Mint/Pudina Rice

Mint/ Pudina Rice:

“Mint” wow! It is the aroma of mint that makes the dish yummy. I love to use mint in many of my dishes, here I’m going to present you with a healthy recipe of Mint Rice. There are a lot of varieties to prepare mint/pudina rice but I like to prepare it in this method as it is tasty and nutritious.

Ingredients:

• Fresh mint leaves – 2 medium sized packs


• Jeera – 1 ½ teaspoon


• Cinnamon – 2” stick


• Cloves – 6


• Green chilies – 6 small sized


• Basmati Rice – 3 cups


• Onions – 1 medium sized


• Carrots – 1


• Potatoes – 2 medium sized


• Green beans – 10


• Peas – a handful


• Salt for taste


• Oil – 3 teaspoons


• Water – 5 cups

Preparation:

• Separate the mint leaves from the stems and wash them. Cut the onions into thin long pieces and the remaining vegetables into 1’ pieces.


• Using a blender/mixer grind 1 teaspoon of jeera, cinnamon and cloves into powder, then add mint/pudina, green chilies, into a smooth paste.


• In a deep sauce pan, heat the oil and add the remaining jeera and let it turn brown in color. Now, add the blended paste and fry for a minute now add all the cut vegetables and peas to the pan. Add the basmati rice to the pan and fry for 5 min.


• Add salt and 5 cups of water to the mixture in the sauce pan. Let the water boil.


• When the water starts to boil close the sauce pan with a lid and cook it in low flame for a few minutes. Check if the rice is cooked frequently.


• Delicious mint/pudina rice is ready to be served. Enjoy it with plain yogurt, raita or even with the eggplant masala.

Warnings:

• Add the salt, green chilies according to your taste.


• Make sure that the sauce pan is thick at the bottom; otherwise the rice will be burnt.


• Do not stir the rice while it is cooking.

Alterations:

• You can spinach leaves to the mint leaves if you don’t have enough mint.


• If you like add 2 teaspoons of coconut powder and also cashew nuts to make it yummier.


• You can use any rice variety instead of basmati but make sure it is not sticky.