Quinoa pulao recipe - Quinoa pulav recipe

Quinoa pulao or pulav recipe - Quinoa pulao is just like a rice pulao prepared with quinoa and vegetables such as carrot, green peas, and tempered with some essential spices which enhances the fragrance. Frying quinoa and vegetables in the tempered spices intensifies the flavor. Quinoa pulao in itself is a complete meal. As I mentioned in my quinoa idi recipe, it is rich in protein and is a nutritious grain with unique flavor.

I have added quinoa in my diet very recently and gradually developed liking towards it. This nutritious grain is available only in few shops and is highly priced. Though I have used only two vegetables while preparing this dish, any vegetable of your choice such as ivy gourds, cauliflower, french beans, potato, tomato, corn and brinjal can also be used.

Try it with different combination of vegetables which are seasonal and easily available in the vegetable shops. By using quinoa, a khichdi with a different flavor and taste can also be prepared with green gram dal, onion, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin seeds powder and garam masala.

In restaurant, the quinoa based dishes are not available because of its high price. However, it is worth keeping in view the health benefits associated with quinoa. The quantity of quinoa I have used in this recipe is sufficient for two servings, but you can increase the ingredients as well as tempering ingredients to make more servings.

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Quinoa Pulao Recipe - Quinoa Pulav Recipe

Prep time : 20 mins
Cook time :20 mins
Total time : 40 mins
Recipe type : Pulao - Main
Cuisine : Indian
Yield : Serves 2
Author : Vidya Chandrahas

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup carrot pieces
• 1/2 cup green peas / matar
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

For the tempering

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 bay leaf / tej patha
• 4-5 cloves / lavang
• 1/8" piece cinnamon / dalchini
• 3 green cardamoms / elaichi
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 1 green chilli, chopped

Method

1. Rinse the quinoa, drain water through a thin strainer and set aside. These are very tiny grains, so take care while draining the water.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the green chillies, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds and cardamoms. Fry till they release nice fragrance.
3. Add the carrot and green peas, saute for 2 minutes. When the skin of green peas have some wrinkles, add the quinoa and saute for a while. Add salt and mix.
4. Add 2 cups of water and mix with a spoon.
5. Cover the pan with lid and cook till the water dries up. Check in between to prevent it from burning.
6. When the water dries up and quinoa become soft, add the coriander leaves and mix.
7. Serve quinoa pulao with papad, pickles and raita of your choice.

Note

1. Cook the quinoa till they become soft and do not ristrict yourself from adding only 2 cups of water. Gradually add more water if required. 
2. If you add more vegetables than mentioned in the recipe, increase quantity of water to prevent the pulao from becoming too dry and chewy.
3. Quinoa is a very tiny grain, so while rinsing and draining water, take care to prevent it from flowing through the drained water. For this purpose you can use thin strainer.

Quinoa pulao - step by step pictures

1.  Rinse the quinoa with sufficient water, drain water through a thin strainer and set aside.

2.  Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients mentioned under " For the tempering" one by one. Fry till they release nice fragrance.

 3.  Add the green peas and carrots. You can also add some other vegetables at this stage.

 4.  Saute till the green peas have some wrinkles on their skin.

 5. Add the quinoa and mix well.

 6.  Add exactly 2 cups of water and salt. Mix well with a large spoon.

7.  Cover the pan with lid and cook till quinoa become soft and water dries up.

 8. Once the quinoa become soft, switch off the flame and add the chopped coriander leaves.

 9.  Mix well with a spoon. Quinoa pulao is ready to serve.

10.  Serve the quinoa pulao hot with papad, pickle and raita.

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Chawli tikki recipe - Lobia tikki recipe - Cowpea tikki recipe

Chawli tikki recipe - Chawli tikki is a popular Maharashtrian snack prepared with black eyed beans, gram flour, spiced with chilli powder, garam masala, flavoured with cumin seeds, carom seeds or ajwain, ginger, mint leaves and coriander leaves. It can be had as an evening snack. This can be served as a starter in small parties like birthday party or kitty party. 

An easy snack to prepare and is a delicious bite when accompanied with chutneys, dipping sauce and even tomato ketchup. Pudina chutney is my favourite and I served chawli tikki along with this chutney. These tikkis are usually made by deep frying but keeping health in mind, I just shallow fried them with minimal oil on a non-stick pan.

Black eyed beans are known as chawli in marathi and is very famous pulse in India. I am always looking forward to make healthy snacks and chawli tikki is one  of them. The other ingredients added to it enhances the flavor. Addition of gram flour helps in binding the tikkis and enriches the taste.

Black eyed beans is one of my favorite ingredients which I regularly buy from grocery shop to make traditional side dish of Karnataka namely alsande palya. Sometimes, I make tikkis with remaining black eyed beans and finish the stock before they get spoiled. 

