Pudina Annam/PudinaRice

 



















How many of us can dislike that refreshing,aromatic,sweet n then cool mint taste in the mouth,when u pop in a pepper mint/Spearmint/Pineapple mint as the day gets so boring and tiresome?Not many, I believe,or perhaps none...Mint,a flowering plant belonging to the plant family Lamiaceae,is available in most parts of Europe,Asia and Australia.

For many of us the day starts with the refreshing mint in the form of tooth paste or antiseptic mouth rinses...Most of the toothpaste brands in the world have at least one variety with mint in it.Mint is a major flavouring agent, be it in candy,jelly,syrup or tea... mint.Do you know that Greeks used mint leaves in the funeral rites just like Indians used Holy Basil/Tulsi.Greeks believe the flower to have been named after

Minthe

.In the traditional herbal medicine mint is widely used for treating indigestion,stomach pain,as a diuretic etc...and it is commercially capitalised by several brands like Dabur(PudinHara).It is also widely used in aromatherapy and in the preparation of several beauty oils..

Mint/Pudina leaves are used in several Indian or rather Asian,Arabic,and European food preparations,be it chicken,lamb,sea food,rice or vegetables...Pudina Annam/Pudina rice/PudinaChawal/Pudina Pulao is a common rice item for both North and South India.Well, like several Indian dishes there may definitely be slight variations in the method of preparation...but the end product is just awesome...So here is the recipe for Pudina Annam/Mint rice,the way we prepare at home,in South India.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice-1 1/2cup
Coconut Milk-1 cup
Water-1/2 cup(for rice)
Pudina-1 bunch(cleaned and leaves picked)
Coriander leaves-1/2 bunch
Green chilli-75 g
Lemon juice-1 tbsp
Tamarind paste-1 1/2 tsp
Butter-1+1 =2 tbsp
Ginger-25g
Garlic-25g
Shallots-8-chopped
Onion-1 medium,chopped
Garam Masala-1 tsp(cardamom,cinnamon,cloves,fennel,staranise,mace,nutmeg)-Powdered
Grated coconut-2 tbsp
Oil-as rqd
Salt-as rqd
Cashews-25g
  
















Method
Heat oil in a wok.Roast chopped ginger,garlic,green chillies,tamarind paste along with the mint leaves and coriander leaves till the leaves become soft and you get a fine aroma.Now cool it and grind it to a coarse paste along with grated coconut.Meanwhile Wash basmati rice and cook it with 1 tbsp butter,coconut milk,lemon juice and water&salt till the grains separate.(I microwave the above usually at high for 18 minutes).

Heat oil in a wok.Roast onions and shallots till they become transluscent.Add the ground paste,garam masala and saute for a couple of minutes.Add the cooked rice.Add salt, if reqd.Mix well.Finally garnish with roasted cashews and a few sprigs of mint.Serve it hot with any raita or salad or roasted vegetables.

This shall be my first entry for

weekend herb blogging

hosted this time by our wonderful 'bachelor' blogger

Antony

.