Kovakkai Pulav & Briyani

Today's lunch box recipe in our home is Kovakkai Briyani with vazhathandu curd pachadi. Kovakkai

 is referred as baby watermelon commonly... Actually after to coming to chennai only I noticed people using it widely.... In our native place mostly this vegetable is not available in markets and I never seen people cooking it.... Beta Carotene in Kovakkai cleans toxins and it has many other health benefits too.... It has many other health benefits too.... So this is another way to make kids eating vegetable, by making Briyani out of it....while cooking take care that it retain it crunchiness so that when eating Briyani, crunchy vegetable will add much taste to it.

Tindora is referred as baby watermelon commonly... Actually after to coming to chennai only I noticed people using it widely.... In our native place mostly this vegetable is not available in markets and I never seen people cooking it.... Beta Carotene in Kovakkai cleans toxins and it has many other health benefits too.... It has many other health benefits too.... So this is another way to make kids eating vegetable, by making Briyani out of it....while cooking take care that it retain it crunchiness so that when eating Briyani, crunchy vegetable will add much taste to it..

Ingredients

Kovakkai - 1/2 KG

Rice - 1 cup

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Bay leaves - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch

Cloves - 3

Onion - 1

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Green Chilies - 3

Tomatoes - 2

Red Chilli powder - 1 tbs

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Curd - 1/4 cup

Salt, oil, ghee as needed

Methods

As usual I used par boiled rice ( puzhungal arisi) since I daily prepare variety rices, so friends you may try this with basmathi rice or raw rice...

Soak rice for half an hour and cook it, replace it in broad pan and allow to cool....in Kadai, add oil, season it with fennel seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves.... Then add onion, then ginger garlic paste, green chilles, then tomatoes, sauté everything well, then add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and curd, mix everything well and allow to boil for few minutes, then add sliced Kovakkai ( either lengthwise or round shape, ur choice), salt and cover the pan and cook... We lastly add vegetable to retain its crunchiness... When kovaikai is cooked ( should not be over cooked) mix rice with it and blend everything well in sim flame and switch off the flame.....A different tasty Briyani is ready