CHICKEN BIRYANI

Chicken biryani made with basmati rice tastes just as good.This is one of my favorite dish since my growing years in Chennai. Learn to cook the best biryani in town from my nanijaan and could not resist sharing it with all.

Serves 3
Preparation 30-40 mins

INGREDIENTS
Basmati rice 2 cup cups or 400gms (wash and soak it for half an hour)
Chicken 500 gms
Onions 2 medium (finely sliced)
Tomato s 2
Coriander leaves chopped ½ cup
Mint leaves ½ cup
Green chili 2-3
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Yoghurt 4tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Oil 3 tbl sp
Ghee 2 tsp
Chili powder 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick 1 inch long
Cloves 2-3
Cardamoms 2-3
Saffron 1 pinch (soaked in water or milk)
Salt to taste

METHOD
STEP 1: Heat oil in pan add cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves .Sauté it for a min.
STEP 2: Add sliced onion fry them till they turn golden.

STEP 3: Add coriander, mint, and green chili sauté for a min .Now add chicken, and ginger garlic paste, mix them well. Cook for 2 mins.

STEP 4: Add tomatoes, yoghurt, chili powder, lemon juice and salt. Mix them very well. Cover the lid for 3-4 mins.Now add water, as required and cook them until the chicken is done and oil starts separating from the whole mixture.( Do not overcook the chicken by adding excess water as it can shred the chicken ).

STEP 5: Take a large, deep dish (it must have its own cover and the dish capacity must be of 1 kg).Add ¾ portion of water, bring to boil and add the soaked basmati rice, salt and 1 tsp of oil. When the rice is 3/4 cooked, strain the rice and keep aside. (Make sure it’s only 3/4 cooked, don’t overcook it)
STEP 6: Now add the cooked rice on top of the chicken masala mix them gently. Finally pour the saffron water on top of it.
STEP 7: Cover the lid lightly. Cook on a very low heat flame for 5- 7 mins. Now turn off the heat and remove the vessel. Garnish with coriander leaves or you can use fried onions. Serve hot with any raita of your choice.

SPICY SHRIMP BIRYANI

 

Shrimp biryani,this is another exotic briyani for sea food lovers. Shrimp/Prawn Biryani is a traditional Indian rice based dish prepared with aromatic spices, saffron and basmati rice.  This particular variation of biryani brings out the tender and delicate flavor of shrimp. Biryani recipe looks damn complicated but it is quite easy to make. It's the yummiest of all biriyani.Lets proceed with our recipe.

Preparation time 20 mins

Cooking time 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

SHRIMPS OR PRAWANS 400 GMS(shrimp, peeled, raw, de-shelled & de-veined)

Basmati rice 2 cups or 400gms  (wash and soak it for half an hour)

Oil 3 tbl sp

Ghee 2 tsp

Onions 2 medium sized (finely sliced)

Tomato 2 medium (diced)

Ginger garlic paste 2 ½  tsp

Coriander leaves ½ cup (washed and chopped)

Mint leaves ½ cup(washed and chopped)

Green chili 3

Lemon juice 2 tsp

Yoghurt 4 t sp

Chili powder 1 tsp

Turmeric ½ tsp

Cinnamon stick 1 inch long

Cardamoms 2-3

Cloves 2-3

Saffron 1 pinch soaked in ½ small cup of milk (optional)

Salt to taste

METHOD

STEP 1: Heat oil in pan add cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves .Sauté it for a min.

STEP 2: Add sliced onion fry them till they turn golden. 

STEP 3: Add coriander, mint, and green chili sauté for a min .Now add shrimps, turmeric and ginger garlic paste, mix them well. Stir it for some time.

STEP 4: After the raw smell goes off add tomatoes, yoghurt, chili powder, lemon juice and salt. Mix them very well. Cover the lid for 3-4 mins.Now add water as required and cook them until the shrimps are done and oil starts separating from the whole mixture. Do not overcook as the prawns will get rubbery in texture.

STEP 5: Take a large, deep dish  (it MUST have its own cover and the dish  capacity must be of 1 kg).Add ¾ portion of water .Set on the stove for boiling. When water starts boiling add the soaked basmati rice, salt and 1 tsp of oil. When the rice is 3/4 cooked, strain the rice and keep aside.

STEP 6: Now add the cooked rice over the shrimps masala . Mix them roughly. Pour the saffron soaked milk over the rice. Cover the lid lightly. Cook on a very low heat flame for 5- 7 mins. Your shrimp saffron biryani is ready to serve.

