Chicken Biryani

When I lived in Mangalore, I remember eating Chicken Biryani from a Restaurant called ‘Royal Darbar’ on every special occasion. I have never eaten biryani like that anywhere else. I’ve spent years to replicate a biryani like that and have managed to come pretty close. Chicken Biryani is done using various methods; this is my way of doing it. This is the best you can do at home with minimum complications. Well, this is the least I could do to make it less complicated. I bet this has turned out to be the lengthiest recipe I’ve ever posted. But that’s how Biryani is. I guess that’s the reason why it is cooked only on special occasions. So here’s the recipe for Chicken Biryani.

Ingredients for the Marinade:

• 1 kg. Chicken cut into pieces
• 4 Green Chilies
• ½ cup chopped Coriander Leaves
• ½ cup chopped Mint Leaves
• 2 inch Ginger Piece
• 5 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 cup Yogurt
• Salt to Taste
• ½ tbsp. Garam Masala Powder
• ½ tbsp. Coriander Powder
• ½ tsp. Red Chili Powder
• ½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
• ½ tbsp. Saffron Essence
• 3 pods of Green Cardamom
• 1 stick of Cinnamon
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 pieces of Mace
• 2 Onions sliced and deep fried till Brown
• 1 tbsp. Ghee or Clarified Butter

Method:

• Take the Green Chilies, Coriander Leaves, Mint Leaves, Ginger and Garlic and blend into a fine paste.
• Take a large nonstick Pot. (The marinating has to done in the same vessel in which you will cook later).
• Add the Paste Mixture, Chicken, and all the other Ingredients except the Fried Onions and allow it to marinate for at least half an hour.
• After half an hour, add the Fried Onions and mix well.
• Now Place the pot on the stove and cook the Chicken on low heat with the lid on until the chicken is 80% cooked. (Make sure you cook the chicken without lid for 2 minutes on High Flame. This will help to dry out the excess gravy).

Meanwhile prepare the Rice to make the Biryani.

Ingredients for the Biryani Rice:

• 2 cups of uncooked long Grain Basmati Rice.
• 1 tbsp. Salt
• 10 cups Water
• A small Piece of Muslin Cloth
• 2 sticks of Cinnamon
• 5 Pods of green Cardamom
• 4 Cloves
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 tbsp. Rose Water
• 1 tsp. Saffron Essence
• 1 tsp. Saffron
• 2 tbsp. Clarified Butter (Ghee)
• 3-4 drops of Yellow Food Color

Method:

• Wash the Basmati Rice and keep aside.
• Place the Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves and Star Anise in the Muslin Cloth and Tie it into a Knot. (This is the Spice Bag).
• Add the water into a large non-stick Pot along with the Salt and the Spice Bag.
• Bring the water to a boil and then add the Rice.
• Cook the Rice until it’s 80% done.
• Use a large sieve or a colander and drain water from the rice.
• Once all the water is drained, transfer the rice into a Large Bowl and Add the Rose water, Saffron Essence and Clarified Butter and mix gently using your hand. (Be very gentle, not break the strands of rice while mixing. Also if possible use gloves as the rice would be still hot and you will also have to mix the food color).
• Now add the food color and again, mix gently. Make sure you don’t coat all the rice with the color. Allow some of the Rice to remain white. (You can skip the food color part; it’s just to add that extra color).
• Take the saffron in a small cup and add about 4 tbsps. of hot water. (This will help the saffron release it’s color and aroma. We will be using this saffron water after the final layering.

Final Layering:

• The chicken should be 80% cooked by now. Layer the Rice on top of the Chicken.
• Spread the Rice evenly and then pour the Saffron Water on top along with the strands of Saffron. If you have some bits of the fried onions left, garnish the top with it.
• Cover the Pot with a tin foil and then put on the lid. This will allow all the steam to remain inside.
• Now place a flat pan below the Pot and cook on low flame for 15-18 minutes.
• Chicken Biryani done! (While you serve the biryani, make sure you don’t mix the rice with the chicken, Dig deep and grab some chicken and then serve some rice from the top).

