Carrot Rice

What I like about this recipe is that it can be whipped up in no time and made for a yummy lunch that even my 2 yr old was happy to eat, with some curds to tone down the spiciness... in her case. The touch about adding some ground up peanuts and coconut was something that my MIL did and it jazzes up this mixed rice.

CARROT RICE


Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup, raw
Carrots - 2 cups, shredded
Onion - shy of 1 cup, sliced into 1 inch pieces
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch piece (made into a paste with garlic)
Curry leaves - 1 to 2 stalks
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Viji's SIMP or Vangi bhath masala powder - 1.5 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 1 to 2 tbsp, chopped
Salt - to taste

Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp (for added flavour)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp

To Grind (coarsely) :
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Roasted Peanuts - 1 to 2 tbsp

Method:
1) Cook the Basmati rice with 1.75 cups of water and a little bit of salt. Allow this to cool by spreading out on a plate so the grains are separate. (I pressure cooked it on Med-High for 1 whistle and medium for 2 whistles).

2) Heat oil in a wide pan and season with mustard, cumin, channa dhal and curry leaves. Add the sliced onions and ginger-garlic paste... cook till translucent and slightly brown. Now add the shredded carrots and let them sweat it out a bit.

3) Toss in sambhar powder and salt and let cook for few more minutes. Sprinkle some water and cook covered till the carrots soften.

4) Now sprinkle the vangi bhath masala powder or Viji's SIMP and give a quick stir to incorporate... and add in the cooled rice along with a tsp of ghee. Cook this till the carrot masala evenly distributes the rice and it absorbs the flavours (about 5 minutes or so).

5) Sprinkle the ground coconut-peanut powder & coriander leaves, mix, switch off the stove, Cover and let sit for a few minutes before serving.