I love Mint. Every week I use to get mint leaves from my nearby grocery store. Also I always stock dried mint in my pantry . You can make lot of dishes with both fresh and dried leaves like  paratha, chutney, rice, soups and curries. I really love the beautiful aroma of mint. Research study has said that the aroma itself stimulates the salivary glands, there by increasing digestive enzymes and facilitates the digestion. It has lots of health benefits. Try to include this leaf in your diet and stay healthy. If you get mint leaves from store, use the leaves for cooking and don’t throw the stem, just place it a pot of soil, it grows so fast and you can use it later for cooking. Coming to the recipe, this is a flavorful one pot meal and a nice lunch box dish. Even a bachelors can cook this rice, it is so easy to make and filling.


    Ingredients

           1 Cup of Basmathi Rice
           1 Big Red Onion, Finely Chopped
           3 Garlic Cloves, Big,
           1 Inch Size of Ginger,
           3 Medium Size Tomatoes, Finely Chopped
           1/2 Tsp of Garam Masala
           Salt to taste
           1.5 Cups of Water
           1 Tsp of Lemon Juice(Optional)
     
     To Grind

           1 Cup of Mint
           1 Cup of Coriander Leaves
           4 Green Chillies
          

     To Temper

           1 Tbsp of Ghee
           1 Tbsp of Oil
           1/2 Tsp of Fennel Seeds
           2 Cloves
           1 Cinnamon, Small Stick(1 inch)
           1 Cardamom
           1 Bay Leaf
                   


     Method

• Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 mins. Drain the water and rinse it in tap water for 2 times. Keep this aside.
• In a blender, add coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilies and little water, grind it to a smooth paste.
• In a mixie or mortar&pestle, make a paste of ginger and garlic.
• Heat oil and ghee in a cooker, add clove, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf & fennel seeds. Saute this for few secs. Add chopped red onion and salt, saute this for 2 mins until it turns golden brown.
• Add ginger garlic paste, fry for a min. Add chopped tomatoes, fry until it turns soft and mushy.
• Add mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies paste,fry this for 2 mins until raw smell goes off. Otherwise it spoils the taste of the rice.
• Add garam masala, saute this for a min.
• Add rice and water, mix well. Check the salt. Close the pressure cooker with a lid and cook for 2 whistles. Turn off the flame. Let the pressure release on its own.
• Open the cooker, add lemon juice,if necessary, mix gently with a fork or spoon.
• Serve hot with any spicy gravies and raita. I had with mushroom peas fry.

    Tips

• You can add vegetables like peas, corn, potato and cauliflower to this rice.
• Adjust the no of chilies according to your taste.
• If you want little more spicy, then add 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder.
• If you have coconut milk, use instead of water.
• Don’t break the rice while mixing.
• Addition of lemon juice gives a mild tangy taste.
• Rice : water ratio is for 1 cup of rice :1.5 cups of water.

     Health Benefits of Mint

• Aroma of mint, activates the salivary glands, there by increasing digestive enzymes and facilitates the digestion.
• Soothing the digestive tract, if you are having any stomach ache.
• Cooling sensation to skin.
• Eliminates the toxins from the body.
• Helps in whitening teeth and combats bad breath.
• Good cleanser for the body.

         Butter Beans are legume, they are flat and slightly curved in shape. But they are different from lima beans. You can make lot of dishes from butter beans like butter beans soup, rice and gravy for chapathi. They are very good for our body with lots of vitamin A, C and protein. Here I have used frozen beans which comes in handy on a busy cooking days. If you get dry beans, you need to soak it for overnight and pressure cook on next day. I got this recipe from here. This dish is very flavorful and great in taste. It goes well with rasam rice or curd rice.

   Ingredients

              2/3 Cup of Butter Beans, Frozen
              1 Red Onion, Finely Chopped
              1/4 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
              Salt to Taste


    To Grind

               2 Tbsp of Coconut
               1/2 Tbsp of Coriander Seeds
               3 Dried Red Chillies, Big
               1 Tsp of Whole Black Pepper
               1 Garlic Clove
               1/2 Tsp of Jeera / Whole Cumin
              

    To Temper

                2 Tsp of Oil
                1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
                1 Tsp of Urad Dal
                Few Curry Leaves


    Method

• In a pan, add butter beans, water and salt, cook for 10 mins in a medium high flame.
• Grind the ingredients listed under “To Grind List” to a fine powder.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves, when they pops up, add chopped onion, fry for 2 mins until they turn golden brown.
• Add the cooked butter beans, salt and turmeric, fry for another 2 mins.
• Add the ground powder, mix well, sprinkle some water, cover it, simmer it and cook it for 5 mins.  Open it, stir well, once it done, turn off the flame.
• Hot butter beans curry is ready. It goes well with rasam rice or curd rice.      

 
    Tips

• Here I used frozen butter beans, if you have dry one, then you need to soak it for overnight, next day, pressure cook it for 10 whistles and then follow the recipe.
• Adjust the number of red chillies according to your taste.

    Health Benefits of Butter Beans

• Good source of protein and has all essential amino acids.
• Rich in antioxidants called anthocyanin.
• Good source of fiber.
• Iron present in the beans helps in the regulation of respiration at the cellular level.
• Rich in folic acids, trace mineral like copper, which helps in reducing the inflammatory conditions like RA(Rheumatoid Arthritis) and molybdenum helps in the detoxification of sulfites from the blood.