Chicken Biryani...

The recipe for the day is Chicken biryani. It is an Indian delicacy where the mildly spiced chicken pieces are layered with herb favoured rice and served with raita.

I got this recipe from one of my colleagues... In the first sight, I was kind of disappointed with the long list of ingredients and numerous steps.. But believe me...its easy to make and definitely worth it...

Ingredients You need :
For marinating Chicken
Chicken - 1 Full
Big onions 3nos (Finely Chopped)
Tomatoes 2nos
Green chillies 20nos
Garlic 6nos
ginger 3cm
3-4 curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Pudina leaves
Corianderpowder - 3tsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Lemon juice -1tsp
Curd - 3tsp
Salt - To taste

For the spices powder
Cardamom
Nutmeg
Cloves
Cinnamon

For Rice
Basmati Rice - 4 cups
Oil - 3 tsp
Ghee - 1tsp
Jeera - a pinch
Water - as reqd
Biriyani masala - 1tsp (optional)

For Layering
Big Onion 1no
Cashes and Raisins - as reqd
Oil -1tsp
Ghee -2 tsp
Pudina leaves
Coriander leaves
Spices powder

PreparationChicken Gravy

• Heat all the spices (Cardamom, Nutmeg ,Cloves, Cinnamon) and grint them into a fine powder for the masala.
• Chop the green chillies, garlic and ginger in a chopper and keep aside
• Take chopped onion, tomatoes, crushed green chillies,garlic and ginger in a big vessel and mix thoroughly. Tomato juice should mix properly.
• Add chicken to this and mix thoroughly.
• To this add coriander powder , turmeric powder, lemon juice and curd and mix.
• Put one spoon of the ground spices powder to the marinade and mix well.
• Keep the marinade aside for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes take some oil in a pan and heat.
• When its hot add the marinated chicken to this and cook on low heat till the chicken is cooked. No need to add water.

Ghee Rice

• Wash rice and keep aside
• In a pan heat oil and ghee
• Add a pinch of ground spices powder and biriyani masala(optional) when oil is heated
• Add pinch of jeera
• Add double the amount of water for the rice to cook.
• Add some salt.
• When water boils, add the washed rice and keep on low flame till the rice is cooked and keep aside.

For Layering

• Slice 2 big onions – very thin
• Add oil in pan and 1 spoon ghee. Fry cashew nuts and raisins and keep aside
• Deep fry the onions in same oil, till it become brown and keep aside(add pinch of salt for taste)

Final Layering

• Preheat the oven to 375 degree
• In an oven safe container, spread a layer of chicken gravy.
• On top of that spread a layer of rice.
• Over that place a layer of deep fried onions, a pinch of spices mix, finely chopped coriander and pudina leaves, fried cashew nuts and raisins over the rice layer
• Pour the chicken gravy and repeat the layering process till all the rice is over.
• Close the container with an aluminium foil and keep in the oven for 30 mts.

Serve the biriyani with raita, pappad and pickle..

I am sending this Biriyani over to Ravishing rice recipes event hosted by Nags and started by Meeta

Check for more Biryani Recipes at Foodista..

Egg Friedrice

Let me start with my first recipe blog... i used to make this fried rice often when i was staying with my roommates. We had a egg eating veggie roommate.. She was leaving back to india and me and my another roomie wanted to surprise her with a good meal..a veggie meal...It was a difficult task for non-vegs like us since for us good meal always included an item of chicken!!
Finally we dig out this recipe from some where and made this for her.. and thankfully we all liked it a lot...


Things you Need:

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Carrots - 1
• Beans - 10 nos
• Green Bell pepper - 1/2 of one
• Egg - 3 or 4
• Soya Sauce - 2 tablespoon
• Garlic minced- 2 cloves ( take 3 if small)
• Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - as taste
• Oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation:

Ideally we should use refrigerated rice for fried rice so that rice wont get sticky. So what i normally do is i cook the rice (as mentioned below) the previous night and keep it in the fridge so that the next day it is ideal for making fried rice. Or if you have some leftover rice u can make fried rice with that ;)

• Boil 4 cups of water in a vessel. When the water boils add the basmati rice.Close it with a lid and allow the rice to cook in a medium-low flame. Switch off once the rice is cooked and there is no water remaining. Make sure that rice doesnt get over cooked. After that spread the rice on a platter to cool it down..or u can keep it in the fridge for some time before making the fried rice.
• Meanwhile you can cut the vegetables and cook them either on stove or using a microwave and keep it ready. If you are too lazy to cut the veggies, you can use the frozen cut vegetables that we get in the supermarkets. Once the rice and the boiled veggies are ready,making fried rice is a matter of max 10 mts.
• Heat a wok. Pour 1 tbl spoon oil in that.
• Once the oil is hot, pour the eggs and make a scramble.
• Add the remaining oil into wok and fry the minced garlic for 10 seconds.
• Now add the refrigerated rice into the wok and mix well with a spatula. Then add the cooked vegetables into this and mix well..
• Now add the remaining ingredients like soya sauce, salt and pepper. Stir everthing well...You can taste the fried rice and add more pepper or salt if you want... Stir for some 3-4 mts more and switch off the flame...

Your yummy yummy fried rice is ready to eat...

Bon appétit