Achari Chana Pulao

I am sure the name of this dish has already tickled your taste buds, a recipe of chana pulao with a twist. All desi people love achars as an accompaniment with paraths, dal chawala, pulaos, even achar gosht is a favourite of many people. So I tried making a variation of chana pulao by adding achar and it was a hit, hope you will enjoy making it and eating it too.

Ingredients:

500 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes)

2 cups boiled chick peas (white)

2 potatoes (peeled and cubed)

 ¼ cup oil

2 medium onions thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (mixed in ¼ cups of water)

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp black cumin seeds (shah zeera/kala zeera)

5-6 cloves

2 black cardamoms

1 inch piece of cinnamon

1 Bay leaf

¼ tsp turmeric powder

 ½ tsp red chili powder/crushed red chilies

Salt (to taste)

2 green chilies chopped

2 tbsp of your favourite achar (I have used mixed vegetable pickle)

Method:

1) Take a large pan and heat oil, (keeping in mind that the rice will double after cooking, plus chickpeas are also added so you will need to have enough space in the pan), add onion and fry till they get golden brown.

2) Add in the ginger garlic paste (be careful as the water we added in ginger garlic paste tend to splutter), fry it for a minute or two and add chopped tomatoes, cumin seeds, cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, turmeric powder  and chili powder.  Fry for some time then add the chick peas and  cubed potatoes fry for 5 minutes. 

3) Now add 3 cups of water and salt, Let the water boil and taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want, but don’t add too much.

4) Once the water starts to boil add the rice (remember to drain the rice first).  Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost dried, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly. 

5) Once there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to as low as possible, spread achar over the rice, sprinkle the chopped green chilies and cover the pan by using a tight lid, or take a kitchen towel and place it over the pan then place the lid on top of it. Cook on low heat till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Switch off the flame and Serve hot with raita, kachomar salad. 

Chicken yakhni Pulao

 Chicken yakhni Pulao is one of Punjabi people's favorite dishes and a must serve on all occasions in Pakistan's Punjab province. It is called as “Yakhni pulao” as the rice is cooked in yakhni (chicken stock) infused with a blend of aromatic spices.

Ingredients:

For stock:

50o gm chicken pieces

5-6 cups Water

2 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seed

2 inch slice of ginger

2 medium onions (peeled)

6-7 garlic cloves

1 large bay leaf

1& 1/2 tsp salt

For Rice:

750 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes)

2 large onions (finely sliced)

1/2 cup oil (or you can use ghee for more flavor)

1 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 cinnamon sticks

7-8 black pepper corns

6-7 cloves

4-5 green cardamoms

2 black cardamoms

1 tsp red chili powder/or crushed red chilies

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (mixed in ¼ cups of water)

1 & ½ tsp salt

2 medium tomatoes (chopped finely, tomatoes are optional)

2-3 green chilies chopped

 Method:

1) For the yakhni/stock make a spice bag of fennel seeds, cumin seeds & coriander seeds, Put water 2 whole onions, garlic cloves and ginger, bayleaf and salt in a large pot along with chicken and let it cook till meat gets tender. Strain the chicken and the spices. Reserve the stock. Discard the spices by taking out the chicken pieces from it.

2) Take another  large pan and heat oil, (keeping in mind that the rice will double after cooking so you will need to have enough space in the pan), add onion and fry till they get golden brown.

3) Add in the ginger garlic paste (be careful as the water we added in ginger garlic paste tend to splutter), fry it for a minute or two and add, cumin seeds, cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, salt chili powder and tomatoes, fry it nicely till the tomatoes are dissolved (keep adding a few spalsehes of water every now and then)  add the chicken pieces in, fry for 5-8 minutes.

4) Now add 4& ½ cups of stock and  let the water come to boil.  Taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want, but don’t add too much. (for every 2 cups of rice I usually add 2 & 1/2 tsp of salt)

5) Once the water starts to boil add the rice (remember to drain the rice first).  Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, and then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost dried, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly.

6) Once there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to as low as possible, sprinkle the chopped green chilies and cover the pan by using a tight lid, or take a kitchen towel and place it over the pan then place the lid on top of it. Cook on low heat till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Switch off the flame and Serve hot with raita and salad of your choice. 

