Ambur Mutton Biryani in an Instant Pot wih Kalijeera Rice

I have always been obsessed with making the perfect biryani. First it is was to make biryani that where each grain is separate and fluffy. Once that was done with Basmati and pressure cooker I moved on to using Seeraga Samba Rice (the rice that was normally used back home). Once that was done now I am on a quest to try different kinds of biryani along with an obsession to use Instant Pot to make the perfect biryani. Journey continues...

I saw this video and jotted down the steps to make the biryani.



I cooked this recipe with Bangladeshi Kalijeera rice which is very similar to the seeraga samba rice. You can substitute Basmati Rice if you want. I normally precook the mutton before adding to the rice for fear of the mutton not being cooked properly. I use the water from cooking the mutton for making soup. If you think the mutton will be cooked then do it in the stove top along with the onions and tomatoes, else you can do as in the recipe. I cooked the mutton in the pressure cooker, instead you can cook it on the Instant Pot directly. I forget why I did not use the Instant Pot.

Recipe in pictures,

Cook the mutton with onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies and black pepper powder along with water in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for 3 whistles or 10 minutes.
Soak the rice for at least 1/2 hour or if you can longer. Once the mutton is cooked drain the water into a separate container.
Make a paste of the red chilies. In a pressure cooker add oil and add the whole spices.
Add curry leaves followed by the onions and saute till translucent. Add in the chili paste and saute for 2-3 minutes more.
Add in salt followed by the ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, followed by the coriander leaves and saute till wilted.
Add in tomatoes and saute till they become mushy.
Add in the cooked mutton and then the rice and mix well.
Add yogurt and the required amount of water and transfer contents to an Instant Pot.
Cook on manual mode in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes, let it be in the warm setting for 20 minutes. Open and fluff up the rice.

Serve with your choice of mutton kuzhambu or onion raita. The texture of the rice while it looks a lit bit wet, it gets separate after sitting for another 15 minutes.

Batura
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 lbs mutton (goat meat with bones, cut into bit size pieces)
2. 1 1/2 cups Kalijeera Rice (substitute with seeraga samba rice)
3. 2 cups of thinly sliced red onions
4. 6-8 garlic cloves finely chopped *
5. 2 tbsp of fresh ginger grated *
6. 8 red chilies (make a fine paste out of it adding a tiny bit of water)
7. 1/2 cup packed coriander leaves
8. 1/2 cup of yogurt whisked
9. Salt to taste
10. 2 tbsp of oil
11. Whole Spices: cinnamon pieces, cloves, star anise, bay leaf, curry leaves
For Cooking the Mutton**
12. 4 green chilies chopped fine
13. 2 garlic cloves chopped
14. 1/2 inch ginger chopped
15. 1 tsp turmeric powder
16. 1/4 cup chopped onions
17. 2 tsp pepper powder
18. Note:* I use the mutton cooked water to make a quick soup so I add the ginger, garlic, chilies, onions and pepper powder.
19. Note:** I use grated ginger and finely chopped garlic instead of paste as they get cooked faster than a paste of raw ginger and garlic but it is purely choice.

Method

1. Wash mutton with some turmeric powder, drain the water and take it in a pressure cooker with (ingredients under the 'For Cooking Mutton') the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies, pepper powder, turmeric powder along with 1/2 cup of water and cook in the pressure for 5 whistles. Cook longer depending on the quality of the meat. Cool, drain the water to use for cooking the biryani or like I do keep it for soup. ***
2. In a wide mouthed pan or the pressure cooker add oil and when it is hot add the whole spices, give a quick saute and add sliced onions.
3. Saute the onions till the onions become translucent, add in the chili paste and give a good saute for 2-3 minutes more. Add salt and mix.
4. Add in the chopped ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes taking care not to let it burn.
5. Add in the coriander leaves and saute till the leaves are wilted.
6. Add in the tomatoes and cook till they become mushy about 2-3 minutes.
7. Now add the cooked and drained mutton and mix so the masala is well coated.
8. Add in the rice and mix it in well and add then add the yogurt and mix it into the rice.
9. Add the required amount of water (for soaked seeraga samba rice, the water 1 1/4 cups for every cup of rice. Let come to a boil.
10. Now transfer the contents to an Instant Pot. Cook in Manual Setting (or Pressure setting) for 7 minutes and let it sit in the warming mode for another 15 minutes.
11. The pressure by now nce the pressure by now would have released naturally. Open the lid and fluff up the rice.
12. Note:*** If you are interested in making a soup you can cook the mutton in the onion tomato paste and then add the rice.
Serve with onion raita.