Mocha Walnut Fudge

If you are a chocoholic like me, and would like to treat yourself with chocolate every now and then, this is one of the simplest chocolate recipes. All you have to do is melt the chocolate with the other ingredients in the microwave, mix the coffee and walnuts and it’s ready to go in the fridge. I have photographed the fudge using bigger pieces, but I always make sure I cut the fudge and make it into tiny bits because I end up eating a lot when they are cut into larger pieces. The best part about this recipe is it hardly takes 10 minutes to get it all done. The only time consuming part is the wait for the fudge to set. So if you want a nice treat done in under 10 minutes, go ahead and check out the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms. Dark Sweetened Chocolate
• 1 cup Condensed Milk
• 1 tbsp. Butter
• 1 tsp. of Cornflour Mixed in 2 tsp. water
• 2 tsp. Instant Coffee Powder
• ½ cup chopped Walnuts
• ¼ cup Chopped Walnuts for garnish

Method:

• Add the Dark Sweetened Chocolate, Condensed Milk, Cornflour Mix and Butter in a microwavable bowl and microwave it on high for 2- 3 minutes.
• Take it out and mix well and see that it’s totally smooth.
• Add the Instant Coffee Powder and Chopped Walnuts and mix well.
• Make sure you mix everything quickly and the chocolate mixture is still hot.
• Layer a square baking tin with butter Paper and then pour the Chocolate fudge mixture. Sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts on top.
• Allow the fudge to cool down and then keep the tin in the fridge. The fudge will be set in 2-3 hours.
• Once it’s set, get the fudge out of the baking tin and cut it into square pieces.

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken originated in Delhi and has made it’s way all over the world. There are so many versions of Butter Chicken you can find these days. I used the Griller to Grill my Chicken, but you could also cook them on a non-stick pan or use the oven. You can make the milder version just by adjusting the amount of Red Chili Powder and Garam Masala Powder and increasing the amount of fresh cream. Also, if you want the gravy even thicker, just add a tbsp. of Cashew Paste. It will improve the thickness and make the gravy richer. This is how I usually make Butter Chicken.

Ingredients for the Marinade:

• 500 gms Boneless Chicken cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp. Hung Curd
• 1 tsp. Garam Masala Powder
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
• Juice of Half a lime.
• 1 tsp. Oil
• Salt for seasoning

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside for half an hour.
• Grill the chicken in a griller until it is cooked.
• Keep the grilled chicken aside.

Ingredients for the Gravy:

• 3 tbsp. Butter
• 4 pods Green Cardamom
• 8 medium tomatoes pureed and passed through a sieve
• 1/2 tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 ½ tbsp. Sugar
• Salt for Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala Powder
• 1 tsp. Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp. Dried Fenugreek leaves Powder (Kasuri Methi Powder)
• ¼ cup Fresh Cream

Method:

• Melt the Butter in a Pan.
• Add the Green Cardamom pods and wait for half a minute.
• Add the Ginger Garlic Paste and sauté for half a minute.
• Now add the Tomato Puree.
• Add in the Sugar, Salt, Red Chili Powder and Garam Masala Powder.
• Turn the heat to low and cover and cook for 12-14 minutes.
• Now add the Grilled Chicken, Fresh Cream and Dried Fenugreek leaves Powder, mix gently and then cover and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Transfer the Butter Chicken into a serving bowl and drizzle some fresh cream on top.

Cheese Corn Garlic Bread

Seven years back when my husband and I were seeing each other, I remember watching loads of movies and eating pizzas. We love pizzas and back then; we had only had a choice between Pizza Hut and Dominos. We used to go to Pizza Hut because it was close to the multiplex and then order our Pizza. We always ordered the cheesy Garlic bread to eat before our pizza arrived and kept talking to each other. Today, after 7 years since we don’t have a Pizza Hut in town, I make that cheesy Garlic bread at home.  Little things like this makes me think about how a tiny seed of love was sowed back then and how it has grown into a huge tree today. So here’s the simple recipe for the Cheese Corn Garlic Bread. For Love!

