Mutton Biriyani

Ingredients:

For Green Mix:
Green Chilly - 6 no.s
Garlic - 7 to 10 no.s
Ginger - 2" length
Fennel Seed - 1/2 t spoon
Coriander leaves - few
The above ingredients should be grounded to make a paste.

For Marinating Mutton:
Mutton/ Goat meat - 500 gm (Wash Mutton well with turmeric and salt before marinating)
Turmeric Powder - 1 t spoon
Meat Masala Powder - 2 table spoon
Green Mix - 1 t spoon
Salt - to taste

For Mutton Masala:
Onion - 3 no.s (Medium)
Tomato - 2 no.s (Medium)
Yogurt - 1 table spoon
Mint Leaves - few
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Garam Masala Powder - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Cooking Oil - 2 tb spoon
Ghee - 1/2 tb spoon

For Rice:
Basmati /Jeera Rice - 2 1/2 Cups
Water - 5 cups
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 2 table spoon
Lemon juice of half lemon

For Garnishing:
Cashew nuts - few
Raisins - few
Onion - 1 small sliced lengthwise
Garam Masala - 1 t spoon
Chopped Coriander leaves - few
Ghee - 1 tb spoon

Preparation:

1. Marinate the chopped mutton pieces with all ingredients specified under For Marinating Mutton and set aside for 1 hour.
2. Heat ghee, oil and add the sliced onions and saute well till translucent.
3. Add Salt and a pinch of turmeric.
4. Add sliced tomatoes and marinated mutton pieces together with remaining Green Mix. Add Yogurt also. Stir well together. Add 1 cup of water. Pressure cook for 8 whistles.
5. Add Mint leaves, Curry leaves and Garam Masala Powder and mix well and keep aside. The mutton masala is ready now.
6. Take a big sauce pan and add ghee. Add the cleaned & dried rice and fry it until the rice become crispy. Add water, salt and lemon juice. Close the pan with a lid and cook.
7. Once the rice is cooked, keep it aside and make a small well in the middle of rice and add prepared mutton masala and cover it with the rice around.
8. Take a small pan and add ghee. Fry cashews, raisins, sliced onions.
9. Garnish the prepared mutton biriyani with cashews, raisins, sliced onions, garam masala powder, coriander leaves.
10. Cover the pan of prepared mutton biriyani with a lid and keep a vessel of hot water on the top of the lid and keep it for dum. Now the Delicious mutton biriyani is ready to eat.

Mushroom Vegetable Rice

This weekend I found lots of leftover vegetables and mushrooms in my fridge and decided to cook something healthy and non-spicy with that. The first thing that came to my mind was vegetable fried rice. But my hubby suggested mushroom vegetable rice, since he is very much fond of crispy vegetables cooked in olive oil. He always prefer coarse black pepper powder, than green chillies and red chilly powder which normally makes the food spicy. I think he got influenced by his Filipino friends who always 'sweat and cry' when they eat dish cooked with red chilly powder or green chillies. But they never have issues with black pepper.

Ingredients:
Jeera Rice - 1 1/2 cup (Basmati rice is a better option)
Mushroom - 1 1/2 cup chopped
Red Cabbage - 1 cup grated
Broccoli Florets - 1 cup
Onion - 2 small chopped
Carrot - 1 no chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Black Pepper Powder - 1 t spoon
Light Soy Sauce - 1 t spoon
Slat - To taste
Olive Oil - 2 table spoon

Preparation:

1. Cook the rice with enough water, salt and few drops of oil. Once cooked drain the water using a colander. Make sure that the rice is not over cooked and sticky.
2. Heat a sauce pan and add olive oil.
3. Add onions and saute well. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt and continue to stir.
4. Add carrots and stir for around 2 minutes.
5. Add chopped mushrooms and stir well.
6. Add pepper powder and mix well.
7. Add broccoli florets and cover the sauce pan with a lid cook over low flame for about 3 minutes.
8. Then add chopped red cabbage mix well and cook for about 1 minute.
9. Add the soy sauce and mix well.
10. Mix the cooked rice with the cooked vegetables.

