Author: Maria Jose Martin
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- Rice – 1.5 cups (refer notes)
- Jeera (cumin) – 1 tsp
- Cardamom – 4
- Clove – 3
- Black peppercorns – 4
- Cinnamon – a small piece
- Bay leaf – 1
- Boiling water – 3 cups
- Soya chunks – 1.5 cups
- Onion – 2 medium -big, chopped
- Grated/crushed ginger and garlic – 2 tsp, each
- Green chilli – 3-4, chopped
- Turmeric powder- ¼-1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp
- Fennel (perumjeerakom powder0- ¼ tsp
- Garam masala – ½ tsp
- Tomato – 1 medium, chopped
- Chopped coriander and mint leaves – 1 tbsp each
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
- Salt
- Oil/Ghee
Instructions
- Wash and drain the rice. Make sure the water is completely drained. Heat oil/ghee ina deep pan. Splutter the whole masala mentioned under rice. Add rice and fry it for 3-4 mins. Add salt and 3 cups boiling water to the rice. Bring it to a boil and reduce the flame. Cover and cook till the water is dried completely and rice is done. Spread the cooked rice on a tray. Keep it aside.
- Soak the soya chunks in hot water for half an hour. Squeeze out the water completely. No need to slice it.
- Heat oil/ghee in a pan and add chopped onion. When it turns golden brown add ginger, garlic and green chilli. Cook for 2-3 mins. Add masala powders, mix well. Fry for 2-3 mins. Add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Add ¼ cup hot water to make sure the masala is combined well. Add soya chunks and mix well. Add ¾ cup of hot water and salt. Bring it to boil , reduce the flame and cover and cook till the soya is done. Add chopped coriander and mint leaves. Add lemon juice and mix well. Remove from fire.
- Take a deep and wide vessel. Spread a layer of rice and top it with a layer of soya masala. Repeat the process till the rice and masala is done. The top layer should be rice. Cover it with a tight lid. Keep it on sim (lowest flame) for 10 mins. Open and mix it well. Serve hot.
Notes
I used kaima/jeerakashala rice. You can use Basmati rice/Sona Masuri rice also for this. If you are not a big fan of cumin, you can reduce the qty to ½ tsp while cooking the rice.
