Mint/Mentha rice - Pudina rice

Ingredients:

Raw Rice - Pacharisi - 1 Cup
Mint leaves - Pudina - 1 Bunch or 1/2 Bunch (Optional)
Curry leaves - Kaaruvepilai - small quantity
Coriander leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 3
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no.
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Ginger Garlic paste - Inji Poondu paste - 1 table spoon
Cinnamon, Cloves - Pattai, Lavangam - small quantity
Butter/Ghee/Oil - Vennai/Nei/Ennai - For frying
Salt - Uppu - For taste

Method:

1.Wash and soak rice in rice cooker adding a pinch of salt/drop of oil for some half an hour. Soaking will make rice softer and adding salt or oil is for not getting smashed. Rice will remain separated and this is most important for variety rice.

2. Wash pudina leaves, coriander leaves, curry leaves twice and grind them along with red chillies in a mixer and make paste. Keep other ingredients ready.

3. Heat oil/ghee/butter in a pan/kadai, add cloves, cinnamon, onions, ginger-garlic paste, some salt (not fully) and fry for some time. Then add pudina paste to it. Now add required salt and let it boil for some time till nice aroma comes and raw smell disappears. Then add this mixture to the rice. Serve hot with chips, appalam, vathal, pickle as desired. This can be served for 4 people. It requires half and hour to prepare.

Note: Always use fresh pudina leaves.

Optional: We can also use basmati rice for variety rice. Tomatoes, coconut gratings, cashew nuts can be added.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha

What is food to one, is to others bitter poison - Lucretius