PRESSURE COOKER MATTA RICE KHICHURI
I HAVE FALLEN FOR THIS MATTA RICE VARIANT!
Few years back I got home this Matta rice grains that is cultivated in Kerala, loved it's taste. Most importantly, this rice grains being short length, round shaped & hard textured, we would feel fuller consuming less amount of it. Thereafter, I stopped getting it thinking I would eat only a cup of cooked rice every night, why to cook another variety separately for me? But in the past few months, some kind of dissatisfaction was working inside me having the Basmati rice. I never enjoy my "dal & macher jhol" with Basmati rice. The man of this house wants only Basmati rice on his rice plate. The Barrackpore side of the family too eats Basmati. Earlier, in our younger days, Basmati rice was exclusive, was bought in our kind of middle class homes only for the fried rice, later for cooking biryani. Pulao always is done with the small grain, fragrant Gobindo Bhog variety of rice. In our home, some variants came from Assam too. After relocating to this island, I got to know about the brown, black, red rice varieties and many more of them. I wished to try getting each variety in turns but the man wouldn't eat. What is wrong in pampering the sole earning member in the family, given they do not ask for a lot? Pampering your children comes naturally & jointly in the parents. Arch feminists seem cruel to me, beating around the bush without getting to the core of the issue. I remember, the son did enjoy having fried rice made with the brown or red unpolished rice variants, Cristine too does. I used to cook a red or brown rice when the man travelled to the Malaysia. I stopped getting home different rice grain varieties after the son left home. What's the point crowding the small kitchen with edible stuffs unnecessarily? Also, we need to soak the Matta rice variant in water for few hours before slow cooking it. Keeping aside all the hesitations, I got it home few days back only for myself.
OF ALL THE GOPAL BHAR'S WIT & JOKES, I TOTALLY BELIEVE IN ONE OF HIS SAYING!
For the unversed, Gopal Bhar was one of the navaratnas at Raja Krishnachandra's court, the king of Krishnanagar, Nadia in the 18th century. I was born there, visited the palace every year, my early childhood memories are from that place only. Although, I was not given to read the booklets of Gopal Bhar's jokes, we grew up listening to them by default. One of his such story talks about the importance of the morning toilet rituals, that he told clearance of the bowel in the mornings is the most pleasant feeling for us. As a young girl of sixteen, with colours of romanticism shrouding my mind, the phrase might have irritated me. In our younger days, at sixteen; we day dreamed, blushed, smiled, lip synced our favourite numbers; toilet rituals were not in our thoughts. In the sunset of our lives, it is the most important thing, also there is a repent in my kinds of not studying well at the right time. And today, after few weeks my stored stomach waste got cleared too well. A feel good vive makes me happy & shining bright. This is the right kind of mood for me to go out somewhere but on Mondays, I wish to write a blogpost. The reason for this good bowel movement can be this matta rice mixed with Japanese greens, butternut squash, lentils. Of course greens help a constipated stomach and helps your mood get "furfurey". We indeed enjoyed both our lunch & dinner yesterday.
I am thoroughly enjoying my early morning walks these days. Also you get to see this just at the backside of your home. Nostalgia can be both good & bad for you. We have to control our thought process not to allow nostalgia affect us much. We cannot stop it visiting us at this age when we are almost done with our responsibilities. I do enjoy my present without much of an effort. I feel bad for those in suffering, a little of guilt works inside knowing I hardly have any contribution getting here in a paradise of peace & security. But my intent is pretty clear, this island must give me a bit of earning to get me work for the needy.
My days are longer now but I do not get bored. Only tension is about the son staying far off. I wished to enrol to some online tuition platforms, do not know how to; they ask to deposit money, submit one teaching video. I do not like the complications involved. Cooking continues, even if is for the self.
It is that time of the year when the man would not carry his lunch box but have a breakfast and go. The problem is when to serve him a sweet, fruits, Bel er Shorbot then? He ate the leftover Khichuri today with a double egg omelette, would have dinner next.
WHAT IS PRESSURE COOKER MATTA RICE KHICHURI?
These days I want to evolve new recipes from the old thinking of these staying alone youngsters. They tend to eat out a lot. I am not against having outside food but that should not be a daily affair. For the past 3 & 1/2 years, mumma kept on warning the son about the consequences later in life, who listens to me? No one would believe that we do not exactly know what our son's diet is like. He eats cheese, bread, pasta, cornflakes, milk majorly, that we have seen. I am an Indian, I believe in the power of the "atta-bajra ruti" or a less spicy vegan, gluten-free rice, lentils, vegetables hotchpotch like this PRESSURE COOKER MATTA RICE KHICHURI over macaroni & cornflakes. My slogan is simple; eat fresh corns instead of cornflakes. To make this one pot vegetarian meal more nutritious and a symbol of integration, I have added butternut squash, Japanese Greens that look like pak choy, potato to the red Matta rice from Kerala. We had a fulfilling meal yesterday. You know our son grew up on such meals.
RED MATTA RICE : 1/2 COFFEE MUG
SPLIT SKINLESS MOONG BEAN : 1/2 COFFEE MUG
POTATO : 1 BIG
BUTTERNUT SQUASH : 200-250 GM[YOU CAN USE PUMPKIN]
JAPANESE GREENS]
TOMATO : 1 BIG
GREEN CHILLI : 3-4
DRY RED CHILLI : 1-2
CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP
BAYLEAF : 1
CUMIN POWDER : 2 TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TSP
GINGER PASTE : 1 TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1 TBSP [OPTIONAL] [I USE BROWN SUGAR]
OIL : 2 TBSP
A garnish of butter or ghee atop the finished dish takes it to another level.
PROCEDURE :
I am telling you this matta rice is good for relief from constipation, same are the Chinese & Japanese greens. But if you have a weaker stomach like mine, do not eat too much of greens.
Wash and soak the rice in enough water for 2-3 hours. Wash & soak the lentils in enough water for an hour. Thereafter, take them together in a colander and let the water drain off. We need not dry them as in a pulao.
Cut the ends of the greens, wash well. Peel, cut, wash & cube the potatoes and butter nut squash. Wash & cut the tomatoes; wash & slit the green chillies.
Marinate the vegetables with some turmeric powder & salt just 10-15 minutes before adding them to the pressure cooker.
Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, temper with the halved dry red chillies, cumin seeds, bayleaf. Give a stir.
Add the strained, semi-dry rice & lentils, keep stirring at low heat for 7-8 minutes.
Add the marinated vegetables, give a stir. Add the rest of the turmeric powder, salt, cumin+coriander powders, stir well and close tight the lid of the cooker.
Reduce the heat of the east stove to the minimal, wait until one whistle. Switch off the gas stove, let the lid open by itself. Add the sugar to the hatch-potch, stir. I have used brown sugar.
Serve hot with a choice of side. We must add ghee or butter to the khichuri before starting to eat.
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