RICE AND PULAOS | Saute Fry N Bake

Maqlooba

Preparation time : 40 minutes
Cooking time : 1 hour
Serves : 4 members

Description:

An Arabic style one pot rice dish made with chicken, vegetables and rice together. Maqlooba in Arabic means un side up. This dish is called so as it’s presented up side down before serving. There are many variations of this very same dish. I have shared the Saudi Arabia style being loyal my bahu dear who calls the nation home. This rice preparation was made by bahu dear where I was lucky to relish this awesome guilty culprit.

Ingredients for rice

Ingredients	Quantity
Oil	2 tablespoons
Onion	One chopped
Capsicum	1 chopped
Garlic	4 crushed
Salt	to taste
Chicken	1/2 kg with skin
Pepper	1/4 teaspoon
Saudi spice mix	2 tablespoons ( recipe in the end of this recipe)
Dried black lemon	1
Spring onion	1/2 cup chopped
Water	4 cups
Basmathi rice	2 cups

Ingredients for vegetables

Ingredients	Quantity
Brinjal	1 big cubed ( if using small use 8 )
Potatoes	3 cubed
Cauliflower flower let’s	1 cup
Tomato	2 sliced thickly
Green capsicum	1 cubed
Red capsicum	1 cubed
Onions	2 sliced thickly
Oil	to shallow fry
Salt	to taste

Ingredients for tomato paste

Ingredients	Quantity
Tomatoes	4 ground
Oil	1 tablespoon
Saudi spice mix	1 teaspoon
Salt	to taste

Other ingredients

Ingrediants	Quantity
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon

Method

Heat oil in a large pan. Add chopped onion, chopped capsicum and crushed garlic with salt to taste. Sauté to brown. Add chicken with skin and brown well. Top with crushed pepper powder, saudi spice powder, dried lemon and spring onions chopped. Sauté well. Add water and cook to done.
Shallow fry cubed brinjal, red capsicum, green capsicum, potato, tomato rounds, onions rings and cauliflower flower let’s to golden brown and keep aside. Sprinkle salt over the fried vegetables.
Remove cooked chicken and add washed basmati rice – 3 cups. Cook to 1/2 done.
Grind 3 tomatoes. Heat one tablespoon of oil and sauté the ground tomatoes, salt, Saudi spice mix – 1/2 teaspoon and salt to taste. Sauté until it gets to a thick paste consistency.
Divide half cooked rice into two portions. To one portion add tomato paste and mix well. To the other 1/2 add turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon and mix well.
Take a deep non stick vessel. Lay the bottom with fried vegetables. Then top it with chicken pieces and press well. Add the tomato mixed rice and press well. Top with turmeric powder mixed rice and press well. Add one cup of remaining chicken stock. Cook over low heat covered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and after 10 minutes. Turn the rice vessel over to a large plate and serve hot.

Arabic spice mix

Ingredients	Quantity
Black pepper	1 teaspoon
cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
fennel seeds	1 teaspoon
cardamon	4
cloves	4
cinnamon	1 big stick
coriander seeds	2 tablespoons
nutmeg	1 small piece
paprika	I used 4 dry red chilies
dried lime	I used a 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest

Dry roast and powder together.

Saffron pulao

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description

The word saffron immediately takes me to Kashmir and it’s saffron fields Pampur is a small town, which is 13 km from Srinagar was where I got to see the saffron fields. The saffron plant is very small and its flower is the only part which is seen above the ground. The blooming time of this flower is autumn. As I visited during summer, it was just the plant with no blooms. Saffron has a unique sweet smell. Saffron flowers bloom for about three weeks from mid-October to the first days of November. To see them during the day is nice. But seeing (and smelling) them on a moonlight October night is an experience even emperors notably ‘Jehangir’, the Mughal would crave for as told to us by our guide. The saffron from Kashmir are of the best quality that I have ever used. Wanting to make a dish that is fragrant with the scent of saffron alone, I tried the saffron pulao which was absolutely what I had visualised. The aroma waffled our home and lined our tummies with divinity. Spread the joy at your homes too with this awesome mildly flavoured pulao.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmathi rice	2 and 1/2 cup
Saffron	1 teaspoon
Ghee	2 tablespoons
Cardamom	4
Cinnamon	2 inch piece one
Cloves	4
Pepper corns	10
Curd	1 tablespoon
Water	4 cups
Lemon peel	1 teaspoon grated
Pistachios	1 tablespoon chopped
Almonds	1 tablespoon skin peeled and chopped
Salt	to taste