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Mutton Biryani

Whenever I cook mutton dishes I am reminded of a friend and her family. It is always a joy going out to eat with them, go to their place or have them come over for a meal. Their love for food is infectious especially non-veg food. The husband, wife and child all enjoyed their food immensely, appreciating good food and fearless to call out something that is not cooked properly. If they enjoy a certin food they let it be known which in itself is a treat. The places we visited with them, even if it was a little hole in the wall, the commonality was they all had the best made food.

To enjoy good food you need company that enjoys food too, else it is an exercise in futility trying to satisfy all sides and the process itself turns arduous. As our luck would have it the family moved back home a few years ago. It is company like that you need when you visit a place like this one and the one and only time we visited was with them. There are not many people who can go through the process of eating three courses of non-veg, survive and have anything to do with meat for a couple of months in the least.

Just a sample of their love for food, On a trip to the local zoo, we had packed the usual tamarind rice, lemon rice and yogurt rice but when sat down to eat, out came the fried dried fish which was delicious. They were of the opinion a little something is required to elevate the meal. Her fried full fish are the most delicious and the biryanis simply the best.

I have tried to recreate her Mutton biryani and I think I have succeeded, not to recreate hers exactly, but in the process learn to make one tasty biryani. I usually precook the mutton pieces in a pressure cooker but if you have tender meat just saute them in the spices and then add the rice.

Mutton Biryani
Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 lbs mutton
2. 1 1/2 cups onions sliced + 1/2 cup chopped onions
3. 2 cups Basmati rice or Seeraga Samba Rice
4. 3 tbsp heaped ginger and garlic minced (10 garlic cloves + 2 inch piece of ginger) + 3 garlic cloves and 1 inch piece of ginger chopped roughly
5. 1 cup ( 2 tomatoes chopped)
6. 2 cups packed mint leaves
7. 1/2 cup of coriander leaves
8. 12 green chilies slit
9. 2 tbsp of yogurt
10. seasonings - cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and curry leaves
11. 1/2 tbsp pepper powder (optional)
12. 1 tbsp chili powder or meat masala powder (optional)
13. 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
14. salt to taste
15. 2 tsp of oil

Method - precooked mutton pieces and using pressure cooker
1. Take the washed mutton pieces in a pressure cooker, add turmeric powder, 1/2 cup chopped onions, the chopped ginger and garlic, 5 slit green chilies and pepper powder and enough water to cover the mutton and let it cook for 4-5 whistles, let cool and transfer.
Note: If you are using tender meat skip this step.

1.b Wash and soak the rice for half an hour, just before you start to saute the onions

2. In the pressure cooker add oil and when hot add all the seasonings and when they just start to turn color add the onions and saute till they start to turn brown
3. Add the minced ginger garlic and green chilies and saute continuously for 4-5 minutes. Take care not to let them brown or stick to the bottom
4. Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves and saute them till they are nicely wilted
5. Now using a slotted spoon transfer just the meat pieces to the onion mixture in the cooker and mix it in well. If you are adding chili powder or masala powder add it at this stage.
6.Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and let it cook for till the tomatoes are mushy and soft
7. Add the washed rice and saute for 2-3 minutes
8. Add the reserved water in the ratio required for the rice, I usually add 1 1/2 cups of water for every cup of Basmati rice, seeraga samba rice requires 2 cups of water
9. Let the water come to a boil, check for salt and heat (add more chili powder/pepper powder if required)
10. Let the rice cook for 6-8 minutes in medium heat. Mix in the yogurt
11. Place the lid and cook in a slightly lower heat for not more than 8 minutes
12. Let the pressure cooker cool and then mix the rice gently


