Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
Biryani is the south Asian rice dish made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and meat/vegetables.The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) which means "fried" or "roasted". There are many kinds of biryanis
made from fish, quail, shrimp, deer and hare.
Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most popular version non-vegetarian types, and is savored in all parts of India and forms an integral part of Indian cuisine
Hyderabadi biryani is of two types, the Kacchi (raw) Biryani and the Pakki biryani
Kachchi biryani is prepared with raw meat, which is marinated in curd and then cooked along with the rice by sealing the handi (vessel) with a layer of dough, and is cooked on dum - steaming over coals. This is a challenging process as it requires meticulous attention of time and temperature to avoid over- or under-cooking the meat.
In Pakki biryani, the meat marinating time is shorter, and the meat is cooked before being layered with the rice and cooked in a dough-sealed vessel. In Pakki Yakhni (with cooked gravy), the ingredients are already cooked before baking.
(Compiled from wikipedia)

A biryani is accompanied with Dahi chutney (curd & onions); Mirchi ka salan - a green chili curry or bagare baigan or bagare tamata.
The biryani I have prepared today is of chicken and this goes as my post for RCI event for hyderabadi cuisine hosted by Mona



Ingredients for Biryani
Basmati Rice - 2 pounds
Chicken - 2 pounds (chicken pieces should be medium in size)
Ginger & garlic paste- 2 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Black pepper powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 2 tsp
Curd(thick) 1/2 cup
sour cream 2 cups
Green Masala paste:(either grind these green herbs or finely chop them)
Green chillies - 6
Mint leaves 1 cup
coriander leaves 1 cup
For the boiling water; to cook rice-
Caraway seeds 1 tsp
cinnamon,5 grms
cloves 3 no
cardamom - 7-8 no
Slit green chillies 3
Saffron 5-6 strands soaked in warm milk
Onions 1 pound sliced in circles and deep fried till golden brown in color(I used the ready to use fried onions which we get in Indian grocery.)
Ghee / clarified butter 2 tbps
lemon juice 1/2 cup

Method:
Step1:
Clean and wash the chicken pieces and put it in a strainer so that the water is fully drained and chicken pieces are semi dry.
Add ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, red chilli powder, powdered black pepper turmeric powder, garam masala powder, crushed fried onions,curd and sour cream,I used more of sour cream as it leaves less water while chicken is being baked.cover it and let it marinate for minimum 2 hrs.(I marinated it for 8 hrs)


Marinated chicken for biryani


Step 2:
Clean,wash and soak the rice for at least 1/2 hr.
Take a big pot with 2 liters of water in it add Caraway seeds,cinnamon,cloves,cardamom ,slit green chillies and when the water beings to boil transfer the soaked rice into boiling water.Add salt and let it cook rice till it is 50 percent done.

Boiling water to cook rice for biryani(called "Adhaan " in urdu language)


Be very Careful not to over cook rice.keep on stirring it and checking it.When the rice is cooked drain the rice and keep it aside.


Drained semi cooked rice for biryani(I got this strainer from Ikea,its really good specially for biryani as u can fix its handles on your sink)


Step 3
Take a big baking tray lavishly apply ghee on it, transfer the marinated chicken.


Marinated chicken transfered in a tray


On the top of chicken put the layer of half cooked rice.Finally spread mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onions,soaked saffron,pour ghee,lemon juice on top of rice.

Biryani ready to be baked

Seal it tight with aluminum foil.




step 4
Bake biryani for about 30 mins at 400 degrees and for an hour at 300 degrees.
Finally your hard work is paid off and your delicious biryani is ready.
I served it with bagare Tamata(masala tomato curry,I posted this curry recipe before)



Biryani served on traditional hyderabadi "Dastarkhan"(red cloth spread, on which food is served)


Hyderabadi Biryani served on traditional dastarkhan along with dahi ki chutney,bagare tamata and a sweet dish Badaam ki jaali(Almond patties)

