Corriander has always been my all time favourite garnish. Now there are really two schools of thought on the subject of corriander garnish. My grandmother etc has always been on the opinion that a good dish prepared sumptously with ingredients in the right proportion, with devotion, can stand up for flavour and taste all by itself. It does not need a garnish of chopped corriander. I am of the opinion that even a simple dish can be elevated in taste and flavour by just a dash of a corriander sprig….Well…to each his own. TO think of a dish spiced completely with this aromatic leaf itself seemed to be a very welcoming thought…It was an inspiration from my earlier post Pudina Rice…I simlpy allowed my hands to pick up whatever It felt like and came up with this dish…

Today was a picnic at the Zoo, so it was a really tasty course with a side of Raitha and Chips. Do try it and hope you really like it.

INGREDIENTS:

A big bunch of Corriander Leaves.

5 Green Chillies.

1/3 cup of Dessicated Coconut.

1 inch piece of Ginger.

A handful of Cashew Halves.

2 cups of Basmati Rice cooked in 3 1/2 cups of water.

1/2 cup of Peas.

1/2 cup of chopped potatoes.

1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots.

1 cup of cauliflower floretts.

Salt.

PREPARATION:

• Spread out the cooked Basmati Rice so it cools considerably before you mix in the vegetables.
• Microwave all the vegetables except Peas, in the micro wave for 4 minutes.
• In a mixer jar, place the cashews at the very base and then add chillies, ginger, 1 clove, corrainder and finally the coconut. We do this since corriander cannot stand up to pulsing in the mixer without water, we sandwich it between heavy ingredients.
• Pulse without adding water and set aside.
• In a wide mouthed kadai add 3 spoons of oil, 2 cloves, jeera, curry leaves and then add the half cooked veggies.
• Add turmeric and salt for the veggies and allow to cook for some time.
• Now add the ground paste and mix well and give it a couple more minutes to cook and the raw smell of the corriander to evaporate.
• When the veggies and the paste have mixed in well add the rice little by little and mix it well taking care not to break the rice.
• Add a dollop of ghee and serve HOT with onion and cucumber raitha.