Yum! Yum! Yum!: Coriander / Cilantro Rice ~ LunchBox Recipes

Mar 13, 2020

Coriander / Cilantro Rice ~ LunchBox Recipes

Today I am brining a perfect recipe for your Lunchbox, that can keep good use of your left over rice and excess coriander (Cilantro) leaves at hand. Usually in states you get 3 or 4 packs of Cilantro bunch for a dollar at India Stores, and with out any hesitance i buy all the 3 or 4 bunches that comes. Then at home, at least half goes waste as it goes bad beyond 7 to 10 days. Now this recipe rescues your excess Cilantro and that results in wonderful lunchbox recipe as well. Here is the Coriander Recipe, Njoy!

And also these days I am being cautious about food wastage and buying only the amount required, though i get a lot for a dollar! Hope you also follow the same tip that reduces food wastage across. :-)

Ingredients:
Rice - 2 cups (uncooked basmati rice) or ( 4 cups cooked rice)
Coriander Leaves - Cilantro Bunch - 1
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Ghee - 1 Tbsp ( or Butter)
Clove - 2
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 3
Shazeera - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 medium
Green Chili - 3 to 4
Mint Leaves - 10
Salt - 2 tsp ( per your taste)
Lime Juice - 2 tsp
Cashew Nuts - 5 to 6 Whole (Optional)

Preparation:

If you are using left over rice, break it apart to make sure each grain is separate and microwave it for 1 min.
Cook 2 cups Basmati Rice with 3.5 cups water until each grain is separate and cooked fully, spread cooked rice in a wide plate.
Wash Cilantro, drain and chop roughly and grind to smooth paste adding some water in mixie grinder or blender.
Chop Onions into thinly slices. Chop green chilies length wise into thin slices.

Method:

Heat non-stick pan, add Oil, followed by Ghee or butter. Once butter melts, add Clove, Cinnamon, Cardamom and Shazeera. Saute spices for 2 min, allowing oil to get flavored.
Now add thinly sliced onion to pan, and saute until onion is soft and caramelized. Add green chili slices, followed by chopped mint leaves. Add 1 tsp salt and mix well.
Add Cashew nuts now if you are using; and Add Cilantro paste to pan and mix with onion and spices.
Add cooked rice to pan and mix with cilantro paste, fold rice up and down until it is coated with green paste. Add 1 tsp salt to rice and mix gently. Add lime juice to rice and coat well.
By now the rice gets bright green color and looks beautiful. Now taste and adjust any salt or seasoning.
Switch off the stove, top with few cilantro springs, leave on stove for 5 min, then transfer to serving bowl and serve immediately with cool cucumber or onion raita.

Tips:

Cashew nuts are optional, if you are allergic to nuts, you can skip it totally. They add nice crunch and creamy taste, but you don't lose any flavor with out nuts in this rice.
Lime juice is rather critical as it subtles the strong cilantro herb taste and balancing the flavors in this rice.
Green Chilis are critical as you don't use red chili powder or any other masala, all the spice in this rice comes from green chilies only.
As all the spices are subtle in this rice but loaded with herb flavors, this rice becomes star in the lunch box! :-)