Ingredients:

• 8 Slices of French Loaf
• 3 tbsp. Salted Butter
• 1 tsp. dried Oregano
• 3 cloves finely chopped Garlic
• ½ cup Blanched Corn
• 1 Green Chili deseeded and sliced
• 1 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese

Method:

• Pre-heat the Oven at 220°C.
• Take the butter in a small mixing bowl.
• Add Oregano and chopped Garlic and mix well.
• Spread the Garlic butter on one side on the French loaf slices.
• Place them on a Baking tray and bake for 3-4 minutes.
• Get it out, place the corn on top of each slice and also the green chili.
• Now sprinkle generous amount of mozzarella cheese on top.
• Bake for another 2 minute or until the cheese melts.

Dum Aloo

Dum Aloo is a North Indian, Kashmiri Dish. ‘Aloo’ refers to Potato and the recipe calls for cooking on low heat for a long time with the lid on. This helps all the aroma get captured inside and once it’s done and you open the lid, the fragrance is just blissful. The spice blend is also quite different and therefore I’ve included the recipe for the masala powder as well. My husband usually doesn’t eat Potatoes except for French Fries. But the flavor in this particular dish is so amazing that he ended up eating it. He also promised that he would eat potatoes anytime if it were so flavorful. So here’s the recipe for Dum Aloo.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 peeled and boiled Baby Potatoes
• 1/3 cup finely chopped Onions
• 1 tbsp. Fennel Seeds
• 1 tbsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp. Coriander Seeds
• 5 pods of Green Cardamom
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• ½ tsp. Garam Masala Powder
• ¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder
• Salt to Taste
• 1 tbsp. Sugar
• 1½ cup Yogurt
• 1 tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 tbsp. Clarified Butter (Ghee)
• 1 tbsp. Oil
• Chopped Coriander Leaves for Garnish

Method:

• Heat Oil in a Pan.
• Add the Potatoes and keep tossing them until they are golden brown. (Note: While you boil the potatoes, Peel them before hand and pierce them with a fork all around. This will help them get the flavor from the Masala).
• Once the Potatoes are Golden Brown, keep them aside.
• Now in a clean pan, dry roast the Cumin Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Coriander Seeds and Green Cardamom. Make sure you don’t burn them. You’ll know it’s done once they start releasing the aroma.
• Grind all of them into a fine powder and keep aside. (That’s the Masala Powder).
• Take the yogurt in a bowl and add the ginger garlic paste and mix well. Then, pass the mixture through a sieve.
• Add the Clarified Butter (Ghee) in a deep Pan.
• Add the Onions and cook until they turn golden brown.
• Lower the heat and add Red Chili Powder, Turmeric, Garam Masala Powder, Salt, Sugar and the Masala Power mix you just made.
• Mix well and then add the Yogurt mixture, cover and cook on medium high for a minute and then add the Potatoes.
• Now Place a flat pan under the pan in which you are cooking and cook 2 minutes on high heat and on medium low for 15 minutes. ( Keep the lid in throughout).
• Transfer the Dum Aloo into a serving Bowl and Garnish it with Chopped Coriander Leaves.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn’t like a nice bite of chewy chocolaty treat? I love love loveee Chocolates and I super love cookies. The two put together, how better could it get? I made around 12 cookies and they are all gone! None left! This is something I find so difficult to share. Remember you are taught to share everything when you were a kid? Not a Double Chocolate Chip Cookie! A cookie like this makes you wanna ditch your diet. When you have them in front of you staring, you just can’t stop yourself. So beware of the little monsters and bake at your own risk!!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup softened Butter
• 1 cup powered Sugar
• A pinch of Salt
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Essence
• 1 Egg
• 1½ cup All Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• ¾ cup Chocolate Chips

