Continuing with the Ugadi Special Recipes here, as we inch closer to the Ugadi celebrations with each passing day. My entire home is undergoing a deep cleaning and every nook and corner of my home is being spruced up. There is a lot of din throughout the day as from ceilings to a/c vents to sofas to carpets, you just name it, everything is being sprayed, soaped, mopped, wiped and made squeaky clean. All this intensive cleaning will be over by this noon and then immediately after, the entire family will get into a shopping spree including little D. The excitement is so clearly visible on each and everyone's face. This is what I love about festivals, the joy and happiness it brings with it, even days before it arrives.

Ugadi is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and Karnataka. The same festivity is also celebrated in Maharashtra and is known as Gudipadva. A whole lot of sweets and savory snacks are prepared in advance and also there will be a special spread on Ugadi day. Mum-in-law makes her utterly yummy Pulihora / Sour Rice, Boobbatlu / Flat bread with a sweet lentil stuffing and many other wonderful delicacies, which I love immensely. I too have decided, this year, that I too will cook a few dishes, which I have learnt from friend's Moms during my engineering years in Karnataka, to add to the elaborate Ugadi spread. During my engineering studies in Karnataka, I would celebrate Ugadi in my friend's home and so would revel in the festivities and lavish spread every single year that I lived there. I would love each and every dish that they would serve as a part of the Ugadi meal. I carry a treasure trove memory of those scrumptious dishes and have therefore learnt to prepare many of them, just like my friend's mother's would do.

The dish that I am going to share with you today, was a Ugadi special dish that I had savoured at my friend Lata's house years ago. I loved it immensely then and even to this day, whenever I prepare it, I eat it with the same fondness as before. I have prepared this dish a number of times as I am really fond of it and though initially my family was skeptical about the addition of fresh fenugreek leaves and the bitter taste that it would impart to the rice, but when they tasted it, they were surprised at the delightful taste of this yummy rice dish.

This rice dish is very simple, uses few ingredients and the final result is a wholesome dish which tastes absolutely delicious. Though fresh fenugreek leaves are added to this dish, the final dish, only has the distinct aroma of the fenugreek leaves and the bitterness totally disappears in the process of cooking and with addition of lemon juice to the rice. The appetizing colour which the turmeric imparts to this dish and the lovely crunch from the peanuts and lentils makes this a truly tasty dish. It is so yum that it can be had on its own or with a chutney or raita. So let me take you through the process and ingredients of making this very flavoursome Lemon Rice with Fresh Fenugreek leaves.

MENTHYA SOPPINA CHITRANNA RECIPE / LEMON RICE WITH FENUGREEK LEAVES RECIPE ~

SERVES ~ 4

CUISINE ~ INDIAN / KARNATAKA

TYPE ~ RICE DISH / MAIN COURSE

TIME ~ 10 MINUTES PREPARATION + 20 MINUTES COOKING ( YOU SAVE 10 MINUTES IF YOU USE LEFT OVER RICE )

INGREDIENTS ~

1) 1 Cup (255 Gms approx) Raw Rice ( any rice of choice )

2) 2 Cups Water ( I used 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Please follow the instructions on your Rice packet)

3) 1 Tbsp Oil

4) 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds

5) 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds

6) 1 Tbsp Skinned Black Gram / Black Lentil / Urad Dal

7) 1 Tbsp Skinned Split Bengal Gram / Chana Dal

8) 2~3 Tbsp Raw Peanuts

9) 1 Sprig Curry Leaves , chopped

10) 2 Green Chillies slit

11) 4 Tbsp or 1 large Onion chopped

12) 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

13) 1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder

14) 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder

15) 1 Tsp Coriander Powder

16) 1 Cup tightly packed Fresh Fenugreek leaves ( 50 Gms approximately) ( I used whole leaves after removing the stems, you may chop the fenugreek leaves and use)

17) 2 Tbsp Green Capsicum / Green Bell Pepper , cut into small cubes

18) Salt to taste

19) 2 Tbsp Juice of Lemon ( Increase or decrease according to the amount of tang you want in your dish)

COOK WITH ME IN EASY STEPS ~

1) Wash the raw rice thoroughly in a colander. Drain the water completely and transfer the rice into a pot, pressure cooker or rice cooker. I used a pressure cooker. (NOTE ~ Add water as per the instruction on your rice packet. I have added water in the ratio of 1:2, that is 1 cup rice : 2 Cups water.)

