1. Take a frying or kadai and fry the fenugreek seeds (vendiyam) in it for 1-2 mins without oil. Keep it aside.
2. Take a deep bottomed vessel, a bigger one probably. Keep it on flame and add water in it.
3. Usually we add water in ratio of 3:1 . That is 3 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. But for kanjee add more water, since we need the starch water for kanjee. Kanjee means liquid rice a podridge. So add more than the required amount as per your need. Normally I prefer adding 5 cups to 6 cups.
4. Let the water come to boil. Meanwhile wash the rice and keep aside.
5. When the water starts boiling, add the washed rice to it.
6. When the rice boils partially, add the fried fenugreek seeds and garlic pods to it. Also add salt as per taste while it is still being cooked.
7. Keep a check time to time to know if the rice is fully boiled.
8. Once it is boiled, add the grated coconut to it and allow it to boil for some 2 mins more.
9. When the rice is completely and wholly cooked, remove it from flame and keep aside.
10. Now, in a pan or kadai take 1 tablespoon of oil and heat it. Add the cummin seeds to it and allow it to crackle.
11. Once it crackles, add it over the kanjee and stir well.
12. Serve hot with thogayal or pickle. I would suggest to serve it with thenga thogayal.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 persons

Shelflife: 2 days

Serving Suggestion: Serve hot with Thenga Thogayal or pickle.

Note:

• Kanjee must be liguid in form. But the rice should be over boiled too.
• Use big rice for best results.
• Add salt as per taste, as such kanjee needs more salt so check the taste after adding salt.
• In case, if you feel the kanjee is over salted then add some water and boil it for some minutes.
• Garlic pods not only adds taste but also health benefits as it is good for digestion. Hence it is best food for those who suffer from fever or any kind health problem where they find it difficult to eat food.

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1. Wash the rice and soak in water for half an hour.
2. Heat gheee in a heavy saucepan. Add cashewnuts and fry them. Fry them until brown, then keep them aside.
3. Now to the ghee add bayleaves, cloves, cinnamon, blackpepper and cumin seeds. Fry them for a while will cummin seeds crackle.
4. Add the rice, salt and water and stir. Add water till it covers the rice or add water in proportion of 1:2. (2 portions of water and 1 portion of rice).
5. Cover the lid and simmer the flame.
6. Cook until the rice is done.
7. Serve Jeera rie with any spicy indian curry .

• Dont soak the rice for more than 30 mins.
• Dont keep stirring continuously when it is being cooked.
• Keep the lid closed so that the aroma remains.

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1. Soak rice for half an hour.
2. Heat up ghee in a pan, fry raisins and cashewnuts, remove and keep aside.
3. In the same ghee mix in rice and stir fry till rice starts separating.
4. Dissolve saffron in warm water and keep aside.
5. Mix in 11/2 cup of boiling water to the rice and mix in saffron water and let it cook.
6. When half done mix in sugar and continue to stir fry till all the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.
7. Finally mix in the cardamom powder and decorate it with fried dry fruits and sugar crystals.
8. Serve hot.

Cooking Time: 25 minutes.

Serves: 3-4 persons.

Shelflife: Best Fresh.

Note: Serve this cuisine when hot, it tastes best when hot.

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1. Soak rice in water for 2 hours. Drain. Heat the ghee and add the drained rice.
2. Add the milk to the rice and mix.
3. Cover and cook on a low fire stirring occasionally but gently so that the rice grains do not break.
4. As soon as the rice is cooked, add the cardamom and nutmeg powders, dry fruits, sugar and saffron.
5. Mix well. Bake in a moderately hot oven till each grain is separate.
6. Serve jaipuri mewa pulao hot as a sweet dish.

Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4-5 persons

Shelflife: Best fresh

Note: If you dont have a oven, Place the vessel in which pulao is cooked over a chapati tawa, then reduce the flame . Cover the pulao with a lid and cook it for 7-8 minutes. Dont stir when kept on tawa. This will seperate each grains and make pulao delicious.

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1. Mix all the ingredients for the gattas, mix in a little water to make a firm dough.
2. Divide into six equal parts and roll into cylindrical shape.
3. Stir fry in two cup of boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes.
4. Drain. Let the gattas cool a bit.
5. Cut into 1" pieces.
6. Wash and soak rice for 1 hour.
7. Heat up ghee, mix in cumin seeds, when they crackle mix in whole garam masala, stir fry for a minute then mix in asafoetida powder.
8. Mix in turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and ginger paste, stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
9. Mix in drained rice stir fry for 1 minute, mix in salt and 4 cup water
10. When the water starts boiling mix in the gattas and peas, cover and stir fry till all water is absorbed and rice is done
11. Serve hot.

Making Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4 persons

Shelflife: 1 day

Note: Dont stir the rice often after adding gattas. Or else it tends to get broken.

