Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Biryani - My way



Hummm... I had promised to keep coming back to writing but it did not happen. I am writing after some break; but at least I am back. :-) My first blog was a bit heavy. I want to keep this one a bit light.

Let me spill out some of my secrets. I love food. I love to make good dishes and always am ready to try out new things. I do not get to cook during working days - my wife takes control of the kitchen and I get to be the king of kitchen over the weekend.

I made Vegetable Biryani over the weekend. The result was awesome! That is why I decided to write about it. :-) I hear you ask what is the big deal about it. Well, the big deal is I made this Biryani for the first time after beginning of 2006. Now, you are thinking that so much of love for Biryani that I came back to making it after almost three years. Well, I have my reasons. My wife had issue with spicy flavour - specially the "Garam Masala" flavour during pre and post preggy time. As I was in India, it was easy to eat Biryani out with colleagues and friends. That way she was happy that we did not have to make it and I was happy as I got to eat it! Anyways, now the story is different and we are back to making everything again. I was kinda craving for it.

O.K. - enough of background. Let's concentrate on making the "Birayani". I will write my recipe here and if you like it let me know. Alternatively, I am happy to have more suggestions. My recipe is from one of the recipe books - but I have tailored it the way it suits me. The listed ingredients will serve four to five people.

I rely on Red Gravy for making Biryani. So let's first look at Red Gravy recipe.

Red Gravy Ingredients:
  • 20 gram Ginger
  • 5 Red Kashmiri Chillies
  • 3-5 Garlic cloves
  • 3 Small pieces of cinnamon
  • 3-5 Small cardamom
  • 3 Cloves
  • 2 Tea spoon garam masala
  • 1 Tea spoon dhana-jeera
  • 0.25 Tea spoon turmeric
  • 50 grams Butter
  • 100 grams Tomato puree
  • 3 Onions (medium size)
  • 1 Red capsicum
  • Salt according to taste
  • Oil (up to two table spoon)
Red Gravy Procedure:
  • Make paste out of ginger, chillies, garlic, cinnamon, cardamon and cloves.
  • Heat some oil (around one to two table spoon).
  • Once the oil is hot, add the paste suggested in steps above. Let it cook for three to five minutes.
  • Add onion and & capsicum paste and tomato puree to the stuff that is already being cooked.
  • Add the remaining spices and let it cook for around ten minutes.
  • Add butter and salt and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
Biryani Ingredients:
  • Two cup rice
  • 50 grams Cauliflower
  • 50 grams French beans
  • 50 grams Peas
  • 50 grams Corn kernels
  • 50 grams Cabbage
  • 50 grams Carrot
  • One Green capsicum
  • Cashew
  • Almond
  • Peanuts
  • Coriander
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp Red chili powder
  • Salt according to taste
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp ghee / oil
Biryani Procedure:
  • Chop all vegetables. Chop vegetables like beans, carrot, cabbage and capsicum long of the same size.
  • Once vegetables are chopped, start boiling them. Make sure they are cooked but not over cooked so that they do not get mashed up.
  • Once the vegetables are done, drain the water and add the vegetables to the red gravy. Cook the vegetables for a couple of minutes with the red gravy.
  • While vegetables are getting done, put the rice for cooking.
  • Wash rice thoroughly. Add garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, salt, lemon and ghee to rice. Put only 80% of required water and keep rice for cooking in microwave for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes stir rice and check if it is nearly done or not. If it is not done then let it cook for couple of minutes.
  • This way the rice would be nearly done and would not be sticky.
  • Now take a bowl. Make around four layers of rice and vegetables alternately with vegetables on the top.
  • Put this layered stuff for cooking in microwave for 3 minutes so that rice is cooked completely.
  • Decorate Biryani with cashew, almond peanuts and coriander.
I have eaten Biryani at different places and Biryani with this recipe turned out to be one of the best ones. You reached here because you are interested in recipe. So try out this recipe and let me know.

1 comment:

Praveen said...

looks yummm...will definitely try this one....at your place ;-)