Apple Raisin Rice:

A friend of mine gave me bunch of fresh apple just last weekend. He has been to the upstate New York and visited an apple farm. I am a big fan of fresh produce, and hate to waste.  I made this apple raisin rice because I like to test new recipes and this one incorporates an ingredient that I wanted to use. This recipe has been adapted from Minaxi Dutt’s Podey Podey Ranna.   

Ingredients:

• Apple: 1 cup (Diced)
• Raisin: 3 tbsp
• Basmati Rice: 1 cup
• Clarified butter: 2 tbsp
• Cinnamon: 1 stick
• Cardamom: 4-5
• Nutmeg powder: ¼ tsp
• Hot water: 2 cups

Method:

o   Clean and wash the rice. Set aside.

o   Put clarified butter on the pot. When it gets hot enough, add cinnamon, and cardamom.

o   After couple of minutes, add the diced apple. Stir for couple of minutes.

o   Add rice. Stir until a nice aroma comes out, about 5 minutes

o   Add nutmeg powder.

o   Add 2 cups of hot water, put the lid on and set it on low until the rice is done.

o   Serve with grape chutney. 

Grape Chutney:

Ingredients:

• Grape: 2 cups (Use seedless)
• Mustard Seed: ¼ tsp
• Cumin Seed: ¼ tsp
• oil: 1 tbsp
• Bay leaf: 1
• Clove: 4-5
• Serrano pepper: 2
• Salt to taste

Method:

o   Clean and wash the grape

o   Add oil to the cooking pot.

o   When oil is hot enough, put mustard seed, cumin seed, bay leaf.

o   When the spices start to sputter, add the grape. No need to cut the grape in halves or squash them.

o   Add chopped peppers and salt

o   Put the lid on, and put the pot on low heat

o   Turn off the heat in 30 minutes or until desired consistency occurs.

This recipe has been adapted from Minaxi Dutts Podey Podey Ranna. 

Kabocha Squash Bhorta:

Ingredients:

• Kabocha squash: 1
• Olive Oil: 2 tbsp
• Mustard oil: 2 tbsp
• Canola Oil: 1 tbsp
• Salt: to taste
• Onion: 1 medium (chopped into thin slices)
• Garlic: 2-3 (chopped into thin slices)
• Kalijeera (Nigella Seeds): 1 tsp
• Serrano pepper: 4-5 (split in the middle lengthwise)
• Cilantro: 1 bunch

Method:

o   Wash the squash and slit it in the middle.

o   Rub olive oil in both halves. Bake them skin side down at 475º F for 45 minutes.

o   Once the squash cools down, simply scrape all the flesh out. 

o   On a skillet, put canola oil. Once the oil is hot enough, add kaijeera, kachalonka (Serrano peppers).

o   Once the kalijeera, kachalonka starts to sputter, add the onion and garlic to spice mix. Keep stirring till the onion and garlic turns light brown. Make sure not to burn them.

o   Mix the squash, spice mix, mustard oil and salt togather.

o   Add chopped cilantro

o   Serve with hot rice