herb rice with spinach and tomato gravy recipe | layered butter herbed rice | Jain herbed butter rice with tomato and spinach gravy |
by Tarla Dalal

This one-dish meal is a delight for the diner! Herby rice with the prominent flavour of coriander is coated with a creamy spinach sauce and a peppy tomato gravy. Together the two saucy layers give the rice dish a luscious mouth-feel and an unforgettable flavour. A topping of cheese adds to the flavour as well as texture of this dish, making it a truly exciting bowlful to place on the table for lunch or dinner. We have cooked the assembled Herb Rice with Spinach and Tomato Gravy in the microwave oven instead of baking it, so the procedure gets much faster. Serve it immediately.

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Herb Rice with Spinach and Tomato Gravy recipe - How to make Herb Rice with Spinach and Tomato Gravy

For The Herb Rice
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander (dhania)
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp finely chopped green chillies
salt to taste
1/4 cup milk

For The Spinach Layer
1 1/4 cups blanched and finely chopped spinach
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh cream
freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch) to taste

For The Tomato Gravy
1 1/4 cups blanched and chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp fresh cream

Other Ingredients
oil for greasing
4 tbsp grated processed cheese

Method
For the herb rice

Heat the butter in a broad non-stick pan, and add the green chillies, coriander and mixed herbs and sauté on a medium flame for few seconds.
Add rice, salt and milk, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minutes, while stirring ocassionally and keep aside.

For the spinach layer

Heat the butter in a broad non-stick pan, add the green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for few second.
Add the spinach, salt and fresh cream and mash well using a potato masher.
Add pepper powder and mix well. Keep aside.

For the tomato gravy

Heat the olive oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the oregano and tomato, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
Add the salt, sugar, chilli powder and fresh cream, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Keep aside.

How to proceed

Grease a microwave safe dish with oil.
Put the rice and spread it evenly with the help of a spoon. Press it lightly.
Than put the spinach layer and spread it evenly with the help of a spoon. Press it lightly.
Pour the tomato gravy on top and spread it evenly with the help of a spoon. Press it lightly.
Finally sprinkle cheese evenly over it.
Cover it with a microwave-safe lid and microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Nutrient values (Abbrv) per serving

Energy	271 cal
Protein	5.9 g
Carbohydrates	20.2 g
Fiber	3 g
Fat	18.3 g
Cholesterol	26 mg
Sodium	209 mg

Click here to view calories for Herb Rice with Spinach and Tomato Gravy

Herb Rice with Spinach and Tomato Gravy Video by Tarla Dalal

Herb Rice with Spinach and Tomato Gravy recipe with step by step photos

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How to cook rice

To cook rice perfectly recipe | cooked rice without pressure cooker | cooked white rice | how to cook rice on stove, boil a vesselful of water in a deep pan.Using a deep pan is advisable as there is enough space for ricr to boil and cook.
Add 1 tsp oil. This is to avoid the grains of the rice from sticking to each other.
Add salt to taste.
Add approx. 1/2 cup of soaked and dained rice to the boiling water.

Cook till the rice is soft and cooked, while stirring once or twice in between. Stirring is necessary to preven the rice from sticking to the pan.
Pour cook rice perfectly recipe | cooked rice without pressure cooker | cooked white rice | how to cook rice on stove into a colander and let the water drain out. Leave it for a minute.
Keep cooked rice aside. 1/2 cup raw rice will approx. give 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice.

For the herb rice

For the herb rice, heat 1 tbsp butter in a broad non-stick pan.
Add 1/4 tsp finely chopped green chillies.

Add 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander (dhania).
Add 2 tsp dried mixed herbs. This can be replaced with dried oregano.
Sauté on a medium flame for few seconds.
Add 1 1/2 cups cooked rice.
Add salt to taste. Be careful while adding salt, as the cooked rice may already have little salt.

Add 1/4 cup milk. This is added to keep the rice moist.
Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minutes, while stirring occasionally and keep aside.

How to select spinach

Choose spinach that has vibrant deep green leaves and stems with no signs of yellowing.
The leaves should look fresh and tender, and not be wilted or bruised.
Avoid those that have a slimy coating as this is an indication of decay.

Also check for dirt especially in between the thick stems.

How to blanch and chop spinach, palak

To make Spinach Puree, take a bunch of spinach, a bunch of spinach yeilds 3 cups of roughly chopped spinach and get rid of the the spinach stems. Choose spinach that has vibrant deep green leaves and stems with no signs of yellowing. The leaves should look fresh and tender, and not be wilted or bruised. Avoid those that have a slimy coating as this is an indication of decay.
Remove the stems and discard them.
Wash the leaves thoroughly under running water or in a bowl full of water. This will help in getting rid of the dirt residues on the leaves.
Drain and chop the spinach leaves. You will need approx. 6 to 7 cups of chopped spinach to get 1 1/4 cups of blanched and chopped spinach.

