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Biryani
A recipe by Mrs Qudsia Shafiuddin
Ingredients: (serves 6)
2lbs Spring Lamb (cleaned and cut into medium size pieces)
4ozs Yogurt
4ozs Ghee
1lb Rice (washed)
4ozs Onions (sliced finely)
1oz Ginger & Garlic (equal amounts crushed)
1 Lemon
1oz Armonds (ground)
2 Cinamon sticks
4-6 Cardimons
1oz Milk
Qtr tsp Safron
2-3 Green Chilies
Half tspn Black Zeera
2-3 Cloves
Half tsp Garam Masala
(equal amounts of Black zeera, cardamoms & Cinnamon sticks, with half amount of cloves)
Salt to taste
Coriander and fried onions to garnish
Method :
In a large bowl mix meat, yogurt, almonds, chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic,
salt, and ground garam masala. Add half teaspoon each of chilli powder and turmeric.
Marinate for at least 4-6 hours in the fridge.
Fry onions in ghee till golden brown and crisp. Drain away excess ghee,
remove onions and spread them over a large plate. This should keep the onions crispy. Once
cool, crush them with your fingers and add to marinated meat mixture.
Fill to half large pan with water. Add salt, whole garam masala and one green
chilli.
Bring this to the boil. Add washed rice and cook until the water boils. Drain the rice in a colander and rinse with a little cold water.
Grease the saucepan generously with ghee and transfer the meat mixture. Level the surface,
spread rice evenly over the meat. Sprinkle lemon juice over rice. Warm milk and crush
saffron. Pour it over rice. Dot generously
with ghee. Garnish with fried onions and coriander.
Cover the saucepan tightly. Allow to steam on high heat for about 10 minutes and then
lower the heat. Cook for another 1-and-half to 2 hours. Before removing the pan from the
cooker ensure
that there is no moisture left in the meat. This can be checked by simply listening for a
sizzling sound. If
there is no sizzling then the Biryani is ready.
Biryani is traditonally served with Mirch-ka-Salan and yogurt chutney.
Mixed Veg -
Biryani
Ingredients
For masala
Ginger 1/4 inch
Onion 1
Coconut 1/2
Cinamon half inch,
Cloves - three
Garlic 3 pods
Green chillies 2
Poppy seeds 1 teaspoon
Vegetables
Carrot 1/2 optional
Peas 1/2 cup
Beans 5 to 6 cut in lengthwise
Mint Leaves 10
Potato 1 cut in cubes
Onions 2 cut in lenghtwise
Others:
Bay leaves and stone flower if you get it
Rice 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup
Water 2 cups
Salt, Turmeric
Preparation
1. Wash rice and keep aside (Should not allow it to be wet more than
10 minutes)
2. Powder clove and cinnman
3. Grind all the ingredients for masala
4. Fry this masala paste and bay leaves in oil till it starts leaving the sides. Add
vegetables. When they are half done add salt, turmeric powder, and masala. Mix well
and add water. Allow it to boil.
5. Add rice. Let it remain on high flame for three minutes. When water starts boiling
again keep the flame on low, cover it for 15 minutes.
If you cook in the non-stick cookware the biryani comes out very well. Otherwise keep it
in cooker after adding rice for some time but do not keep on low flame for long. If it is
electric cooker it is still better.
Serve with curd chutney.
Pulihora
(Tamarind Rice)
Ingredients
Long grain rice 1 up fine
Bengal gram dal 1/4 cup
Tamarind juice 30 gms / Juice of 2 lemons
Curry leaves 4 twigs
Oil 4 tbsp
Black gram dal (urad dal) 2 tbs
Mustard 1/2 tsp
Red chillies 2 broken into half
Green chillies 2 slit
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Sesame seeds 4 tbsp roasted and powdered
Salt to taste
Optional
Cashew/ Groundnuts 1 tbsp
Ginger cut fine
Pinch of asafoetida
Preparation
Wash rice and Bengal gram dal together and cook adding enough water. Make sure you do not
overcook it. Soak tamarind in enough water and squeeze out half a cup pulp.
