Chicken Biryani Again

So yesterday I did this Biryani coz we had some cousins over for dinner. I must confess this time I had some progress over my all previous attempts, and it was really loved by our guests, made me feel even better. Btw no matter how much (usually) people boast/claim but making good biryani is extremely tricky and needs years of practice to be confident in it. And the only time I seriously pray is while making biryani :)

Stuff needed
1/2 kg boneless chicken pieces
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
200 gm rice
2-3 green chillies (or more if u like spicy)
almonds, cashews (as much as u like)
salt (as needed)
3-4 tbsp oil

Whole spices:
2 bay leaves
2" cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
4 green cardamoms
3 cloves
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
5-6 dry curry leaves
1/2 thyme seeds
1/2 tsp peppercorns
tiny bit of nutmeg


1. Dry roast all the whole spices and crush them well in a mortal n pestle.
2. marinate chicken pieces with salt, ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste and crushed whole spices for around 3o mins.
3. Heat oil in a vessel and add chicken pieces, cook for 5 minutes on high flame, keep stirring to avoid sticking at bottom.
4. Cover the vessel and keep the flame quite low.
5. Boil some water and add rice, cook for few minutes only as we want them only 40-50% done.
6. Now drain out all the water and spread the rice carefully on chicken or mix them very gently. NOW HERE THE TRICKY PART STARTS.
7. Put a tawa/griddle/hotplate on gas (still on low flame) and put the biryani vessel on top of griddle.
8. Cover the vessel and leave it for 40-45 mins. Now because our rice were quite raw, they will absorb any extra liquids left by the chicken pieces, as a result we'll have quite dry biryani without any sogginess.

(Please) do not forget:
1. if u want to put onions, fry the slices seprately and spread them on top of biryani as garnish.
2. Using boneless chicken is much better coz u dnt wanna pick bones while enjoying this fine dish.
3. Prefer boneless thigh pieces as they contain more fat than other chicken parts. and as a result you dont have to use much cooking oil.

Lamb Korma

Aloha Buddies!!
It's always a pleasure to cook for friends so herez the Korma I just made. Now while cooking anything Indian/Mughlai we dont have to stick with authenticity all the way, seriously, dogma sucks!!! The only things we need to keep in mind 1)Main ingredients of this particular cuisine and 2)The ingredient that separates this dish from its other family members. So here the first rule is basic Indian spices and secondly, do not use turmeric, Korma is usually white/slightly brownish and contains good amount of cashew paste. so here we go..

Ingredients
1 kg Lamb
1 cup brown onion paste (slice 4-5 medium onions, fry upto light brown n grind)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
100-150 cashews (depends, you can put more or less)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt (as needed)
10-12 dry prunes
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder


whole spices
2 bay leaves
2 inch cinnamon stick
3 green cardamoms
2 cloves
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp thyme seeds
5-6 dry curry leaves
pinch of mace

Shredded almonds/nuts for garnish

1. Heat oil, add all the whole spices and wait till they start crackling.
2. Add lamb pieces, salt and cover the vessel. Cook on medium heat until the pieces are almost tender.
3. Add ginger-garlic and brown onion paste, prunes and nutmeg. simmer for about 10-15 mins.
4. Add cashew paste, red chilli powder, pepper, cumin powder and coriander powder. Simmer for next 10 mins.
5. Garnish with some almonds, pistachios or saffron strands or any nuts u like.

Few things to remember:
Use least oil as possible, lamb already has quite lot of fat in it. we only need enough to cook the whole spices.
Try to use whole spices, readymade curry powder or 'garam masala' powder wouldnt give that nice rich aroma.
Still if u dont have whole spices, skip the 'whole spices' step and add 1-2 tbsp garam masala while adding cashew paste.

Quick and easy Green Peas Pulao

If you are a fan of rice dishes then there isn't any chance of disliking Green Peas Pulao (rice tossed with boiled/fried green peas). The method I've used is quite easy and quick.

