SEERAGA SAMBA VEGETABLE RICE

INGREDIENTS:

Seeraga Samba rice – 1 cup (250g)

            Onion – 2

Tomato -2

Carrot, Beans, Peas, Capsicum etc. – 150g

Ginger – 1 piece

Garlic cloves – 10

Lemon – ½

Salt

Oil – 3 tbs

Ghee

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Sambar Powder – 1 ½ tsp

Coriander,

mint  leaves – 1 handful

FOR SEASONING:

            Cinnamon – 1 piece

            Cloves – 2

            Cardamom – 2

            Fennel seeds or Sombu – 1 tsp

            Jathipathri or Mace – 1

            Star Anise – 1

            Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

 METHOD:

           

1.    Soak Seeraga samba rice in a bowl of water.

2.    Heat oil in a pressure pan and add the ingredients given for seasoning one by one. Saute for a minute and add onions.

3.    Crush ginger and garlic and add them and cook till the raw smell goes off.

4.    Add the vegetables and pinch of salt. The helps the water content to come out of the vegetables and lessen the cooking time.

5.    Add the powders and cook for a minute.

6.    Add 1 ½ cups of water, salt and allow it to boil.

7.    Add the soaked rice and stir gently till it is half cooked.

8.    Add lemon juice, coriander and mint leaves.

9.    Close the Pressure cooker and allow it up to 2 whistles on high flame and 5 minutes on low flame.

10.  After the pressure goes off, open the lid, add ghee and stir gently and close the lid.

11.  After 5 minutes aromatic vegetable rice will be ready.
12. Onion raitha with a pinch of chat masala will be a good side dish.

Health Benefits of Seeraga Samba rice:

1.    This rice variety resembles the shape of Jeera ( cumin) , it is called seeraga samba.

2.    It has its own aromatic flavor and small in size.

3.    It is easily digestable, prevents gastric disorders & increases the appetite.

4.    Hand broken rice contains Selenium which prevents the cancer of colon & intestines. This has got more fiber contents & also anti-oxidants. Hence it will remove the chemicals in colon & intestines, so they will not stay to create cancer of colon & intestines.

5.    It contains more Phytonutrients and Magnesium which preserves bone density.

6.    The Glycemic index (GI) is 56 to 58. It means food will be digested & absorbed slowly and glucose will be released more slowly and steadily (Glucose has a glycemic index of 100)