Mango Strawberry Delight

Sweets/ desserts of any kind are my favourite. I can eat them any time but my weighing machine stops me to do so.The dessert I am posting today is one of my favourites,it is the yummiest and most delicious dessert I tasted so far.I bet u will start drooling right while making this yummy dessert.
I recently got this recipe from my colleague and I made this twice in just a week's time.Its quite easy and can be made in a few minutes.
Ingredients:
1 tin of mango pulp(I got it from Indian grocery store)
1 tin of condensed milk
1 box of cool whip
1 can of crushed pineapple
Strawberries
The procedure for making this dessert is quite simple; just mix mango pulp, condensed milk, cool whip, crushed pineapple and put in a tray and whip it lightly, cut strawberries and decorate it on top.
PS. u can also add small pieces of strawberry to the mixture while mixing it.
Refrigerate it for an hour. Serve it cool
Ummm... enjoy it.(Don't think of the calories, u will lose its taste :))

Double ka meetha( Bread pudding)

Bread slices 8
Milk 3/4 cup
Condensed milk 1 cup
Cashews, almonds 1 cup
butter/ ghee
Sugar syrup: Boil three fourth cup sugar in three fourth cup of water with cardamom added to it for 15 minutes. keep it aside
Method: Blend condensed milk with whole milk and keep it aside.
Cut the corners of the bread and make 2 pieces of the bread slice(diagonally) Dry the bread by keeping it under fan.Since its summer now, I kept it for few hours under sun in my balcony.I was told we can even put in oven for few minutes but I personally did not try this option.




Fry bread slices in hot butter/ ghee until golden brown.Arrange the pieces in flat tray, sprinkle chopped nuts on these slices then pour sugar syrup all over.Finally pour the milk and keep it oven uncovered for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.Milk will be completely absorbed by the bread slices.
This sweet dish is ready, u can have it either hot or cool it in fridge before serving.Its definitely yummy and is not for the calorie conscious people:)




Double ka meetha baked and ready to be served

Avocado sandwich

Hi! to all my blog readers.Me back to blogging after a long gap:)though I was not blogging but I was sometimes reading my few favourite blogs and trying some quick recipes.
Today I have come up with the avocado sandwich, a nutritious greeny and tasty sandwich.
Avocado sandwich

Ingredients
8 slices whole-grain bread
8 tsp light mayonnaise
2 medium tomatoes (thinly sliced)
1 cup alfalfa or beans sprouts
250 gms cucumber (peeled and thinly sliced)
2 small avocados (sliced)
120 gms cheese (very thinly sliced or shredded)
4 tsp mustard sauce

Method
Spread on bread slices mayonnaise, mustard sauce, put chopped tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts,avocado and finally cheese to get delicious veggie sandwich.
But I have slightly modified it, I made a chutney(paste) of beans sprouts and
avocado with a pinch of salt and pepper and spread it on bread slices and then added the chopped vegetables and cheese, and believe me it made the sandwich more yummier.

beans gosht(lamb and beans)

Beans ki phalli gosht is the typical hyderabadi name for this dish.The procedure to cook is quite easy and very much similar to cabbage gosht.
Ingredients:
Beans cut finely- 1 lbs
onion small chopped
red chilli powder 2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt
lamb meat 1 lbs
oil 2tbsp
ginger/garlic paste 1 tsp
coriander and green chillies.

Method:
heat oil in a pressure cooker add chopped onions,ginger garlic paste, redchilli powder,turmeric powder lamb enough water(2 cups) and pressure cook till meat it is tender.
when the meat is done add cut beans and fry it(bhunao) add little water(one and half cup)and cook for sometime(6-7 minutes) finally add coriander leaves and green chillies and cook on low flame for next 5 minutes(until all water is evaporated).
beans gosht tastes more good with chappati.

Milad Un Nabi Mubarak!

I wish a very happy Milad Eid to all my blog friends!

Prophet Muhammed(Peace Be Upon Him) was born on 12th of 3rd month of Islamic Calender which happens to be today.He is the last messenger of God and the seal of the prophets.