Method 2 - Sauteing the meat, precooked rice and stove top with dum
1. Skip step 1 of the previous method (just slice all of the onions and mince all of the ginger and garlic)
2. Follow steps 2-4 as above
3. Add the mutton pieces saute till they are completely cooked
4. Meantime set a pot of salted water to boil and let the rice be half cooked. Drain the water completely
5. Add the chili powder and pepper powders
6. Add the tomatoes and saute till they are mushy and soft
7. Now add in the rice and mix it in gently
8. Remove from the heat and finish in a preheated 350F oven for 8-10 minutes

Serve with onion raita

Mushroom Biryani

The one thing I want to talk about among the several that caught my eye on this trip to my hometown is the mushrooming of biryani houses. In my last trip(about 18 months ago) I hardly caught sight of any but this time around there was one in every corner and very hard to miss. Sometimes the shop is just a hole in the wall and the kitchen is in the back usually part of a household. The taste of the biryani in these places is very very good provided you are happy to contend with the copious amounts of oil and spices used. A great tasting biryani can be made at home and with a pressure cooker and with the minimum of oil.

When I started making biryanis I used the oven to create the dum effect(indirect heat by placing the cooking vessel over a hot gridle) so essential for biryanis but it seemed too much of a waste to fire up the oven just to finish the biryani and ensure that each grain of rice is separate. I wanted to stick to my efficient pressure cookers and produce the same results and arrive at a method that makes it hard to decipher the difference between dum and dumless.

While using pressure cookers it is important not to let the rice cook for too long with the whistle on. Instead close the lid and let the rice cook for 5-6 minutes with the steam coming out, now place the whistle and cook for 2-3 minutes.

For someone who loves goat biryani and would not hesitate to call it the king of biryanis I have come to accept mushroom biryani as a quick tasty alternative. DD2 loves mushrooms and wanted them cooked right away. If you are willing to make it slightly richer use chicken stock else water works as well.

Before I move on to the recipe, here is a pitch for DD's website called DoodlyGreetings where she shows off her handmade greeting cards. Please do visit the site and if there any suggestions leave them here or you can do so at her blog CherryBlossoms.

Mushroom Biryani
1. 2 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms (I used Crimini)
2. 1 1/2 cups rice (I used seeraga samba rice:water 1:2) (Basmati rice can be used)
3. 1 Medium Red onion - sliced thin
4. 8 garlic cloves + 2 inches of garlic + 8 green chilis minced (in a food processor)
5. 1 cup of mint and coriander leaves chopped
6. 1 tomato chopped fine
7. 1-2 cups of fresh green peas (I used frozen)
8. 15 cashews broken into pieces and roasted in ghee (I forgot to add this)
9. salt to taste
10. 1-2 tsp ghee
11. 1 tsp of oil
12. seasonings - cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds and curry leaves

Method
1. Wash and soak the rice for half an hour minimum.
2. In the pressure cooker heat the oil and 1 tsp of ghee and add the seasonings. When they start to turn color add the onions and saute till they start to turn brown.
3. Add the minced garlic,ginger,green chilies and saute till raw smell goes
4. Add the coriander and mint leaves and saute till they wilt
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till they turn mushy
6. Now add the mushroom and peas and saute for about 3-5 minutes. Add salt
7. Drain the rice and add to the mushroom and mix well and let it sit on very low heat for about 3 minutes more.
8. Now add water, check for taste (heat,salt, if not enough heat add red chili powder) and let it come to a boil and let cook on medium for 6-8 minutes more. Now you would see what pooled on the top, give it a good mix close the lid and in low heat let it steam for another 4 minutes.
9. Now place the weight and let cook for exactly 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the cooker from the stove.
10. After 10 minutes mix it gently.

