Pudina Sadham/Mint Rice

Mixed rice/Pulavs are a great dish to serve - either in a potluck, for a weeknight dinner or for the lunch box the next day. I have so many rice recipes on OhTastenSee, but there is so much more to document. This 'Mint Rice' is one such recipe. I make this with leftover rice. I cook rice once over the weekend and portion it into small batches - to make fried rice and other such mixed rice recipes. This is a variation of my Mint Pulav - for the pulav I cook the mint masala along with the rice, whereas here the mint paste is made separately and mixed in with the rice. Although they look and similar, the taste is quite different.

This recipe highlights the flavor of mint - which is so perfect for spring. I like to keep the green theme and typically add green veggies like green beans, broccoli, peas etc. to this rice. You can add whatever veggies you like -be it green or any other color.

You will need the cooked rice to be with separate grains. If cooking rice for this recipe, cook the rice with the ratio of 1: 1 1/2 of rice to water. Let the rice cool completely before making the dish.

Heat a tsp of oil in a frying pan. Add washed and dried mint leaves and saute for just a minute until wiled.Add green chillies,ginger and grated coconut and saute for another minute. Take care to not overcook this or the mint paste won't have the vibrant green color. Let this cool completely. Grind it into a paste by adding half of the lemon juice. Adding lemon juice will help prevent discoloration.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan and add cloves,cardamom,cinnamon and bay leaf and add chopped cashews and fry until golden brown.Add sliced onions and fry well until they bit dark brown in color. Add the broccoli florets and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add fresh/frozen peas to it and fry well.

Add ground paste and mix with the veggies. Let this cook for another two minutes.

Add cooked and cooled rice,salt and lemon juice and mix carefully until everything is well mixed and the rice is warm.

Serve it hot with raitha and papad.

Verdict: This rice has a vibrant fresh flavor of the mint, the lemon juice perks up the flavor of the mint and the veggies. The veggies add texture and nutrition as well to the rice. A great lunchbox recipe!