Make 5 Healthy One Pot Recipes with rice during Lockdown Period

This post of mine is focused on this lockdown period due to COVID-19 outbreak. Many of us might not be having access to their regular food items and many of our friends are away from their home missing mom’s food. One pot Lockdown recipes mentioned here will help to make best use of available ingredients meanwhile maintaing nutrition and taste of food. These quick, easy and delicious one pot lockdown recipes are also good for beginners in the kitchen as these don’t require any special preparations and ingredients used here are available through the year. Rice is a comfort for most of the Indians but different and healthy options of pastas are also making space in Indian cuisine as rice and pastas are wholesome itself.

One Pot dishes mainly refers to wholesome meals prepared in a single utensil with least effort, least cleanup but no compromise with taste, nutrition and flavour.

In these one pot recipes with rice different varieties of rice like normal rice, split rice or healthy brown rice can be used according to the availability, taste and calorie requirements.

Brown rice need more soaking and cooking time. so this should be kept in mind while preparing one pot healthy recipes with brown rice.

1. Curd rice (Thayir Saadam)
2. Lemon rice
3. Vegetable pulao
4. Panchratan dal khichdi
5. Soya chunk pulao

1. Curd Rice (Thayir Saadam) Recipe

Curd rice is a great, delicious ,healthy and wholesome summer food of South Indian Cuisine prepared with precooked mushy rice and curd (yoghurt) tempered with some Indian spices.

Curd rice is also prepared as Prasad in South Indian temples.

Health benefits of curd are known all over.

Curd is a treasure of calcium, proteins, other nutrients and healthy bacteria helpful for digestion. It acts as natural coolant and helps protect from heatstroke .

Tempering is done mostly during monsoons and winters in curd rice to nullify cooling nature of curd .

In summers tempeting with oil and spices is avoided and served with cucumber and onions.

While preparing curd rice one point should always be rememberd that cooked rice should be cooled down before mixing to curd. Hot rice should not be mixed with cold curd as according to Ayurveda this may lead to Vat dosha and cause imbalances in body.

Ingredients

300 grams Overcooked white rice(soft mushy)

250 grams Yogurt/curd

2 Green chillies,finely chopped

1 tablespoon Coriander leaves finely chopped

1 teaspoon Ginger finely chopped

1 teaspoon Salt/ as per taste

For the tempering:

2 tablespoon Oil

1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 tablespoon Channa dal

2 tablespoon peanuts

1 Dried red chilli

6-8 Curry leaves

1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida

How to Make Curd rice (Thayir Saadam):

1. Mix together yoghurt(curd), coriander leaves, ginger, green chillies,cooked rice and salt.
2. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds.
3. When they start crackling, add the dals and peanuts and saute until golden.
4. Add curry leaves, red chillies and asafoetida.
5. Pour tempering on the rice and serve cold.

Recipe notes

• any variety of rice can be used. Rice should be overcooked with good amount of water
• although it is a wholesome meal this can also be served with papad, pickle.

2. Lemon Rice Recipe

lemon rice is a perfect blend of crunchy peanuts, flavours of curry leaves and tangyness of lemons prepared either with precooked or left over rice.

This is a great wholesome one pot healthy meal for rice lovers that goes well alone itself and can also be served with papad, pickles or coconut chutney.

In this healthy recipe brown rice can also be used.

Cuisine: south Indian

Serves -2

cooking time- 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice or 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 to 3 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon urad dal (spilt and skinned black gram)
• 1 teaspoon chana dal
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 2 dry red chilis
• 2 green chillis chopped
• 10 -12 curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon cashews – halved or chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup peanuts
• salt as required
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice or add as required

How to make Lemon Rice

1. Rinse 1 cup rice and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Then drain the water and pressure cook rice with ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 cups water for 2 to 3 whistles on medium-high flame.
3. Remove the cooked rice in a bowl after the pressure is released.
4. In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the urad and chana dal and peanuts
5. Saute till the dal turns golden on a low flame.
6. Then add the red chilies, green chilies (chopped) and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds till the red chilies change color.
7. add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Mix well
8. now add cooked rice and mix well.
9. Keep it covered for the flavors to blend for 4 to 5 minutes.
10. Switch off the flame and mix 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice and mix well

Serve it hot with papad, raita

Recipe notes

• precooked or leftover rice can be used to prepare it.

