Kheema Biryani !!!

I have to admit this is the best kheema biryani I have ever tasted. I cannot wait to try this for next party or get together. One more keeper recipe.

 

Ingredients

• Mince Meat (Kheema) – 500gms
• Basmati rice – 3 coffee mugs, washed and soaked for 40 mins minimum
• Aluminium foil tray and heavy duty aluminium foil (optional)

Mince gravy:

• 4 onions, finely sliced
• 2 big tomatoes,  finely chopped
• 1 ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste, pref home-made
• 1 whole packet of Shan Biryani Masala Mix / use or make your own (see note below)
• 1 cup + less than 1/4^th cup yogurt (depends on the meat quantity so use accordingly)

Potato gravy:

• 1 big onion, finely sliced
• 6-7 baby white potatoes, de-skinned and cut into half
• 6-7 whole green chillies with stem-on, Do NOT  slit it,  use as it is with stem
• 3 tsp ginger, chopped or sliced
• 1/2 cup each cilantro and mint, chopped

Garnishing:

• 2-3 strands of saffron
• 3-4 tsp Milk
• 1/4 tsp yellow/orange food color (optional)
• 1/4th cup fried onions
• Juice of one lemon
• 1-2 tsp ghee
• 1/2 cup each cilantro and mint, chopped (total of one cup each for the biryani prep including potato gravy)
• Boiled eggs, quartered

Directions:

1. Take good amount of oil and fry the onions with a pinch of salt till evenly golden brown. Take 1/4th of the onions aside with the help of  slotted spoon on the paper towel to cool off and become crisp. This crisp onions will be used for garnishing later on.
2. To the rest of the onions in the pan add ginger/garlic paste and fry for a bit till the raw smell goes off. Then add the kheema and tomatoes and fry it uncovered for around 15 to 20 minutes (bhoono) till oil oozes out and the meat is 60% cooked. Add very little salt at this stage (if using Shan Biryani masala then go easy on salt as it contains salt in it.)
3. In the meantime, prepare the spice mix by adding biryani masala + oil (2-3 tsp) in the yoghurt and mix it well. Then add this spice mixture little by little to the kheema after the above stage is done.
4. Fry for another 10 mins uncovered, then cover the pan and leave it on slow fire (DUM) till kheema is cooked (add a little water if necessary). Cook the kheema till no water is left and looks bit separated. By now, there would be oil floating on top, don’t worry this oil will be added in the layering process to make the biryani flavorsome.
5. While the kheema is cooking, take a separate frying pan heat some oil, add  sliced onion and fry till light golden color. Then add the potatoes along with pinch of salt and fry covered for 5-6 mins or till they are almost cooked (add a little water if required). Now add the green chillies, ginger slices, fresh cilantro, fresh mint on top (DO NOT MIX) cook covered on dum(very low heat) for another 3-4 mins.
6. Make sure the kheema is ready and there’s no water left (bhoono it) keep it on dum(on minimum low heat). If using oven to make biryani, Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.
7. In the meantime, heat plenty of water and add 4-5 tsp oil+1” stick of cinnamon, 2 cloves+ zeera and lots of salt. Once the water comes to rolling boil add the rice and cook till almost (95% ) done 3-4 minutes. Drain it and keep aside. Reserve 1+ 1/2 cup rice aside.
8. Final step is to layer the biryani when the rice is hot (very important step).
9. Take the aluminium foil tray / oven-proof casserole dish and start the first layer  by spreading half-cooked rice in the bottom and sprinkle some lemon juice on top.
10. For second layer, spread the kheema gravy evenly on top of the rice followed by the potato gravy( on top of kheema gravy) and then sprinkle fresh cilantro+mint.
11. Next, Spread the rest of the rice as the third layer. Now squeeze half a lemon on top and add the food colour, fried onions( optional), mint and cilantro
12. For the final step, layer the reserved 1+ 1/2 cup rice on top and pour the ghee and (oozed out) the oil from the kheema on top of this rice.
13. Cover the casserole dish/ aluminium tray with tight lid /heavy-duty aluminium foil respectively in such a way that no steam should be able to escape.
14. Keep he tray/ casserole in the preheated oven at 400 deg for 30-40 mins OR if cooking on stove top, assemble the biryani in the same way and cover with lid/ foil ( no steam should be able to escape) and keep on ‘DUM’ (very low heat) for 20- 25 mins. Once done let it stand-by for 10-15 mins(without heat) then mix it gently by digging the spoon all the way to the base. Enjoy and serve with boiled eggs and raita.

