Capsicum Rice or Vangi Bath is an ideal lunch box dish. The ingredient list may be long. But it is very easy to prepare. Try and let me know!

Ingredients:
Basmathi Rice - 1 Cup
Capsicum/Green Bell Pepper - 1 Big
Oil - 3 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Coriander leaves - to garnish

Seasonings:
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urud Dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Red Chillies - 2
Cashews - a few (optional)
Hing - 1/4 tsp

Roast in 1/4 tsp ghee and powder:
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Red chillies - 4
Urud Dal - 1 tsp
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Method:
Cook basmathi rice in 2 cups of water. The grains should be separate. Set aside.
Roast the ingredients listed above to golden brown and powder.
Heat oil/ghee in a pan.
Do the seasoning.
When mustard seeds crackle, add chopped capsicum. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder.
Fry till capsicum turns soft.
Gently add rice and roasted powder and toss well.
Add salt.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Have it with raitha or chips.

Cabbage Rice

Ingredients:

•1-1/2 cup Basmati Rice
•1 Whole Cabbage
•1 cup Green Peas (soaked)
•2 Medium-Sized Onions (sliced)
•1 Tomato (chopped)
•2 Green Chilies (chopped)
•2-3 pods Garlic (chopped)
•1 inch Ginger (chopped)
•1 tsp Cumin Seeds
•2 tbsp Coriander Powder
•1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
•1 tsp Red Chili Powder
•5-6 twigs Coriander Leaves
•2 tbsp Oil
•Salt to taste

How to make Cabbage Rice:

•Wash the rice and cook it such that all the grains remain separate.
•Place the cooked in a plate to cool.
•Put chopped cabbage, a pinch of salt and turmeric powder in a vessel.
•Keep it on medium flame and let the cabbage be cooked.
•Cook the peas in a pressure cooker. Remove from the fire after 1 whistle.
•Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add cumin seeds and allow spluttering.
•Add chopped chilies, ginger, garlic, tomato and onion slices into it.
•Stir till onions turn light golden in color.
•Now add cooked cabbage, peas, coriander powder, turmeric powder and red chili powder to the above.
•Once the cabbage is slightly tender, add the cooked rice and a pinch of salt to the above. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
•Add some water and cover the vessel with a lid until the water dries completely.
•Remove rice from the heat.
•Garnish Cabbage Rice with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Serve rice with papad and Curd.

Tamarind Rice

This recipe I learnt from my mother-in-law. I like this recipe for its spiciness and it has a sour taste. The recipe can be stored for more days in the refrigerator if cooked with proper care. I like this recipe cooked with gingili oil than the other normal oils. It adds flavor to the recipe. Here it goes!

Ingredients

1 cup rice (Sona Masoori)
Lemon size tamarind
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 dried red chilies
2 tsp of roasted peanuts
3-4 tsp gingili oil
Salt for taste

Dry roast powder

½ tsp of mustard and methi seeds, dry roast and powdered.


For seasoning

Mustard, Chana dal, urad dal, and curry leaves


Method


Cook rice and allow them to cool
Soak tamarind in two to three cups of warm water and extract the juice from it. The consistent should be thick.
Heat oil in pan, add mustard, chana dal, urad dal, peanuts, red chilies and curry leaves and sauté them.
Add the dry roasted powder and sauté them with the mixture.
Add tamarind extract, pinch of asafoetida and salt. Keep stirring constantly till the tamarind extract reduces its volume and becomes to a thick pulp.
Add the gravy to the rice and mix well. You can keep the rest of the gravy in the refrigerator. It will stay in the refrigerator for more than 20 days if cooked properly.

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice is a delicious South Indian dish you can easily put together when in a hurry. You can also make it with leftover rice. Serve Lemon Rice with a Raita (yogurt salad) and Poppadums for a simple yet tasty meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Basmati rice (or leftover rice)
2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
1" piece of ginger grated
1/2 cup peanuts (roasted and unsalted)
1 tsp turmeric powder
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Gently roast and then coarsely powder the coriander seeds. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry till the spluttering stops and add the ginger and peanuts. Fry for another minute. Add the turmeric powder and turn off the fire.
Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Add the rice, roasted coriander powder and salt to taste and mix thoroughly.
Serve with a Raita and Poppadums.