Delicious mushroom vegetable rice is ready to serve with any kind of salads. It is a very healthy choice.

Coconut Rice

There are different ways of making coconut rice and this is one of the easiest version of making it. My friend Nidhu introduced this wonderful recipe to me. I heard at least 20-30 times, over phone, "Aparna, I feel lazy today. So I will prepare coconut rice for dinner". I should say that it is really contagious and I too got addicted to the same habit - when lazy, just go for coconut rice. It is easy and tasty!!! But, I should really thank her, because now me and my hubby really loves it.

Ingredients:
Jeera Rice or White Rice : 1 1/2 cup
Coconut Milk : 1/2 cup
Water : 2 1/2 cup
Coconut Oil : 1 1/2 table spoon
Green Chilly : 2 nos
Ginger : 1 inch
Curry Leaves : 1 sprig
Coriander Leaves : 2 sprigs
Salt : To taste

Preparation:

1. Wash, clean and dry the rice using a colander.
2. Grind green chilly, ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves and make a paste and keep aside.
3. Turn on the rice cooker and add the oil.
4. Once oil is heated, add the grinded paste and stir well for 5-10 seconds.
5. Add the dried rice and stir well for around 1 minute.
6. Add the water, coconut milk and salt.
7. Close the cooker and start cooking till the rice is cooked.
8. It will take only 10-12 minutes for the rice to be ready.
9. This will be enough to serve 2-3 people.

You can have it with fried items, dry masalas, any varutharacha curry or salads.

Chemmeen Biriyani (Prawns Biriyani)

Chemmeen (prawns) biriyani is one of our favorites and it used to be a common item on the table when we have guests. A draft was lying in my blog for quite long time. Recently my hubby's friend had been complaining that he never got a chance to taste my chemmeen biriyani, while most of the other friends had a lot to say about it. Last weekend, being chinese new year, my hubby stuffed the fridge with some vegetables, chicken, fish and prawns as most of the shops are closed for 2-3 days. What a coincidence, the same friend gave a casual call on chinese new year and my hubby invited him for a lunch the next day and made it possible to publish this post!!!

Ingredients:
For Marinating Prawns:
Red Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - To taste

For Prawns Masala:
Prawns(Chemmeen) - 18 no.s
Onions - 1 1/2 medium (Slice to half length wise)
Tomato - 1 1/2 medium (Chop to fine pieces)
Green Chilly - 2 nos (Split into half)
Ginger - 1 inch (Chop to fine pieces)
Garlic - 3 cloves (Chop to fine pieces)
Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Coriander Powder - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Salt - To taste
Fennel Seeds - 1/8 t spoon
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Oil - 3 table spoon

For Rice:
Jeera rice - 3 cups (Basmati rice is the best option)
Ghee - 1 table spoon
Water - 6 cups
Salt - To taste

For Garnishing
Cashew - 8 nos
Raisin - 8 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1 1/2 inch (Break it into small pieces)
Onion - 1 small (Chopped half lengthwise)
Flower spice - 3
Bay leaf - 3 (Cut into pieces)
Oil - 1 table spoon
Ghee - 1 1/2 table spoon
Cardamom - 3 nos
Coriander Leaves - 3 sprigs

Marination:
Mix salt, turmeric and red chilly powder with very little water. Mix it evenly on the cleaned prawns and keep aside for 15-20 minutes

Preparation:
For Prawns:

1. Heat oil in a deep sauce pan.
2. Add chopped garlic and ginger and saute it.
3. Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute until onions becomes soft.
4. Add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilly powder, fennel seeds and stir for 15-20 seconds.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and stir for another 20-30 seconds till the tomatoes turn tender.
6. Add the marinated prawns and mix well and cover the pan with the lid. Cook over medium flame until prawns are cooked.
7. Once prawns are almost cooked add curry leaves.
8. Prawn masala is now ready. Keep it aside for mixing it later with rice.

