SIMPLE PLEASURES - Masalebhat (Spicy Rice)

A very Happy New Year to everyone!
I am sure you all had a great new year's celebrations just like I had.

I always love the first post of the new year. It's such a fresh and encouraging feeling to get started with the new recipe that will last the years to come. Being said that, I am going to start a fresh series on Cravings for the very same reason. It will be called "SIMPLE PLEASURES". It will be a series of all the recipes, that are very close to my heart,  that I grew up eating, that are simple and yet delicious in taste, that are made with ingredients that everyone have in their kitchens, that are going to last forever (at least in Maharastrian- families), that are authentic enough to be trusted.
If you are familiar with Indian, especially Maharashtrian cuisine, you might have heard about such recipes, might or might not have tried them as yet and If you are not familiar with such type of cuisine, well this might be the right time to get your hands dirty with these "SIMPLE PLEASURES". They will not disappoint you, give them a try!

I am going to start the series with the recipe called 'Masalebhat'. It's a traditional maharashtrian recipe, a very popular menu item of most of the weddings. It is essentially rice, that is  nicely blended with different kind of spices and your choice of vegetables.

You are going to need-:

Basamati rice- I used extra long grain 1 cup
Tomato- diced 1 small
Onion- sliced 1 small
Green Peas - thawed about half a cup
Cauliflower- cut into florets
Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
Peanuts- a handful/ as many as you like
Curry Leaves - 5-6
2 tsp Goda masala ( you can get  in some of the Indian grocery stores, however I always have hard time finding it, so if you want to try and make your own, here is the recipe from another blog- http://bhaatukli.blogspot.com/2007/04/maharashtrian-kaala-masala.html )
1 green chilli
1 bay leaf
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Pinch of Hing
Oil - 3 tsp
2 tsp ginger paste

Dry roast the following ingredients together , let them cool and then grind. The consistency should be coarse.
Coriander Seeds- 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds- 2 tsp
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves

1. Wash and soak the rice for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaf, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves and sliced onion. Saute till the onions get nice golden color.
3. Add turmeric powder, ginger paste and cook for about a minute.
4. Now is the time to add the dry roast powder that is kept aside. Also add goda masala and red chilli powder. Mix well and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add cauliflower, salt , add some water and cover for about 5 minutes. Add any other vegetables of your choice at this stage along with the cauliflower. You can add potatoes, carrots, green beans etc. Don't add the peas just as yet.
6. Add the soaked rice, and then add peanuts, water, tomatoes, and salt to taste. Cover the pan and cook on high for 5 minutes. Add twice the water of the rice, 2 cups in this case.
7. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes. 
8. After turning the stove off, let it rest for a minute or two. 
9. Add the peas on top of the rice and give it a good mix.
10. Garnish  shredded coconut and cilantro over Masalebhat.

There it is...an authentic masalebhat is ready.

Enjoy..:)