Kerala Muslim Style Chicken Biriyani

It was a lazy sunday morning when both of us got the starnge craving for good Biriyani!! But instead of going to Paradise(a famous outlet in Secunderabad for Biriyani's) we decided to make it at home. Everyone says that being in Hyderabad why do you have to cook biriyani?? Whenever you feel like eating one, hop on to the nearest joint and you can get a decent one!! But very ironically the so much hyped Hyderabadi Biriyani didnot please neither my hubby's nor my taste buds!! After trying out from the best places here, my search for Biriyanis in this city's restuarants ended!! Thus I started my endeavor with lots of hope to recreate the taste of the Chicken Biriyani from my own homeland, Kerala!! The taste of the sumptuous Chicken Biriyani of Sagar Hotel in Calicut (which I had a decade ago) or the modest Kaikka's Biriyani from Mattanchery made me search the internet for the most authentic recipe.. In such a search I stuck against Mishmash's recipe!!
http://kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com/2007/09/chicken-biryani-indian-rice-flavored.html

It was this recipe on Shn's blog which enticed me to try it out no matter how much ever hard work I had to put in!! With almost half the quantity of rice and chicken it took me long 3 hours in the kitchen!! Was wondering how much time Shn took :D. Anyways, Shn, thanks a ton for sharing this recipe..

With certain minor changes in the procedure and ingredients I recreated the taste which I have been lingering to have!!

I started with the cooking of rice using the traditional stove top method and for the first time I got the most perfectly cooked basmati rice. The chicken kurma had the perfect color it should have had, I guess!! And the very instance I tasted the kurma, I became so sure that the Biriyani is going to be a hit!!

I did the closing ceremony by using the dum method as Shn had mentioned that it is a better way of making biriyani. For which, I greased a large vessel with lots of ghee (do not use steel vessel – the biriyani might get burnt). Randomly placed some chicken pieces along with gravy in the bottom of the dish; then spread some cooked rice, and sprinkled some ground aromatic masala mix; some fried cashew, raisins, fried onions and finely chopped coriander leaves, some ghee and some beaten curd.(Adding ghee and curd made it moist.) Repeated this layering process until the chicken kurma and rice got over. The layering should end with rice which should be topped with fried nuts, raisins, fried onions and finely chopped coriander leaves.
Then sealad the lid with the atta dough and cooked over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Once the gas was turned off I let it remain unopened for around 1 hour.

But the tragedy was that, by the time I was done with the Biriyani my hubby got all impatient and hungry that we pounced on to it and I forgot to take the end products picture. The picture which I have uploaded was the left over which I reheated and had the next day!! Hope to upload a pic next time I make it.. For then, Eat loads and enjoy!!

Special Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian dish and literally means "Fried Rice" in Indonesian or Malay. This dish has lots of variations to it at and is made in different ways in different parts of the world. Its often prepared using the previous days left over rice. The rice used to make nasi goreng is cooked ahead of time and left to cool down (so it is not soggy), which is one reason to use rice cooked from the day before. A plain nasi goreng has cooked rice, shallots, garlic, soy and spirng onions.

Long back I had Nasi goreng from a restuarant in Bangalore and I was very fascinated by its presentation. It was served in a large bowl with a whole fried egg on top, which definetely looked very unique. The taste of it was very different and was unlike the taste of the Chinese fried rice. Years later I saw the recipe on television and jotted it down. And finally last day I thought of reviving the taste of the Nasi goreng which I had long back. With lots of ingredients missing from the original recipe I still could make something which I would make many more times in the future.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup – Basmati Rice, cooked, drained and cooled
• ½ cup – Boneless chicken
• 2-3 – Shallots, sliced
• 2 cloves – Garlic, sliced
• 2 – Eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup – Carrot, cut into long thin strips
• ¼ cup – Cabbage, cut into long thin strips
• ¼ cup – Leek leaves(if available, I managed without it)
• 2 tbsp – Sambal paste
• ½ tsp – Soya sauce
• Salt to taste
• Pepper
• Oil
• 1 - Fried egg, for garnish
• 1 - Spring Onion, chopped, for garnish
  For Sambal paste:
• 5 – Dried red chillies
• 2 cloves – Garlic
• 1 tbsp – Shrimp / prawn paste
• 1 – Onion, diced
• ¼ tsp – Turmeric powder
• Oil to sauté
• 3-4 - Kafir lime leaves (if available, I again managed without it)

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and sauté all the ingredients for the sambal paste and when cooled down, make it into a fine paste
• Heat oil in a wok or large kadhai and sauté shallots and garlic till transparent
• Add chicken and sauté till tender
• Mix in the beaten eggs and scramble
• Add the carrot, cabbage, leek leaves and cook
• Add the sambal paste and sauté again
• Now add the cooked rice and fry it well till all the moisture is gone. Make sure you do not over cook the rice, like I did the first time. Also use a fork to fluff the rice than a spatula
• Add soy sauce, salt and pepper and mix well
• Top it up with pieces of fried eggs

Prawn Pulao

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Basmati Rice
• 2 cup - Water
• 1/4 cup - Prawns, cleaned and deveined
• 3 - Cloves
• 1" long - Cinnamon stick
• 2 - Cardamom
• 1 Large - Onion, sliced
• 1 tsp each - Ginger and Garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp - Chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp - Garam masala powder (Optional)
• 1 - Tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp - Coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp - Oil or ghee
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Cook the basmati rice in 2 cups of water. Strain and cool the rice and keep it aside
• Heat some oil in a kadhai and when its hot, put the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and let it splutter
• Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes
• Add the chilly and turmeric powder and saute.
• Now add the tomatoes and saute till mashed. Now add the garam masala and saute.
• Now add the prawns and pour some water and cook covered for just 2 minutes. Fry this masala well and add the rice and saute till the rice is coated well with the masala.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with raita.

