Aug 25, 2009

Basil RIce

This is a hearty flavorful rice made with fresh herbs. I used homegrown basil, mint and coriander. After making pesto with basil, I had a lot of basil leaves left-over. So I ventured into making basil rice for our lunchboxes. The subtle flavor of basil paired very well with flavorful mint and coriander. Any vegetables can also be added to make it more healthy. It is a one-pot meal and very easy to prepare. We had it with chips and cucumber raita.


Ingredients

Basil - 2 cups chopped
Mint - 1/2 cup chopped
Coriander/Cilantro - 1 cup chopped
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Garam masala - 2 tablespoons
Green chillies - 2 slit lengthwise
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1
Ginger - 1 inch minced
Garlic - 3 cloves minced
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cumin seeds /Jeera - 1 teaspoon
Bay leaf - 1
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 3
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt to
Cashews roasted in ghee

Directions

Wash and soak the basmati rice for atleast 15 minutes. Wash the basil, mint and coriander/cilantro leaves and grind them into a coarse paste using a blender. In a pressure cooker or a deep bottomed vessel, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick and saute for a minute. Then add the chopped onions, ginger and garlic and saute till they turn translucent. Add the slit green chillies and saute for a while. Add the ground basil-mint-coriander paste and green peas and saute until the raw smell goes away. Add the garam masala followed by the basmati rice. Saute until the entire mixture gets mixed with the rice. Add 3.5 cups of water. Cover and cook until the rice is done.
Garnish with roasted cashews.


Serve with raita and chips. The quantity of basil-mint and coriander can be adjusted according to availability and taste.

Here is a picture of my basil plant!

Sending this to Rice Feast hosted by Chaitra

42 comments:

  1. i dont see the entire post divya.. anyways very nice idea,!

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  2. looks great Divya... I plan to grow basil at home... let's see how it turns out.

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  3. Nice flavourful dish divya...will try this one...

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  4. Looks very good. I would like to taste this before trying out myself:). I like basil as a topping but I am not able to imagine the taste in rice.

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  5. One great and healthy meal, Divya...It must have tasted yummy

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  6. sounds very innovative...looks good too..

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  7. Hi Divya,

    The basil rice looks divine - I love the flavor of basil. I have some basil mint growing in my backyard - will try this with that!

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  8. Looks tempting..Feeling hungry now...

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  9. The picture shows how yummy that can be..I love herbs like anything..you would have a superb meal i bet !!

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  10. Basil rice with cucumber raita. What a lovely combination for lunch. Great recipe Divya.

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  11. Looks delicious Divya..never tried out rice with basil..

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  12. this is yummy....i love fresh basil.
    seems different with all the garam masala..
    pics are good too.

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  13. Looks very flavorful, i wish i could grow my own herbs too

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  14. looks like you have used up all the greens for this :) Lovely idea Divya.

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  15. I loooooooove herbed rice:).I normally make it with dried parsley.Lucky you,you've got it fresh and that too homegrown..wow:).

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  16. wonderful idea Divya.. :) dish looks delicious...a healthy recipe.. :)den its great that u got a basil plant.. :)

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  17. hai divya.. :) this is really a healthy recipe.. :) ur Basil plant looks beautiful.. :)

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  18. Herbal rice?? Looks delicious..! thanks for sharing dear!

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  19. wow.. great idea .. looks really fantastic & awesome..thxs for sharing..

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  20. Looks great, Divya!I love Basil or for that matter any herbs..I could try this.I have some lemon basil leaves in my garden!

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  21. Never thought of using basil in pulaos except maybe as garnish. Sounds delightful, Divya.

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  22. Very innovative rice Dhivya...must be very flavorful too :)

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  23. I bet this smells delightful while it's cooking!

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  24. Sounds delicious, must have been very flavorful!

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  25. love the idea of basil rice. I have basil and mint in the garden as well... going to make this soon.

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  26. Basil rice as well your plant looks soo healthy...

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  27. Nice Pic divya..and the plant looks healthy too

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  28. I love basil and with rice m sure it's delicious, must try recipe!!!

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  29. Very healthy option to use hoem grown herbs Divya. I have moved to my new cooking blog. Please pick an award from my blog!!!
    Thanks,
    DiDo

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  30. very healthy alternative...I have moved to my new cooking blog. Please pick an award from my blog!!!
    Thanks,
    DiDo

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  31. Div,
    this looks very good, have dried basil, but never thought those are from this plant.. :)

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  32. Anyone actually TRY the recipe????

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Hi..
Thanks for dropping by my blog and rendering your valuable comments..Hope you had a nice time reading my recipes..Thanks for your encouragement..