Method

Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons of hot water.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Crackle the cinnamon, clove, cardamom and pepper corns. Top with basmati rice and sauté for minutes. Add 4 cups of water. Mix well.
Add salt to taste, curd, lemon zest and soaked saffron and bring to boil. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook further for one whistle.
Heat ghee and sauté the almonds and pistachios to golden. Sprinkle over the pulao with a few saffron strands. Serve hot.

Crab fried rice

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 3 members

Description

Fried rice in any form is my all time favourite. This version, I had when on a holiday in Bangkok. Every road, every street, every place in Bangkok is filled with food wanders. The best part, the food is so tasty no matter where it is made. I had this at a road side street food stall. I wanted a prawn fried rice ( for religious reasons of wanting to eat halal ) but as it got over just then, had to opt for crab fried rice being the only option left. The dish was made right in front of my eyes in a hot wide wok. I was saving the recipe in my mind as it was done. I had to ask for one ingredient alone which was fish sauce as she used it from a bowl. The fried rice was perfectly done with the crunch of vegetables, mildly flavoured with sauces and the bite of crab flesh lends a sweet element to the dish. Back home tried it out on a day with nothing to do. My mind travels back to the Bangkok holiday and this crab fried rice pops up first. I gear up and give a try and the taste is bang on except for missing the busy buzzing streets of Bangkok and the large hot wide wok. I realised, the best gifts in the world are not in material objects one can buy but in the memories we make through food, culture and people.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmati rice	1 cup
Onion	1
Spring onion	1 bunch
Oil	100 ml
Carrot	100 gm chopped
French beans	50 gm chopped
Celery	2 stalks chopped
Lime	1
Capsicum ( red , green and yellow)	1/4 piece of each chopped
Sweet corn kernels	1 table spoon
Garlic	1/2 table spoon minced
Light soya sauce	1 tea spoon
Fish sauce	1/4 teaspoon ( optional )
ajinomoto	1/2 tea spoon
white pepper	to taste
salt	to taste
egg	2
Cooked crab flesh	1 cup ( pressure cook with white pepper and salt to taste and remove flesh)

Method

Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes. Cook in plenty of boiling water adding salt to taste and 1/2 teaspoon lime juice. Stir and cook through without breaking the rice. Strain. Keep aside for 5 minutes. Then spread onto a flat tray.
Heat 1/2 of oil and vegetables and stir fry on high flame for 3 minutes. Remove when vegetables are 1/2 cooked. Keep aside.
Heat the remaining oil add garlic and fry to light brown. Top with the crab flesh and fry for a minute. Then add the rice. Mix gently adding the vegetables, salt to taste, white pepper to taste, ajinomoto, fish sauce and soya sauce.
Gently stir making sure not to break the rice. Mix in scrambled eggs. Mix well. Taste and adjust. Serve hot with any Vinegar and green chillies chopped.

Tricolour pulao

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Preparation time : 40 minutes

Cooking time :50 minutes

Serves : 4 members

Description

I get to hear about a cooking competition in our local radio where we had to make a dish using the rice cooker. Me wanting to try a tricolour pulao rice just popped up in my mind. Called the radio station and placed my recipe for the contest. After that it was a forgotten story to me. I get a mobile call saying unknown number on my mobile display. should I attend this call or not? Was the question in my mind. I just attended the call and to my surprise it was from the radio station congratulating me on winning the rice cooker cooking competition. Mam we need your home address so that we can come and taste the dish and give you the prize to was their next information. I asked them to come the next day. The first thing I did was to revise the recipe and prep for the cook off. Next day morning as I started to cook, was a bit nervous with wanting the pulao to look and taste good. The radio team arrived by time and I had the pulao ready too. The minute they saw the pulao, I could see all their faces bloom with a smile. They took pictures of the pulao and gifted me with a new rice cooker. I made sure the radio team tasted the pulao. They all liked it a lot. Now I had a big relief and ease at heart. Lunch table, I made sure to keep the rice cooker on the table thinking hubby dear would take note and ask me what it was making it easy for me to boast about myself. But my assumption was wrong as hubby dear was busy relishing the pulao. I shamelessly had to tell him about this victory and he gave me a naive smile with a grin as always. Getting a whole hearted compliment from hubby dear is not an easy deal. But I know at heart he is super proud of me .

