MUTTON YAKHNI PULAO

Yakhni Pulao  is a combination of  tender meat pieces and rice  flavored  with  meat stock. Yakhni means meat stock, like beef, mutton or chicken stock. It is the yakhni (stock) which brings out the taste in this pulao.

This dish though simple, tastes delicious and can be served with Raita (yoghurt based salad).

Mutton Yakhni Pulao

Ingredients :

250gms Mutton 

250gms Rice (Basmati rice soaked in water for 30 minutes)

2 med. Onions (peeled & sliced)

2 tbsps. fresh Ginger-Garlic paste

¼ tsp. Turmeric pwd. (optional)

2-3  fresh Green Chillies (slit) 

5 tbsps. Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

Whole Garam Masala 

1 large stick of Cinnamon, 16 Cloves, 20-25 Peppercorns, 2 Black Cardamom(lightly bruised), 3 Green Cardamom (lightly bruised), 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds, 2 tbsp whole Coriander Seeds, 2 Bay Leaves (Tej Patta). 

For the Garnishing :

Coriander & Mint Leaves (chopped)

Method :

Wash, drain & marinate the mutton with 1 tbsps. ginger-garlic paste, turmeric pwd.,and a little salt for about an hour.  

Pressure cook the marinated mutton, one sliced onion, whole garam masala with 5 cups of water for about 4-5 whistles or till the meat is just tender.

Allow the cooker to cool down a little and then release the steam completely.

Strain the stock, separate the meat, discard the whole spices.

The meat stock should measure up to 5 cups. If the amount of stock is less then add water accordingly to measure up to the required amount of liquid.

Heat the pressure cooker with cooking oil till hot.

Add the remaining sliced onions and fry until lightly golden brown. 

Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the moisture evaporates.

Add the slit chillies and fry for a few seconds.

Drain and add the soaked rice. Gently sauté till the rice grains are separated, well coated and glossy.

Add the cooked meat and pour in the reserved meat stock and give it a good stir. Taste to check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Also adjust water level if required as this depends on the quality of the rice.

Pressure cook  the rice till done.  

Serve garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Simple Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a rice-based dish made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and chicken, mutton, fish, eggs, or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n), which means "fried" or "roasted".  Biryani was believed to have been invented in the kitchen of the Muslim Mughal Emperors. The difference between biryani and pulao is that while pulao may be made by cooking the items together, biryani denotes a dish where the rice is cooked separately from the gravy. The curry and the rice are then brought together and layered, resulting in a dish of the contrasting flavours of flavoured rice (which is cooked separate with spices) and intensely flavoured  meat or vegetables. This separation is partly of necessity. The proportion of meat/vegetables to the rice is high enough to make biryani a one-dish meal. In a properly made biryani, the final dish is dry or minimally moist, with the individual rice grains separate. However, many biryani recipes call for the rice to be cooked for three-quarters of the usual time, followed by layering with the meat/vegetable base, and then a final slow-steaming (Dum) until fully done. This approach allows the flavors to blend well. There are various types of biryani like Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Awadh, Andhra style, Kerala style etc.,  I have tried various biryanis as my family loves biryani.  The below one is a quick biryani when you have no time for elaborate preparations.  Even though it seems complicated, this is a very very simple yet yummy biryani.

Ingredients

Chicken 1 kg

Basmati rice 1/2 kg

Onions – 3 (sliced and fried brown - brishta)

Potatoes – 2 medium sized (each chopped into 4 pieces)

Whole Garam Masala (1 bay leaf, 1 inch piece cinnamon, 1 star anise, 3-4 black pepper,2-3 cloves, 2-3 cardamoms)

3-4 slit green chillies

10 cashews chopped / few raisins - fried

Yellow or orange food color

For Maranade

Yoghurt  ½ cup

Red chilly powder 1 full teaspoon

Turmeric powder  ½  teaspoon

Dhania powder ½ teaspoon

Jeera powder ½ teaspoon

Ginger /Garlic paste 1 tablespoon

Garam Masala powser - 1 teaspoon

Lime/Lemon juice 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Step 1

Chop the chicken into medium pieces, wash, pat dry and set aside.

Apply lime/lemon juice and salt to chicken.

In a bowl whisk all the ingredients for maranade (except lime/salt).

Add this to the chicken.  Add the chooped potatoes. Mix well and set aside for ½ and hour.

Heat a heavy bottom pan with oil or ghee (1 tablespoon). Add chicken /potatoes pieces, fry for a minute add 2 cups of water.  Cover and cook till chicken/potatoes are done and there is a thick gravy.

Step 2

Slice 3 medium sized onions, apply salt, squeeze out the excess water.

Heat a pan with ghee or oil and fry the onions till crisp and brown (brishta)

Step 3

Wash the rice and soak for 10 minutes.

Heat a deep vessel with ghee or oil.

Add whole garam masala, fry for 1 minute till you get the aroma of the spices.