Chicken and Veggies Biryani

Ever wondered what is it about biryani that we love so much? It is one the most liked and popular dish in Pakistan, no matter what age group you belong to..no matter what region you come from… as long as you are a pakistani….you are bound to love biryani. There are so many types and variation of biryani e.g sindhi biryani, bomby biryani, hyderabadi biryani, fish biryani, kachi biryani….. so the recipe I am going to share is a mixture of veggies and meat, the flavor of this biryani completely differs from the other biryani recipes I have posted in past.

Ingredients: 

500gm Bone less chicken (cut in strips or use mutton or Beef undercut, boiled and shredded)

750 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes)

 1 large capsicum (cut in strips)

1 large onion (thinly sliced)

2 tomatoes (thinly sliced)

5-6 green chilli (sliced in half)

1 carrot (thinly sliced in strips)

1 tbsp ginger garlic

2 ½ tsp red chilli powder

 Salt to taste (I used 1 & ½ tsp)

½ tsp Turmeric powder

2 tsp cumin seeds (dry roasted and coarsely ground)

½ tsp garam masala powder

½ tsp coriander powder

1 cup yogurt

Half bunch Coriander

Mint 20-25 leaves

1 tbsp Kewra water

Zarda color 1 pinch (mixed in kewra water)

Method:

1) Take a large pan and bring the water to boil, add in 3-4 tsp of salt, along with one cinnamon stick, 3-4 cloves, 2-3 green cardamoms, and a tsp of cumin seeds.  Once the water starts to boil add in the rice and cook till rice are half done, drain and set aside.

2) Heat oil in a pan add in 1 tsp of black cumin seed  along with onions, and fry till it get translucent, then add in the ginger garlic paste, fry it for 2 minutes.

3) Add in the chilli powder, haldi powder, cumin seeds, salt, and a bit of water (1/3 cup), now fry the masala nicely.

4) Next add in the chicken pieces, fry for a few minutes and add in the yogurt and let it cook till the water from yogurt almost evaopartes, we don’t want all the water to dry.

5) Now add in the carrots along with garam masala powder and coriander powder, fry for couples of minutes, add in the sliced capsicum, sliced green chilies and tomatoes, cook for 2 more minutes and turn off the flame,  we want the vegies to stay crunchy.

6) Take another large pan, pour about 2 tbsp of oil and then make a layer of half of the boiled rice, next make a layer of the cooked chicken and veggies,  along with chopped coriander and mint leaves and top it with remaining boiled rice. Swirl over the kewra water and zarda color.

7) Transfer the pan to a hot tava (flat pan) to prevent the biryani from sticking to the bottom. Cook on high flame for 5 minutes, then let it cook on very low heat for 20-30 minutes.

 8) To serve, gently stir the rice and dish out in to serving dish, along with some salad, and raita.

Sabout Masoor Pulao

You Must have heard about “Mujadara”  a dish popular throughout the Arab world, and is generally made using brown or green lentils and rice, that can be seasoned with cumin and topped with fried onions, it is generally served with yogurt, and salad, The day I cam to know about this dish I really wanted to give it a try, so here’s how I made it, I have improvised the dish according to my own taste of spices, and to my surprise it came out perfect, every one loved it in family.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice (basmati)

1 & half cup brown lentils (sabout masoor)

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ cup oil

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tomatoes thinly chopped

1 bay leaf

2 tsp salt (or more according to taste)

 1 tsp red chili powder

1-2 chopped green chilies

 1 big onion thinly sliced

Method:

1) Soack rice for 20-30 minutes.

2) Put the dal in a pan with 3-4 cups of water and place over medium to medium- high heat, bring it to a boil (uncovered), then partially cover the pan and reduce heat to medium-low and let the dal cook till the dal is almost done. This should take around half an hour. Drain the water and keep aside, (you can reserve the water for later use )

3) Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan, add onions and fry till they become lightly golden brown, then add the ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin seeds, garam masala and dhania powder, fry till the oil starts to separates and tomatoes are dissolved.

4) Now add 3 cups of water and salt, Let the water boil and taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want, but don’t add too much.

5) Once the water starts to boil add the rice and dal (remember to drain the rice first).  Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost dried, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly.

6) Once there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to as low as possible, sprinkle the chopped green chilies and cover the pan by using a tight lid, or take a kitchen towel and place it over the pan then place the lid on top of it. cook on low heat till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Serve it with salad and cucumber raita.