Ingredients for the rice

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmati rice	2 cups
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cardamom	3
Cloves	3
Coconut oil	3 tablespoons
Onions	2 sliced
Ginger	1/4 inch piece crushed
Coconut milk	4 cups

Ingredients for the green layer

Ingredients	Quantity
Green peas	1/4 cup boiled
Mint leaves	2 teaspoons
Coriander leaves	4 teaspoons
4 teaspoons	2
Garlic pod	1
Tamarind	goose burry size
Salt	to taste

Ingredients for the orange layer

Ingredients	Quantity
Carrot	1 big chopped and cooked
Onion	1 sliced and cooked
Dry red chillies	2
Garlic flake	1
Salt	to taste
Saffron	few strands
Warm Milk	1/8 cup

Method for the rice

Wash and soak the rice in water.Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker.
Add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Once they crackle, top with onions and sauté to translucent.
Add crushed ginger. Sauté for thirty seconds and pour the coconut milk adding salt to taste.
Bring to boil. Drain the soaked rice and add to the boiling coconut milk. Mix gently. Pressure cook for one whistle.
Remove from heat and set aside for the whistle sound to subside.

Method for the green layer

Grind all the ingredients together adding very little water mentioned under the green layer ingredients to a smooth paste.
Taste and adjust seasoning and keep aside.

Method for the orange layer

Soak the saffron strands in warm milk.
Grind all the remaining ingredients together adding very little water mentioned under the orange layer ingredients to a smooth paste. Taste and adjust seasoning and keep aside.

How to proceed

Divide the cooked rice into three equal portions.keep aside one portion as it is.
Mix the green ground paste to one one portion of rice and mix well making sure the rice does not break down. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep aside.
Add the soaked saffron milk toons portion of rice. Mix the orange ground paste to the rice and mix well making sure the rice does not break down. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep aside.
Grease a round bowl flat with one teaspoon of coconut oil. Add the orange layer rice to the bottom and flatten to get an even layer. Top with the white rice layer on top. Press down and flatten the top to get an even layer. Finally add the green layer and flatten the top to get an even layer.
Place a plate over the colour rice filled bowl. Tilt the bowl over and remove the bowl carefully to get a plate with the three layers of coloured rice. Serve hot with onion raitha and potato chips.

Chicken cheese kola urundai biriyani

Preparation time : 40 minutes
Cooking time : 1 hour – 30 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Experimenting with new types of biriyani is my daughter’s favourite time pass. At home hubby dear being loyal to the authentic mutton biriyani, a new avatar biriyani is not welcome at all. When I need a break, I try new versions of the biriyani only on hubby dears absence to refine some of my cheffy skills cranking up the fun in the kitchen. This one also was done so. My love for kofta’s ( kola ) made me try this by adding a twist of cheese to them. With fingers crossed, tasted and my first mouth full, I felt the perfect balance of flavour’s, textures and taste that satisfied my cravings taking me on a wild delicious flavour trip. This brilliantly versatile biriyani did awaken me about a contemporary Appeal that can be done to an Indian staple in incredible ways. After all…. Isn’t variety the spice of life?

Ingredients for kola urundai

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless raw chicken	1/4 kg ground to a smooth paste with out water
Bread slices	2 blitz to a coarse powder with out adding water
Coriander leaves	1 tablespoon chopped
Grated cheese	2 tablespoons
Chilli flakes	1 teaspoon
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon
Egg	1 whole

Method for kola urundai

Mix all the above ingredients together. Check seasoning and keep aside.

Ingredients for gravy

Ingredients	Quantity
Onions	4 sliced
Tomato	3 big chopped
Green chillies	10 slit
Coriander leaves	3 tablespoons chopped
Mint leaves	3 tablespoons
Cinnamon	2
Cloves	2
Cardamom	2
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon each
Salt	to taste
Ghee	5 tablespoons
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 a lime

Method for gravy

Heat ghee. Top with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Once they crackle add onions and sauté to golden in colour.
Add ginger and garlic paste. Sauté to crisp. Top with tomato, salt, green chillies, coriander leaves and mint.
Sauté until tomatoes break down and ghee floats on top.
Top with turmeric powder and red chilly powder along with 2 and 1/2 cups of hot water. Bring to boil.
Make lemon size balls out of the chicken kola mix. Drop into the gravy.
Shake the vessel so that the kolas roll over and cook evenly on all sides for five minutes on high flame and five minutes on low flame.
Add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.