Add the rice and fry (careful not to break the grains) till coated with spices and ghee

Add sufficient water and cook the rice till ¾ done (¾ cooked rice means, you should be able to feel a slight grain and the rice should be quite firm when you press a grain of not fully cooked rice with your fingers). Drain and divide the rice into two.

Pour a teaspoon of ghee on both the divided rice.  To one add food color (or you can add saffron soaked in milk) mix till the color is blended and keep both sections of the rice aside.

Step 4

(Layering)

Take a deep bottom vessel.

Pour 1 tablespoon of hot ghee or oil.

Place ½ the potatoes at the bottom of the vessel

Add the ½ the quantity of chicken pieces on top of it.

Spread some fried onions on top of it. 

Add some chopped coriander/mint  on it

1 – 2 slit green chillies

Add the white rice (you can discard the whole spices if you want)

Top with chicken and potatoes

Add some more fried onions, chopped mint/coriander, few cashew/raisins

Place the colored rice on top.

Spread the balance onions, mint/coriander, cashews, raisins on top.

Cover the vessel.  Seal the edges (I sealed with foil paper).

Place a tawa on gas and then place the vessel on top of it and let it cook on dum for 15-20 minutes.

Leave covered for 10 minutes before opening it.

Serve hot with raita. (a yoghurt based salad with chopped onions, green chillies, coriander and mint)

Fish Fried Rice

Fried Rice is my children's all time fav food and very easy to prepare.  I usually make veg fried rice or chicken fried rice.  But being a catholic I usually abstain on Fridays from meat or poultry and only have fish.  So what do you do if your children want to eat Fried Rice (not Veg but Non Veg) on a Friday and so here is what I came up with FISH FRIED RICE.  I used the fish Cream Dory which is available in plenty in Dubai.  I have also tried this with King Fish which is my daughter's favourite fish.

Fish fried rice

Ingredients (Serves 3 – 4)

To marinate

1. Fish – 400 – 500 gm, cut into small cubes

2. Ginger – garlic paste – 1 tbsp

    Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

    Chilly powder – 1.5 tsp

    Pepper powder – 1.5 tsp

    Lemon juice – 1 tsp

    Oil – 1 tbsp

    Salt – To taste

Other ingredients

Jasmine Rice – 2 cups

Chopped veggies - colored capsicum,carrots, mushrooms - 1/4 cup

Chopped Ginger-garlic – 1.5 tsp

Green chillies - 1 tsp

Onion – 1 medium-small, thinly sliced

Spring On

Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup, chopped

Soya Sauce

Oyester Sauce

Hot and Sweet sauce

Salt – To taste

Oil / butter – 1.5 tbsp

Method

Soak rice in enough water for 20 minutes.Drain.  Cook it in a large vessel filled with boiling water, 1 tsp oil until done. Strain the cooked rice. Set aside to cool.

Marinate the fish pieces with the ingredients under “ To marinate” for at least 30 minutes.

Fry the fish pieces till nice and brown.

Blanch the veggies in hot water for 15 mins

Heat 1.5 tbsp oil / butter in a wide non-stick pan. Fry  sliced onion until brown . Add Ginger/Garlic/Green Chillies.  

Add the fried fish pieces.  Add the chilly and pepper powder. Mix well

Add the sauces - Soya, Hot and Sweet, Oyester- mix well.

Add rice and veggies in batches i.e.  Add a little rice, then veggies - mix well again add a little rice, veggies - mix well taking care not to break the fish pieces.  continue till all the rice veggies is mixed.

 Switch off.  Garnish with chopped spring onion greens/Coriander leaves.

Green Chicken Biryani




GREEN MASALA CHICKEN BIRYANI

My family was bored of eating the typical Hyderabadi Dum Biryani and wanted something different.  I had tried various biryani recipes but this recipe from Ruchik Randhap website is simply awesome and Hubby and kids loved it too - even Sally (my househelp) had a broad smile on her face whilst eating it. 

Green Masala Chicken Biryani

You Need

• 1 kg chicken (or mutton/beef on the bone)
•  2 tablespoons ghee
• salt to taste

Masala to be ground:

• 50 grams (1 firmly packed cup) coriander - you may add 2 sprigs of mint leaves to this
• 10 garlic flakes (Indian) with skin
• 1-1/2" piece of ginger
• 1 tsp poppy seeds (khus khus) - optional  
•  1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 2 inch stick of cassia bark or cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 4 medium sized green chillies (of medium spiciness) - adjust to taste

Other items to be added to the gravy

• 125 grams  (2 medium sized) tomatoes
• 2 tbsp sour curds

For the rice:

• 3 cups long grain basmati rice
• 4 cups of water 
• 4 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise (optional)
• 1" stick cassia bark or cinnamon
• 3 cardamoms bruised
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1-1/2 tbsp lime juice (approx 3/4th of a large lime)
• Salt to taste

For garnishing:

• 250 grams (3 medium sized) onions finely sliced
• 12-13 whole (or 24-25 halves) cashew nuts
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• few mint leaves (optional)

Method:

Prepping up

1. Cut the chicken in slightly bigger pieces than your usual curry cuts. This is how the pieces should be for biryanis. Wash and allow to drain on a colander.

