Quick Fix Rice... Vamu Annam / Rice with Carom seeds.

Vamu Annam / Rice with Carom seeds

Carom seeds aka ajwain in Hindi, vamu in Telugu, ajamoda in Kannada and omam in Tamil, is a small caraway-like seeds (shahi jeera). It contain Tymol as the main essential oil which gives the seed a hot bite and bitter taste which numbs the tongue when bitten. It also has many medicinal properties. It gives relief when used during coughs and colds.
It is one item which always has a place in my pantry. I use in rice like this or also make vamu chaaru if anyone in the house has a cough or cold. Other than that I use it in making murukkus and crispy spicy maida diamond cuts. and vamu powder in many other dishes.
My Mom always used to make this at home for breakfast with leftover rice or as tiffin when we came back from school. My brother likes this a lot that he cannot stop at one helping :). My older son when younger, would eat only this 'yellow rice' as he used to call it, though my younger son still hasn't caught on with the taste.
As I mentioned before, I make it with left over rice too adding green chillies, little talimpu (tempering) with good amount of garlic. I sometimes add turmeric powder and sometimes not....it doesnot make much of a difference, only for the color and the goodness of turmeric :).

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked left over rice
5-6 pods of garlic chopped big
2 green chillies
2 red chillies
1 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp vamu, ajwain seeds
5-6 curry leaves
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai or a pan. Add the garlic and and when its turning brown add the urad daal. When it turns brown, add the mustard seeds and ajwain seeds. Let them splutter before adding the red chillies, green chillies and curry leaves. Add the turmeric and some salt. Lower the heat and add the rice and stir everything together adding some more salt. Cover and let it sit on low heat for 5 min. or so until the rice is soft. Serve HOT. Enjoy :)

Tip: I made it with left over rice, but fresh rice can always be used. Just make sure that the fresh rice is well cooled. Hot rice can sometimes get mushy!.