Take a deep pan, add water to it and put it for boiling.
Add salt. My mother says that adding salt while boiling vegetable helps in cooking the vegetable faster as salt raises the temperature of the water and it also retains the color.
To make How to blanch and chop spinach, palak take a bunch of spinach, a bunch of spinach yeilds 3 cups of roughly chopped spinach and get rid of the the spinach stems. Choose spinach that has vibrant deep green leaves and stems with no signs of yellowing. The leaves should look fresh and tender, and not be wilted or bruised. Avoid those that have a slimy coating as this is an indication of decay.
Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Till the spinach gets tender. Do not over cook the leaves as it might loose the color. Switch off the flame.
Drain the water using strainer. Throw the water away.

Plunge the leaves in a bowl of ice cold water. This step is known as refreshing, it is done to retain the colour of the vegetable and it also halts the process of cooking.
Once again drain well using a strainer.
Squeeze out remaining water wrom the leaves with your hands to get rid of excesse water and discard.

For the spinach layer

For the spinach layer, heat 1tbsp butter in a broad non-stick pan.
Add 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies.

Sauté on a medium flame for few seconds.
Add 1 1/4 cups blanched and finely chopped spinach.
Add salt to taste.
Add 2 tbsp fresh cream.
Mash well using a potato masher.

Add freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch) to taste.
Mix well.
Keep the spinach mixture aside.

How to select tomatoes

Select tomatoes that are round, full and feel heavy for their size, smooth skinned with no wrinkles, cracks, bruises or soft spots.
They should not have a puffy appearance since this indicates that they will be of inferior flavour and will cause excess waste during preparation.

Ripe tomatoes will yield to slight pressure and will have a noticeably sweet fragrance.
The skin should be firm and not shrivelled.
Choose tomatoes that have a deep rich colour. Not only is this one of the signs of a delicious tasting tomato, but the deep colour also indicates that it has a greater supply of the health-promoting phytonutrient red pigment, lycopene.

How to blanch and chop tomatoes, tamatar

To blanch and chop tomatoes, tamatar | boil a vesselful of water in a deep pan.
Scoop out and discard the eyes of the tomatoes using the tip of a sharp knife. You will need approx. 7 big tomatoes for this recipe.

Make a criss-cross cut at the base of each tomato
Put them in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes
Remove and immerse them in cold water for some time
When the tomatoes are cool, peel and discard the skin and seeds
Chop roughly. You will get 1 1/4 cups of blanched and chopped tomatoes.

For the tomato gravy

For the tomato gravy, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a broad non-stick pan.
Add 1 tsp dried oregano.
Add 1 1/4 cups blanched and chopped tomatoes.
Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
Add salt to taste.

Add 1/2 tsp sugar.
Add 1/2 tsp chilli powder.
Add 2 tbsp fresh cream.
Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Keep the tomato gravy aside.

How to make herb rice with spinach and tomato gravy

To make herb rice with spinach and tomato gravy recipe | layered butter herbed rice | Jain herbed butter rice with tomato and spinach gravy, grease a microwave safe dish with little oil.

Put the rice and spread it evenly with the help of a spoon. Press it lightly.
Then put the spinach layer and spread it evenly with the help of a spoon. Press it lightly.
Pour the tomato gravy on top and spread it evenly with the help of a spoon. Press it lightly.
Finally sprinkle 4 tbsp grated processed cheese evenly over it.
Cover it with a microwave-safe lid and microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve herb rice with spinach and tomato gravy recipe | layered butter herbed rice | Jain herbed butter rice with tomato and spinach gravy immediately.

Tips for herb rice with spinach and tomato gravy

The cooked rice should have each grain separate.
Dried mixed herbs in the rice can be replaced with dried oregano.
Fresh cream adds a luscious texture to the spinach mixture and tomato gravy. So do not miss on adding it.
You can blanch the spinach and tomatoes in advance and keep them ready.

We have cooked in microwave to save cooking. But if you wish, you can bake it in a preheated oven at 180°C (360°F) for 10 to 15 minutes.

Juhi

on 03 Aug 21 12:16 PM

What if we can’t eat spinach?? Can you please recommend a substitute

Tarla Dalal

03 Aug 21 02:49 PM

You can add finely chopped methi leaves, but remember to sauté the leaves for 1 to 2 minutes before adding salt and cream.

k.k.shah

on 01 Jun 20 10:34 PM

turned out to be very yummy and so presentable thankyou for the recipe

Aruna Kishore

on 27 Nov 18 07:32 PM

Turned out to be simply delicious

28 Nov 18 09:23 AM

Hi Aruna, That is amazing. Happy to know you liked the recipe. Do try more and more recipes and share with us your feedback. Happy Cooking!

Khushi

on 05 Dec 16 03:14 PM

Simply delicious rice recipe. So quick to make in microwave. Made it when unexpected guests turned up today. Looks great and tasty too . Good combination of rice and veggies. Can have it without any extra accompaniment.