Dig in !!!

Note:

• Biryani Masala: 2 tsp red chilli powder,2 tbsp dhaniya powder, 1.5 tbsp zeera powder, 1 tsp haldi, salt, 1tsp garam masala, 1.5 tbsp whole zeera, 1.5 tsp ground fennel seeds (saunf), 1/2 tsp ground mace, 1/2 ground nutmeg
• Use good amount of oil/ ghee.
• Cover the foil very nicely so no steam can escape. if using lid, make dough out of Maida / All purpose flour and water and use it to seal. The rice should be almost cooked (95%-98%).
• Keep the garnishing handy before starting the final assembling of the biryani . Assemble everything when the rice is hot.
• Adjust the yogurt quantity to mince ratio. I used homemade yogurt (1 cup)  plus 2-3 heaping tsp.  Addition of the  little oil to the yogurt helps it prevent from curdling while adding to the hot kheema. Before adding the yogurt spice mix, take the pan in non-heated burner and then gradually add the yogurt spoon at a time and mix thoroughly. Then put it back on the heat by mixing it vigorously in the initially stage and then after reg intervals.  Cook till oil oozes out and then add little water  to cook the meat and put it in on ‘ ‘dum’ and follow step 7.

 

Kesar Pista Kulfi !!!

The ultimate desi dessert which everyone adores Kesar Pista Kulfi !!! Once I tasted kulfi at my friend place and was instantly hooked. Later, I tried my own version of kesar pista kulfi  as a desert for hubby’s recent birthday party and it was an instant hit and received many rave reviews.  It does take some time to make it but the efforts will pay off in the end.

Here goes the recipe…

Ingredients:

• Whole Milk – 3 Big Coffee Mugs
• 1 pint Half and Half cream
• a pinch of  Saffron/ Kesar
• 1/4th  cup Pista – coarsely crushed in a food processor
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 slice of white bread- sides trimmed, chopped into pieces
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom / elachi pwd
• 1/4 th cup   14.0z  Sweetened condense milk
• 1/4th  cup  Sugar

Directions:

• Take 1/4th cup milk + bread slice+cornstarch and run in the mixer/blender till u get nice smooth and lump free liquid and set it aside.
• Take the non stick kadai and heat the milk and the half & half.
• Bring it to first boil and then simmer it till it reduces by  half in  quantity and appears bit thick in consistency. Takes around 10-15 mins. Keep stirring all the time to avoid the milk burning in the bottom.
• Then add the cornstarch mixture + sugar + pista + kesar+ cardamom and condense milk.
• Mix and keep stirring till it looks nice and thick consistency . Then switch off the flame and allow it to cool.
• Pour the kulfi luquid in the moulds or alternatively use any flat round or square casserole dish and cover with cling film show in te picture below. The cling film should be able to touch the top surface of the kulfi and then wrap/seal the corners.
• Freeze it for 6-8 hours minimum. Best if chilled overnight.

Note: Go easy on condensed milk before adding any more.  If you prefer less sweet then use more of sugar and less of condense milk.

I thought of taking pitures of the pieces onces chilled but before even I could take pictures the kulfi’s were gone.  I’ll will update this post with pitures of the actual pieces later on.

Masala Kuzhi Paniyaram

This is a traditional recipe popular in southern part of India.It is very easy to make with Dosa/Idli batter and cooks in jiffy.  It can be eaten either as snack or tiffin/ breakfast item along with any chutney and they taste heavenly when eaten hot. They have amazingly crispy texture outside and very soft texture inside filled with aromatic seasoning.

 

I did some variation to the authentic recipe (which doesn’t call for adding any spices) and went ahead and added in turmeric for some color.

 Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Dosa/ Idli batter, 3 cups
• 1 Onions, finely chopped
• 2, Green chillies, Finely chopped (with seeds and all)
• 3 tbsp grated Coconut, fresh or frozen
• a pinch of Baking soda (optional)
• a pinch of Turmeric
• few Coriander leaves, finely chopped
• salt to taste

Seasoning:

• oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Urad dal
• 2 sprig Curry leaves
• pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

 

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan and do the seasoning. Then add the turmeric and onions and fry till  it turns soft and translucent. Then add in the green chillies and saute for a while. Once it cooks add in the grated coconut and cook for another 3-5 mins and keep aside. Once it cools add this mixture to the batter along with salt +baking soda+ coriander leaves. Mix it well and let it sit aside for 15 mins for the flavours to mingle.

Heat the Paniyaram pan on medium low heat and add drop of oil in each hole. Once the oil heats through add the batter till 3/4th of the hole and pour a drop of oil on top and cover with lid and cook for 2-3 mins. Once the top of the batter looks all cooked  then flip it with the help of skewer or knife on the other side and cook for another 2-3 mins uncovered.

Dig in !!

I served these beauties with Peanut-Coriander chutney which was spicy, nutty and bit tangy paired perfect with mild paniyarams.

Ridgegourd/Turai/Shiroli Curry

 

This is a simple way of making Shiroli ki sabji. No fuss and mess involved in make this curry and it can be prepared in jiffy. You can check this recipe here

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Medium size Ridge gourd/ Shiroli/ Turai/Tori/ Beerkaya, skin peeled and cut into round disk (like 1 rupee coin) in 0.2 cm
• 1 medium size Onion, (I used yellow onion),  sliced length-wise
• 2 medium size Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander pwd
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp red chilli flakes, if not available skip it
• 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
• 3-4 tbsp oil
• Cilantro/ Coriander leaves for garnish

Directions:

• Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till soft or transparent.
• Then add in the chopped tomatoes + coriander pwd+ turmeric+ cumin seeds+ salt+ red chilli pwd+ red chilli flakes + garlic. Mix well and cook tomatoes and spices for 1-2 mins.
• Then add the ridge gourd pieces and mix thoroughly and cover with lid and cook till it is 95% cooked 4-5 mins. Keep mixing in between to avoid the curry sticking in the bottom. The Ridge gourd will ooze out lot of water on its own and would also will get cooked in its own juices. 
• Once the curry is 95% cooked  uncover the lid and increase the heat and cook the sabji till the oil oozes out which takes 2-3 mins. Garnish with Cilantro.
• Serve hot with Phulka/ Rotis/ Paranthas.

Note: The curry will taste bit sweet in taste as Ridge gourd has its own naturally sweetness.

Beans Poriyal

My hubby and I love this preparation of string beans.  It’s a classic dish but with a small twist.

Ingredients:

2 cups French Beans, finely chopped

1 Big onion

2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped (opt)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut

Seasoning/Tadka:

2 Tbsp oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal

2-3 Dry Red Chillies

1 tsp yellow moong dal

pinch of hing

Method:

Heat oil in the pan and season with ingredients under ‘seasoning’. Then add the onions and fry till translucent. Now add turmeric and mix for few secs and then add beans and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook for 4-5 mins or till the beans are soft. It should be soft  when touched but retains its crunchy texture. Finally, add coconut and sprinkle pinch of  hing powder on top and give it good stir and cook for 1 min. Enjoy !

Serving Suggestions:

Dal/sambhar/rasam/ curd along with rice and papad.

P.S. The twist in this recipe is the additional of garlic. It enhances the flavour of this preparation furthermore.

Eggplant with Spring Onions Curry

 

 I had some Chinese eggplants in the fridge sitting next to spring onions for almost a week. So I decided to use them up before they would be tossed into thrash. This is a quick recipe with minimum time of cooking. Chinese eggplants cooks faster than regular brinjals and I feel they are little milder in flavor than the regular ones. When this beauties are paired with spring onions they ooze out excellent aroma and makes excellent accompaniment with Rotis/ Phulka.