"Paradise lies at the feet of thy mother" - Prophet Muhammed(P.B.U.H)

"God is Not merciful to him who is Not so to humankind. He who is not kind to God's creation and to his own children,God will not be kind to him.-Prophet Muhammed(P.B.U.H)

Cabbage Gosht (lamb and cabbage)

Iam on my same routine of thinking what to cook for lunch.... and after reading an article about cabbage;:its Consumption is known to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, especially lung, colon, breast, ovarian and bladder cancer and it also has high vitamin C content.I decided to cook cabbage gosht though Iam not a big fan of Cabbage.



Ingredients:
Cabbage(medium size) -shredded
onion small chopped
red chilli power 2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt
lamb meat 1 lbs
oil 2tbsp
ginger/garlic paste 2tsp
coriander and green chillies.

Method:
heat oil in a pressure cooker add chopped onions,ginger garlic paste, redchilli powder,turmeric powder lamb enough water and pressure cook till meat it is tender.
when the meat is done add shredded cabbage and fry it(bhunao) add little water(one cup)and cook for sometime(6-7 minutes) finally add coriander leaves and green chillies and cook on low flame for next 5 minutes
cabbage gosht is ready for serving! It goes best with chappati or in combination of khatti daal and rice.

Shami kabab

Shami Kabab
Shami kabab, the most popular dish of India, I read it in wikipedia that this dish was brought by Moguls to India and Moguls employed some of the finest cooks of the world to serve royal kitchen,some of them were from Syria so the name shami kabab was given to this dish of lamb.(syria is also called as sham in Urdu and Persian languages)
Quite interesting! .. now I have self employed myself in Mammuskitchen (definitely royal!)to make this dish...
Here goes the recipe for this royal dish:

Ingredients:
2 lb lamb/goat/beef boneless meat.
1 cup chana dal(yellow split chickpeas)
5-6 garlic cloves
3 tsp red chilli powder
1/2tsp tumeric powder
salt according to taste
cloves 4
kabab chinni 5-6(dry roast them first);-optional
whole Black pepper 4-6
shazeera(caraway seeds) 1 tsp
cinnamon 1 small stick
bunch of mint leaves, coriander.
green chillies. 4-6
lemon juice 1 tbsp.
garam masala powder: 2tsp( cloves-4+cardamom5-6+cinnamon 2 small sticks+shazeera 2 tsp,grounded to powder)



Method:
Boil or pressure cook meat with all the ingredients except the garam masala powder.
remove from fire. (if u find any gravy cook till all the water evaporates)
let it cool for sometime. Add the garam masala powder, lemon juice and grind the mixture.



Make diamond shaped kababs(or any shape)from the mixture and shallow fry on a non stick pan.


Points to remember:
*Do not put extra water than required for boiling the meat,more water makes the paste too loose and it becomes it difficult to make the diamond shape shamis.
*reduce the spices if u want less spicy.

What I like more about this is dish is that it can be stored for a very long time if refrigerated.
You can remove it from fridge and shallow fry them and they will be as fresh as just cooked.

Tala hua gosht(fried lamb)

My post today would be recipe of tala hua gosht( fried lamb)as asked by my blog friends.
My recipe is simple and you can add variations to this recipe.This dish is on the favourite list of any non veggie hyderabadi. Its just delicious.

Ingredients:
1 lb lamb.
1 small onion chopped.
2 tsp ginger/garlic paste.
2 tsp red chilli powder.
2 tbsp cooking oil.
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
Green Masala.
3-4 green chillies.
few coriander leaves(2-4 strands)
few mint leaves.(2 strands)

method:
Take a pressure cooker put all the ingredients except the green Masala add enough water and pressure cook till the meat is tender.Remove the lid of the pressure cooker cook and stir it for sometime , add little water( just 1/4 cup water) , finely chopped green masala and again cook and fry for sometime.(depending upon the consistency u want of the curry)
remove from fire serve it in a dish and put some lemon juice on it.

Lal gosht(red lamb meat):
You add more red chilli powder and skip the green masala part and fry .
Hara gosht(green lamb meat):
you have to add whole lot of green chillies instead of the red chili powder and more of coriander leaves and mint leaves to lamb before pressure cooking it.
Some people add Garam masala powder in this curry but I don't prefer it.

