Masoor Rice

Masoor Rice is something that I had at one of my maternal relatives and absolutely loved it ; since then I have been making it again and again. Masoor Rice or Masoor Biryani ? I am not sure what to call it. Ideally I would love to call it Masoor Biryani because it sounds so exotic , but then a Biryani is no ordinary dish. It requires a good amount of organised preparation with multiple ingredients and the cooking also is a specialised. Contrary to that; this is a quick post about a quick dish. And one, that is loaded with flavours and nutritions.

you will need:-

Raw Basmati Rice( or any long grained rice) -- One cup

Raw Whole Masoor  – ½ cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Onion -1 medium (chopped/sliced)

Tomato – 1 medium (chopped/sliced)

Green chilli, Garlic and Ginger paste – 1 tbsp.

Cumin seeds -1 tsp. (optional)

Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

Red chilli Powder – ¼ tsp.

Garam Masala/ kala Masala – 1 tsp.

Salt - to taste

Sugar a pinch

Ghee – 1 tbsp.

1. Wash both the rice and the whole masoor (brown lentils) and soak them about 4 hrs.

2. Heat oil directly in the pressure cooker pan and start by frying the onions ,garlic and ginger paste until lightly browned. You can also add Cumin seeds at this time.

3. Next add the tomatoes and continue frying on medium heat until they lose all the moisture,

4. Add the Garam masala/Kala masala, chilly powder, turmeric powder , salt, pinch of sugar and the soaked masoor dal and rice and give it a good stir. Keep the heat moderate.

5. Now add 2 cups and a little more water. Close the pressure cooker and cook as you would for any rice. I cooked it for just 1whistle and turned down the heat for one minute before switching off the gas.

6. Take it out in a serving bowl and pour a tbsp of ghee while the rice is hot. Serve hot.

Note:- Instead of Garam Masala/ Kala Masala you can also use Meat Masala or Biryani Masala.