3. Vegetable Pulao Recipe

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati Rice (long grained rice washed and soaked for 25 to 30 minutes)
• 1 medium Onion chopped
• 1 medium tomato finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Green Peas (fresh or frozen)
• 3-4 tablespoonchopped French Beans
• 1 finely chopped Carrot
• 3-4 florets of cauliflower chopped
• 1 green chilli split into halves
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1-inch piece of Cinnamon
• 2 Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
• 1/4teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1/4teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander Leaves
• 2 teaspoons ghee
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups water

How to Make Veg Pulao:

• Heat ghee in a pressure cooker on low flame.
• Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add onion and sauté until it turns light brown or for approx. 2 minutes.
• Add chopped tomato, green peas, french beans, cauliflower and carrot.
• Stir-fry them for approx. 2 minutes.
• Add soaked (drained) rice, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
• Stir-fry them for approx. 2 minutes.
• Add 2 cups water and mix well.
• Close the lid and cook over medium flame for 2 whistles. When 1st whistle is completed, reduce the flame to low and cook until another whistle. Turn off flame.
• Open the lid after the pressure is released carefully and fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with salad, papad and Raita or plain curd/ yoghurt

4. Panchratan Khichdi Recipe

Panchratan khichdi is a nutritious khichdi prepared with 5 different types of lentils cooked with rice. Panchratan is a Hindi name for 5 jewels/ gems.

Ingredients

• Tuvar Dal / Arhar Dal – 1/4 cup
• Split moong dal – 1/4 cup
• Masoor Dal – 1/4 cup
• Moong dal with skin – 2 tbsp
• Uncooked Rice – 1/2 cup
• 1Chopped tomato – 1/2 cup
• 1Chopped Onion – 1/2 cup
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste or grated – 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Water 4 5 cups

How to Make Panchratan Khichdi

1. Mix all the lentils and rice. Wash them well and soak it for 30 mins.
2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds. Let it splutter.
3. Add onion and saute till brown then add Ginger-garlic paste. Saute it for a few seconds.
4. Add tomatoes, turmeric and coriander powder and salt. Saute them for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.
5. Drain water for the soaked mixture of lentil and rice. Add this into onion tomato masala. Stir well.
6. Add 4-5 cups of water and Mix them well. Close the lid. Pressure cook it until 3 whistles over medium heat.
7. Let the pressure release by itself.
8. Serve this with Pickles, Papad and curd.

Recipe notes

• brown rice can also be used.
• Vegetables like carrot, peas, cauliflower can also be added
• ghee should be prefered for cooking.

5. Soya Pulao Recipe

cuisine: Indian

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Long Grained Rice (basmati rice washed and soaked for 20-25 minutes)
• 1/2 cup Soya Chunks (saoked in water for 10 minutes)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2-3 Cloves
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2-3 Black Pepper
• 1 small piece of Cinnamon Stick
• 1 medium tomato finely chopped
• 1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Green Chilli, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder, optional
• 1¼ cups Water
• Salt
• 1 tablespoons Oil or Ghee
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander Leaves, for garnishing

How to make Soya Pulao

1. Drain excess water from soaked soy chunks and again rinse them 2-3 times in water to remove raw smell.
2. Heat oil or ghee in a pressure over medium flame. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, black pepper, cinnamon and cloves and allow cumin seeds to crackle.
3. Add sliced onion and green chilli and sauté until onion turns transparent.
4. Drain the excess water from soaked rice and add them in the pan. Add drained soya chunks, chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder. Mix everything well and sauté for a couple of minutes over medium flame.
5. Add 1¼ cups water and salt to taste
6. close the lid of cooker and pressure cook on medium flame for 1^st whistle then lower the flame .
7. Turn off after 2^nd whistle. Let the pressure release itself and then open carefully.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.
9. Serve hot with Raita, cucumber onion salad, mint( pudina) chutney.