Mughlai Mutton Biryani

Biryani...The word seems so small and inadequate to describe a dish of such fame.  Just have a look at the biryani page in Wikipedia...the various styles, the types, the variations, the different versions of it, its mind-boggling.  In our family as in every other muslim household, every important occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, festivals, and even Sunday lunches and family get-togethers are incomplete without biryani.  But I do think we muslims tend to have a rather casual attitude about it.  We really do not give it the reverence and awe it inspires in most people I have met.  My cousins and I have tried many different kinds of biryani and the mughlai biryani is one of the best tasting ones.  Personally, I think my mum makes the best biryani in the whole wide world (the people who have tasted it, will agree with me!!) but that is one recipe I will share later or I may not..I am rather possessive about it.

Mughlai Mutton Biryani

Ingredients:
1 kg mutton
1/2 kg basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 cups curds
1/2 cup cashewnuts (about 100 gms)
4 tsp chili powder
1 big onion, sliced
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 bayleaf
a 3 inch cinnamon stick
1 cup of mint leaves, chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1 cup milk
Few strands of saffron
6 tbsp oil
salt
1 tsp ghee

Method:

• Marinate the meat with curd, garam masala, and ginger-garlic paste for 2 hours.
• Soak the saffron strands in 1 cup of warm milk and keep aside.
• Fry the onions to a crisp golden brown.
• Fry cashews to a golden color and keep aside.
• In a bowl, mix the coriander leaves, mint leaves, and the fried onions.
• Heat oil in a vessel and fry the cinnamon and bayleaf.
• Add pepper powder and chilli powder along with the tomatoes.  Add marinated meat and about 4 tsp of salt and mix well.
• Cook till completely dry and the meat is done, on a medium to low fire.  Keep stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the vessel.
• Heat about 1 liter of water in a separate vessel.  When the water starts to boil, add the rice and 1 tsp of salt and cook till the rice is half done.  Drain the rice.
• Grease a heavy-bottomed dish with ghee and add a layer of rice, then, add a layer of the meat mixture, and then a layer of the mint-coriander-onion mix.  Repeat the layers and end with a layer of rice on top.  Add the milk on top and cook on low flame for about 25 minutes or till the rice is completely done.  Serve hot with raita.

RAITA:

Ingredients:

500 gms cups of curd

2 large onions, finely sliced.
1 small cucumber, chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp of red chilli powder

Method:
Mix all ingredients together except the red chilli powder.  Just before serving, sprinkle the chilli powder on top sparingly.

Baingan Ka Bharta

This is one of my favorite dishes and I really believe I am the only in my whole family who makes it.   This is a really very simple dish and so so flavorsome.  It goes really well with both rice and rotis but I prefer rice with it.

BAINGAN KA BHARTA

INGREDIENTS:

2 Bharta Baingans (big brinjals)

2 tbsp oil

1 bunch spring onion chopped

2-3 tomatoes, chopped

8 flakes of garlic, finely chopped

8 green chillies, finely chopped

2 cm piece of ginger, chopped finely

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

a small bunch of coriander leaves chopped

salt to taste

Method:

• Wash the brinjals and poke them deeply with a fork all over.  Rub them with oil and roast on all sides on a slow fire.  The brinjal is done when you can easily pierce them with a knife.
• Remove from fire and cool.  Peel and mash well.
• Heat oil in a kadai. Add garlic, ginger, and green chillies and fry till garlic turns pink.  Add onions and fry till lightly brown.
• Add tomatoes and cover the dish and cook on low heat till the tomatoes are well cooked.
• Add turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, and the brinjals.
• Continue cooking on a slow fire, stirring constantly, till the whole dish is well blended and almost dry.
• Add the coriander leaves and mix.  Serve hot with either rotis or white rice.

PS:  Ghee makes it all the more delicious!

Palak Paneer

When I was in college, I was very lucky to have great friends and one of my friends was a North Indian who used to make this really amazing aloo paranthas and matar paneer.  Any time I wanted a recipe, I would ask her and she would start listing the ingredients immediately.."2 tamatar lele, 2 chamach adrak...bas itni si haldi..(demonstrating a pinch)..palak ko acche se dho lena" and so on.  I would make her go more slowly and write it down in any notebook which would be available at that time.  I still have torn sheets with recipes scribbled on them and some without a name to them.  This is one such recipe which i had glued to a cardboard and saved.

PALAK PANEER

Ingredients:

2 bunches of palak, washed and chopped
100 g paneer, cubed
1 medium onion, grated
1 medium tomato, deseeded and chopped finely
1 tsp green chilli paste
1 tsp ginger and garlic paste
2 tbsp oil
salt
A dollop of cream (optional)
oil for frying

Method:

• Pressure cook the palak for 2 whistles.  Drain and cool.  Grind to a smooth paste in a mixer.
• Heat oil in a kadai.  Fry the paneer cubes till light brown.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a kadai.  Add the onions and fry till brown.
• Add the green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook till done.
• Add the palak paste, the paneer, and salt as needed.
• Cook for five minutes.
• Serve garnished with a dollop of cream.

MUTHANJAN

Muthanjan is very similar to kheer but is far more richer and creamier.  This dessert is mostly made on Ramzan.  It is usually made a day earlier because it takes a lot of time to prepare and the day of the festival is  mostly for preparing biryani.