Cook the rice until done. (NOTE ~ In a pressure cooker normally 1 ~ 2 whistle is enough. But depending on the type of rice used, you need to cook it, accordingly. So please follow the instruction on the rice packet.)

2) Take a karahi, wok or frying pan. Add oil and when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

Next add the peanuts, black gram and bengal gram into the karahi.
Fry them till they change colour. (Refer Picture)
Next add the curry leaves followed by green chillies. Fry them for a few seconds.
Now add the chopped onions.
Follow this up by adding red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well and fry the onions with all the spices till the onions become translucent or the raw smell of onions is no longer present.

3) Add the fresh fenugreek leaves. Mix well and let the leaves cook.

Once the fenugreek leaves wilt, add the chopped green capsicum. Cook for a minute, till the capsicum just becomes soft but does not lose its crunch.
Its time to add the cooked rice. Mix the rice nicely with all the ingredients in the karahi. (NOTE ~ You should mix the rice with the masala in such a manner that every grain of rice should be coated with the masala.)
Season with salt and mix well. Remove the karahi from the burner.
Add the lemon juice and mix well. (NOTE : Please remember this, only add the lemon juice after removing the karahi from the burner or after switching off the heat, or else your rice will taste bitter.)

Transfer the Menthya Soppina Chitranna into a bowl or plate and serve hot. As I have mentioned earlier, that this rice dish tastes yum on its own. But you can pair it up with a chutney, raita or poppadums etc. My family loves to eat this with a bowl of Holige Saaru ( Saaru is similar to rasam which is basically a south Indian soup and is eaten along with rice. This is a Karnataka speciality. Recipe of Holige Saaru in my next post. )

PICTORIAL STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE OF HOW TO COOK MENTHYA SOPPINA CHITRANNA ~

Cook the rice until done. (NOTE ~ In a pressure cooker normally 1 ~ 2 whistle is enough. But depending on the type of rice used, you need to cook it, accordingly. So please follow the instruction on the rice packet.)

2) Take a karahi, wok or frying pan. Add oil and when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them crackle.

Next add the peanuts, black gram and bengal gram into the karahi.

Fry them till they change colour. (Refer Picture)

Next add the curry leaves followed by green chillies. Fry them for a few seconds. ( NOTE ~ leave a little of the chopped curry leaves to be used as garnish towards the end.)

Now add the chopped onions.

Follow this up by adding red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well and fry the onions with all the spices till the onions become translucent or the raw smell of onions is no longer present.

3) Add the fresh fenugreek leaves. Mix well and let the leaves cook.

Once the fenugreek leaves wilt, add the chopped green capsicum. Cook for a minute, till the capsicum just becomes soft but does not lose its crunch.

Its time to add the cooked rice. Mix the rice nicely with all the ingredients in the karahi. (NOTE ~ You should mix the rice with the masala in such a manner that every grain of rice should be coated with the masala.)

Season with salt and mix well.

Garnish with the remaining chopped curry leaves. Remove the karahi from the burner.

Add the lemon juice and mix well. (NOTE : Please remember this, only add the lemon juice after removing the karahi from the burner or after switching off the heat, or else your rice will taste bitter.)

Transfer the Menthya Soppina Chitranna into a bowl or plate and serve hot.

As I have mentioned earlier, that this rice dish tastes yum on its own. But you can pair it up with a chutney, raita or poppadums etc. My family loves to eat this with a bowl of Holige Saaru ( Saaru is similar to rasam which is basically a south Indian soup and is eaten along with rice. This is a Karnataka speciality. HOLIGE SAARU RECIPE in my next post. )

Reference :

My Tryst With Food And Travel

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