Boil tarmarind juice till it is semi-solid. Pour
cooked rice into a big bowl, add turmeric powder, two tablespoons oil, salt, tarmarind
pulp and two twigs of curry leaves to the piping hot rice.
Heat oil in medium size saucepan / wok on low flame. Add
black gram dal, mustard, cashew nuts/ground nuts. When golden, add red chillies, ginger,
curry leaves, green chillies, asafoetida. Remove from flame and add it to the rice.
Mix thoroughly adding sesame powder and leave it covered for an hour to allow the rice to
absorb the ingredients.
Variations
Replace tamarind with either lemon or mango. Rest of the ingredients and methods are the
same.
1. If you are using lemon take out the seeds from the juice and add salt to it.
2. Raw (green) mango can also be used in place of tamarind/lemon juice. Peel the skin and
grate the raw mango. Sesame can be optional in either of the two cases. Tamarind and
chillies can be varied to taste.
3. Grated coconut can be added, but Pulihora doesn't last long, which otherwise is tastier
the next day.
Vegetable Pullao
Ingredients
Basmati rice or Jasmine rice - 1 1/2 cups
Mixed vegs. - 2 1/2 cups (Cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, beans, peas)
Onions - 1 (large) (sliced lengthwise)
Cumin (jeera) seeds - 1 tsp.
Black Cardamoms - 3-4 nos.
Bay leaves - 2-3
Cloves - 7-8
Cinnamon - 3-4 sticks (broken into pieces)
Whole Black pepper - 1 tsp.
Ghee or Oil - 3 tbsp. and Salt to taste
Preparation
1. Soak rice for half an hour.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the onions till transparent.
3. Add cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, pepper and bay leaves.
4. Mix in the rice and vegetables, salt and about 3 cups hot water.
5. Let it come to a boil, reduce heat and keep covered till rice is tender.
6. Garnish with croutons (fried bread cubes), cashews or fried onion rings.
Shining Pulao - Mix together 1 spoon buttermilk / lemon juice, 4 spoons ghee and 1 tsp.
sugar. Add to the pulao before serving.
Egg Kurma Pullao
Ingredients
Basmati rice or Jasmine rice - 3 cups
Boiled eggs - 6 nos.
Onions - 2 (sliced lengthwise)
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Cumin (jeera) seeds - 1 tsp.
Cardamoms - 4 nos.
Coriander (dhaniya) seeds - 2 tsp.
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp.
Garam Masala - 1 tsp.
Cloves - 4
Kashmiri red chilies - 4 nos.
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp.
Ghee or Oil - 1 cup and Salt to taste
Preparation
1. Wash and strain rice.
2. Grind onion, corriander, cumin, poppy, black pepper and garam masala to a fine
paste.
3. Add cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, pepper and bay leaves.
4. Add onions, ginger-garlic paste and brown well.
5. Add ground paste and cook on low heat for 20 mins.
6. Heat remaining ghee and the cloves and cardamoms and brown well.
7. Add rice and fry for 5 mins. Add the kurma mix and water.
8. Cover the pan and cook till rice is done.
9. Serve hot , garnish with chopped coriander leaves and boiled egg cut into
quarters.
Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
Basmati Rice or Jasmine rice - 3 cups
Chicken - 1 1/2 lb. (cut into medium size pieces)
Onions - 2 (sliced lengthwise)
Garlic - 6-8 cloves (sliced)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (minced)
Tomato Sauce - 2 tbsp.
Cloves - 6
Bay leaves - 4
Cardamoms - 4
Cinnamon - 2-3 sticks
Aniseed (badi sonf) - 1 tbsp.
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp.
Red chilli pwd. - 1 tsp.
Curd - 1 cup
Cashewnuts (halved) and raisins (fried in ghee)
Ghee or Butter
Salt to taste
Preparation
1. Clean wash and soak rice for 1/2 - 1 hr.
2. Heat ghee. Add onions. When the onions turn golden brown remove some portion and keep
aside for garnishing.
3. Add the spices - cloves, cardamoms,jeera, sonf, bay leaves, cinnamon, ginger and garlic
anf fry for a min.
