Amma's Chicken/Mutton Biryani

This was a "Sunday Special" when we were little. It took Amma (my Mother) almost the whole Sunday morning to cook this very elaborate recipe but I must say, it was the best. Made with freshly ground spices, Amma made it with chicken and very occasionally with mutton. Everytime we appreciated the Biryani, she would always joke around saying, "Recipes with lot of work are always very delicious" and I find it very true especially with this one.

Step 1:


Chicken:
2-3 lb chicken, bone in, cut into medium size pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup yogurt
2-3 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Marinate chicken with the above ingredients and refrigerate overnight.



Step 2:

Rice:
3 cups uncooked basmati rice
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 green cardamom
1 stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf
salt

Wash basmati rice and let it soak for an hour. Boil water in a large pot. Add salt and the above ingredients along with rice. Cook rice until three fourth done. Drain and spread on a large baking sheet. Set aside. (Rice can be cooked in a rice cooker).


Step 3:

Fried Onion:
1 large onion, sliced
oil/ghee (clarified butter)

In oil/ghee, fry onion until golden brown and set aside.


Gravy:
3 onions, sliced
10-15 green chillies (adjust as per preference)
3"ginger
1 small pod garlic
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds
6 cloves
4 green cardamom
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp pepper corns
1 bay leaf
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp  turmeric powder
1 small bunch coriander leaves
1/2 tsp saffron soaked in 1/4 cup milk
1 cup yogurt
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cashewnut, ground to a paste
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
salt to taste
Ghee(clarified butter)/oil


How it's made:
Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies and set aside.
In a coffee grinder or regular blender powder coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel together. Set aside.
In a teaspoon of oil roast cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, pepper corns  and powder together.
Heat oil/ghee in a large open skillet. Add onions, bay leaf and fry until light brown. Add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Fry for a few minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves, mint and tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp salt and fry until mixture is soft.

Add coriander-cumin-fennel powder, roasted spice powder, chilli powder, turmeric, marinated chicken and 1 cup yogurt. Cover and let it cook until chicken is almost done. If chicken is well cooked and you have a lot of gravy, remove chicken pieces onto a plate and reduce gravy on high heat. Transfer chicken back to pan, add cashewnut paste. (It helps in thickening the gravy).

To assemble:
In a baking dish, spread a few ladle full of chicken, followed with rice and fried onions. Continue layering finishing with rice and onions on top. Spoon saffron milk.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 deg F for 20 minutes. Serve hot with raita.

Serves: 8

Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry

Stir fry with any combination of vegetables make a healthy side dish. Tofu can be substituted with meat or shrimp.

Ingredients:

1 lb firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
1/2 cup snow peas
1 cup broccoli florets
8-10 baby carrots or 1 large carrot, sliced diagonally
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 bean sprouts
1 green spring onion, white included, chopped
2 garlic clove, minced
1"ginger, grated
salt
oil

Sauce:
1 cup water/vegetable stock/chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili garlic sauce

How it's made:

Press tofu firmly with a paper towel to drain excess water. Marinate with 1 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp Chinese cooking wine. Set aside for 10 minutes.
In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all ingredients for sauce and shake well.
In a wok or skillet, add oil and toss marinated tofu until light brown. Transfer to a bowl. In the same wok, add green spring onion, garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute. Add snow peas, peppers, broccoli, carrots and bean sprouts. Fry for a minute or two leaving the veggies crisp. Add tofu and sauce. Stir until heated through. Serve immediately.

Serves: 3-4

Note: Soy sauce is high in sodium and adjust salt as per personal preference.

Ghosale Upkari (Ridge Gourd Stir Fry)

Ingredient:

1 medium ridge gourd, skinned & cut into cubes
1/2 tsp sasam (black mustard seeds)
1 dried red chili, cut into 3 pieces
3-4 curry leaves
a pinch of hing
salt to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
oil

How it's made:

In a "Kayli"or skillet, heat oil. Add mustard. When it splutters, add red chilies, curry leaves and hing. Saute for  a few minutes. Add ghosale (ridge gourd) and salt to taste. Cover and let it cook. Add sugar. Serve with rice and dalitoy.

Serves: 2

Ghosale Shira Chutney (Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney)

The first time I tried it, I was hooked on to it. The roasted spices give a very distinctive flavor to this chutney.

Ingredients:

Skin of 1 ridge gourd
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
3 green chillies
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut

How it's made:

Peel ridge gourd. Discard the fibrous outer skin and use that's closest to the white portion. Chop roughly. Set aside.

In a "Kayli", "Kadai" or pan, heat oil. Add jeera and chopped green chillies and fry until color changes. Add hing. Fry for another 30 seconds. Add ridge gourd skin and salt to taste. Fry until it turns soft. Do not add water. Remove from heat and transfer to blender. Add coconut and blend until smooth with very little water. Serve with rice and dal.

Serves: 2