Serve with yogurt or raita of choice.

Chicken Biryani II with Seeraga Samba

When does a simple lunch become a special Lunch? when there is Biryani on the menu ofcourse.

Seeraga Samba Rice

Back home Biryanis, Pulavs, flavored rice were all cooked with table rice or seeraga samba rice a tiny grain that grows to thrice its size when cooked. Biryani cooked with seeraga samba according to me taste way better than that cooked with Basmati rice. Chicken Biryani with Thayir Pachadi, heaven on a plate on a sunday afternoon :)

Ingredients
1. 1 lb Chicken preferably with bones cut into pieces
2. 1 1/2 Raw Seeraga Samba rice clenaed and soaked for atleast 1/2 hour (Rice:Water 1: 2 1/2)
3. 1 Cup Green Peas
4. 1 1/2 Medium Red Onion sliced thin
5. 10 garlic cloves and 2 inch piece of ginger chopped fine in a food processor
6. 2 Red tomatoes chopped fine
7. 6 Green chilies split
8. Whole Spices - bay leaf, star anise, 3-4 cloves a small piece of cinnamon, fennel seeds and curry leaves
9. 1/2 Cup Mint leaves
10. 1/2 Cup coriander leaves
11. 1 tsp chicken masala powder (optional)
12. 1 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
13. 2 tsp oil + 1 tsp ghee

Method
1. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker and when hot add all the whole spices and when they turn color add the green chilies saute for a minute
1a. If not using pressure cooker set the rice to cook in a separate pot and let it cook about 3/4 and set a heavy bottomed pan and follow step 1
2. Add the onions and saute till translucent.
3. Add the garlic ginger and saute till raw smell goes
4. Add the powders if using follwed by the mint and coriander leaves and saute till they wilt
5. Now add the chicken, salt and saute for about 3-4 minutes
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute and let everything cool till the tomato turns mushy.
7. Add the peas followed by the rice and mix well with the spices (proceed to step 7b if using cooked rice)
8. Now add the required amount of water and let it come to a boil, now set the heat to just below medium and wait for the rice to cook to about 3/4th of the way, mix add a dab of ghee
9.Close the lid and put the weight on and cook for about 8 minutes and switch off the heat

7b. Alternately if using the cooked rice, add the peas saute till for 3-4 minutes then the rice, add it to the pot mix well, add a dab of ghee on top and set in a preheated 350F oven and cook for 10 minutes, take out mix and cook for 5 more minutes and remove from oven.

Serve with raita of choice.

Biryani recipes
Chicken Biryani with Basmati
Shrimp Biryani


Samba Rice

Novel Reading:
In Cold Pursuit - Sarah Andrews
One of the best mystery books in recent times.

Chicken Paella - Spanish Biryani?

Self Analysis of my blogging and cooking motives is something I want to keep away from. Why? Do I look forward to cooking new dishes so that I can post them on the blog or is it because I want to feed my family new and delightful goodies? I strongly suspect it is the former but like I said I don't want to over analyse. The family for quiet some time thinks that blogging is the only reason they get to taste new delicacies, not that they are offended, they are simple happy is what I would like to think of the fact.

But I confess, Paella is something I would not have tried if not for the pleasure of blogging about it. Besides the payback of enjoying this wonderful dish blogging gives the added pleasure of talking about the pleasure. Ever since I saw the dish being cooked at the DuPont Farmer's Market and having tasted it, is a wonder that it did not happen sooner. One main reason was not having the right pan, even toyed with the idea of buying the enchilada itself but I wanted to try the dish before buying the pan. Kind of a chicken and egg problem. I used a 16Qt stock pot which had a big flat surface.