Method:

• Pre-heat the Oven at 185°C
• Take a mixing bowl and add the Sugar and Butter and mix well using an Electric Beater.
• Once the sugar mixes well with the butter, add the Vanilla Essence, Egg, Flour, Cocoa Powder, Baking Powder and Salt and beat again, until everything mixes well.
• Then add the Chocolate Chips and fold it in with a Spatula.
• Cover the Baking tray with a Baking Mat or Butter Paper.
• Now take a small Ice-cream Scooper and scoop some of the Cookie mixture and lay it on the baking mat.
• Make sure you place each scoop at least 2 inches away from each other.
• Put the tray in the oven and bake at 185°C for 12-14 minutes.
• Place the Cookies in a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Kadai Paneer

Kadai Paneer is a very interesting dish. Unlike other curries where the Masala is ground into a fine paste or powder, Kadai Paneer calls for a coarse masala mix. The tiny bits of the spice mix make you say ‘Wow!’ as you put a spoonful of the curry in your mouth. Anyhow, there are different ways of making Kadai Paneer. But after cooking ‘Dum Biryani’, I realized that placing a flat pan under the pan in which you’re cooking prevents direct heat and helps not to burn the curries. It allows it to cook evenly and the aroma caught inside just blows my mind! It’s more like cooking it in the Oven. But a different way always sounds interesting. So here’s Kadai Paneer, my way.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. Coriander Seeds
• 1 tbsp. Cumin Seeds
• 4 Dry Red Chilies
• 1 tsp. finely chopped Ginger
• 1 tsp. finely chopped Garlic
• 1 tsp. finely chopped Green Chilies
• 2 tbsp. Oil
• 1 tsp. Garam Masala Powder
• 1 tsp. Coriander Power
• Salt to Taste
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi)
• 2 cups chopped Tomatoes
• 400 gms. Cottage Cheese (Paneer) cut into large cubes.
• ¼ cup Green Bell Pepper cut into large pieces
• ¼ cup Onion cut into large pieces and separated
• ¼ cup Tomato deseeded and cut into large pieces
• 4 tbsp. Fresh Cream

Method:

• Heat a Pan and then add the Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds and Dry Red Chilies and Dry Roast them for a minute.
• Transfer them it to a blender and grind into a Coarse Powder. (Make sure you don’t grind it fine, the Kadai Masala is supposed to be coarse. Also, if you don’t want the curry to be too hot, then deseed the Dry Red Chilies before roasting them.)
• Heat oil in a pan. (The pan has to be wide and deep).
• Add Ginger, Garlic and Green Chilies and Cook for half a minute.
• Now Add the Kadai Masala Mix into the Pan.
• Add the chopped tomatoes.
• It’s time to add the salt and sugar too.
• Add in the Coriander Power and Garam Masala Powder.
• Mix well and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes.
• Add the Cottage Cheese, Bell Peppers, Tomato Pieces, Onion and Dried Fenugreek Leaves and mix gently. Cover and cook.
• Allow it to cook for a minute and then place a flat pan below the pan in which you are cooking. (This will help your curry from getting burnt.)
• Keep the flame on high for a minute and then set it on low and let it cook for 8-10 minutes.
• Add the Fresh cream, mix, cover it with the lid and cook further for 2-3 minutes and you’re done.

Green Pulao

This recipe is kind of special. My mom used to make it very often when I was a kid. I lost my mom the very first year I got married. I miss her food as much as I miss her. I’ve noticed all these years that the good food reminds you of the person you love. Strangely my mother-in-law started making this Pulao a couple of years back and it tasted exactly like my mom’s. They even share the same names! It’s surprising that two ladies, from two different cultures, cook the same dish without knowing each other’s recipe or even tasting each other food and it turns out exactly the same!! So this recipe is definitely dedicated to my mom and mother-in-law.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked Basmati Rice
• 1 cup boiled Mixed Vegetable (Carrot, Potato, French Beans, Green Peas, Cauliflower)
• ½ cup chopped Coriander Leaves
• ½ cup chopped Mint Leaves
• 2 Green Chilies
• 1 inch piece Ginger
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• 1 inch piece Whole Cinnamon
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp. Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• Salt to Taste

