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.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH HOT PERI -PERI SAUCE

 Grilled chicken with peri peri sauce is a spicy dish. It easy-to-follow Grilled Chicken with Peri Peri sauce recipe. First we grill the chicken on a bbq/charcoal grill (or under the broiler grill of your oven) then Coat them generously with the peri-peri sauce of your choice, over the chicken... The chicken needs to marinate for at least four hours before being grilled.

Preparation time 20 mins

Marinate 4-12 hours

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

Chicken 250g (leg piece)

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Red chili powder 1 tsp

Hung curd 1 tsp

Lemon juice 2tsp

Salt to taste

Peri-peri sauce 2tbl sp

Butter or oil 1tsp

Sliced bell peppers for garnishing

METHOD

STEP 1: Remove skin from chicken pieces, and cut slits into them lengthwise. Place in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and lemon juice. Set aside 20 minutes.

STEP 2: Take a small bowl combine yogurt, ginger garlic paste, butter salt and chili powder. Mix until smooth. Spread yogurt mixture over chicken. Cover, and refrigerate for 4-16 hours.

STEP 3: Preheat a grill to medium-high. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place on the hot grill and cook for 10 to 14minutes on the first side. Turn, baste as needed, and cook on the second side for 10 to 14 minutes. Cook till the chicken is browned on all sides and tender.

STEP 4: Remove from grill and put the chicken in a plate. Pour hot peri peri sauce over it. Garnish it with sliced bell peppers.

PANEER WRAP (sandwich wrap)

A wrap is a type of sandwich made with a soft flatbread rolled around a filling. The usual flatbreads are wheat-flour tortillas, lavash, pita or Indian roti (phulka) ; the filling usually consists of sliced meat, poultry, but we are using paneer and bell peppers. This is a simple, easy and a very tasty Indian wrap.

Preparation time 15 mins

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

Tortilla sheets 2 (u can use roti)

Paneer cubes 1 cup

Red capsicum 1 tbl sp

Yellow capsicum 1 tbl sp

Onion ½ sliced

Tomato 1

Tomato sauce 1 tsp

Red chili powder ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Cheese spread 2tsp

Oil 1 tbl sp

METHOD

STEP 1: Heat oil in a pan add sliced onions, fry them until they turn golden.

STEP 2: Add diced tomato, chili powder, tomato sauce and salt, mix them well. Cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.

STEP 3: Add diced capsicums and paneer cubes. Add some water; cook them on a medium flame for 3-4 

mins, while stirring occasionally. Your mixture is ready, set aside.

STEP 4: Place a tortilla on a clean dry surface, spread 1 tsp of cheese and arrange a portion of paneer mixture in the centre of the roti  and roll it up tightly.

STEP 5: Now place the wrap on toaster, and toast it for a min or you can toast it on a frying pan until slightly golden. The paneer wrap is ready to eat.

ZAFRANI CHAWAL (SAFFRON RICE)

Saffron rice is a dish made from saffron, white rice. Saffron rice is found in the cuisines of many countries. Saffron rice makes dinner extra special, and is nearly as easy to make as regular rice. So let’s start with our recipe.

Preparation time 10-15 mins

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice 1 1/2 cup (wash and soak for half an hour)

Oil 1 tsp

Ghee 1 tsp

Onion ½ medium sizes (finely sliced)

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Mint leaves 7-8

Green chili 2

Cinnamon stick 1 inch long

Saffron 1 pinch (soaked in 2tbl sp water)

Salt to taste

METHOD

STEP 1: Heat oil and ghee in a pan (kadia), add cinnamon stick. Let it splutter

STEP 2: Add sliced onions, fry them until they turn golden. Now add ginger garlic paste, mint leaves, salt and chili. Mix them all; stir them until the raw smell goes.

STEP 3: Add water to the mixture (3 cup of water)

STEP 4: Now you should put in the soaked  rice and mix well. . To this add the soaked saffron and mix nicely.

STEP 5: Cover the pan now and cook till rice is done nicely but remember that each grain of rice should be separate and not mashed.

STEP 6: Garnish with fresh coriander.

KADDU KI KHEER(BOTTLE GOURD DESSERT)

Kaddu Ki Kheer is a traditional Indian sweet .Kaddu ki kheer is a simple recipe made with grated bottle gourd, ghee, cardamoms and few other ingredients. Lets move on with our traditional kaddu ki kheer recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Milk 500 ml

Roughly grinded rice 2 tsp

Ghee 2 tbl sp

Cardamoms 2-3

Sugar 3tbl sp (add more if needed)

Bottle gourd grated 1cup

Saffron 1 pinch

METHOD

STEP 1: Grind the basmati rice roughly then wash it and soak for ½ an hour

STEP 2: Heat ghee in a pan, add crushed cardamoms. Saute for few seconds.

STEP 3: Add milk to the ghee and let it boil.

STEP 4: Now add the rice to it and let it cook well.

STEP 5: Add the grated bottle gourd (do not use the center portion of the bottle gourd)let it cook for few minutes.

STEP 6: After the kaddu and rice if well cooked, add sugar and some saffron strings to it .Stir it well and turn of the flame. Set aside in a room temperature, after sometime refrigerate it and before serving garnish it with roasted almonds and saffron strings.