Ingredients for biriyani

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmathi rice	2 and 1/4 cup boiled with water and salt to 3/4 cooked
Ghee	6 tablespoons
Curd	6 tablespoons
Rose essence	2 drops
Saffron	a pinch
Salt	to taste

Method for biriyani

Mix all the ingredients together mentioned under the biriyani ingredients.
Layer a heavy bottomed vessel with mixed rice 2 ladles. Place 6-8 kolas over with 2 ladles of gravy.
Repeat the layers until all the rice and kola gravy is over.
Cover the vessel. Place over a hot griddle / tawa on medium heat.
Cook for 15 minutes. Serve hot with onion raitha.

Cauliflower 65 biriyani

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 50 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Any innovative recipes my mind thinks about.. it automatically works only with non – vegetarian. My mind comes to a stand still when it comes to vegetarian food. I make sure to invite friends over on days that they have non – vegetarian so I am at ease to come up with a feast spread menu. To break this in me, now a days once in every five non – vegetarian recipes I come up with one vegetarian recipe in between. This was one such recipe where I have made a fusion of combining two authentic recipes of my mother – in – laws as one. The cauliflower 65 and the tomato biriyani as one dish. The reimaged new, exciting versions of themselves was divine. The biriyani was a burst with a satisfying plop on our plates. Not our plate’s but plantain leaves as I served it in a typical South Indian style. Once in a while I love to dine the old fashioned way with all raised eyebrows when seeing a pop of green colour on the table. Me and my non – stop crazy foodie adventures to give all memorable moments of food and family togetherness.

Ingredients for cauliflower- 65

Ingredients	Quantity
Cauliflower	1 big flower cleaned whole
Ginger garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon each
Chilli powder	1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Curd	1/4 cup
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cloves	2
Cardamom	1
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder	1/4 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 lime
Vinegar	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Orange Red food colour	a pinch
Cornflour	1 tablespoon
Maida	1 tablespoon
Egg	1 ( optional)
Oil	to deep fry

To garnish

Ingredients	Quantity
Onion	1 sliced to rounds
Lemon wedges	Few

Method

Grind all the ingredients together except for the cauliflower and oil to deep fry to a smooth paste.
Marinate cleaned cauliflower flower let’s in the masala paste for 3 or more hours.
Heat oil to deep fry in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry cauliflowers in batches for 5 minutes.
First 1 minute on high heat and then on medium heat for 4 minutes. This way you get a crisp out side and a soft, moist cooked cauliflowers inside.
Keep aside.

Ingredients for biriyani

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmati rice	2 cup
Tomatoes	1/4 kg Blanched , skin peeled and ground
Onions	5 Sliced
Green chillies	5 Slit
Cinnamon	1 inch piece Powdered
Cloves	2 Powdered
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon each
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Coconut paste	one hand ground
Ghee	4 tablespoons
Water	3 cups
Coriander leaves	2 tablespoons Chopped

Method for biriyani

Cut a cross in the bottom of each whole tomato making sure the other end is intact together.
Drop the tomatoes into hot water and set aside for 5 minutes. Remove from the hot water and cool, reserving the hot water that can be used to cook the rice.( in case you are pressed for time drop the tomatoes into ice cold water)peel the skin and blitz in a food processor to a purée.
Wash and soak basmati rice in water.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Top with sliced onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes until onions are golden brown in colour.
Add ginger and garlic paste diluted in little water and fry until raw smell has gone for about 4 minutes.
Add green chillies and tomato purée. Keep stirring occasionally until oil floats on top.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt to taste, powdered cinnamon and cloves. Mix well adding water.
Add coconut paste and mix well. Check seasoning and bring to boil.
Drain the soaked basmati rice and add to the boiling water along with chopped coriander leaves.
Mix once gently making sure not to break the soaked basmati rice. Cover with lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle in high heat. Wait for the whistle to subside.
Add the fried cauliflower with chopped coriander leaves over the cooked rice. Toss gently. Serve hot with boondhi raitha and paped.

