Mint leaves are known as pudhina both in Tamil and Hindi.
Mint is an essential ingredient in many Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and is popularly mixed with natural plain yogurt to make a ‘raita’ or brewed with tea to make the famous Indian ‘Pudina Chai’. In Thai cooking, it is added to soups and to some highly-spiced curries. Mint grown in Asia is much more strongly flavored than most European mints, with a sweet, cool aftertaste.
. Mint has a sweet flavour, with a cooling after-sensation. Both, fresh and dried mint are used in preparing a large number of recipes, including curries, soups, chutneys, salads, juices, and ice creams.
Its health benefits include:
– Soothing the digestive tract and if you are having stomach ache then it can be of great help
– Drinking herbal mint tea reduces irritated bowel syndromes, cleanses the stomach and also clear up skin disorders such as acne.
– Mint acts as a cooling sensation to the skin and helps in dealing with skin irritations.
– Mint helps in eliminating toxins from the body.
– Crushed mint leaves helps in whitening teeth and combat bad breath.
– Mint is a very good cleanser for the blood.
Today morning I bought lot of fresh mint leaves. I have a good biryani recipe from my neighbour. First I thought I will try her recipe.
Since mint leaves were so fresh, i wanted to make something with that as the base. So, I made this Minty Green Rice, inspired by my friend’s biryani recipe:)
Ingredients
Rice- 11/2 cups
Mint leaves- 2 cups, tightly packed
Shallots- 20
Garlic- 15 pods
Green chillies- 4-5
Ginger- 2 inches
Cardamom- 4
Cloves- 4
Cinnamon- 1 inch
Bay leaf- 2-3
Chopped carrots- 1/2 cup
Chopped beans- 1 cup
Onion- 1
Butter- 2 tbsp
Melted ghee- 1 tsp
Cashew nuts- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method
Wash and soak rice for 10-15 mins. Drain the rice and keep it aside.
Wash the mint leaves well.
Peel and wash shallots and garlic.
Wash and peel ginger. Wash the green chillies.
Grind mint leaves, green chillies, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to a smooth paste. Add little water if required.
Chop the onion. Heat butter in a pan.
Add bay leaf chopped onions. Sauté till onions turn pink.
Add the mint paste and sauté till the butter separates.
Add the chopped vegetables, rice and salt to taste. Mix well. Add 3 cups of water.
Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame,close the pan with a lid till the rice is cooked soft and dry.
Fluff the rice and keep the pan closed for 10 mins.
Heat ghee. Add chopped cashew nuts. Sauté till it becomes slightly golden. Add to the rice and serve hot with raita:)
