Wine rice and Vegetable sauce

Wine Rice with Vegetable Sauce and sauteed vegetable by the side

Wine Rice and vegetable Sauce Served with Red wine

It has been a continuous learning process of learning for me in the kitchen. My first teacher in the kitchen was my grandmother and now I learn from my daughter and daughter in law as they have varied taste and keen desire to cook different dishes with their own variations. Once when I had gone to do some errands and came back tired my daughter in law had kept dinner ready and what a surprise it was to find such a unique and delicious fare laid on the table. I had to learn it and make under her supervision to get it perfect. It is a sheer delight from regular daily food and absolutely nourishing and healthy.

Preparation Time:30 min

Cooking time: 30 min. for rice, 20 min. for sauce

Servings: 4 large servings

Ingredients Required for making wine rice with sauce:

For Rice:

• 200 gm. Rice

• 200ml. Red Wine

200 ml. Red wine

• 1/2 Tea spoon Salt

• 1/2tea spoon Oregano

• 200 ml. Water

For Vegetable sauce:

• 4-5 Baby corn
  

  

  Baby Corn

• 10-15 Cherry Tomatoes
   

  

  Cherry Tomatoes

• 10-15 Mushrooms

• 1 Medium size Capsicum

• 3 Medium size  onions with green leaves

• 1 Medium size Carrot

• 3 Medium size Red Tomatoes

• 10-12 Cloves of Garlic

• 200 ml. Milk

• Salt to taste

• 2 Tea spoons chili flakes

• 1/4Teaspoon Basil

Directions For Making Wine Rice With Vegetable Sauce:

Making Wine Rice :

• Wash the rice and soak in excess water for 30 min.

• Drain all water and allow the soaked rice to dry in shade for 30 min.

Washed , soaked and shade dried rice

• Melt butter in a thick bottom wok.

Butter melting in hot wok

• Add rice in it and cook on low flame with continuous stirring till the rice becomes pinkish brown color. 

• It will take approximately 10 min. 
  

  

  Rice being fried in butter

  
  

  

  Rice before wine is to be added

• Add 200 ml. red wine and cook on low flame for 10 min.

Wine being added to roasted rice

Rice being cooked in wine for 30 min.

• Add 200 ml.water, oregano and salt and mix nicely.

Salt water herb being added to rice cooking in wine and vegetable sauce cooking by the side

Water and spices added to the rice cooking in wine

• Cover and cook on low flame till the rice is cooked to softness. Depending upon the variety of rice the quantity of water and the time taken for cooking the rice may change. So check in between every 2-3 min stir and if required add little more water.

Cooked Wine Rice

 Making Vegetable Sauce:

• Cut onions finely

• Wash and cut the baby corn to 2 cm. pieces.

• Wash and cut cherry tomatoes to half.

• Wash and cut 2-3 cm. cubes of capsicum.

Diced Vegetables

• Wash and cut carrots and red ripe tomatoes to1-2 cm. big pieces and grind them in a mixer to make soft thick puree.

• Heat oil in a thick bottom wok.
  

  

  Onion being fried in 2 tea spoon of butter

• When the oil is hot add the finely cut onions and cook on low flame till they are cooked to transparent state.

• Add finely cut garlic and cook for 2-3 min. with continuous stirring.

• Add all cut vegetables to the cooked onions and cook on high flame for 3-4 min. the vegetables will just start to get tender.

Diced vegetables added and being cooked

Vegetables ready for Tomato-Carrot puree to be added

• Add carrot tomato puree and cook for 5 min. on low flame. The carrot-tomato puree will get cooked and the color of vegetable will become nice red color.

Carrot-Tomato puree added to vegetables

Vegetable sauce and Wine rice cooking side by side

•  Add milk and red chili flakes, Basil and salt . 

• Mix and give just one boil on high flame.

• Switch off the gas.

• Vegetable sauce is ready to be enjoyed with wine rice. 

Vegetable Sauce for Wine Rice

 How to serve Wine Rice with Vegetable Sauce:

• Place a medium serving of wine rice on a plate and scoop 2-3 serving spoon of vegetable sauce on it.

• Place 2-3 sauteed baby corn, Capsicum strips and cherry tomatoes by the side.

Wine rice with Vegetable sauce

• Serve with piping hot wine rice with vegetable sauce with Red wine.

Tips:

• While draining the soaked rice make sure the grains do not break due to rough handling.

• Water should be added in little proportions to make sure that excess of water is not added.

• The vegetables should be crisp when puree is added.

Suggested Variations:

• Mushroom, Broccoli, Red bell pepper, Yellow bell pepper can be added to the vegetable sauce.

• Parsley can be taken instead of basil.

• Boiled shredded chicken pieces can be added by hard core chicken lovers.

Paneer Tikka (Cottage cheese cooked with spices)

Juicy Paneer Tikka with salad on the sides

Cottage cheese is one of my favorite milk products. When it is made to Tikka it takes the subtle flavor of the herbs put in the marinade yet maintains the classic taste of its own. Though Paneer Tikka is made in different manner I write this recipe on the demand of my daughter-in-law’s sister Amrita. She liked it especially because it is literally oil less. Paneer Tikka can be had as snacks as well as side dish to the main course. I love it so much that for me every time is paneer tikka time.

Preparation Time: 45 min. (Including marination time)

Cooking Time: 10– 15 min.

Servings: 10- 12 Medium servings

Ingredients required for Paneer Tikka:

• 250 gm. Paneer (cottage cheese)

• 50 - 100 gm.  Cream (Malai)

• 100 gm. Thick Curd

• 1/4 Tea spoon Turmeric Powder

• 1 Tea spoon Amchur Powder (Dry raw mango powder)

• 1 Tea spoon Red chili Powder

• 1 Tea spoon Kasoori methi (Dried and powdered green leaves of methi)

• Salt to taste

• 2 Tea spoon Olive oil.

Direction for marinating Paneer:

• Cut paneer to 2cm.x2cm. pieces.

Cottage Cheese (Paneer ) cut into pieces

• Take Paneer pieces in a bowl.

• Add Turmeric powder, salt, chili powder and amchur.

Turmeric powder, Salt, Chili powder and Amchur added to Paneer pieces

• Add malai(cream).

Cream and curd added to Paneer pieces

• Add kasoori methi and mix well.

Mixed after adding Kasoori Methi

• Keep aside for at least 30 min.

Direction for Making Tikka

• Take a nonstick Tawa and keep it on high flame.

• When hot lower the flame and spread one tea spoon of olive oil on it.

Hot non stick tawa with one teaspoon of oil

• Place marinated paneer pieces on Tawa and let them cook for 3-4 min, without disturbing.

Marinated Paneer pieces placed on hot Tawa and being cooked

• The side of paneer which are in touch of tawa directly will become brownish pink.

• Carefully turn them upside down.

Turning Paneer pieces upside down to cook from both side

• Cook the other side also till brownish pink in color

Paneer Tikka with salad

• Serve the tikka with coriander mint chutney, 
•  http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html

• http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/hariyali-chutney-raw-mango-chutney.html

   

Tips:

• Do not make the paneer pieces very small.

• Tawa should not be smoking hot when you place paneer on it, because paneer will get burnt spoiling the taste.

• Curd should be thick and not too sour.

Suggested Variations:

• Kasoori methi can be replaced by oregano/ parsley/ basil to change the flavor of paneer tikka.

• Malai (cream) can be replaced by curd to reduce the fat content due to malai.

• Paste of green chili and coriander can be added to marinade instead red chili powder and methi, this gives very good flavor and color to tikka.