100 gm rice (boiled few hours before cooking)
200 gm boiled/fried green peas
1 tbsp oil
few peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt, to taste
few pine nuts/almonds/cashews/peanuts (for garnish)
1 egg (optional, for garnish)

1. Boil the rice in salted water, strain and keep in fridge for 2-3 hours.
2. Boil or stir fry the peas and let them cool for some time.
3. Heat oil in a wok/kadhai and add cumin seeds and peppercorns, wait for few seconds till they start to crackle.
4. Add peas, followed by rice after few seconds, mix gently and add some more salt (if needed)
5. Cover the wok and cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame.
6. Garnish with nuts and egg and serve hot.

Pan Fried Chicken

G'day buddies, hope u guys are well bright eyed bushy tailed :D, well this beautiful thing was my breakfast today, its perfect if u want to shed some weight as white meat is easily digestible and cooks quickly. so here we go..

500 gm boneless chicken (cut into strips or small pieces)
salt (to taste)
few crushed peppercorns
dash of olive oil (enough to coat the pieces, but not much)
dash of lime juice
pinch of turmeric


1. Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, lime juice, turmeric and olive oil.
2. Heat a non stick frying pan and cook the pieces, keep turning them upside down every 2-3 minutes untill they are cooked.


Pan/Griddle should be enough hot while cooking the chicken, otherwise it will stick and wouldn't give very pleasant look.
To check if the pieces are well cooked, just check them with spoon or fork, if they are firm, means they are cook, raw meat at the core always feels soft.

Pasta with Red Sauce

Hi folks,, recently my taste-buds and smelling senses were craving something Italian and how could it not be our lovely Pasta!!! ofcourse with some Pomodoro (red sauce). Usually with red sauce, its the Rotini (spirals) or penne that go quite well but I cooked with Spaghetti instead which is equally yummy..

stuff required:

500 gm Spaghetti
couple of fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
salt and black pepper (as needed)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp crushed garlic
300 ml tomato puree
1 tsp sugar
1 medium onion, fine chopped
200 gm crushed cottage cheese

Quick and easy pomodoro:
1. Heal oil in a pan and add garlic (usually Italians put just lil amount of garlic in any sauce but im a big badass when it comes to garlic, cant help it, i love garlic) . Add onions after some seconds and cook for few minutes.

2. Add tomato puree, followed by basil, salt, pepper and sugar.

3. Simmer for 25-30 minutes and bingo its ready!!



4. Now add cheese. Usually we put parmesan cheese on top of pasta but you must try cottage cheese as well, taste really nice.



5. Boil the pasta upto al dente (around 90% done) and mix with the sauce.



Tossing...tossing...tossing baby!!!

6. Sprinkle some mixed herbs on top and serve hot.

Italian chick peas

..And here is another beautiful thing for dinner tonight. Its the chickpeas cooked in Italian way. Basically you can do plenty of experiments with food, add Italian herbs, its Italian, put turmeric chillies and garam masala, its Indian, use coconut milk and some thai curry powder and bingo,, its oriental!!!

Stuff needed::
250 gm chickpeas (soaked overnight)
3-4 small onions
3-4 medium potatoes
250 ml milk
250 ml water
salt and ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp mixed Italian herbs
1 tbsp crushed garlic or garlic paste

1. Peal the onions and potatoes, no need to cut them if they are small.
2. Heat oil in a deep vessel, add garlic paste and onions. saute for 2-3 minutes, add potatoes, salt and pepper.
3. Cook for few minutes and add chickpeas along with water.
4. Cover the vessel and cook on low flame until the chickpeas are tender.
5. Pour the milk in and Italian herbs and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Add some extra virgin olive oil on top and serve hot with rice or bread..

To make it more nutritious and colourful we can put some sauteed or boiled vegetables like beans, baby corn, broccoli or carrots in that.

Momos (are NOT Chinese)

Now many people call and identify Momos as something from Chinese cuisine but I believe that'd be injustice with Tibetan cuisine right?? Momos are NOT Chinese, they are Tibetan and if you want the authentic ones, go to McLeodganj (India) and there you will find vendors selling momos on busy market streets.

But I must warn, you gonna fall in love with that place like I did and miss it terribly all the time. The beautiful atmosphere, surroundings, monks, ppl, food and all.. Damn I miss all that. Beautiful memories hurt :(

Oh well now back to our Momos. They have yummy bready outer layer and very tasty filling. Herez the recipe..