1. Soak the rice and black gram in water in separate bowls for about 4 hours. Wash them thoroughly.
2. Put the black gram with water in the grinder and form a fine batter.
3. Do the same with rice too but keep in mind that the batter should be coarse and not as fine as the batter of black gram.
4. Mix both the batters and add coconut slices, grated coconut, chopped ginger, salt, sugar, cashew nuts and baking powder.
5. Mix all the ingredients well and keep it covered for about 2 hours for self-fermentation.
6. Pre-heat the pressure cooker. Form a thin layer of oil on all the inner surface of the cooker.
7. Now pour the mixed batter into the cooker and close the lid (without mounting the whistle-weight).
8. Place the pressure cooker in simmer flame for about one hour.
9. Now your hot poda pitha is ready. When the cooker comes to normal temperature take out the pitha carefully, and cut it into desired shapes and serve.

Making Time: 30 minutes.

Serves: 4 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day.

Note: Instead of pressure cooker, oven may also be used.

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1. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker and set aside. Allow it to cool .
2. In a saucepan heat 2 tablespoonful of oil.
3. Add mustard seeds to the oil.
4. When the mustard seeds start popping add chana and urad daal.
5. After a minute, add in the ginger, coriander and green chilies.
6. Saute them for a minute. Take the pan off the gas.
7. Mix the salt .
8. Just before serving, mix all the ingredients with yogurt (curd).

Making Time: 20 minutes.

Serves: 4 persons.

Shelflife: Best fresh.

Note: Ginger can be added as optional ingredient. You can also add little milk to the curd rice while serving for different taste.

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1. Cook rice with salt and a spoon of oil in it. When they are doen, spread them in a wide tray and set under fan....to get well seperated and stiff rice.
2. In a big Kadai heat some oil.
3. Add mustard seeds, Asafoetida, curry leaves, channa dal, urad dal and saute.
4. Allow them to spluter and crackle till the channa dal and urad turns little brown.
5. Add red chillies and allow it to crackle.
6. Then add chopped onions and garlic and saute till it changes colour and gralic gives some fragnance.
7. Add tomoto puree and cook for 3 minutes.
8. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and mix well. Saute it for some 3-5 minutes again.
9. Now cover and cover it for sometime.
10. Cook the tomato puree till it leaves oil on its sides.
11. When oil starts separating, remove from flame and add the cooked rice . (Note that the rice is not hot).
12. Mix well . Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Making Time: 25 minutes.

Serves: 2 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day ( best fresh).

Note: Dont use hot rice for this recipe if you are following this method. It would leaves moisture in rice and spoil it. You can also add raw rice along with required quantity of water and cook it after the tomoto puree leaves oil on sides. The one i have given is a easier version.

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1. Cook rice and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add turmeric, channa dal, urad dal, chopped green chillies, peanuts, dry red chillies, curry leaves and mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard seeds spluter and the other ingredients turn little brown remove it from flame.
4. Add this tempering to the cooked rice. (Note that the rice is not too hot to avoid moisturing of food).
5. Mix well properly.
6. Add salt as per taste.
7. Lemon rice is ready to serve. Lemon rice can be served with pickles.

Making time: 25 minutes.

Serves: 2 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day.

Note: Dont use hot rice for preparing lemon rice. It leaves moisture. Lemon rice should be dry.

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Rice forms a basic staple of Indians. There are variety of rice in India. People's choice differ with these varieties which is now widely available world over.

Ingredients:

Rice - 250 grams.

Water - as required.

Salt - to taste.

Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice in water for few hours or minutes.
2. Next add the salt, cover and put the covered bowl of rice in a pan of water.
3. Cook till the rice is done.
4. Serve hot with any gravy.

Making time: 25 minutes.

Serves: 4 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day.

Note: This is steamed version of rice. There are other methods of cooking them too.

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1. Wash and boil the rice in lots of water till 3/4th done. Then Drain , mix in 4tbsp of oil and let it cool.
2. Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract the pulp and keep aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry the masala ingredients.
4. Cool and grind into a coarse powder.
5. Soak the peanuts for 5 mins and drain.
6. Dry roast the sesame seeds(thill seeds) on a tava on medium heat, cool and pound to a coarse powder.
7. Heat the remaining oil in a vessel. Temper oil with mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Add the peanuts and fry for a while.
8. Add the tamarind pulp and cook for few minutes.
9. Add the masala powder and turmeric powder and bring this to boil and continue simmering till the raw smell goes.
10. Add salt and rice flour dissolved in little water. Mix well.
11. Stir frequently till the oil floats on top and the mixture reduces to a fairly thick consistency.
12. Add the cooled rice and toss to mix well.
13. Sprinkle the sesame powder(thill powder) and mix well.
14. Serve immediately when hot.

Making time: 35- 40 minutes.

Serves: 4 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day (best fresh).

Note: This tamaraind mixture can be made in large quantity and stored in refrigerator. Mix with hot rice whenever required. Use extra oil for longer shelf life.

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1. Wash rice and dal and cook them together in five cups of water for 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, curry leaves and ginger with half a cup of milk.
3. Simmer for a minute and remove from fire.
4. Fry cashew nuts, pepper and cumin seeds in ghee.
5. Pour this over the rice-dal mixture.
6. Mix well and serve steaming hot with ghee on top.

Making Time: 20 minutes.

Serves: 3 persons.

Shleflife: Best fresh.