koothaan choru

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 20-25 minutes
Serves : 3-4 members

Description

Being married to the other opposite end of Tamil Nadu from where I was bought up. Every thing from culture, language, practise,food to every bit was so very different for me. At that young age like all newly wedded brides, I used to just gaze at things around taking note of every word to move done by others. Trying my best to cope with to the local standards and demands. My bygone days of trial and error. Every day there was some thing new to learn and know about. I used keep my self entertained with Hubby dear’s cousin sisters. As always while catching up with them over the days up dates, one cousin told she had Koothaan choru for lunch . I didn’t know what it was, asked her what it is and she was clue less about how it’s made but just told me its yum. I made sure to ask my mother – in – law about the dish and she made it the following week. It was mushy mass of rice, dal and country vegetables cooked together. Goodness oozing in all means. This dish is an authentic dish very own to triunelveli ( that’s my home town). Mainly made by farmers wife’s who accompany their husbands to work in the fields. The dish by itself says it all as its one pot dish done with rice, dal and vegetables cooked together. That makes a deliciously satisfying packed lunch to keep you going all afternoon. So, let’s all get to be a bit loyal to our old school recipes by giving it a try and adding it to our regular’s at home.

Ingredients	Quantity
Rice ( boiled normal South Indian rice )	1 cup
Cooked Thoovar dal	1/2 cup
Water	3 and a half cups
Country veggies	chopped -(raw banana - 1, carrot -1 , beans -4, brinjal -2, raw mango -1/4, potato -1, drum stick -1 )
tomato	1 chopped
Small onion	1/4 hand chopped
green chillies	2 slit
Asafetida	1/8 teaspoon

Other ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Red chili powder	1/4teaspoon or to taste
Turmeric powder	1/8 teaspoon
Sambar powder	1 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Tamarind pulp	2 tablespoons
Drum stick tree leaves	1/4 cup

Ingredients to grind to a paste

Ingredients	Quantity
Grated coconut	1/4 cup
Cumin seeds	1/8 teaspoon

Ingredients to temper

Ingredients	Quantity
Gingely oil	2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds	1/8 teaspoon
Black gram dal	1/8 teaspoon
Small onions	4 chopped
Curry leaves	few
Vengaya vadagam	2 to 3 crumbled ( optional but adds a lot of flavor )

Method

Boil rice and veggies with water, salt, turmeric powder and asafetida.
Once 3/4 cooked add cooked thoovar dal and ground coconut + cumin seeds paste.
Mix well, adding tamarind pulp, chilly powder and sambar powder. Taste and adjust.
Bring to boil. Sprinkle with drum stick tree leaves and close the lid and cook on low flame for 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat oil. Temper with Mustard seeds, black gram dal, small onions, curry leaves and vengaya vadagam if you have. Pour over rice.
Mix well. Serve hot with appalam and ellu thovayal.

Notes

This rice has to be mushy and a bit loose . So add the given amount of water with out fail.

Kozli lode prawn biriyani

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : one hour

Serving : 4-5 members

Description

I am always taken aback with the flavour’s, taste, pairing of ingredients and recipes of the malabar cuisine. This biriyani was on my try list for quite some time. The curry leaves used in the biriyani put me off as my grand mother always told curry leaves are only for chutney’s. But this biriyani did prove me wrong as the curry leaves along with the home made garam masala elevated the dish to another level. Well now this Malayali connection is taking to me an interesting incident that happened a few days back. Our sauté, fry n bake family member kavitha Vivek messaged me asking me for a sweet potato recipe. I did send her the links of a few dishes. She replied saying” Akka I remember the story of a live in maid bringing sweet potatoes for you and you trying some new recipe… I can’t find the story in any of the above recipes.. Which is that one Akka”. I felt out of the world as my little story got a place in her heart and she related to the dish with my foodie memory. I did let her know how I felt and she replied saying” yes Akka, your stories are so true, practical, down to earth like Malayalam movies that it steels our hearts!! No show off, no dreams, no exaggerations. It’s so real.. I can visualise it sitting here. I was flattered with this one of a kind compliment for sure as one among my dreams as a kid was to do journalism and I strongly feel I am satisfying myself with the freedom to pen down my food related memories here which has got a place in all your hearts to live and visualise it adding more drama to my humble home made preparations. letting way of an opportunity to learn and share with one another.