1/2 kg white flour
1 tsp yeast (baking powder wont do that justice)
300ml lukewarm water

Mix the yeast in water and set aside for 10 mins and then knead the flour with it. Now some people are more comfortable with hard dough but i usually prefer soft.

Veg Filling:

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium cabbage finely chopped
1 large carrot grated
2 medium onions finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of vinegar

Heat the oil in a wok and add garlic and onions. Add bell pepper, carrot and cabbage after few seconds, followed by salt and black pepper.

Ginger & potato:
3 med potatoes, peel, grate squeeze out water
1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sping onion (green only)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp coriander fresh
1 tsp salt

pinch of black pepper powder
4 tbsp oil

a dash of vinegar

1. blanch the potatoes in boiling water, strain and set aside to cool.

2. heat oil in a wok and add ginger, garlic and onions.

3. add salt, pepper. followed by other veggies and vinegar.

4. turn off the heat after couple of minutes. remember we shudnt completely cook the veggies as they gonna get steamed too.

Preparing momos:

1. Roll the dough thin as rolling flat bread, it should be 4-5 inch in diameter.

2. Place some filling (same or little lesser quantity as dough) in the center, bring the edges together and twist a lil to seal it (as shown in image)

3. Steam for 10-15 minutes and serve hot with momos sauce.

You can even make meat momos, just use minced lamb or goat meat. simply boil or saute and add instead of potatoes.

Grilled Chicken with Hollandaise Sauce

Bonsoir my dear foody buddies, one more day my veggie-wannabe mum was secretly mad at me coz i made grilled chicken for dinner. This time grilled chicken included little challenge as i also planned to cook Hollandaise Sauce. Hollandaise is butter and egg yolk based sauce and it's one of the 6 Mother Sauces. As Im a seafood-person so enjoy it more with grilled/fried fish but it tastes awesome with chicken as well..

Ingredients:

Sauce:
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
pinch of salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Chicken marinade (for 500 gm boneless chicken pieces)
dash of olive oil
1 tsp paprika
salt, to taste
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp crushed peppercorns

To do the sauce..
1. Whisk egg yolks and lemon juice in a steel bowl, whisk quickly until the mixture is thick.
2. in a separate bowl, melt/soften some butter. Here we can use double boiling method: keep the bowl on a saucepan of hot water for a second.
3. add butter to the egg mixture and whisk all quickly, again put the bowl on top of hot water pan for a second and whisk thoroughly. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERHEAT IT COZ IT WILL COOK THE EGGYOLK AND WE DONT WANT THAT!!!!
4. Add pinch of salt and keep whisking for few minutes.

For the chicken
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients, rub it on chicken pieces and keep in fridge for an hour.
2. Cook them on grill on both sides for couple of minutes.

To check if the chicken is done while grilling: simply press it with spoon/tong and if its soft that means chicken is raw. It should be hard to touch.

Grilled Sole

So yesterday i again grilled some fish. For many reasons i like fish better than chicken/mutton and one is it gets cooked in minutes, you dont have to wait much... yesterday was Lohri, our traditional bonfire festival in India and people love it as lil break frm chilly winter and i decided to treat myself with some lovely spicy fish :)

Ingredients

500 gm fillets
lemon slices/wedges
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
2-3 tbsp oil for basting/grilling

Marinade:
salt, to taste
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp lemon juice

1. mix all the marinade stuff and rub it thoroughly on fillets.
2. grill the fillets on grill for few minutes, turn upside down when one side is cooked.

As fish is quite tender it is better to use electronic grill as it doesn't get too hot unlike the gas ones. It results into even cooking and avoids sticking at the bottom..

Grilled Lemon Chicken

I love times when i get to cook something i like and love it even more if its appreciated. I bought a tiny grill couple of months back which I didnt use at all. Recently i decided to cook something with it so this awesome chicken was the first to be grilled on that grill. It is almost oil free and quite good for those who are careful about their diet.