The mixture for tikkis can be made well in advance. You can keep them in the refrigerator to make hot tikkis as and when required. These tikkis are an ideal snack to pack in the kids snack box and lunch box. Try out chawli tikki and treat your family with this yummy snack.

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Chawli Tikki Recipe - Lobia Tikki Recipe - Cowpea Tikki

Prep time: 20 mins + Soaking Time

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time : 65 mins

Recipe type : Snacks

Cuisine : Maharashtrian

Yield : 12 Tikkis

Author :Vidya Chandrahas

Ingredients

• 1 cup black eyed beans / chawli / lobia
• 3 green chillies
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 7-8 mint leaves / pudina (optional)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 1/2 tsp carom seeds / ajwain
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp amchur powder
• 1 heaped tsp chilli powder

For the pudina chutney

• 1 cup mint leaves / pudina
• 1/4 cup curd / yogurt
• 2 green chillies
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin / jeera
• Salt to taste

Pudina Chutney - Put all the ingredients mentioned under "For the pudina chutney" in a mixer jar and grind it to a smooth paste without adding any water. Add some more yogurt if required. Transfer the chutney into a large bowl and keep it aside.

Method

1. Hand pick and clean the black eyed beans. Wash them for 3 to 4 times. Soak the chavli for 7-8 hours. and set aside.
2. After 8 hours, soaked beans double in size. Drain water and set the chawlis aside. 
3.  Place a large vessel on medium flame and pour 4 cups of water in it. When the water starts boiling, add the soaked and drained black eyed beans to it.  Allow it to boil on high flame for 5 minutes. 
4. Then cover the pan with lid and cook on medium flame till the chawli become soft. Do not over cook. Once the chawlis become soft, drain the excess water and allow them to cool.
5. Put the chawli, ginger, jeera, ajwain and amchur powder in a mixer jar.  Use very little water. Grind the chawlis, ginger, jeera and ajwain together in batches. Grind it to a slightly coarse paste. 
6. Transfer this paste to a large vessel. Repeat the same process to other boiled chawlis.
7. Add the remaining green chillies, garam masala, red chilli powder and salt to  the above prepared paste. Mix till all the ingredients combine well.
8. Add the gram flour and mix. Then add little bit of water and knead the tikki mixture. Place a non-stick pan on low heat. 
9. when the pan become warm, pour some oil on it. Spread the oil with spatula or grease with a brush. 
10. Now take a  small lemon sized above prepared tikki mixture and make a round ball. 
11. Flatten it by placing on the palm of your hand. Make medium thick tikkis and place them on hot pan. Pour 1/2 tsp of oil on each tikki. 
12. Cook on low flame till the tikkis become golden brown and crisp from the botttom. Then gently flip the tikkis and cook from the other side till it become crispy and golden brown in colour. 
13. Transfer the tikkis on a plate. Repeat the same procedure to all other tikkis. Serve chavli tikki or lobia tikki hot with choice of your chutney or dipping sauce. I served the tikkis with pudina chutney.

Note

1. As the tikkis contain black eyed beans and gram flour, adding ajwain is recommended.
2. After 8 hours soaked beans double in size. So take proper quantity of chawlis before you soak them.
3. While grinding the boiled black eyed beans, do not add much water at once as the mixture for tikkis must be thick.
4. While mixing the gram flour and making mixture for tikkis add water spoon by spoon. So that the mixture should not be too thin.
5. Adding chopped green chilli is optional. If you make the tikkis for small kids, avoid adding green chillies.
6. The mixture of tikkis can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
7. Chawli tikki goes well with all types of chutneys and dipping sauce.
8. Add chilli powder and garam masala according to your family member's taste.
9. You can use lemon juice in the place of amchur powder
10. This tikki tastes great with a cup of coffee or tea.

Chawli tikki - step by step pictures

1.  Wash and soak the black eyed beans for 8 hours. Drain water and set aside.

2.  Boil sufficient water in a large pan. Add the chawli and bring it to boil.

3.  Cover the pan with lid and cook the chawli till they become soft.

4. Drain water from cooked chawli. Add the ginger, ajwain, amchur powder and jeera. Grind them to a coarse and thick paste without using water

5.  Transfer the chawli paste to a pan. Add garam masala, chilli powder, green chillies, coriander and salt.

6. Add gram flour or besan.

7. Mix till the besan and chawli mixture combine well. Knead it to a smooth and thick paste.

8.  Heat a pan and pour some oil on it and spread with spatula. Take lemon sized tikki mixture and flatten it. Place 6 -7 tikkis on tawa. Pour 1/4 tsp oil on the tikkis.

 9.  Shallow fry the tikkis till they become crisp and golden brown from both sides.

10.  Transfer the hot tikkis to a large plate. Serve hot with choice of your chutney. I served chawli tikki with pudina chutney.

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