For Cucumber Raita:

  

You need : 

2 cucumbers peeled, deseeded and grated

250 grams yogurt (preferably drained slightly)

mint sauce ( i used the one you get in jars )

Salt

Black pepper

 Mix your yogurt with the mint, salt and pepper, add the cucumbers and stir to combine.

Mutton Pulao

Rice cooked in aromatic and flavorful mutton stock, easy and simple to make. Mutton pulao is a favorite of many Pakistani people, especially Punjabis. For those of you interested to make chicken pulao, you can follow exactly the same recipe but you will boil the chicken until its half done and use 4 cups of water instead of 5-6...

Ingredients: 

For stock 

500 gm Mutton (with bones, you can also use beef)

5-6 cups Water

2 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seed

2 inch slice of ginger

2 medium onions (peeled)

6-7 garlic cloves

1 large bay leaf

2 tsp salt

For Rice:

500 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes)

2 large onions (finely sliced)

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 cinnamon sticks

7-8 black pepper corns

6-7 cloves

4-5 green cardamoms

2 black cardamoms

1 tsp red chili powder/or crushed red chilies (optional, as some people don't like to add it in mutton pulao)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (mixed in ¼ cups of water)

3/4 cup yogurt
2 medium tomatoes (chopped finely, tomatoes are optional)

 Method:

1) For the yakhni/stock make a spice bag of fennel seeds, cumin seeds & coriander seeds, Put water 2 whole onions, garlic cloves and ginger, bayleaf and 2 tsp of salt in a large pot along with meat and let it cook till meat gets tender. Strain the meat and the spices. Reserve the stock. Discard the spices by taking out the meat pieces from it.

2) Take another  large pan and heat oil, (keeping in mind that the rice will double after cooking so you will need to have enough space in the pan), add onion and fry till they get golden brown. 

3) Add in the ginger garlic paste (be careful as the water we added in ginger garlic paste tend to splutter), fry it for a minute or two and add, cumin seeds, cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and chili powder and tomatoes, fry for a couple of minutes. Now start adding the yogurt in and fry it well, remember to lower the flame while adding yogurt  Fry for some time then add the mutton pieces in, fry for 5-8 minutes. 

4) Now add 3 cups of stock and , Let the water boil and taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want, but don’t add too much.

5) Once the water starts to boil add the rice (remember to drain the rice first).  Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, and then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost dried, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly. 

6) Once there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to as low as possible, sprinkle the chopped green chilies and cover the pan by using a tight lid, or take a kitchen towel and place it over the pan then place the lid on top of it. cook on low heat till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Switch off the flame and Serve hot with raita, kachomar salad. 

Chicken Tikka Biryani

Eid Mubarak to all muslims around the globe, usually for Eid  lunch I always make Tandoori Chicken with Matar Pulao, but this time I wanted to go for some thing different and thought of making Chicken Tikka Biryani instead, The method outlined below may seem to be a long procedure but believe me its not that hard to make as it may sound.  

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken cut in to 8, 12 or 16 pieces

1tbsp tsp ginger garlic paste

1 & 1/2 tsp red Chili Powder 

¼ cup lemon Juice or vinegar 

1 tsp salt  

¼ cup yogurt  

1 tsp garam masala   powder

A pinch of tandoori food color

2 tbsp oil  

Method:

 1)  Prick the chicken pieces with a fork and make several deep slits in on each piece (if using 4 pieces)

2) make a paste by combining lemon juice (or vinegar), ginger garlic paste, salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder, yogurt and tandoori color Rub this paste on all the chicken pieces, coat the chicken pieces with this marinade, and let the chicken marinate for minimum 4 hours or maximum 8 hours for best results. ( I left it over night in fridge)

3) Once the chicken pieces are marinated and ready to be cooked, you have 3 options, to grill it, roast it in oven or steam it, for pot cooking put the chicken pieces along with all the marinade and 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan, cover with a lid and let it cook on low heat, turning once or twice until the chicken get done. It will take 25-20 minutes to get ready.

4) Don’t waste the left over gravy, it will be added to masala we make for biryani.

For Gravy:

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup yogurt

3-4 medium onions (thinly sliced, about 250gms)

4-5 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)

1tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 big black cardamom

1 large cinnamon stick

4-5 cloves

8-10 black pepper corns

1 large bay leaf

Salt (to taste)

1 ½ tsp red chili powder (you can adjust it depending upon how spicy you want it to be)

½ tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp yellow food color

3-4 tbsp milk

A bunch of mint

A small bunch of fresh coriander chopped

2-3 chopped green chilies

½ cup dried alu Bukhara/ prunes (optional)

Method:

1) Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they get golden brown, turn off the heat and take out some of the browned onions for later use.