Egg & Green Veges Fried Rice

Chinese or Oriental food is what I have an unqunechable greed for!! Iam never tired of eating it. And I can say that finally my husband and I have something in common. So even if I suddenly pop up with an idea to eat out at a Chinese outlet I have no oppositions to face!! And with in no time we can be spotted in the nearest Noodle bar or Mainland China or Wangs..

I have heard from various people including my husband who has travelled to Far eastern countries that Oriental food is very weird in taste in their country. Probably we have been accustomed to an Indianised chinese food!! That reminds me of a program which was aired on Discovery Travel & Living about the person who first invented the (once upon a time) most prefered chinese dish in India which you would apparently never find in China, the Gobi Manchurian and the (red in color, maida coated) chilly chicken. But thank God, far eastern cuisines has evolved drastically over a period of time in India that we get to eat a better looking and healthier versions of Oriental food these days!! It is no longer ajinomoto that lets out the flavor to food!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Small grained rice
• 1 shoot - Spring Onions, Chopped
• 1/2 - Capsicum, chopped
• 6-8 - French Beans, chopped
• 2 - Eggs, beaten
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tsp - White Pepper Powder
• 2 tbsp - Sesame Oil

Method:

• Cook and strain the rice and cool it for atleast an hour. Cold rice when sauted on high flame remain separate and do not tend to stick. Whereas if you use steaming hot rice to make fried rice it sticks to the wok when on flame.
• Heat a flat pan with some vegetable oil. Put some salt and pepper into the eggs and make an omelete. Once done cut it into square pieces 1"x1" dimension.
• Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large kadhai. Chinese use sesame oil predominantly which gives a very distinct flavor. Some people dont like the strong earthy smell of sesame, in that case you may mix vegetable oil with sesame oil in equal quantity and use.
• Put the beans and saute for a minute on high flame. Saute the spring onions and capsicum and the eggs. Spirnkle salt and pepper according to taste. Once done empty the rice into the wok and saute till the rice is coated with the oil and the flavoring.
• Serve with any chinese side dish

Carrot Rice

I still remember my schooldays and mostly the lunch break time. We used to eagerly wait to see whats in our friend's tiffin box. Out of all sorts of food I have tasted from my friends/gangs dabbas, my all time favorite had been carrot rice, which one of my friend used to bring. Whenever I asked for the recipe both she and her mother used to keep mum. I still wonder why? So, one day I decided to try it out on my own. Now, the version I have here might not be the replica of my friends mom's carrot rice but it surely taste good. These days whenever I am at home alone and lazy to prepare a whole meal I go for something like this- quick and yummy!!
Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Rice, cooked and drained
• 2 tbsp - Ghee
• 1 tsp - Fennel or Saunf
• 1 - Onion, thinly sliced
• 3 No - Big carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp - Red chilly powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup - Coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

• Heat a kadhai with the ghee. Splutter the saunf and saute the onions till transparent
• Add the carrot and saute till cooked. Add in the chilly powder and salt. Saute
• Add the cooked rice and mix well till the moisture in the rice is completely gone.
• Garnish it with the chopped coriander leaves.
• You may serve it hot with anything like aachar, curd, pappad or have it just like that.

Vegetable Biriyani

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Basmati Rice (serves 2 people)
• 3 nos - Cloves
• 2 nos - Cardomom
• 1/2 tsp - Fennel Seeds
• 1 inch long Cinnamon stick
• Ghee
• 1 big Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp - Ginger-garlic paste
• 2 nos - Green chillies
• 1 tsp - Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp - Chilly powder
• 1 - Tomato, chopped
• 1 cup - Vegetables of your choice, diced into sqaure pieces of 1 inch (I took cauliflower, potatoes, beans, carrot)
• 1/3 cup - Coriander leaves
• 1 cup - Curd
• 15 nos - Raisins
• 15 nos - Cashewnut
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Cook the basmati rice till it is 3/4th done. Pour some 1 tsp of oil and a pinch of salt while cooking. Strain and keep aside
• Heat a pan and pour 2 tbsp of Ghee and put all the spices and saute
• Put 3/4 of the sliced onions and saute till golden brown. Sprinkle some salt, it will fasten the process
• Add ginger-garlic, green chillies, red chilly powder and turmeric powder and saute well
• Add finely chopped tomato and saute. Add salt to taste
• Add the vegetable, mix well, cover it and cook for a while
• Add half the coriander leaves and 3/4 cup of curd into the vegetables. Simmer and mix well till the oil separtes.
• Fry the rest of the onions and keep aside.Fry the raisins and cashewnuts in ghee.
• Take a deep and thick based bowl, put 1/3 of the gravy into the bowl and layer it with rice. Put chopped coriander leaves, fried onions, raisins and cahsewnuts. Sprinkle some curd and ghee. Repeat the process. Cover the bowl tightly and cook on low heat for 10 minutes
• You may serve this with raita.