FENNEL AND TOMATO RICE

Most of my blogger friends and readers know that I am crazy about fennel. I add fennel seeds in all the savory dishes. It is not only because I was taught to cook like that by my granny but also I think I must have inherited her love for fennel seeds. When making variety rice like these fennel seeds imparts a nice flavor to the dish. I love one-pot dishes like tomato rice. I have tried many variations to my favorite tomato rice by adding dill leaves and spinach. This time I tried adding some fennel and we did like this rice very much. Fennel was not too overpowering here and it was indeed very mild blending along with the onions. If you love the flavor of fennel, then you will love this dish!

I have made this rice with brown rice. These days everybody seems to be change to brown rice, many of my friends have stopped white rice completely and we too started getting brown rice only rather then white rice. This is a quite healthy trend indeed. I have used a short grain brown rice variety that I got from Costco. I think that brown basmati rice is the best choice for anyone switching over from white rice to brown rice to begin with. They seem to hold their shape quite well when making variety rice like briyani or tomato rice.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Cooked brown rice, 1 cup.
2. Ripe Roma tomatoes, medium-size, 3.
3. Red onions, medium-size, 2.
4. Fennel 1 medium-size bulb.
5. Ginger-garlic paste, 1teaspoon.
6. Green chilies, 1-2.
7. Chili powder, ½ teaspoon.
8. Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
9. Turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon.
10. Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
11. Fennel seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
12. Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.
13. Salt as per taste.

PREPARATION:

Cook the rice separately and let it cool. The rice should not be mushy. Chop off the stalks from the fennel bulb and discard it. Dice the bulb into small pieces including some of the fronds from the stalk. Dice the onion and tomatoes and slit the green chilies into 2. Heat a pan with 2 teaspoons of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the fennel seeds and fry for 2 seconds. Add the diced onions, fennel, and curry leaves and sauté for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. Now add the ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, and green chilies and sauté for a few more minutes until everything is blended. Add the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt and mix well. Cook closed under low flame for 5 minutes until the raw smell of the spices goes. Now add chopped cilantro and rice and mix everything. Let it sit under low flame and switch off the stove. Serve hot with raita or any spicy side dish.

TRIED AND TASTED: MALAR’S FENUGREEK RICE

This week I also tried Malar’s fenugreek rice and it was really delicious. I had used fresh methi leaves that I had grown in a small pot in my patio. This rice was very mild and went well with potato fry. Click here for the recipe.