2) Now turn the flame on again and add cumin seeds, bay leaf, green cardamoms, black cardamom, cinnamon stick and ginger garlic paste, fry it well for 2 minutes.

3) Add in the chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, yogurt, chopped tomatoes, cover the pan and let it cook on low-medium till the tomatoes get dissolved and raw smell of masala has gone.

4) Now add in the chicken tikka pieces along with all the left over marinade/gravy and mix every thing together, adjust the salt and chili, , cover the pan again and let cook on low flame for 5-10 minutes and turn off the flame. (You can add ¼ cup of water if the gravy seems to be to dry)

5) Mean while Put the coal over medium flame, wait until the coal is fully red and is covered by white ash. Put a small piece of aluminum foil in middle of the chicken pieces. Place the burned coal over it and put 2-3 drops of oil on it. Cover it at once with a tight fitting lid and put aside. Remove the coal after 5 minutes.

For Rice:

750 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes before boiling)

 Take a large pan and bring the water to boil, add in 3-4 tsp of salt, along with one cinnamon stick, 3-4 cloves, 2-3 green cardamoms, and a tsp of cumin seeds.  Once the water starts to boil add in the rice and cook till rice are half done, drain and set aside

For Layering:

1) Mean while mix together yellow food color in ¼ cup of milk.

2) Spread chopped coriander, chopped green chilies and mint leaves on top chicken masala, followed by the layer of boiled rice. Spread the fried onions we kept aside.  Swirl over the milk mixture, cover the pan by using by damp kitchen towel and placing it over the pan then placing a lid on top.

3) Transfer the pan to a hot tava (flat pan) to prevent the biryani from sticking to the bottom. Cook on high flame for 5 minutes, then let it cook on very low heat for 20-30 minutes and turn of the flame. 

* To serve, gently stir the rice and dish out in to serving dish, along with some salad, and raita.

Chana Pulao

Chana pulao/chick pea pulao is a specialty made during Moharram, Eid Milad-un-Nabi or Shabrat, but it can be cooked and served any day of the year. Its easy to prepare and tastes delicious…

Ingredients:

500 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes)

2 cups boiled chick peas (white)

 ¼ cup oil

2 medium onions thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (mixed in ¼ cups of water)

1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp black cumin seeds (shah zeera/kala zeera)

8-10 black peppercorns

5-6 cloves

2 black cardamoms

1 inch piece of cinnamon

1 Bay leaf

 ½ tsp red chili powder/crushed red chilies

Salt (to taste)

2 green chilies chopped

Method:

1) Take a large pan and heat oil, (keeping in mind that the rice will double after cooking, plus chick peas are also added so you will need to have enough space in the pan), add onion and fry till they get golden brown.

2) Add in the ginger garlic paste (becarefull as the water we added in ginger garlic paste tend to splutter), fry it for a minute or two and add chopped tomatoes, cumin seeds, cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and chili powder.  Fry for some time then add the chick peas, fry for 5 minutes. 

3) Now add 3 cups of water and salt, Let the water boil and taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness. If it feels just right, it means you have too little. Remember that the rice will need some salt too, so let the salt be enough that you can taste it to be a bit more than you would want, but don’t add too much.

4) Once the water starts to boil add the rice (remember to drain the rice first).  Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost dried, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly. 

5) Once there is very little water left in the rice, reduce the heat to as low as possible, sprinkle the chopped green chilies and cover the pan by using a tight lid, or take a kitchen towel and place it over the pan then place the lid on top of it. cook on low heat till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Switch off the flame and Serve hot with raita, kachomar salad  and pickle of your choice, you can also serve kebabs or potato cutlets with chana Pulao. 

Matar Pulao

Matar pulao is light and quick to prepare and truly delicious. I often serve it with raita, shami kebabs and salad and on Eid it's a must have lunch with a succulent chicken chargha or tandori chicken....