4. Add the chilli pwd and fry for a min. Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Fry till the
chicken pieces turn brown.
5. Beat the curd with a little water and add to the mixture. Add salt to taste. Cover and
cook on low heat.
6. In the meantime, cook the rice with sufficient water adding salt to taste.
7. When the rice and chicken have cooked, place one layer of rice in a pan. Now add a few
chicken pieces with enough gravy.
8. Alternate the layers and cover it up finally with a layer of rice. Garnish with nuts
and fried onion. Place chunks of butter or ghee on top.
9. Cover the pan and place on low heat again for 5-10 mins. Mix well before serving.
NOTE : This can be best done using an electric rice cooker. Cook the rice in it.
Place the chicken and rice combination in the cooker and set it on "Keep", till
you are ready to serve.
Vangi Bath
Ingredients
Basmati rice or Jasmine rice - 2 cups
Onions - 1 large (sliced lengthwise)
Cloves - 4
Cardamoms - 4
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Mustard seeds (rai) - 1 tsp.
Turmeric pwd. - 1/2 tsp.
Brinjals (aubergines) - 1 lb.
Peanuts and raisins (fried in ghee)
Ghee or Butter - 4 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Water - 4 cups
For the Masala :
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.
Gram Dhal - 1 tsp.
Pepper - 6-8
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp.
Dry Red chillies - 6
A pinch of asafoetida
Preparation
1. Clean, wash and soak rice for 1/4 -1/2 hr.
2. Meanwhile heat ghee in a saucepan and add onions, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon.
3. When the onion turns brown, mix in the drained rice. Fry the rice for 2 mins.
4. Add water and salt, cover pan and let rice cook on medium heat.
5. Slice brinjals lengthwise into 6 sections each.
6. Fry masala ingredients in a little oil. When they turn brown, grind to a coarse
powder.
7. Heat 1 tbsp. ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds till they sputter. Add
brinjals.
8. Sprinkle with salt and turmeric and mix well. When brinjals are tender, add ground
masala and stir well.
9. When rice is done, add brinjal mixture to rice. Mix in 1 tbsp. ghee. Mix well and cook
for a few mins.
10. Garnish with fried peanuts and raisins. Serve hot with cold raitha.
Bengali Pilau Rice
Forget that multi coloured stuff served in your local Indian Takeaway - this is the
real
thing! Almost a meal in itself this really does have to be tasted to be believed. It is,
of course, also a perfect accompliment to almost any other good Bengali food: try it
with our Chicken curry or prawn and onions together with the wonderful chana
daal.
For this Pilau to taste its best do use a good rice; there is none better than Basmati
from the Himilayan foothills. If you have any difficulty finding any ingredients look at
our ingredients section.
Ingredients
Sultanas - 3 tablespoons
Rice (Basmati) - 2 mugs
Whole peanuts - 25
Indian Bayleafs - 4-5
Ginger - 1+1/2 inch length, chopped
Whole Cardomon seeds - 20
Cinnamen sticks - 6 small
Sugar
Salt to taste
Tumeric 1+1/2 tsp
Butter 1/2 tsp
(Danish) 1/4 lb+
Preparation
Prepare whole shelled peanuts by soaking them in hot water for 1/2 hour and
then removing the skins. You can use cardomon and cinnamen whole or powdered. Powdered
ones will have more flavour.
Wash rice twice in cold water.
To cook
Add water twice the amount of rice in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Add Tumeric
to water.
After about 20 minutes the outer part of the rice grains should be soft, but the inner
core still hard; when the grains have reached this stage take the pan off the stove
and drain off the water using a colander.
Melt butter in another saucepan. Add peanuts and heat until they turn brown. Add Sultanas
and heat until they puff up (about 1 minute). Add bay leaves, ginger and fry until brown.
Add cinnamen and cardamon. Fry for about 1 minute.
Take saucepan off the heat and now add rice. Put a lid on the saucepan and
shake the pan in circular tossing movement to mix it all together; as an alternative
you can gently stir it all together using a woodern spoon. Lastly, add salt and sugar to
taste and mix the dish with more tossing.
You now have a delicious Pilau rice ready to serve.
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