MUTHANJAN

Ingredients:
2 liters full cream milk
150 g of basmati rice (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
1/2 tin condensed milk
50 g of plain mawa
Sugar (if needed)
1 tbsp ghee
A few strands of saffron
12 almonds, sliced finely
a handful of rasins
12 unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
A few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

Method:

• Bring milk to a boil.  Add the rice and cook till the rice is completely done.  Keeping stirring continuously.
• Add the condensed milk and crumbled plain mawa and mix well.  Since the condensed milk has sugar in it, you don't have to add sugar, but if you prefer it more sweeter, then you can add it as necessary.
• Add the saffron strands and the food coloring.  By the time, it is completely, cooked, the rice should be broken (but not paste-like) and the whole mixture should be thick and creamy in texture.
• Heat the ghee in a kadai and fry the almond till lightly golden.  
• Add the ghee, the almonds, and raisins to the dish.
• Remove from heat and serve.  You can serve it hot, cold, or at room temperature.  Serve garnished with pistachios.

PS:  You can use the silver waraq to make it look more festive.

Chicken 65

A spicy chicken dish which makes a great accompaniment with tomato rasam and rice.

CHICKEN 65

Ingredients:

400 g boneless chicken cubes
100 g sour curds
2 lemons' juice
1 tbsp corn flour
4 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 red food coloring
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp rice flour
2 sprigs curry leaves
salt
oil

Method:

• Marinate the chicken with the ginger-garlic paste, curd, salt, and turmeric powder for 1 hour.
• Then add all other ingredients to the marinated chicken except the curry leaves.
• Heat oil in a kadai and fry the chicken nuggets till crisp.
• Fry the curry leaves separately till crisp and mix in with the chicken.  Serve hot garnished with the curry leaves and lemon wedges.

Ramzan Specialities:Golden Fried Prawns..My Style!!

Ramzan is just 2 months away and so I thought I would put the recipes for the dishes we make during Ramzan.  This is one of my favorite foods and I make this quite regularly during Ramzan and other times too.  Whenever I make this dish, it brings to mind what my 4-year-old niece said after tasting it..."Maasi, aap to bada mazedaar khana banate hain..mere mooh to paani aata hai".

Ingredients:
1/2 kg prawns (30 nos)
1/2 tsp ajinomoto
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp salt

For the batter:
2 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp maida
1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp chicken kabab masala
1 pinch cooking soda
salt
2 tsp oil

Oil for frying.

Method:

• Marinate the prawns with the ajinomoto, black pepper, ginger-garlic paste, and salt for 30 minutes.
• Make a batter of a pouring consistency with all the said batter ingredients.
• Heat oil in a kadai and lower the flame to medium.
• Dip the prawns in the batter and fry till golden brown in color.
• Serve hot.

Corn Tikkis

CORN TIKKIS

INGREDIENTS:

300 g corn kernels (boiled and mashed)

1 small potato (boiled and mashed)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp tumeric powder

2 tsp rice flour

2 tsp corn flour

15 mL soya sauce

1 tsp oil

salt

oil for frying

METHOD:

• Mix all ingredients together except oil for frying.  Mix well and make fist sized balls and flatten into tikkis.
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan and shallow fry till a nice golden brown.  Serve hot.

Stuffed Mirchi Bajji

A couple of temperamental rains and a few power cuts, the demand for bajjis and pakodas is on...piping hot, spicy, and a huge variety of them.  Sometimes, my cousins drop in at my place on their way home demanding these. This is the first recipe of many more to come.

STUFFED MIRCHI BAJJIS:

INGREDIENTS:

8 Banana chillies
2 medium sized potatoes (boiled and mashed)
2 tsp tamarind pulp
2 green chillies chopped
1/4 tsp amchur powder
salt to taste
Batter:
200 g chickpea flour (besan)
1/4 tsp cooking soda
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp oil
salt
water
Oil for frying

Method:

• Make longitudinal slits in the banana chillies and de-seed them.
• Mix potatoes, tamarind pulp, green chillies, amchur powder, and salt.  Stuff each chilli with this mixture carefully.
• Make a thick batter by mixing together all batter ingredients.
• Heat oil.  Dip each chilli in the batter and fry till golden brown.

Bhindi Kadhi

Bhindi Kadhi

Ingredients:
250 grams okra
250 grams curds
1 tbsp chickpea flour (besan)
1 tsp green chili paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp oil
2 cups of water.
salt
a few sprigs of coriander, chopped

Method:

• Chop bhindi into 1 inch pieces.  Dry roast on the tawa for 10 minutes on low heat.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a thick-bottomed vessel.  Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the okra along with all the dry masalas. Stir well and cook till the okra is cooked.
• In a bowl, whisk, besan, curd, and 2 cups of water till smooth.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil.  Add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida.
• Pour in the curd mixture.  Add the chilli paste and the ginger paste and salt.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Add the okra and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.  Serve with rice or roti.

Pakoda Kadhi

Pakoda Kadhi

Ingredients:
For the Pakoda:
1 cup besan
2 onions grated
4 green chillies, chopped finely
salt
oil

For the kadhi:
1 cup curd
1 tbsp besan
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/4 pinch turmeric powder
salt
1/2 tbsp ghee

Method:
For the pakodas:

• Mix all ingredients together (use a little water if needed) and keep aside for 5 minutes.  Heat oil and drop teaspoonfuls of the batter and fry till golden brown.
• Drain and keep aside.

For the Kadhi:

• Whisk besan, curd, and a cup of water to a smooth pouring consistency.
• Heat ghee in a kadai and add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, and asafoetida.
• When the seeds splutter, pour in the curd mixture.  Add salt and turmeric.  Bring to a boil.  Stir constantly.
• Just before serving, add the pakodas and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Serve hot with plain rice.