Tag Archives: rice

Uzhunnappam – Gluten Free Dal Patties

Lunch and Light Meals, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Indian Dal rice flour patties

These south indian patties are a great little bread to eat with a curry, or even to top with baba ganoush for a tasty snack or light lunch.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup urad dal
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 1/4 cup rice flour (or gluten free flour)
  • 2/3 cup desiccated coconut
  • oil for frying
  • salt

Directions

  1. Place the urad dal in a frying pan and dry fry over a medium heat until the dal turns golden brown.
  2. Transfer the dal to a grinder (blender) and grind to a fine powder. Place the powder into a large bowl and set aside
  3. Finely chop the onion, and garlic. Add the onion, garlic and cumin powder to the dal powder in the bowl.
  4. Add the rice (GF) flour and coconut to the bowl as well. Slowly stir in 2 cups of water, or just enough to give a thick batter
  5. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a frying pan at a medium heat (induction 6). Spoon in a large spoon size amount of the batter into the pan, and spread it out to make a round about 10cm across. Cook until crisp and golden underneath (4-5 minutes). Turn over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve hot. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

Dairy Free Rice Pudding

Treats, , , , , , , , , ,

Dairy free rice pudding

It is many years since I have made a rice pudding, but it brings back memories of childhood. It is something my mother used to make when we were small. To make this one dairy free I have substituted the milk and cream for coconut milk and cream, and added cardamon to the cinnamon stick to add a fragrant flavour.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice (uncooked)
  • 3 cardamon pods
  • 200ml coconut cream
  • 100ml coconut milk
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 Tbsp honey
  • A little ground cinnamon to garnish
  • Fruit to garnish (berries or mango)

Directions

  1. Put the rice in a pot. Add the cardamon pods. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and cook for approximately 15 minutes until cooked through (you might need to cook quicker or longer depending on the exact type of rice that you are using. Short grain pudding rice is a good choice, but Basmati or other long grain rices you might have in house are also OK).
  2. Ensure that there is no water left in the rice through draining or boiling dry dependent on the type of rice.
  3. Add the coconut cream, coconut milk, salt and cinnamon stick to the pot. Turn the heat down to a very low temperature. Boil the rice gently for around 5 minutes.
  4. Add the honey. Boil for another 5 minutes stirring often to avoid the rice pudding sticking.
  5. Remove from the heat when the pudding is a thick consistency and the rice has softened.
  6. Serve in small serving bowls and garnish with a little cinnamon powder. Serve with fruit (mango, berries or spiced apple are all good choices)
  7. Serves 5-6

Variations: you could also stir a handful of frozen cranberries or sultanas through the rice pudding when you add the cinnamon stick.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Emily Rice – Find me here

Rice Cakes with Avocado Spread, Parma Ham, and Eggs

Breakfast, Snacks, , , , , , , , , , ,

Rice crackers with guacamole, parma ham and boiled egg

When we stopped eating bread we had a gap to fill – those mid afternoon hunger moments, or a quick lunch or breakfast. This recipe has become one of our fall back ones. The avocado spread will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can use it more than once.

Ingredients

Avocado spread

  • 2 Avocados, peeled and seed removed. Roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • handful fresh coriander
  • 1 large green chilli, stalk and seeds removed
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
  • sumac

Directions

  1. Put all the “avocado spread” ingredients except the sumac in the blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. Add to a bowl and sprinkle over the sumac.
  3. Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes until softly boiled, but no longer runny.  (You can choose to cook a little longer or shorter according to your personal preference).
  4. Spread a generous amount of the avocado spread over the rice crackers.
  5. Top with a slice of parma ham.
  6. Peel the eggs and slice into 5mm slices. Place 1 egg on each of the rice crackers.
  7. Serve with some freshly ground pepper, and a little sprinkle of sea salt.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: French for Rabbits – Spirits

 

Cauliflower Rice with Indian Spices

Dinner, , , , , , , , ,

Cauliflower rice with Indian Spices

We lived in India for 2 years and fell in love with the food. Indian cooking has been a regular feature of our table, and counts amoung the favorite foods of our son. This isn’t a traditional Indian dish, but is inspired by the spices of South India to create a rice substitute dish that combines beautifully with South Indian curries such as South Indian Prawn Mango Curry, or Coconut Spinach Curry with Meatballs.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Blend the cauliflower in a blender or food process until it has a rice like consistency.
  2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, cardamon pods and dried chillies. Fry off the spices until the spices are fragrant and the mustard seeds begin to splutter.
  3. Add the dried coconut and fry for another couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. Add the cauliflower to the pan and fry for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked through, stirring constantly to avoid it sticking.
  5. Serve with any Indian curry such as South Indian prawn mango curry, or Coconut spinach curry with meatballs.

About cardamon:
Cardamon (also known as cardamom) is a spice native to India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. They are recognised by their small seed pods, triangular in cross-section, with a thin outer shell and filled with small black seeds. Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance. Black cardamom has a distinctly more smokey, though not bitter, aroma. Cardamon is used in both sweet and savoury dishes, and can also be added to tea as is commonly done in India when making Masala Chai (tea).

Curry leaves:
The curry tree is a tropical to sub-tropical tree, which is native to India and Sri Lanka. Its leaves are used in many dishes in India and neighbouring countries. Often used in curries, the leaves are generally called by the name ‘curry leaves,’ although they are also literally ‘sweet neem leaves’ in most Indian languages. Small and green, they are best bought fresh rather than dried, and do not last particularly long. You can find them in specialist Indian or Asian stores in many cities around the world.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Anirudh Ravichander – Best of Anirudh