Chaunke Huye Chawal - छौंके हुए चावल or Namkeen Chawal - नमकीन चावल

A new day !!! A new beginning !!!


Do you all believe in that? I sincerely do. But, today, I am actually going to talk about yesterday. lol... I mean I will be talking about our yesterday's dinner :)


In Rajasthan, Chawal - चावल (Rice) is not made as frequently as in many other parts of India.  Even when it is made, it is usually in some form rather than just plain steamed rice. Plan steamed rice is usually eaten with recipes like Kadhi - कढ़ी, Rajma - राजमा or Bhoora - भूरा (unrefined sugar). When you are not eating steamed rice, rice is usually seasoned with few ingredients which are called Chaunke Huye Chawal - छौंके हुए चावल or Namkeen Chawal - नमकीन चावल


So, here is my twist in the recipe which is also slightly contributed by my wonderful husband (who loves to add paneer in everything) and it is loved by all (at least in my family)... lol


Chaunke Huye Chawal - छौंके हुए चावल or Namkeen Chawal - नमकीन चावल

Ingredients

White Steamed Rice - 2 cups (you can also use left over rice)
Onions - 1 cup (slice them length wise or chop if you like, personally I prefer them sliced for this recipe)
Finely Chopped Tomatoes - 1 cup
Mixed Vegetables (Al Dente) - 1 cup (I usually use my frozen peas and carrots mix, but feel free to add anything - remember real small pieces)
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) - 1 cup (I like to cut them into really small squares)
Green Chillies - 2-3 (finelly sliced, if you do not like green chillies, substitute it with 1 tsp of red chilli poweder)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (grated or paste whatever you prefer)
Dhaniya (Coriander) Powder - 1 tsp
Haldi (Turmeric) Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Salt - as per taste
Rai (Mustard Seeds) - 1 tsp
Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cilnatro - For Garnishing
Preparation

1. Add oil to your pan and let it heat. 
2. Once the oil is hot, add rai and jeera and let them splutter. 
3. Now, add green chillies and ginger and fry for 30 seconds. 
4. Add roasted peanuts.
5. Then add onions and fry till they become light brown. 
6. Then add all dry powders and fry for 30 more seconds. 
7. Add chopped tomatoes and mix till they are mushy (If you do not want to make your tomatoes mushy, you can skip this step and add them right before mixing rice)
8. Add boiled vegetables and fry for 2-3 min or the vegetables are nicely and properly fried with masalas
9. Add paneer and fry for 1 more minute
10. Now add rice and mix well
11. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Serving
I can eat this rice just like that. But, my husband and son prefer to eat it with dahi (yogurt). My niece and nephew like to eat it with tomato ketchup or maggie hot & sweet sauce. It even tastes good with some nice chutneys or pickles. So, take your pick and eat it with any kind of condiment you like. But, surely, this tastes good when warm.
One more thing for about this recipe is that you can practically change anything from the ingredients list or even the order in which you put them and you will make your own recipe which will taste slightly different from others. है ना अच्छी बात? :)


That is all for today, I hope you will make this quick and easy recipe and let me know how it came out.


Till next recipe, take care and have fun !!!


~ Priya (प्रिया)