Note:

• This ven pongal can be taken for Breakfast and lunch too.

• You can use Ponni raw rice or Sona masoori.

• If using an electric cooker, use the same proportion and cook rice and dhal with little salt and then do the tempering.

1. Pressure cook rice and dal together till soft.
2. In a heavy pan, add ghee, cooked rice and dal and stir.
3. Fry on a low flame for a few minutes.
4. Add jaggery and cook till the mixture is thick and the jaggery gets dissolved.
5. Add cardamom, cashewnuts and raisins.
6. Mix well and serve.

1. Cook rice and moong dal with milk and water until well done.
   
2. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee until golden brown and keep aside.
3. Take water and add gur (or brown sugar) and boil it until it dissolves and becomes thick.
   
4. Add cooked rice and dal to gur and keep stirring on low heat until well mixed.
5. Add remaining ghee in spoonfuls and continue stirring.
   
6. Add powdered cardamom and mix well.
   
7. Decorate with fried raisins and cashews.
   
8. Serve with a Smile !

Making Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 5 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day(best fresh).

Note: The method of preparation does differ from community and families. But these are the basic ingredients and i have presented it in simple yet traditional way.

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1. In hot oil put mustard seeds to splutter,green chillies,Onion.
2. Stir fry for a minute.
3. Add left over rice, turmeric powder and salt.
4. Cover it and cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Serve Hot.

Making Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4 persons.

Shelflife: Best fresh.

Note: Vegetables of choice can be added to this recipe. Vegetables like carrots , potatos and peas can be added. Half boil them and later stir fry before add the recipe to the thadka.

Click here to know about Maharashtrian food and Recipes- Introduction To Maharashtrian Cuisine.

1. Fry potatoes and cashewnuts separately. Reserve.
2. Grind green chillies, ginger, cinnamon, coriander seeds and turmeric.
3. Heat 2 tbsps oil and fry the ground paste.
4. Add fried potatoes and yoghurt.
5. Add rice and stir fry.
6. Add 3 cups water, salt and cook the rice.
7. Add fried cashewnuts.
8. Garnish with dry grated coconut and coriander leaves, and serve hot.

Making Time: 25 minutes

Serves:6 persons.

Shelflife: 1 day. Best fresh.

Note: This is little bit like pulao. So if u need some variation, you can add other vegetables too. But traditionally, its cooked only using potatoes.

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1. Wash and drain Basmati rice and keep aside for at least 15 minutes.
2. Roast all the ingredients for masala together till coconut turn light brown.
3. Grind roasted ingredients together to make a smooth paste.
4. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure pan/cooker or handi.
5. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder. As the seeds splutter, add green chilies.
6. Add tondli quarters & cashews and saute for 5 minutes.
7. Now, add drained basmati. Saute for 5 minutes.
8. Add 3 cups water. Add salt, sugar, chili powder. Bring to boil.
9. Close the lid of the cooker. Cook for 2 whistles.
10. Let the pressure drop of its own.
11. Pour in a serving platter. Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut.

Making time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 persons

Shelflife: Best fresh.
Note: This recipe can be made with ordinary rice too and not compulsarily basmati rice. To enrich the taste, you can add a thadka of 8-10 curry leaves, a pinch of asaefotida, mustard seeds and 2 green chillies silted , sauted in 2 tbsp of oil .

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1. Wash the rice and soak in water for 20 minutes.
2. Wash brinjals and cut into long pieces, keep in salty water.
3. Chop onion, garlic and slit green chillies finely.
4. Heat oil in a pan, fry the brinjals till tender and keep it aside.
5. Heat remaining oil in a heavy based pan, add onions, garlic, cloves, cardamoms, green chillies, stir-fry till onions are soft.
6. Add ground powder and paste together with tomato puree, salt to taste, stir fry for while.
7. Now add soaked rice in the gravy. Stir well and add 3 1/2 cups of water to rice and bring to a boil.
8. Add little lemon juice and cover the pan after 8-10 minutes of the cooking after add fried brinjals and cook for 5-7 minutes.
9. Stir and serve hot.

Making time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 persons

Shelflife: Best fresh.

Note: This recipe needs no side dish. It can be accompanied with pickles and papad if needed.

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1. Take the rice Wash and drain. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour.
2. Heat Oil in pan then add the whole garam masala. When all the masala ingredients sizzle, add turmeric powder and asafoetida.
3. Then add curry leaves, and chopped gherkins. Once soft, add peas and brinjal pieces and fry.
4. Now add the raw rice and keep stirring for some time on medium heat. Pour boiling water all over into the rice and vegetable mixture. Stir well.
5. Once rice come to boil until it shows bubbles on top.
6. Now turn the heat to low and add the ground masala, ghee, salt and sugar. Cover and cook.
7. Rice is done when all the water evaporates. Garnish with cashewnuts, coconut and coriander leaves.

Making time: 25 minutes

Serves: 3 persons

Shelflife: Best fresh.

Note: This dish( cuisine) can also be served without any side dish to accompany it . If needed, pickles and papads can be served with this.

Click here to know about Maharashtrian food and Recipes- Introduction To Maharashtrian Cuisine.