Ingredients for the gravy

Ingredients	Quantity
Prawns	1 kg cleaned
Basmati rice	2 cups
Big onion	6 sliced
Small onion	1 hand full chopped
Curd	1 cup
Green chilies	20 slit
Tomato	4 big chopped
Ginger paste	1 1/4 tablespoons
Lime juice	of 1 lime
Coriander leaves	1 cup chopped
Curry leaves	8 leaves
Ghee	1 cup
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder	2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste

Garam masala powder ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
Cinnamon	2 inch piece
Fennel seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom	3
Cloves	3
Pepper corns	1/4 teaspoon

Method for the gravy

Heat ghee add sliced big onions and small chopped onions. Fry to brown.
Top with green chillies, ginger paste and curry leaves. Fry to crisp. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, tomatoes, curd, prawn and salt.
Sauté until mushy and oil separates. Cook to half done adding little water. Top with coriander chopped, lime juice and powdered garam masala powder. Simmer until ghee floats on top.
Remove From heat and cool completely.

Ingredients to garnish

Ingredients	Quantity
Curry leaves	one hand deep fried to crisp and drained
Cashew nuts	2 teaspoons fried to golden in ghee
Raisins	2 teaspoons fried in ghee to golden

Ingredients for rice

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmati rice	2 cups
Cardamom	6
Pepper corns	10
Cinnamon	1 inch piece four
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste

Fry roast all the ingredients for garam masala separately until a nice aroma arises with out burning the spices. Cool and powder the spices

Method for rice

Soak washed rice in water for 15 minutes. Boil 8 cups of water with all the above mentioned Ingredients except for curry leaves. Add soaked and drained rice . Cook the rice to 3/4 done. Drain.

How to proceed

Take a heavy bottomed vessel. Spread two ladles of rice, top with one ladle of prawn gravy, sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves, few fried cashew nuts, fried raisins and crisp curry leaves.
Keep layering until all the rice and prawn gravy is over. Heat a griddle on high heat, place the layered biriyani vessel over and close with a lid tightly.
Cook for fifteen minutes in medium flame in dum. Serve hot with dates pickle and pappadam.

Notes

Make sure the prawn gravy is hot, sour and salty more than required as when layered with rice it tastes perfect.
You can do the same with chicken, mutton, beef or fish.
Vegetarians can opt for mushrooms, cauliflower, channa, panner or mixed vegetables instead of prawn.
Once you drain the rice, you need to work fast or else the rice gets grainy.
Can do the layering and dum process of the biriyani in an electric rice cooker and cook to done. ( I do this as its hassle free and once done it stays warm also in keep warm mode )

Mushroom biriyani

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 25 minutes

Serving : 2 members

Description

Mushroom biryani . At home biryani is always a MUTTON BIRYANI not even chicken as hubby dear just can’t accept another source of meat in biryani as a BIRYANI . So any experimenting with biryani is done on hubby’s absence at home . The first time I got to taste mushroom biryani was when my aunt Nazeem Akka made it on a holiday at grand moms place and it was devoured in minutes . I did take note of the recipe but never ever gave a try till date . This recipe is shimya janakiraman . that she had bought along with her for the recipe swap get together on the first anniversary celebration of saute , fry n bake . The recipe swap gave me an opportunity to peek into home – style food cooked by families and expanded my culinary repertory . This was the first dish on display in the vegetarian table and was wiped out clean with no left overs . This biryani can be very happily eaten on its own strait from the plate with no accomplishments as sides . Shimya is a great fan and a follower of sauté , fry n bake . I got to see her for the first time that day and I embarrassed her and myself by asking her which class she is studying in ??? Got an answer stating she has finished her MBA !!!! Every one present for the anniversary celebration were all praises about sauté , fry n bake and me . Shimya was the only one who pointed out that with out uncles ( my hubby’s ) encouragement all this would have not been possible . Hubby dear was all flattered and keeps repeatedly bringing up what shimya said . What ever said and done , its a joy to see such young girls so very interested , enthusiastic and passionate about cooking as food is a pivotal part of our culture .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmati rice	1 cup
Water	1 1/2 cup
Mushroom	200 grams sliced
Onion	3 medium sliced
Tomato	2 chopped
Lemon juice	1/2 a lime
Mint leaves	1/2 cup
Curry leaves	10
Coriander leaves	1/2 cup chopped
Oil	2 tablespoons
Ghee	2 tablespoons
Salt	to taste