2. Wash the rice in two changes of water & soak it for 20 minutes.

3. Heat ghee for the garnishing in a large heavy bottomed pan or kadhai and fry the onions till golden brown. When they are beginning to turn golden brown, reduce the heat as they tend to burn within seconds. Drain off excess ghee by gathering them against the sides of the pan. Remove and spread out on a large plate - this will help the onions to cool off and turn crispy. In the same ghee fry the cashew nuts till pale golden, remove and keep aside.

4. In a small non stick pan fry the tomatoes without any oil until they are mashed. Keep aside

Preparing the masala & the curry

1. Wash the coriander leaves and drain off excess water. Grind them to a fine paste along with the rest of the ingredients mentioned under 'Masala to be ground'. Retain the masala water from the mixer grinder.

2. In the same kadhai that was used to fry the onions and to the same ghee (add extra ghee if desired) add the ground masala and fry on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes or until the ghee begins to leave the masala. Add the curds and fry for another minute and then add the fried tomatoes and continue to fry the masala for another 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, salt to taste, about 1/2 cup water and cook until the chicken is tender (fully cooked).  When the curry has cooled a bit, remove the gravy and measure it using the same cup that was used to measure the rice. You should get approx 2 cups of this gravy. Keep this aside and leave the cooked chicken in its pan.

Preparing the rice

To make the rice, you need a large pressure cooker with a minimum capacity of of 7 or 7.5 litres and above (assuming you are making the same quantity of rice as mentioned in this recipe).

1. Heat the 3 tablespoons of ghee on a medium-low flame and add the whole spices - cassia bark/cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf & star anise. As the spices are frying be careful as they can pop out of the pan, so keep your face at a safe distance.

2. Drain all the water from the soaked rice and add the rice and gently fry for about 3-4 minutes or till the rice begins to feel heavy. If you fry beyond this point the rice will begin to break.

3. While the rice is frying, in another pan bring the 4 cups of water to a boil - this water along with the 2 cups of gravy (a total of 6 cups of liquid) will be used to cook the rice. (see note#4)

4. Add the boiling water and the reserved 2 cups of gravy (without chicken pieces!) to the rice. Do a quick taste check - add the salt & lime juice and adjust the flavour - it should have a good balance of spicy-tangy-salty (remember that the curry already had salt added to it). When the mixture begins to boil & bubbles start to appear quickly close the lid of the pressure cooker, place the weight (whistle), reduce the flame to a complete simmer (the flame should just touch the base of the cooker) and let it cook for exactly 5 minutes (keep a timer!)

5. When 5 minutes are up, turn off the flame and allow the pressure cooker to cool down to room temperature. Wait till you able to remove the weight (whistle) easily. Once this happens, open, stir gently with a fork - this is done to give the rice a proper mix as some ingredients such as the tomatoes or whole spices tend to float to the surface of the rice. Cover the lid lightly & keep aside.

Assembling the biryani

1. Take a large, deep pan or serving dish and layer it with one third of the rice. Sprinkle a few fried onions & cashew nuts. Top up with half the chicken pieces. Place another layer of rice and the fried onions, cashew nuts and the remaining chicken. The final layer will have only the rice, rest of the fried onions & cashew nuts. Garnish with mint leaves (optional)

2. Serve hot with any raitha of your choice

"A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones."   - Proverbs 17:22

PRAWN PULAO

Ingredients

1/2 kg prawns

1 1/2 cup rice

2 onion (chopped lengthwise)

1 large tomato (chopped)

6-8 cloves

1 large stick cinnamon

1/2 tsp. while peppercorns

4 cardamons

1/2 tsp. turmeric

salt to taste

Green Masala to Grind

1 bunch coriander leaves

3 green chillies

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 onion

10 black peppers, 2 elaichi, 1 pc cardamom, 2-3 cloves

1 small marble size ball of tamrind

 Method

1. Grind the masala and maranade the prawns in the same for 1 hour

2. Soak the rice for 1/2 hour atleast.

3. Fry the prawns till they are half cooked. (reserve the green masala from the maranade)

3. Fry onions till brown,remove half the onions and keep aside. Add cloves,cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamon to the balance onions.

4. Add the rice and fry till the rice is opaque and well coated with onion mixture.

5. Add the green masala (which you maranade the prawns) to the rice, add 3 cups of water and salt. Cover and let cook.
6. Once the rice is half done and the water has dried a bit add the fried prawns on top of it.  Add fried brown onions and coriander leaves.  Cover and cook till done.  Serve hot with green coconut

chutney.