Enthaligai: TOMATO BIRYANI WITH SEERAGA SAMBA RICE

Apologize for not posting for a long time, but there is a reason out there. Being a working woman, I hardly find any time on weekdays and weekends are the only hope to pursue my hobbies or take up my passion but weekends are getting busier and busier at home. Last three weekends, I was tightly engaged at home with lots of guests and house chores. As I was out of home on business trip the whole December, I had to catch up with lot of missed events. With many and multiple things running through, I had no time left to sit for blogging.

Moving on to today's post, this is a tomato rice prepared in biryani version. I had seen many fellow bloggers post on seeraga samba rice but never been curious to try it out. DH went for a team lunch at a famous restaurant here and was all praising about the biryani prepared with Seeraga Samba Rice. After DH's repeated praises, I was very inquisitive to try it out at home and that is how I got introduced to this rice.

When I went to super market, I got a packet of a superior brand and found it equally expensive as basmati rice. The grains are short and seen approximately a third the size of a grain of basmati rice. The first thing that attracted me when I opened the packet was the fragrance. I just loved the aromatic smell of the rice. The flavor is very distinct and the taste lasted even after finishing the meal. I also found it to be little starchy and not fluffy in texture when it is cooked.

INGREDIENTS:

Seeraga Samba Rice - 1.5 cups

Tomato - 1/2 kg

Onion (sliced) - 2

Green peas (Optional) - 1 cup

Coconut milk (Extracted from fresh grated coconut) - 3 cups

Mint leaves - 1 cup (tightly packed)

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt - To taste

To grind:

Small onion - 8-10 (peeled)

Green chilies - 3-4

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic pods - few

To temper:

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Bay leaf - 1

Cloves - few

Preparation:

1. Wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. Drain out the water completely later.

2. Extract the milk from coconut. You can use store brought coconut milk too. I always prefer home based.

3. Slice the onions and keep it ready.

4. Grind the items given in to grind section.

5. Wash and grind the tomatoes.

6. Heat oil in pressure cooker, throw in the tempering items, and when it sizzles, add the sliced onions and later mint leaves. Later add the ground masala and mix well.

7. Add the ground tomatoes, green peas, salt, chilly powder and keep in flame until the mixture gets thicken and the raw smell goes off. Lastly, add the rice and 3 cups of coconut milk. I read in the rice packet that for one cup of rice, it is okay to add 1.5 cups of water. As there is some juicy extract from tomatoes, I reduced the water quantity slightly. Replacing coconut milk in place of water gave a rice taste to the dish but it is also okay to add half coconut milk and half water. Pressure cook for one whistle and switch off the flame. Mix well with a fork gently once the pressure releases.