Tamatay gosht(lamb and tomato curry)

Tomato curry is one of the easiest thing to cook and the first thing that strikes my mind when i scratch my head as what to cook.It goes well the traditional meethi daal(sweet lentil curry) of hyderabad.
Ingredients:
1 lb goat/lamb meat.
2 lb tomatoes.
2 medium sized onions.
2 tsps red chilli powder.
1 tsp ginger garlic paste.
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 green chillies.
2 tbsp oil.
salt to taste
corainder leaves.

method:
In a cooker put oil, meat,chopped tomatoes,green chillies, red chilli powder,tumeric powder, chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, salt and add enough water to pressure cook till meat is tender.
Remove lid and fry(bhunao) it for sometime till the curry is slightly thick add coriander leaves and put it on sim for 5 minutes. tomato gosht is ready to eat!

iam back

Hello !I am back after a very long vacation.By Gods Grace my Haj program was too good.One can find immense peace for one's soul in Mecca and Medina. Its just great!No words can describe the feeling you go through when you are in front of House of Allah. I wish i could go there again. I flew to India too and enjoyed my stay of two months; ate delicious food cooked by mom and gave her a suprise by showing her my blog of recipes. :)

I browsed my favourite blogs and i did find some delicious delicacies out there.I would be back in my cooking track after i cope up with my jet-lag;snow and cold weather here is making me stay more in my quilts than in kitchen.

Haj

Hi to all my blog visitors,I would not be blogging for next few weeks,Iam leaving for Haj pilgrimage.I feel so lucky to have such a beautiful opportunity in my life.I would be one among the lakhs of muslims from throughout the world dressed uniformly, gathered together just for the sake of God.Haj is one of the five pillars of Islam,it demonstrates the solidarity,submission of muslims to God.
May God give me strength to perform my duty perfectly.

Egg Tomato Sandwich

hi! Iam back with a new recipe.
Egg Tomato Sandwich:
Ingredients:
2 Egg.
bread slices
1 small onion(chopped).
1 Tomato chopped finely chopped.
1 cup milk.
oil for frying.
salt to taste.

Method:
Beat egg add finely chopped onion,tomato,milk, one tsp oil,salt and let it cook for sometime,till it becomes thick.
cut bread in triangle shapes fry them in oil till golden brown.
fill the cooked egg mixture and serve as sandwich.

Recipe courtesy: My sweet mom-in- law:)

Hyderabadi Khatti Daal( Daal curry)

"khatti daal" the dish loved by most hyderabadis. Umm it tastes great!Khatti daal and tala-hua Goshth(fried meat)for lunch is just irresistible.The tadaka which we put in khatti daal gives a awesome aroma to the daal,making it more tempting.



Ingredients:
2 cups tuwar daal(yellow lentil).
2 tsp red chilli powder.
1 tsp tumeric powder.
6-7 green chillies
2 tsp`Ginger garlic paste.
2 large tomatoes.
curry leaves
chopped Corainder leaves
tamarind pulp 2tsp (or more according to taste)
For tadaka:
Dried red chillies 4
mustard seeds 1tsp
methi seeds(dried fenugreek seeds) 1/4tsp
kalongi seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 2 tsp
whole garlic cloves 2
oil 2 tbspoon.

Method:
Put daal, redchilli powder,turmeric powder,ginger garlic paste,
cut tomatoes,green chillies, coriander and enough water to pressure cook it for up to 5 to 6 whistles.Remove from fire and blend it.
Add tamarind pulp, coriander leaves,curry leaves and water ;cook for another 10 15 minutes.
Tadaka:
Heat oil in kadai add garlic cloves,dried red chillies,mustard seeds,cumin seeds, kalongi seeds, methi seeds.Put this tadaka in the dal and cover the dal with the lid.Ahah!the exotic aroma of daal can be smelled.

Different types of khatti dal

Kairi ki khatti daal: we can also use raw mango,instead of tamarind pulp in which u need to add chopped raw mangoes to the dal before its being pressure cook.(one medium sized raw mango,its should NOT be sweet).