For Garnishing:
We will first prepare the garnishing item as we can use the same oil and ghee for frying the rice.

1. Heat cooking oil and ghee in a wok.
2. Add sliced onion and saute it till deep golden brown.
3. Then transfer it to a plate.
4. Add rest of the spices (except coriander leaves) and heat it till fragrant.
5. Transfer these to a plate.

For Rice:
Wash and drain the rice using a colander.
Heat 6 cups of water in a separate bowl and boil it.

1. Add one more table spoon of ghee to the wok after transferring the garnishing items out of the wok.
2. Once heated add the dried rice and fry it till rice becomes firm and starts breaking.
3. Add boiled water, salt and close the lid and cook over low flame.
4. When water is almost over, turn off the flame. But don't open the lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked.

Layering:
For layering we need a vessel big enough to hold rice and prawns. Or you can use the wok itself.

1. Put rice and prawns in alternate layers starting with rice.
2. Add chopped coriander leaves while adding prawns.
3. Garnish with initially prepared spices.
4. Cover the vessel with a well fitting lid (air tight) and heat over low flame for around 1 minute.
5. Keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes.

Prawns biriyani (Chemmeen Biriyani) is now ready to serve. I love it with yogurt & Coriander Chutney.

Ghee Rice with Grilled Chicken Legs (Ney Chor & Kozhikkalu Porichathu) And Awards

Ghee Rice (Ney Chor)

Last week I was in great mood to make something special. Suddenly thought of Ghee Rice and Egg Masala. And my hubby volunteered to make some nice Grilled Chicken Legs which he is always so fond of. He was insisting "Not too much ghee in ghee rice and egg masala should not be too spicy.". He really don't like too much oily and spicy. So I made the ghee rice less oily and the egg masala a bit spciy!!! But my hubby made the grilled chicken super spicy!!! :)

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2 cups (Washed and drained)
Ghee (Ney) - 3 1/2 table spoon
Onion - 1 medium (sliced lengthwise)

Fennel Seeds - 1/4 t spoon

Cashew Nuts - 5 nos
Raisins - 5 nos
Cardamom - 3 nos
Cloves - 5 nos
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch (Break into pieces)
Aniseed (Flower) - 1 no
Water - 3 cups (boiled)
Salt - To taste

Preparation:

1. Heat a deep sauce pan and add 1 1/2 table spoon of ghee. Add cloves, cinnamon, cashew nuts, raisins aniseed and fennel seeds and heat till fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and keep it aside.
2. Add sliced onions to the same pan and saute well till golden brown. Transfer this also to the bowl.
3. Add remaining 2 table spoon ghee to the pan and add the drained rice and fry it till it becomes firm and start breaking.
4. Add 3 cups boiled water and salt to taste and cover it with the lid and cook over low flame.
5. When water is almost over you will see bubbles and holes appearing in rice. At that moment turn off the flame, but don't open the lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked.
6. Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with the fried onion and spices.
7. Delicious neychor is ready to serve with Chicken, mutton, egg or any other varutharacha curries and also with fried items.

My combination with ghee rice was Egg masala and Grilled chicken legs (Given below).

Grilled Chicken Legs

Ingredients:
Chicken Legs : 4 nos
Chilli Powder : 2 t spoon
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 t spoon
Black Pepper Powder : 1 t spoon
Salt - To taste

Preparation:

1. Slit the chicken legs with knife so that it will absorb the masala well.
2. Mix all the above ingredients with very little water and apply uniquely over the chicken legs and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven in fan assisted mode for about 5 minutes at 220 C.
4. Keep the oven rack in 3rd level from below and place the chicken at the center and grill for 35-40 minutes in fan assisted grill mode.

