Jeera-Tomato Pulao/ Jeera-Tomato Pilaf

Life is no more the same……it’s changing and this constant change reflects on friends also……Initially we had school friends, gali friends, college friends, tuition friends, office friends,…….and so on….later came blog friends….whom you never see or talk but you know what’s simmering/baking/cooking in their kitchen….along with ramblings they chit chat on there blog…….and then comes the highest revolution of being on social networking sites….like facebook (FB) and twitter…..life just changes…a whole new bunch of virtual friends….who sometimes make you feel special and sometimes lends a shoulder to cry upon…who sometimes cheer you up….boots up your moral…..who even share their part of story from their part of the world…..where distance is never an barrier and time is never a constraint…..life’s just full because of these friends….it’s a like a whole new world….a world which is with you every time and anytime….

Being on FB not only gave me a whole new set of virtual friends but also gave me an opportunity to come across so many fabulous people who share the same passion for food. One such simple, cool and down to earth friend whom I came across FB is Fati….her FB page Delicious Bites *Love Of Cooking* has many alluringly tempting recipes…..and today’s post is specially made from her page and warmly dedicated to her…..Hope you like it Fatii….that day when you asked me about the review on the recipe…I told you I will let you know and this is the way I thought of letting you know dear….I loved this simple yet favourable rice recipe……thank you for sharing…..

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Basmati washed and soaked in water for ½ hr.
• 1 Onion, sliced
• Salt
• 1 tbsp. Cumin/Jeera
• ½ tbsp. Fennel seeds
• ½ tbsp. Coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. Ginger-Garlic Paste
• ½ tbsp. whole Black pepper
• 1 Green chilli, slight length-wise
• 2 medium sized Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 sprigs of fresh Coriander leaves
• Oil/Ghee

PREPARATION:

• Add oil to a heavy bottom cooking vessel. To this add onions and fry till they turn translucent. Now add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and whole black pepper. Fry for another 1-2 minutes on low flame.
• When the aroma starts to leave, add green chilli and ginger-garlic paste. Fry for another 1-2 minutes. Now add chopped tomatoes and fry till soft.
• Add rice to the above mixture and give it a gentle stir. Now add water and salt accordingly. Cook till rice is completely cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with your choice of accomplishment.
• I served it with gosht ka salan, dahi ki chutney and papad.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

VARIATIONS:

• Addition of a tbsp. of garam masala gives the recipe nice aromatic twist.
• You can even add boiled potatoes, carrots and peas, if you want to make it a one-pot meal.
• Addition of fried cashews as garish gives royal touch to the recipe.