French green beans rice

This recipe comes under travel cooking/ one-pot cooking/ Easy cooking series. I have decided to give it the name salt and pepper series because, in the recent past due to back to back travelling (not that I am complaining here), I had to cook a lot but with very limited resources. I couldn't carry a lot of things and had to rely on just the local supermarket for resources. So what I ended up with is cooking with just salt and pepper. Most of the times I had access to only canned stuff and was a novice in that department. Now, I have explored that world too :) . So the ingredients will include canned stuff.


Ingredients

Canned french green beans                                  1 can
Salt                                                                        As needed
Black pepper powder                                           1.5 tblspns
Basmathi rice                                                        1 cup
Oil                                                                          1 tsp


Method

1. Add oil in the electric cooker and let it heat.
2. Drain the beans and wash it thoroughly
3. When the oil is hot, add drained and washed beans and mix well.
4. Add basmathi rice and add 2 cups of water.
5. Add salt and pepper to it and close the lid and let it cook until done.

French green beans rice is ready to be had with natural yogurt and potato chips (crisps) as side.

Channa pulav/ Fataafat channa pulav/ Easy channa pulav/ Easy garbanzo beans rice (pilaf)

This recipe will fall under the travel cooking/easy cooking series. I enjoy travelling a lot. being a vegetarian, all these self-concocted recipes tried on spot and was an instant success come in hand to enjoy a hearty meal without missing home. These recipes require very little ingredients and resources to make it happen and will have very less or zero prep time. It will involve an electric cooker  and a spatula and that's about it. Now to the ingredients to make channa pulav/  garbanzo beans rice

Prep time :

1 min


Ingredients:

Canned garbanzo beans/ Channa                       1 can (400-500gms)
Canola oil/ vegetable oil                                   1 tsp
Salt                                                                 To taste
Black pepper powder                                        1 tblspn (or according to one's spice level...                                                                                      minimum 1.5 tsps)
Basmati rice                                                     1.5 cups


Preparation:

Open the can of garbanzo beans and rinse it in water.


Method

1. Heat oil in the electric cooker.
2. When oil is hot add the rinsed garbanzo beans/Channa and mix well with a spatula. Add 5 cups water and let it come to a rolling boil
3. Add salt and black pepper powder and mix it well. Add basmati rice, mix well and leave it to cook until done and the switch in the electric cooker trips off.

Garbanzo beans rice is ready to have it by itself or with a pod of  natural yogurt and/or  salted potato chips. It becomes a satiating, filling meal with wholesome goodness. Yes, I have used canned garbanzo beans here as I cannot soak and boil beans while travelling , but still a self-made meal is the most hygienic and nutritious meal that can ever exist for me, as we know/can control what exactly goes in it.

Aloo and Spinach pulav / Urulai keerai pulav

I am posting this recipe as part of easy cooking/ Travel cooking series. I will be posting recipes which can be made with minimal resources like with only a saucepan if you have an access to a stove or in an electric cooker if you have access to a plug point. There will be many recipes that I concocted along my way during my travel, when I had difficulty accessing vegetarian food or wanted to have the luxury of a home-cooked meal elsewhere. I will be using dry  powders a lot instead  of fresh ones as I will not have the resources to grate/shred etc., or will not have access to its availability. I have used butter instead of ghee. I always carry cumin seeds, red chilli powder and ginger powder with me as they r life savers. Rest I buy it from the local supermarket wherever I am.


Ingredients:

Basmathi rice                   - 1 cup
Potatoes (medium sized) - 2 nos
Spinach                           - 200 gms
Ginger powder                - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder           - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies                 - 4 nos slit
Cumin seeds                   - 1/2 tsp
Butter                             - 1 tbspn
Salt                                 - As needed


Method:

1.) Boil potatoes and keep it aside if you have the time and resources. Else, dice the potatoes to very small size and keep it aside. If boiled, mash slightly and keep it aside
2.) Add butter to the electric cooker/  a saucepan if you have access to a stove. Let it melt
3.) Add cumin seeds to splutter. Add split/ slit green chillies. Let it fry for a minute.
4.) Add spinach and let it shrink and cook for a couple of minutes. Add potaoes and mix. If boiled previously, let it cook together for a minute. If not, then leave it for a couple of more minutes mixing well occasionally.
5.) Add basmathi rice at this point, salt , ginger powder and  red chilli powder mix well. Add 2 cups of water and cook until the rice is soft.

This aloo/spinach pulav can be had with plain natural yogurt, chips and if you are lucky enough to have access to achar.  This recipe has an added advantage of metamorphosing into a scintillating soup for winter days by adding just extra water while cooking.