Awards

Many thanks to Cicily Antony, Nithu Bala and Sowmya for presenting me these awards. I feel so excited.

I would like to share these with my following friends.
Priya (Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes)
Rachana (Veggi Fare)
Supriya (My Kook Book)
Nithya (Fourth Sense Samayal!)
Sushma (Authentic Food Delights)
Siddhi (Cooked Dil Se...!!!)
Viki (Viki's Kitchen)

Kushari (Egyptian Special)

Last weekend I thought of preparing a variety dish. Suddenly my Dubai days and Kushari came to my mind. Kushari was introduced to me by my friend Dina, who is from Egypt. A popular tradional dish of Egypt which is simple, healthy, tasty & also rich in protein. Sometimes we used to have this for lunch at office in Dubai. She made me craze for this. I really want my husband to try this too. Dina also gave me tips for cooking Kushari. I  would like to thank her a lot for helping me to prepare this & sharing with you all my friends.

Ingredients:
Rice (White rice)- 1 cup
Macaroni (Elbow Shaped)- 3/4 cup
Green lentils - 1/2 cup
Tomato Paste - 4 full table spoon
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Onion - 2 medium (1 chopped finely, other sliced lengthwise for frying)
Red Pepper Flakes - 1 t spoon
Black Pepper - 1 t spoon (each serve)
Salt - to taste (each serve)
Olive Oil - 2 table spoon for frying onions
Olive oil - 1 table spoon

Preparation:

1. Wash & clean rice well. Cook the rice with 2cups of water. Cook the macaroni with enough water and 1 t spoon of oil & 1/2 t spoon of salt until it becomes soft & tender. Cook the lentils with enough water until it becomes soft. Cook all the three items separately in wide opened vessels. Once cooked, drain the water from each of them and keep it aside.
2. Heat a pan and add 2 table spoon of olive oil. Add sliced onions and fry it well until it turns brown & crispy. Keep it aside in a tissue paper & drain the excess oil from it.
3. Again in the same pan add 1 table spoon of olive oil & add finely chopped garlic, onions and saute well till it becomes tender.
4. Add tomato paste  to it and keep stirring with a wooden spatula.  Add red pepper flakes & salt to it. Mix well. Keep it aside. (If you prefer non spicy, don't add the pepper flakes)
5. Take a bowl & add small portion of cooked lentils, cooked rice & cooked pasta.
6. Layer a spoon full of cooked tomato paste, fried onions, Salt & pepper & serve individually.
7. You can mix it well with a fork & spoon (rice, lentils, pasta , tomato paste,fried onions  salt & pepper) & enjoy the kushari.

Tips:
Instead of macaroni, you can add spaghetti or you can use combo of macaroni & spaghetti. But you have to cook separately.
Instead of tomato paste you can blend tomatoes with little water. You can add vinegar too.

Malabar Kozhi Biriyani (Chicken Biriyani)

Ingredients:
For Marinating Chicken:
Turmeric -1 t spoon
Red chilly - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - To taste

For Chicken Masala:
Chicken - 6-7 big pieces (Preferably leg, thighs or breast)
Onions - 4 medium (Sliced lengthwise)
Tomato - 3 medium (Chopped lengthwise)
Cooking oil - 2 table spoon
Chicken Masala - 2 t spoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Yoghurt - 1 table spoon
Fennel seed - 1/2 t spoon
Garlic - 5 clove
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch
Green Chilly - 3 nos
Cardamom - 3
Mint leaf - 10
Coriander leaf - 1

For Rice:
Rice - 3 cups
Ghee - 1 table spoon
Water - 6 cups

For Garnishing
Cashew - 15
Raisin - 15
Cinnamon stick - 2 inch (Break it into small pieces)
Onion - 1 small (Chop it lengthwise)
Flower spice -3
Bay leaf - 3 (Cut into pieces)
Oil - 1 table spoon
Ghee - 2 table spoon