Ingredients:

500 gm rice (soaked for 20 minutes)

1 ½ cups matar (Peas)

¼ cup oil

2 medium onions thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes finely chopped

1 tsp garlic paste (mixed in ¼ cups of water)

1 tbsp Cumin Seeds

8-10 black peppercorns

4-5 cloves

2 black cardamoms

1 inch piece of cinnamon

1 Bay leaf

 ½ tsp red chili powder/crushed red chilies

Salt (to taste)

Method:

1)      Take a large pan and heat oil, (keeping in mind that the rice will double after cooking, plus chick peas are also added so you will need to have enough space in the pan), add onion and fry till they get slightly brown.

2)      Add in the garlic paste (be careful as the water we added in garlic paste tend to splutter), fry it for a minute or two and add chopped tomatoes, cumin seeds, cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and chili powder.  Fry for some time. Add the peas and fry for 2-3 minutes.

3)      Now add 3 cups of water and salt, Let the water boil and taste the salt. You should be able to feel the saltiness to be a bit more than you want, but don’t add too much.

4)      Once the water starts to boil add the rice (remember to drain the rice first).  Let this cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every now and then, and then reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking covered until the water is almost evaporated, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure all the rice is cooked evenly and perfectly.

5)      Once there is very little water left in the rice, and you can see a few bubbles forming reduce the heat to as low as possible, and cover the pan by using a tight lid (or kitchen towel and placing it over the pan then placing a lid on top of it). Cook on low heat, till the water gets absorbed and rice done, for about 10-15 minutes. Switch off the flame and Serve hot with raita, salad and kebabs or chicken chargha.  

Bombay Biryani

The word “Biryani” comes from the Persian word 'birian' which means fried before cooking. There are over 26 varieties of biryani made in Pakistan and India; however the basic method of layering the rice and meat/vegetable curry is the same. Bombay Birynai is the most popular and most loved biryani, full of flavors and lovely aroma this recipe will surely tantalise your taste buds.

Ingredients:

500 gm chicken pieces (you can use up to 1 kg of chicken cut in to 12 pieces, I prefer to use less)

750 gm rice (soaked for 30 minutes before boiling)

1 cup yogurt

¾ cup oil

3 medium onions (thinly sliced, about 250gms)

4-5 medium tomatoes (3 tomatoes finely chopped, 2 sliced in to rings)

1&1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (optional)

1 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 green cardamoms

2 big black cardamoms

1 large cinnamon stick

4-5 cloves

8-10 black pepper corns

1 large bay leaf

Salt (to taste/ I use 1&1/2 tsp)

8-10 medium-small green chilies

1 ½ tsp red chili powder (you can adjust it depending upon how spicy you want it to be)

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp biryani essence or kewra essence

Saffron strands or 1/4 tsp yellow food color

1 tsp star anise powder

3-4 tbsp milk

½ tsp nutmeg and mace powder

½ tsp green cardamom powder

1 lemon sliced

A bunch of mint

A small bunch of fresh coriander chopped

½ cup dried alu Bukhara/ prunes (optional)

 Method:

1)  Take a large pan and bring the water to boil, add in 3-4 tsp of salt, along with one cinnamon stick, 3-4 cloves, 2-3 green cardamoms, and a tsp of cumin seeds.  once the water starts to boil add in the rice and cook till rice are half done, drain and set aside

2)  Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they get golden brown, turn the heat off and take ¼ cup oil out for later use.

3)  Now turn the flame on again and add cumin seeds, bay leaf, green cardamoms, black cardamom, cinnamon stick and ginger garlic paste, fry it well for 2 minutes and add in the chicken pieces, fry it well for further 5-10 minutes.

4) Add in the chili powder, salt, turmeric powder,  yogurt and green chilies and chopped tomatoes, stir it nicely, cover the pan and let it cook on low-medium heat till the chicken gets done.

5) Mean while mix together yellow food color, star anis powder, nutmeg and mace powder, cardamom powder, 3-4 tbsp of milk and 2-3 tbsp of yogurt in a small bowl.

6)  Once the chicken gets done, turn off the flame, spread  the lemon slices and dry prunes on top of the chicken gravy, swirl over the yogurt mixture followed by tomato slices, chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves.

7)  Spread the boiled rice on top, swirl over the ¼ cup of oil we kept aside. Cover the pan by using by damp kitchen towel and placing it over the pan then placing a lid on top.

8) Transfer the pan to a hot tava (flat pan) to prevent the biryani from sticking to the bottom. Cook on high flame for 5 minutes, then let it cook on very low heat for 20-30 minutes

9)   To serve, gently stir the rice and dish out in to serving dish, along with some salad, and raita.

