepper) - half cup, minced
Cabbage - half cup, minced
Yogurt - half to 1 cup, thick
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
Salt - to taste
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:
1) Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, once they sizzle, add the chopped capsicum and cabbage with a bit of salt and saute with some sambar powder till slightly crunchy yet done.

2) Allow to cool and transfer to serving bowl. Stir in the yogurt, cumin powder, coriander leaves. Tasty raitha is now ready to serve.

The picture isn't much but it really tastes good and is a lovely alternative to the usual onion-tomato-cucumber one.