Marination:
Mix salt, turmeric and red chilly powder with very little water. Apply it evenly on the chicken pieces and keep aside for 15-20 minutes

Preparation:
For Chicken:

1. Grind fennel seed, garlic and ginger in mixer.
2. Heat oil in a deep sauce pan.
3. Add onion and saute until it becomes soft.
4. Add chicken masala and stir well for 15-20 seconds.
5. Add tomato and one t spoon of the paste prepared in step 1 and stir for another 20-30 seconds.
6. Add the marinated chicken and rest of the paste and mix well.
7. Add yoghurt (Or lime juice), mix well and close the lid. Cook over medium flame
8. Once chicken is almost cooked add cardamom, mint leaf, curry leaf and coriander leaf
9. Chicken masala is now ready. Keep it aside for mixing it later with rice.

For Garnishing:
We will first prepare the garnishing item as we can use the same oil and ghee for frying the rice.

1. Heat cooking oil and ghee in a wok
2. Add sliced onion and saute it till deep golden brown
3. Then transfer it to a plate.
4. Add rest of the spices and heat it till fragrant
5. Transfer these to a plate.

For Rice:
Wash and drain the rice using a colander.
Heat 6 cups of water in a separate bowl and boil it.

1. Add one more table spoon of ghee to the wok after transferring the garnishing items out of the wok.
2. Once heated add the dried rice and fry it till rice becomes firm and rigid.
3. Add boiled water, salt and close the lid and cook over low flame.
4. When water is almost over, turn off the flame. But don't open the lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked.

Layering:
For layering we need a vessel big enough to hold rice and chicken. Or you can use the wok itself.

1. Put rice and chicken in alternate layers starting with rice.
2. Add chopped coriander leaves while adding chicken
3. Garnish with initially prepared spices.
4. Cover the vessel with a well fitting lid (air tight) and heat over low flame for around 1 minute.
5. Keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes

Chicken biriyani is now ready to serve. I have just copied out my amma's way of cooking kozhi biriyani except that i didn't any colors. Last weekend i tried this & turned awesome.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:
Basmati rice / Jeera rice - 2 cups
Tomato - 2 medium sliced lengthwise
Onion - 1 medium sliced as for omlette
Green chilly - 2 split length wise
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Chilly Powder - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 strip chopped
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Preparation:

1. Wash rice and allow water to drain. Keep it aside for 20 mins.
2. Heat a deep sauce-pan and add cooking oil.
3. Add sliced onions,green chilly. Add salt & turmeric. Saute it well for 2 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and saute well till it becomes tender.
5. Add chilly powder and mix well.
6. Add rice and stir it well for 2 to 3 mins. Then add 4 cups of water and bring to boil. When it starts boiling, cover the pan with a well fitting lid and cook for 15 to 20 mins.
7. Uncover the lid and transfer to a bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
8. Now its ready to serve for 2 to 4 people.

Peas - Carrot Pulav

Ingredients:
Basmati rice / Jeera rice / White rice - 2 cups
Shelled Green Peas - 3/4 cup
Diced Carrot - 3/4 cup
Whole cloves - 4No.s
Cinnamon stick -1small
Cardamom pods - 3 or 4  bruised
Cumin Seeds - 1 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Ghee - 2 table spoon
Coriander leaves - 1strip

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice and allow to dry. (30 - 40 min)
2. Heat a heavy sauce-pan and melt ghee. Saute cloves, cardamom, cinnamon. Add  cumn seeds.and saute it for a minute
3. Add turmeric & rice and stir it well on medium heat for about 2 to 3minutes.
4. Add salt to taste, peas, carrots & 4 cups hot water and bring to boil.
5. Then cover the sauce-pan with a tight lid. Cook on low flame for about 15 - 20minutes.
6. Once cooked, uncover the lid for steam to escape.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves.
8. Its now ready to serve for 4 to 5 people.