Kacchi Imli di daal:( Raw green tamarind daal). To make this daal we need to substitute tamarind with raw tamarind pulp. The raw green tamarind must be boiled for sometime to make them soft and then sieve the pulp.Use this pulp instead of tamarind paste, the remaining procedure for kachii imli ki daal is same.

Nimboo ki daal(lemon daal) this is the easiest daal according to me, just use lemon juice instead of tamarind pulp.
And here is the fried meat(tala-hua Goshth) which I made;my husband loves this combination of khatti daal and fried meat.(I will post its recipe sometime later).

Hyderabadi Bagare Baigan(brinjal curry)

Bagare baigan is a typical Hyderabadi dish which goes along with briyani.
Its full of spice and tastes best on the second day of its preparation,so i decided to make it today,for the party which i have tomorrow.

Ingredients:
Brinjal - 1 pound
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
mustard seeds- 1 tsp
kalongi seeds 1 tsp
cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Corainder powder - 2 tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Green Chilli - 2 to 3 chopped
Coriander leaves
curry leaves
tamarind pulp 2 tbsp
Oil - 4-5 tbsp
Grounded Masala:
Coconut powder - 2 tbs
Groundnut powder - 2 tbs
Sesame seeds - 3 tbs
onion 2 medium sized.

method:
step1: Wash and slit brinjals(make 2 diagonal slits on each)put little oil in a
pan add few cumin seeds,few mustard seeds,curry leaves and slit brinjals.
Cover the lid and let it fry for sometime.Remove from fire and keep it
aside.
Step2: Lightly fry(without oil) grated coconut,groundnuts,sesame seeds.
Cut the onions and slightly fry(without oil)them for few minutes..
Mix grated coconut,groundnut,sesame seeds,kalongi seeds and onions.Grind
it to make a fine paste.(u may add little water to make grinding easy).
Mix redchilli powder,tumeric powder,gingergarlic paste in this Masala
paste.

Step 3: heat oil in a vessel add cumin seeds, mustard seeds,curry leaves,when they
begin to sputter add grounded masala paste,and saute it for some time.
Add tamarind pulp, salt and put two glasses of water ;add semi
fried brinjals add Corainder powder,cumin powder,slit green chillies
let it cook for abt 20 mins,.
Remove it from flame when u see the oil settling on top.

Spicy tasty bagare baigan is ready.Its a little time consuming procedure
but u can store it for a week. AND.. u can substitute brinjals with tomatoes to make "bagare tamata" or with thick green chillies to make "mirchi ka salan".Both bagare tamata and mirch ka salan goes well with briyani.

IDLI (steamed rice cake)

I decided to make idlis today,and they turned out to be really soft and fluffy.i feel its the most healthiest food for breakfast.My recipe for idlis goes like this!

Ingredients
1 cup urad dal(split black lentil)
2 3/4 cups idli rava(cream of rice)
1 tbsp yogurt
salt

method:
soak urad dal for 3-4 hrs.Drain the extra water,grind it well with medium tight consistency.Now add the idli rava to the batter.mix well add yogurt and cover it tightly.Wrap a thick cloth around the vessel and keep it in the warmest place of your kitchen.(I placed it in oven)Allow it to ferment for whole night.
The next morning the batter will be double its volume ;if its fermented properly.
Add salt mix well, consistency should be thick and smooth.
Grease the idli plates of idlistand and pour in the batter.Steam it in pressure cooker or steamer.(i used pressure cooker,10 minutes on high flame and 6 minutes on medium flame).
Remove it and serve hot with chutney and sambhar!
Tips for soft cotton like idlis
1) If u add salt before fermentation make it a point to note its not iodized.
iodized salt and chlorinated water interfere with fermentation.
2) u can also add 1 tsp dry yeast for it to ferment well.
3) Adding few grains of soaked fenugreek seeds while grinding will help idlis come soft.

