Fish Biryani

Fish Biryani was a favorite when I was growing up. Amma cooked this occasionally on a Sunday morning since her recipe was very elaborate. She made it with Pomfret (also known as "Manji" in Konkani) and it's the best Fish Biryani I've ever tasted. Now that everyone prefers boneless fish, I make it with Tilapia. My recipe isn't as elaborate as Amma's but I like recipes that are simple and easy to cook. Amma made all fresh spices from scratch but I am a big fan of "Shan" masala and use it quite frequently in my cooking. I will try to cook and post Amma's recipe on a lazy Sunday!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless tilapia (about 3-4 fillets)
2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked for 20 mins
2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp ginger, chopped fine
2 tbsp garlic, chopped fine
2-3 green chillies, chopped fine
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
2-3 tbsp yogurt
1 packet Shan Fish Biryani masala
Oil
Salt to taste

How it's made:

Boil 4 quarts of water in a large pot, add salt and basmati rice. Cook rice until 3/4 cooked. Drain water and set rice aside. (Rice can be cooked in rice cooker also).
In a wide heavy bottom pan, heat oil. Fry onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. When light brown, add shan fish biryani masala, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Fry for a minute. Add yogurt. Mix well. Add fish cut into cubes. Stir well once, cover and let it cook for 10 mins. Add the cooked rice on top of fish curry & cover dish with a tight fitting lid and let it cook on simmer for 10-15 mins.

While serving, scoop from top to bottom with rice and fish since fish tends to break very easily. Serve hot with raita.

Serves: 6

Alsande Upkari (Long Green Beans/Yard Long Beans stir fry)

Ingredients:

3 cups alsando, cut into 1"pieces
1 small potato
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 dried red chillies, cut into 4 pieces
salt to taste
1-2 tbsp grated coconut for garnishing(optional)
1 tsp oil

How it's made:

In a "Kayli" or skillet, heat oil. When hot, add mustards seeds. Once it splutters, add red chillies. Fry for a few seconds. Add alsando(long green beans), potato & salt to taste. Cover & cook on medium high heat until vegetable is tender. Garnish with grated coconut. (I didn't use coconut this time since I made this for my toddler nephew). Stir well. Let stand for a minute. Serve hot with plain white rice & dalitoy.

Serves: 2-3

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant curry)

After several trial & errors, I found this recipe to be the best. This recipe source is from a very close friend of mine who is an excellent cook. Although this is not the traditional Baingan Bharta recipe, my family & friends love the taste of how it's made. I try to roast baingan on our charcoal grill every time we use it-  which is quite frequent during summer's :-) The rest of the season, I roast it on my gas burner on medium high heat. Some roast in the oven too- but I had a very bad experience & never went back to oven!

Ingredients:

1 large round bottom eggplant
1 medium onion sliced + 1 small onion, chopped, fried and ground to a paste
1 small tomato, chopped
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
4 green chillies, chopped fine
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp haldi powder (turmeric)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup frozen green peas
Oil
Salt
Coriander leaves

How it's made:

Wash baingan. Coat it with a thin layer of oil and roast. Once roasted on all sides (which takes about 15- 20 mins on gas burner/charcoal grill), set aside & let it rest covered for a few mins. Peel off charred skin & roughly chop into chunks. 
In a pan (I like to use kadai), heat 2 tsp oil. Add jeera. When color changes, add sliced onions & green chillies. Fry until onions are light brown. Add frozen green peas & let it cook for a few mins. Add tomato & salt to taste. Cook for a few mins until tomatoes are mushy. Add eggplant, chilli powder, garam masala & haldi. Cook covered for 8-10 mins. Lastly add ground onion paste and coriander leaves. Mix well. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot with roti.

Serves : 4

Tandoori Chicken

We all love grilled food and spending time in our backyard with family & friends. This summer our grill has been put to use at least once a week! This is a very simple version of tandoori chicken with my favorite store bought Shan masala. I keep this masala handy in my pantry for anytime barbecuing.

Ingredients:

12-14 chicken drumsticks, skinned
1 packet shan tandoori masala
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp meat tenderizer (optional)

How it's made:

Wash chicken drumsticks. Pat dry and poke holes with a fork or slit diagonally.

Mix in shan masala with yogurt and meat tenderizer. Pour marinade over the chicken to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat grill. Place chicken on grill and cook for 15 mins on one side.

Turn and baste as needed. Cook until meat is well done.

I tossed in a few mushrooms which was marinated with the same tandoori masala and a few onion rings. It takes less than 5 mins to get grill marks on them.