VEGTABLE BIRIYANI

Vegetable Biryani is a rich and exotic rice dish with Indian spices and  vegetables. Full of fresh Indian flavors, it is quick and easy to make. This recipe is my all time favorites. It is healthy for kids as it is rich in carbohydrates and of course we add lot of veggies to it. I personally think this dish is one of the way to give lot of veggies to kids. So let’s get on with our recipe.

Preparation time 20 mins

Cooking time 45 mins

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice 250 gms
Onions 1 large (finely sliced) 
Tomato 1(diced)
Coriander leaves ½ cup
Mint leaves ½ cup
Yoghurt 4 tspn
Green chili 2
Ginger garlic paste 1 ½ t spn
Chili powder 1tsp
Cinnamon stick I inch long
Cloves 2-3
Cardamoms 2
Saffron 1 pinch
Lemon juice 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Vegetables :
Carrot ¾ cup (inch pieces)
Beans ½ cup(inch pieces)
Potato 1
Peas  ½ cup
Cabbage ½ cup

METHOD

For the gravy:

STEP 1: Chop all the veggies and keep aside. Slice the onions as fine as possible.
STEP 2: Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom,  fry them for a min. Add sliced onions fry them until they turn golden.

STEP 3: Now add coriander, chilis, mint leaves, salt, ginger garlic paste, and over it add the washed veggies stir all of them together. Cook for 2-3 mins.
STEP 4: Add tomato, yoghurt and chili powder. Stir them for 2-3 mins.
STEP 5: Add 1 glass of water, cover the lid, cook until the veggies are done.(do not make the gravy too dry)
STEP 6: Finally add 1 tspn of lemon juice and set aside.

Rice:

STEP 1: Take large container of ½ kg capacity. Add ¾ portion of water and set it for boiling.
STEP 2: When the water starts boiling add the soaked basmati rice and salt. When the rice is half cooked, strain the water. Add this half cooked rice to the gravy, pour the saffron water and mix the gravy with rice very well. Cover the lid tightly and leave it on a low flame for 5-10 mins.
Garnish it with fried onions and coriander leaves. Your vegetable biryani is ready to serve.

MUTTON DUM BIRIYANI

BIRYANI is a rice-based dish made with spices and chicken, mutton, fish, eggs or vegetables. The reason it is called dum biryani, because it is cooked on low heat (dum) to get all flavors out from the herbs and mix them in meat and rice.

Preparation time: 3 hours

Cooking time: 45 mins

Serves: 3 

INGREDIENTS 

• Basmati Rice 500 gms 
• Mutton 500 gm
• Onions 3 med size ( sliced )
• Yoghurt 1 cup 
• Oil 1 cup (small)
• Ghee  1tbl spn
• Mint leaves ½ cup(only leaves)
• Coriander leaves ½ cup
• Ginger and garlic paste 2 tbl spn
• Green chili 3-4 (silted)
• Chili powder 1 tsp
• Lemon 1
• Shahi zeera ½ tsp
• Garam masala powder 1 tsp
• Whole gram masala(1 inch stick of cinnamon , 3 cardomons, 4 cloves )
• Raw papaya paste 2 tsp
• Saffron 1pinch (soaked in ½ cup milk or water)
• Salt to taste 

 METHOD

STEP 1: Heat oil in pan (kadai) fry onions until golden remove them in a tissue paper and freeze them for a while so that they become crispy.

STEP 2: Wash the mutton, add ginger garlic paste, salt and 1 lemon juice.

STEP 3: Now add yoghurt, chili powder, coriander, mint, green chili, garam masala, raw papaya paste and crushed fried onions. Mix all of them.

STEP 4: Add the oil used for frying the onions and let it marinate for 2 hours.

STEP 5: Now take 1 kg capacity vessel, add 3/4 portion of water add whole garam masala , shahi zeera and 1 tsp oil. Keep it for boiling.

STEP 6: On the other side, place the marinated  mutton on stove at a low flame only for10 until the oil from the mutton separates.

STEP 7: Coming back to the rice once the water is boiled, add the soaked rice to it. Cook until the rice is half way done.

STEP 8: Now strain the rice and add it over the mutton. Do not mix it .

STEP 9: Place the mutton and rice vessel over a thick tava or plate on a low flame. Cover it very well. Do not let the steam escape.

SETP 10: Pour the saffron milk over the rice. Cover it again. Leave it for 10 to 15 mins.

STEP 11: Garnish it with fried onions, coriander and serve it with cucumber raita.

 Dum Biriyani is ready to serve...