Capsicum Rice

This rice dish is very easy to prepare with simple ingredients. Looks colorful and delicious.

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice: 2 cups
• Water: 2 – 1/4 cup
• Red, Orange, Green Bell peppers: Each one (Chop medium size)
• Green Peas and Carrot: 1 cup
• Chopped Tomato: 2 no (chop medium size pieces)
• Green Chilies: 2 no (Slit lengthy)
• Ginger Paste: 1 tsp
• Ghee: 1 tbsp
• Salt: to taste

• Cinnamon sticks: 1no
• Cardamoms: 4 nos
• Cloves: 4 nos
• Red chili powder: 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1/8 tsp
• Fresh Gram masala powder: ¼ tsp

• Ghee: 1 tbsp
• Raisins: 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts: 1tsp
• Peanuts: 1 tbsp (optional)

• Chopped Cilantro: 1 tsp
• Chopped Mint: 1 tsp (optional)

• Wash and soak the rice for 35 minutes. Drain it.
• Heat the ghee in a wok, add chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, green peas, carrot and ginger paste. Sauté for 3 minutes.
• Now add red chili powder, turmeric powder, gram masala powder.
• Lower the stove heat and fry for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep aside this masala.
• Heat the ghee in wok adds the whole spices when it splutters, add the rice and fry well. Now add the  capsicum masala in it and mix it well.
• Put this rice masala in the rice cooker vessel; add hot water, and salt. Cook it.
• Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the all seasonings and keep aside.
• When rice is cooked add the fried seasonings. Mix with fork, so that the rice retains its shape and does not get smashed.
• Transfer the rice to the plate and decorate with cilantro and mint.

Courtesy: Sadhana’s Kitchen (Madappali)

General guidelines for healthier food for both body and mind:

• One should be thinking about Perumal (Nama Smaranam) while cooking, and the purpose should be to offer the preparation to Him.
• Once the food is prepared, it should be offered to Perumal first. While offering, one should make sure that the food is neither too hot nor cold. It should be offered with love and affection.
• Please do not offer either pre-cooked food bought from outside or any pre-consumed food.
• Please follow thiruvaradanam kramam as instructed by your respective acharya. (http://anudinam.org/2012/03/08/bhagavad-tiruvaradhanam/)
• Follow ahara niyamam as much as possible. Atleast make sure that onion and garlic are not used at all.(http://anudinam.org/2012/06/11/srivaishnava-ahara-niyamam/)
• Please ensure that food which are not prasadams are not consumed.