 Ingredients:

• 2- Chinese Eggplant
• 2- Bunch of Spring Onions
• 2 – small tomatoes
• 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1/4 tsp  – Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp – Red chilli powder
• 1 tsp – Dhaniya – Jeera powder
• 1/2 tsp – Brown Sugar/ sugar/ jaggery (opt)
• Cilantro – for garnishing
• Salt to taste

Seasoning/Tadka:

• 2-3 Tbsp – oil
• 1/2 tsp – Jeera
• pinch of hing

Method:

• Heat oil in the kadai and do the seasoning.
• Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for few secs (till raw smell disappears).
• Then add tomatoes and turmeric. Cook on medium heat till they are soft but not mushy.
• Now add the brinjals and spring onions and cook on medium- low heat covered till it is almost cooked.
• Then add the spices (red chilli pwd, dhaniya jeera powder, salt, brown sugar). Mix well and cover and cook for 3 mins.
• Finally, garnish with cilantro and serve !

Fish Fry

  

Ingredients:

• Fish Fillets 4- 5 pieces (chilean Sea Bass goes extremely well with this recipe)
• Chilli powder – 1tbsp
• Pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Salt as required
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Oil – 4 0r 5 tbsp

 

Grind roughly:

• Small onion – 3
• Garlic – 3
• Ginger – small piece
• Curry leaves few
• Fennel seeds (saunf) -1/2 tsp

Method:

•  Mix all the ingredients and make a paste with little water.
• Rub the paste on the fish and marinade for at least 2 hours.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the marinated fish and cook them on slow flame until it becomes crisp on both sides.

Tip:

Use ginger garlic paste if available  makes it easier to grind without adding much water.

Roasted Shrimps

A quick and simple recipe. Great appetizer when entertaining guest.

Courtesy: Barefoot Contessa

 Ingredients

• 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• freshly chopped parsley
• pinch of Cajun seasoning For the dressing:

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the shrimp on a  bowl and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
• Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the shrimp and mix well
• Place a cookie sheet lined with foil and place the shrimps in it.
• Roast in the oven for 8 minutes ( but keep  checking after 5 mins).
• It may take 5-6 mins too. Timing may vary based on Oven make and built.

 

Serving Suggestions:

Serve the roasted shrimp with Spicy Tangy Mayo Dip.

Cajun Alfredo Pasta

I never tried Cajun seasoning before in cooking. But once I made this dish which my friend shared with me I must say I hooked to this spice. This seasoning is not for faint hearts who do NOT like spicy food. This recipe can be made with vegetables of your choice instead of shrimps.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shrimps / any vegetable (brocoli, mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup  four cheese alfredo sauce
• 3-4 tsp fresh parsley
• 2 tsp dry parsley
• 1/2  tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• red bell peppers (opt)
• 2 cloves of  garlic, minced
• 2-3 tbsp butter and olive oil
• salt and pepper

 

Directions:

• Angel hair pasta cooked according to packet directions
• In a pan add but butter and olive oil and cook shrimp each side 2 mins (till turned pink and cooked and soft). Once cooked remove and keep it aside.
• In the same pan add bit butter and then add minced garlic, red pepper flakes, dry parsley and ½ of fresh parsley. Mix it for a sec and then add red bell pepper.
• Cook it for 2-3 mins and then add Alfredo sauce and bring it to simmer.
• Then add the pasta and mix well.
• Then add  the shrimps/ vegetables and fresh parsley. Mix it and serve.

 

Tip:

• Put less red pepper flakes because Cajun seasoning is bit spicy.
• Use Alfredo Sauce according to the  desired consistency.

Aloo Sandwiches

I make this recipe for brunch or picnics. Stays well for long time.

Aloo/Potato filling

Ingredients:

• 2 red potatoes, boiled, skinned and grated
• 4-5 green chilies
• ½ “ginger 
• Curry leaves, chopped
• turmeric
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Lemon juice
• salt

 

Seasoning/Tadka:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard
• 1/2 tsp urad dal

 

Method:

• Make the paste of ginger and green chillies (coarse paste with little water in it)
• In a pan heat oil, then add the tadka ingredients and fry.
• Then add the ginger+ green chili paste and mix till raw smell gone.
• Then add the curry leaves  and turmeric.
• Fry for a sec then add the grated potato and mix till well incorporated .
• Finally, add the lemon juice and coriander leaves and mix well till the mixture becomes bit dry and hold itself (leaves the side of the pan). Check for seasoning and then cool into a plate.

For Sandwiches:

• In the meantime, apply generous amount of butter on two slices of bread.
• Spread the aloo mixture and toast it in the sandwich maker.
• Serve with Ketchup