Ingredients To grind

Ingredients	Quantity
Cinnamon + cloves + cardamon	1 each
Pepper corns	1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Garlic	4 flakes
Ginger	1/2 inch piece
Red dry chillies	3
Cashew nuts	7

Method

Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker . Top with onions and sauté to translucent .
Add tomatoes and sauté to soft . Top with mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms lets out its moister and drys out with oil separating .
Top with the ground paste and sauté for two minutes . Add washed rice and toss well .
Pour water adding mint leaves , curry leaves , coriander leaves , lime juice and salt .
Taste and adjust . Bring to boil and pressure cook for 2 whistles .
Wait for the pressure to subside and enjoy the delicious hot mushroom briyani , garnished with mint and coriander leaves .

Chicken kofta biriyani

Preparation Time : 35 minutes

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Serving : 6 members

Description

Chicken kofta biriyani . A recipe I came across in a cook book but can’t remember exactly where and when . At home hubby is very fussy about new styles or recipes of biriyani experimented . He sticks on to the old school cooking recipe of biriyani and pulao’s is a big no from his side . But my daughter ANISHA and my son – in – law Riyaz like a variety of biriyani’s ,pulao’s and not so regular dishes . Only in the recent have I started my kitchen experimenting with different types of biriyani’s and pulao’s . My first kofta biriyani i had was in tanjore . the koftas were made with mutton and were a bit firm . this recipe demands For chicken koftas And to be cooked in mutton stock . the chicken koftas are soft , Moist and burst with flavours . This kofta biriyani is absolutely rich , best had once in a year . ( or else you will be killed due to the fat content in the dish ) .the mild succulent flavours of the spices that is infused along with the Mutton stock and is high lighted with ghee and saffron . The rice is cooked in subtle clever flavoured combo of stock which elevate’s dum cooking . this is enough for us to abandon our doubts about taste . This dish lends a deep understanding of flavours as well as techniques and presentation . After all … One cannot think well , love well , sleep well , if one has not dined well … Isn’t it .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
boneless chicken	1/2 kg , ( blitz in a food processor with out adding water to a smooth paste )
green chilli chopped	2 teaspoons
onions chopped	3 big
ginger chopped	1 inch piece
coriander chopped	2 tablespoons
egg	2
Bread crumbs	2 tablespoons
Nutmeg powder	a pinch
mace powder	a pinch
mutton fat	100 grams chopped
Chilli flakes	to taste
Salt	to taste
mutton stock	1/2 litter ( made with pressure cooking mutton bones and fat with water and strained )
green cardamom	8
black cardamom	4
bay leaves	5
cinnamon sticks	3
cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
deep fried brown onion	1 cup
mint, chopped	1 1/2 tablespoons
green chillies	as needed
slit / julienne	10 or to taste
yogurt	2 cups
saffron	1/2 teaspoon
fennel seeds (saunf)	1 teaspoon
basmati rice, soaked	400 grams
ghee	1 cup
Fresh cream	1 cup
milk	1/4 cup

Method

Add boneless chicken , chopped green chilli, onion, ginger, coriander, egg, bread crumbs , nutmeg powder, chilli flakes , mace powder, mutton fat , salt and mix well.
In another pan, take the mutton stock. Add whole spices, ( cinnamon , cloves , green and brown cardamom , cumin seeds , fennel seeds and bay leaf ) half of brown onion, mint, slit/ julienne green chillies and salt. Simmer till all the flavours infuse together .
Make small balls with the chicken mince and blanch in the stock for half an hour In medium heat .Strain the chicken balls and Keep aside.
In the remaining stock, add yogurt, half the saffron, and salt.
Simmer it nicely and add the soaked basmati rice. Cook for 10 -12 minutes .
Add ghee, cream, milk, mint, remaining brown onion , blanched chicken balls and remaining saffron.
Cook rice in dum . Serve hot with the onion raitha .