Method:

• Add Ginger, Garlic, Coriander Leaves, Mint Leaves and Green Chilies into a blender and mix well into a fine paste.
• Add the Clarified Butter into a Wok and allow it to heat.
• Add the Cumin Seeds and let it crackle.
• Then add the Bay Leaf, Star Anise and Cinnamon and sauté for half a minute.
• Add the Green Paste and again sauté for 2 minutes and add salt as per your taste.
• Now add the Mixed Vegetables and Rice and toss gently. Make sure that you don’t break the rice and see that the rice is evenly coated with the green masala.
• There you have your Green Pulao.

Cherry Mascarpone Trifle

This is a very easy to make version of a Cherry Trifle and requires very few ingredients. If you want to cheat, you can use canned cherry pie filling, instead of making it from scratch. But I had some fresh cherries so I made the filling myself. You could also convert it into a blueberry trifle by just replacing cherry filling with blueberry filling. I just love desserts. If it was healthy I would replace every meal with desserts. Cheers to all the Dessert lovers and here’s a simple version of Cherry Mascarpone Trifle.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups deseeded Cherries
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Essence
• ½ cup Heavy Cream
• ½ cup Mascarpone Cheese
• 1 cup crumbled Vanilla Sponge Cake
• 2 tbsp. Condensed Milk
• ¼ cup Powered Sugar

Method:

• Add the Cherries, Vanilla Essence, ½ cup Sugar and Water in a saucepan and cook it together on low heat for about 10-12 minutes until the cherries get soft and mushy.
• Allow the Cherry mixture to cool.
• In a mixing bowl add the Powered Sugar, Condensed Milk and Mascarpone Cheese until its soft and get rid of all the lumps.
• Whip the Heavy Cream in another bowl and add the Mascarpone mixture and mix well together gently.
• In a serving Glass start layering the trifle.
• First layer it with the crumbled sponge cake.
• Then add a layer of the cherry mixture.
• Then add a layer of the cream and mascarpone mixture.
• Again a layer of Cherries.
• And finally one more layer of Cream and Mascarpone.
• Drizzle some Cherry liquid on top and Garnish with a fresh Cherry and cool it in the fridge for an hour.

Spaghetti with Parsley and Walnut Pesto

I had some fresh Parsley with me and so I decided to make a nice Pesto. I didn’t have any Pine Nuts, therefore I used Walnuts instead. Traditionally Pesto is made using a mortar and pestle, but I made mine using a blender. Blender makes life easy…doesn’t it? While using a blender it is very easy to over blend the pesto. So be careful and not blend it too much. Pulse blending works the best for you are in control. Also while mixing the Pesto with the spaghetti, make sure you don’t have your pan on the stove, because you want to retain the freshness of the basil and parsley. If you manage to follow these steps right, then you’ll end up with a great looking pasta.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 cup Flat leaf Parsley
• ½ cup Basil
• ½ cup Olive Oil
• Salt to Season
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Cups of Boiled Spaghetti
• 3 tbsp. Hot Pasta Water in which you boiled the Spaghetti

Method:

• Add Garlic, Walnuts, Olive Oil, Salt, Basil, Parsley and blend it into a paste.
• Make sure you don’t grind it smooth, the coarseness of the walnuts will add a nice texture to the Pesto.
• Then add the Parmesan Cheese and just blend for a few seconds, just so that it mixes evenly.
• There you have your Pesto.
• Take 2 tbsp. of Pesto in a Pan and add the Hot Pasta Water and then add the Spaghetti and mix it gently.
• See that the Pan is not on heat, if not it will ruin the freshness of the herbs.
• Grate some Parmesan Cheese on top when you serve the Spaghetti.