Leek and Potato soup

Leek and potato soup is great for winter; especially after a vigorous walk.
Its simple and very quick to make.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
2 leeks finely chopped
one large potato (cut into cubes)
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar
2 medium sized potatoes
fresh finely chopped garlic
chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and black pepper powder for taste

Method:
heat oil in a pan,add onion,ginger,potatoes,saute it well. add chopped leek and again saute it for 2-3 minutes.Add stock u have(I added the cubes of maggi chicken stock)let it cook for 10 minutes on medium flame, lastly add black pepper powder and dash of lemon juice

Masala baigan (Spicy brinjal)

Brinjals were first cultivated in southern and eastern Asia.Its called "eggplant" in US,Australia and Canada.As a native plant,it is widely used in the SouthIndian cuisine,(sambhar, chutney, curries and achaar).Owing to its versatile nature and wide use in both everyday and festive South Indian food, it is often described (under the name brinjal) as the 'King of Vegetables' in South India.
So here is my recipe of " king of vegetables" i have added some spice to make the king taste great!:)

Ingredients:

1 pound brinjals
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 medium sized onion
2 tsp redchilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chole Masala
Salt to taste.

method:
Cut the brinjals into small pieces.
Heat oil in a vessel add chopped onions,one chopped greenchilli,ginger garlic paste,redchilli powder,tumeric powder,brinjals,salt,cumin powder, coriander powder and chole masala.Mix well and saute it for sometime.
put one glass of water and let it cook until the bringals are soft.
Serve it with hot phulkhas(chapatis)

Mash ki Daal (Urad daal) ( split black lentil)

I can see beautiful colors of fall through my window. The cool greenery I used to see is getting turned into brilliant fiery yellow.It can be said as natures grandest color display.I enjoy the beautiful colors of fall;maple turning bright red, Gingko turning bright yellow..
Leaves,are nature's food factories. Leaves are green because of the pigment, chlorophyll,which helps in the synthesis of plant food(glucose) in the presence of light.As summer ends and the days get shorter and shorter, the trees shut their food factories and try to use the stored glucose, the green chlorophyll from the leaves gradually dwindles and the other pigments present in leaves show up giving them different color... and a beautiful sight to us.....
well I read about the change of color of leaves and shared with u all.And ofcourse I am not going to shut my " food production" and so here is the recipe of " Mash ki Daal" (my mom used to make specially in winter).
Its damn easy and can be prepared in very very less time.



Ingredients:

• mash Daal(black lentil) one cup
• chopped green chillies
• 2-3 dried red chilies
• one small onion
  
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper powder(optional )
• 2 tsp ghee or butter(optional)
• fresh mint leaves
• 2 tsp cooking oil
  
• fried onions.

method:
boil the daal so that it is soft to eat.check it while it is being boiled,so that it is not too soft.it will be boiled in lesser time if its soaked for an hour or two.(u can also put daal in pressure cooker if u have time constraints).
heat oil in a vessel, fry finely cut onion add chopped green chillies, chopped red chilly boiled daal, salt, pepper powder mix well and saute for some time.
lower the flame add ghee; finally garnish with fresh mint leaves and fried onions(fresh home fried onions are best,but i used the readymade fried onions that i bought from the Indian grocery)it can be served with paratha.
u can skip ghee, black pepper if u want it to be light and less spicy




I served it with ambada achar(amranthas curry) which i prepared before.

khadi daal

I decided to post the recipe of the " khadi daal" for my bachelor friends who are away from home for work and just started cooking , to survive :) its simple and can be cooked in few minutes.
It can be made from both " masoor daal "(orange lentil) or moong daal" it goes well with chapathi or rice

Ingredients:
1 Cup masoor daal
1 small onion
1 tbsp cooking oil
3/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
2 red chillies
fresh coriander(optional)
curry leaves
1 cup water.

method:
wash daal and keep it soaked in water. Chop onions and green chillies take a bowl and heat oil and then put chopped onions, green chillies saute till onions are translucent ,reduce the flame add ginger and garlic paste , redchilli powder , tumeric powder, daal(drain it) curry leaves and saute it for 2 minutes add water cover the lid let it cook for sometime. when you see steam coming out of it lid , remove lid add chopped coriander and let it cook on low on flame.
it will cooked in very less time and its easy to cook after a hectic day in office.