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is used to denote a dish where the rice is cooked separately from the thick gravy (a greatly reduced curry of meat or vegetables). The curry and the rice are then brought together and layered, resulting in a dish of the contrasting flavors of rice and intensely flavored sauce and meat or vegetables. In a properly made biryani, the final dish is dry or minimally moist, with the individual rice grains separate. You can serve it as a one dish meal along with some raita and salad. So here’s how I make it....

Ingredients:

500 gm chicken pieces (you can use up to 1 kg of chicken, I prefer to use less)

700 gm rice (soak for 30 minutes before boiling)

1 cup yogurt

¾ cup oil

3 medium onions (thinly sliced)

3-4 medium tomatoes (finely chopped or puréed)

1&1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masla

1 tsp poppy seeds (grind it)

2-3 green cardamoms

2 big black cardamoms

1 large cinnamon stick

1 star anis flower

4-5 cloves

10 12 black pepper corns

1 large bay leaf

Salt (to taste/ I use 1&1/2 tsp)

1 ½ tsp red chili powder ( you can adjust it depending upon how spicy you want it to be)

2- 3 drops of biryani essence or kewra essence (optional)

2 green chilies (chopped)

Saffron strands or 1/4 tsp yellow food colour mixed in 2 tbsp of milk or water

Blanched and slivered almonds and raisins (optional, I like to add raisins in place of alubukhars/prunes.)

1 lemon sliced

 Method:

1)  Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they get golden brown, take them out spread them on a kitchen paper until they get crispy, then crush them with you hands.

2)  Now turn the flame on again and add the chicken pieces  in with ginger garlic paste, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaf, green cardamoms, black cardamom, cinnamon stick and star anis, fry it well for 5-10 minutes (adding some water if needed).

3) Add in the chili powder, salt, tomatoes and fried onions fry it for 5 minutes (or until the raw smell of masala has gone and the oil separate). Then add in a cup of yogurt and ½ cup water, stir it nicely, cover the pan and let it cook on low-medium heat till the chicken gets done. Once the chiken is done, sprinkle the garam masla, stir it and turn off the flame.

4)  Mean while take another pan and bring the water to boil, add in a tbsp of salt, once the water starts to boil add in the rice and cook till rice are half done, drain and set aside.

5)  Take the pan you boiled the rice in  (large enough to hold the rice and chicken)., I prefer to grease the bottom of the pan with some oil . Spread a layer of boiled rice, add half of the cooked chicken and the gravy, a few lemon slices (also some almonds and raisins if using). Now repeat the same process the 2^nd time. Finish off with the remaining rice, sprinkle some birayni essence, and swirl over the yellow food color or saffron and some chopped green chilies.

6)  Cover the pan by using by damp kitchen towel and placing it over the pan then placing a lid on top.

7) Transfer the pan to a hot tava (flat pan) to prevent the biryani from sticking to the bottom. Cook on high flame for 5 minutes, then let it cook on very low heat for 20-30 minutes

8)   To serve, gently stir the rice and dish out in to serving dish, along with some salad, and raita.


Note: You can also add some chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves in each layer to give some extra flavor to biryani. 

Hara Masala Pulao

This unique recipe of hara/green masala pulao was given to us by my younger sister’s friend,  I guess I was in 3^rd year of college at that time. You can serve it with roasted chicken, shami kebabs, or any other kebabs of your choice along with some cumin raita and salad….

 Ingredients:

 2 cups rice

2 cups chopped fresh coriander

1 cup mint leaves (the cup I use is 210 ml)

3 medium green chilies

½ tsp red chili powder

2 knorr chicken cubes

Salt (while adding salt keep in mind the chicken cubes also contains some salt)

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 ½ tsp ginger paste

1 ½ tsp garlic paste

¼ cup oil

Method:

Soak the rice for about 20 minutes and then boil. Let them cool down completely. Grind the chopped coriander, mint and green chilies in to a fine paste.  Heat oil in pan and add in the cumin seeds once the start to crackle add in the garlic paste, fry for 2 minutes and add in the ginger paste, fry for further 2 minutes then add in the green masala paste along with chicken cubes, red chili powder and salt, mix it well and stir it till the chicken cubes get dissolved (about 5 minutes). Now add the cooked rice and mix it with a light hand so all the rice is equally coated with green masala. put the heat on very low and cover the pan. Let it steam for about 5 minutes, that’s it, hara masala pulao is ready to be served.