Ingredients
1 kg chicken breast
1-2 lemon wedges

Marinade:
2 lemons (juice only)
1 tsp crushed peppercorns
salt, to taste
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp coriander powder


1. first of all pound the chicken pieces thin with a meat pounder. (i dnt have a meat pounder so used rolling pin, here you gotta be careful while pounding the chicken that you dont break it)
2. mix all the marinade ingredients and rub them thoroughly on chicken pieces.
3. cover the chicken and put in fridge for around 1 hour. but if you are in hurry then cook them right away.
4. Grill the pieces on both sides until they are tender.
5. Serve hot with lemon wedges.


While preparing marinade you can use your own creativity too. Instead of coriander powder, add some dry oregano or thyme. If you want to give indian touch then try adding some garam masala.

If you dont have grill then simply cook them in a frying pan with little bit oil and on medium-low flame.

Paneer Tikka

Now this one is a yummy vegetarian snack. Truth is I'm a huge nonveg-eater but for a change i go for something nice from veggie department, eg. these lovely yummy Paneer Tikkas ;)










Ingredients:

500 gm cottage cheese (cut into desired size)
1-2 onions (diced into 1/4 and opened)
1-2 red/yellow/red bell pepper (1" diced)
1 lemon

Marinade:
1 cup whisked curd
1-2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
salt, to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder


1. Mix all the marinade stuff in a big bowl and add cheese and onion-bell pepper.
2. arrange cheese n veggies on skewer and grill for couple of minutes on all sides.
3. Squeeze a lemon on tikkas and serve hot with either sauce or chutney.



Many times we see fiery-red paneer tikkas at food outlets which look quite lovely and tempting but usage of artificial food colour is quite dangerous for health, specially for kids n pregnant women. So ALWAYS use natural food colours.

One thing more, try to cut cheese into big, 'cube' shape instead of fingers or slices coz they are likely to break while grilling if they are small in size.

Deep Fried Goan Fish

Fish is my favorite eatable in winter, love the deep fried one but grilled fish is healthier. Well weather its fried or grilled, i like the Goan style of marinade for it.










Ingredients:

500 gm fish(any type) pieces (fillets are better)
Oil for deep frying

Marinade:
salt, to taste
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

1. Marinade fish all the above written stuff and deep fry for some minutes.


Before frying you can coat the pieces with some semolina for a crispy layer and better taste.

Sabz Korma

Korma is a beautiful cream, yogurt and cashew nut paste based gravy. It can be either veg or non veg. in non vegetarian, lamb korma is more popular than chicken one.

Ingredients:
200 gm mushrooms
50 gm green peas
50 gm cauliflower (small sized florets)
50 gm diced carrots
2-3 medium sized onions
50 gm soaked cashew nuts
1 cup yogurt
2-3 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1" cinnamon stick
1-2 green cardamoms
1-2 cloves
1 tbsp coriander powder
salt, to taste
5-6 tbsp ghee/olive oil

1. heat 4 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cloves and bay leaf.
2. add onions after some seconds and saute untill golden brown. remove them from pan.
3. put onions in a food processor, add cashews, yogurt and green chillies. make fine paste of all that.
4. heat 2 tbsp oil in a vessel, add veggies, salt and coriander powder. saute for few seconds and add onion, cashewnut paste. mix well and add some water to dilute the gravy.
5. cover the vessel and simmer untill the veggies are tender.
6. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with naan/parathas.

We can also use milk instead of yogurt as yogurt can make it somewhat tangy, so you can use either one to make it taste according to your preference. Also adding some butter or cream will improve the taste alot.

Pan Fried Cajun Chicken

Hello friends i cooked this sexy thing couple of days back (on new year eve). Cajun dishes are really yummy: slightly tangy and hot. Personally im a huge fan of grilled cajun fish and chicken, love them stuff in bread with some mustard sauce (hope that didnt sound crazy).

Ingredients for pan fried cajun chicken

500 gm boneless chicken
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Marinade:
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp onion powder or 2-3 tbsp onion paste
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 tbsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp dry thyme

1. mix all the ingredients for marinade and marinate chicken for 15-20 mins.
2. heat oil in a frying pan and fry chicken pieces till they are tender and serve hot.

For cooking Cajun dishes we also have cajun seasoning available. that can also be used as marinade.