You know how sometimes kids can be all-so-discerning about food for no reason at all? And while you may give that an optimistic spin and think they're the next Gordon Ramsay or something, may I speak for all mums and say it's not so much fun being around them. For Saanvi, it's the same old story that goes for all three-year olds. No greens, no pasta, no slimy noodles, no chillies....no everything...unless maybe if it's accompanied by Shrikhand. And then you also gotta deal with the toddler fixation. Everything has to be one uniform color. If it's yellow, it's gotta be all yellow. No dark seeds, stringy leaves, mushy tomatoes and other icky-looking stuff peeping right back at you.
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| That look...it says you're doomed! |
But then I found this magic bowl of rice - food worthy of unicorns and tiny, picky pixies with long faces. It seems to break all the rules of toddler pester- power over eating. It's got longer grains of rice, red beans, muddy brown colored nuts, leafy herbs and a variety of colors and textures. When thrown all together, they made it all the way to my little girl's gut without being contemplated about, tossed around the roof of the mouth for a minute and 'blah-ed' up on the floor in utter rejection. What more, I could leave her with a bowl of it and she was perfectly good eating it by herself.
Long story short, it was a huge hit. I've been making it almost every weekend and it hasn't gone out of style, unlike Saanvi's former love - her prized corn pancakes and dal khichdi.
It's funny how good food can be a cure for so many life-wrecking problems. Like getting an extra hour of me-time rather than squandering it away on cooking something anew. Whether you're dealing with a notoriously fussy-eating crisis at the dining table or crowd-pleasing party food, this rice delicacy is your go-to recipe!
It's Kashmiri red beans cooked in a fragrant, gently-spiced tomato-mint gravy layered together with long-grained fluffy saffron-infused rice, nuts and herbs. Cynics might say, oh Rajma Chawal! What's the big deal about that? But it's so much more. The variety of textures and flavors give it such an intriguing makeover. Have it on its own or eat it with mint chutney. My daughter, of course, eats it with tomato ketchup and a dollop of ghee. (No surprises there.)
Red Bean Biryani - Serves 2 (and half)
What You Need:
For the Gravy:
1 cup Kashmiri rajma (the smaller, darker variety) - soaked overnight
3 medium-size tomatoes - finely chopped
1 large onion - sliced
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
A handful of mint leaves, torn
A handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
Dry Spices:
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon amchur powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
Bay leaf - torn
Whole spices - 3-4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick and 4 green cardamoms (slit)
Olive Oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste
For the Rice:
1 and half cups long-grained Basmati Rice
Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
For Layering:
A few Saffron threads (dissolved in two tablespoons milk)
Dry fruits of your choice - Roasted in ghee until golden-brown (I used almonds, cashews and raisins)
Ghee
Sprinkling of Kewra Water (Alternatively, use rose water.)
Chopped coriander and mint leaves
Method:
Make the Rajma Gravy
1. Pressure-cook rajma in ample water with a piece of ginger and salt. You don't want it too mushy. Eight whistles on a moderate flame would be just right.
2. Drain the rajma in a colander. Reserve the liquid to be used in cooking rice.
3. In a pan, heat olive oil. Add bay leaf and whole spices.
4. When the spices get aromatic, add onions and saute them for two-three minutes on moderate flame. You want the onions to get a light-brown color - just when they start to caramelize.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for half a minute.
6. Now add finely chopped tomatoes, herbs and dry spices (except garam masala). Cook on moderate flame for five to seven minutes until the oil starts to give way around the edges.
7. Add cooked rajma and salt to your taste. Cook it on medium flame for a few minutes. You want the gravy to be slightly dry. Also take care that your red beans don't get mushy.
8. Sprinkle with garam masala. Blend well. Remove from heat.
Note: This recipe is gently-spiced. Feel free to add slit green chillies and more garam masala to your liking.
Make Rice:
1. Wash the rice. Soak it in warm water for fifteen minutes.
2. Drain the water and put it in a glass bowl. Add three times reserved bean stock and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
3. Microwave it on high for fifteen minutes.
4. Spread it onto a plate and fluff it using a fork so that each grain separates.
Cheffy Tip:
1. Adding half a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon will ensure your rice grains separate and fluff. And look extra-long. (That didn't sound right for some reason.)
2. If you're making it for a party, you may even put your whole spices such as cardamoms and cinnamon sticks and cloves in a muslin cloth and pound it slightly and slide it into your glass bowl for some extra-fragrant rice.
Layer:
1. The fun part begins. In a deep microwave-safe bowl, start layering. Add a layer of rajma.
2. Next, add a layer of rice. To the layer of rice, add some ghee, saffron-infused milk, chopped roasted dry-fruits and a few drops of kewra water. (If you're using rose water, add a teaspoon.) Garnish with coriander and mint.
3. Continue layering this way, having rice with garnishing as your top-most layer.
4. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Pop your biryani bowl sealed with a lid in the oven. (You may seal it with aluminium foil too. I use a convection oven so I can't really do that.) Bake for thirty minutes.
5. Your warm and aromatic rice goodness is now ready. Remove from oven.
6. Mix well before serving. Serve with mint chutney and raita.
Bon Appetit!
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