Peanut Rice

Peanut Rice

This is not the traditional Peanut Rice. I do not have any curry leaves so I decided to infuse a different flavor to the dish. With all the other typical ingredients used in Peanut rice I added some Khus Khus or poppy seeds. Khus Khus is an ingredient used in many Bengali dises. i wanted to see how it would taste in a South Indian dish. The fusion worked out great. 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups cooked rice
2 cups peanuts
3 dry red chillies
1/2 cup chana dal
4 tbsp khus khus
2 onions, chopped fine
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
a pinch asefoetida
1/2 cup grated coconut (optional)

Roast the peanuts, dry red chillies, chana dal and khus khus together. Dry grind them along with the grated coconut to a rough powder. 

Heat some ghee. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal and asefoetida. 
Saute the onions and then add the peanut paste. Fry for a minute or two. Add the cooked rice and salt. Fry on medium heat for five minutes till the rice and peanut masala are well mixed. 

Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian dish. It is a kind of fried rice which is great amalgamation of different flavours. Traditionally it is made with prawns, eggs, chicken, tamarind, chilli and many more flavoursome ingredients. It is not for nothing that it is considered the national dish of Indonesia. 
Sitting in a remote corner of the country there are so so many ingredients that I can’t lay my hands on, even something as simple as lemon grass. However that should not mean that I cant tweak the recipe a little to suit my condition. 

Ingredients

For spice paste
4 peppercorns
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
3 tbsp roasted peanuts
½ tsp sesame seeds
1 onion, chopped
1” ginger, chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
5 garlic, chopped
2 green chilli, chopped
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 lime juice
salt to taste
Grind all to a fine paste. 

For Indonesian fried rice
2 cups rice
3 onions, sliced
100 gms green beans
3 carrots, sliced fine
1 large brocoli, chopped
1 bunch spinach, chopped fine
4 garlic pods, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
200 gm boneless chicken, sliced
1 tbsp soya sauce


Boil the rice. Heat some oil. Deep fry 1/4 of the sliced onions till brown. 

Saute the green beans, carrots, broccoli and spinach. 

Keep aside. Heat some oil. Saute the remianing onions and garlic. Add rest of the vegetables. Add the spice paste and tomato puree. Fry for a minute or two. Add the rice. Add soya sauce and check the salt. Fry for some time on low flame.Your Nasi Goreng is ready. Top with the browned onions and some roasted peanuts.