Biryani - Paella
What is the commonality between Biryani and Paella? Both refer to the frying that is involved, one of the rice, meat and other ingredients and the other of the frying pan. In my opinion both are flavorful one pot dishes perfect for a party or just a relaxing weekend meal. There is nary a cuisine which does not have its own version of Biryani.

Recipe Source: Fine Cooking - Paella (Taunton)
Followed the general cooking guidelines from here but additions like chili powder and cilantro in place of rosemary was to suit the Indian palate. Added mushrooms because there were in the Paella I tasted. I did not have Saffron so had to leave that flavoring out, can't wait any longer. Could have added peas too.



To Note:
1. Use a rice that can hold its own after absorbing the liquid and the long cooking time. Read this article. So Basmati is not a suitable one. I chose Risotto rice and was perfect.

Ingredients
1. 1 lb Chicken thighs with bones (cut into pieces of desired size).
2. 1 Medium red onion
3. 2 Tomatoes
4. 25 Green beans kind into desired size
5. 15 Crimini Mushrooms cleaned and cut into about 3 slices per mushroom
6. 6-8 stalks of coriander leaves
7. 1 tbsp chili powder
8. 1 1/2 Cups Risotto Rice
9. 3 3/4 Cups Chicken Stock (I used Vegetable Stock as I did not have Chicken stock on hand)
10. 1/2 head of garlic, remove the excess skin and make a slit on the outside + 5 cloves garlic sliced
11. 1 tsp pepper powder
12. 1 tbsp oil
13. salt to taste
14. 2 tbsp milk

Prep
1. Sprinkle salt and pepper powder and let the chicken sit
2. Mince the onion in the food processor, set aside
3. Mince the tomatoes in the food processor

Method
1. Heat a little bit oil in the pan, add the head of garlic, brown the chicken and set it aside.
2. Add the green beans and mushroom, bit more oil if required and saute them till they are half cooked, set aside
3. Now add the rest of the oil onions, sliced garlic and saute till they turn brown, At at this point I fished out the head of garlic and removed the skin and added the whole cloves to the pot
4. Add the tomatoes, salt and let them cook till all the raw smell goes and the color is bright red
5.At step 2, set the pot of stock to boil, when boiling add the chili powder to it.
6. Now add the rice to the pan and make sure the bottom is covered.
7. Spread the green beans and mushroom evenly, add the chicken
8. Reserve about a 1/4 cup of the stock and add the boiling stock to the rice
9. Let it cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes till the rice starts to plump up and the liquid has all been absorbed. Test the doneness, at this stage I had to add the rest of stock and let it cook for 3-4 minutes more
10. Now cover the layer of rice with aluminum foil, since I was using a deep pot I also closed the lid and let it cook like that for about 3-4 minutes again.
11. Add the milk, mix the rice, place the foil back, turn the burner all the way down and cook for another 5 minutes.
12. Switch off the heat, Don't touch the foil yet, leave it as is for another 10 minutes


That was one super tasting rice dish, even the kiddies asked for seconds. I was excited with the results and now seriously considering buying a Paella pan. I am hooked.

Shrimp Biryani

Briyani alwasys jazzes up any special occasion. Easy and simple enough to prepare and the taste is well worth any extra effort. Briyani also happens to be a favorite of everyone in our house. This is my first attempt at Shrimp Briyani but the empty plates confirmed that it was well liked. The mint plant still has leaves on it although tiny. Winter has not been too bad,bad is the operative word here, is it Global Warming, El Nino? Those are worries for another day but now it is time to enjoy the Shrimp Briyani.



Ingredients
1. 10-15 medium sized shrimps cleaned (tails removed)
2. 2 Medium size potatoes peeled and cubed
3. 1 large red onion sliced thin
4. 1 large juicy tomato chopped fine
5. garlic 8 pods, 2inch piece ginger, 6 green chillies (according to tolerance level) minced in a food processor
6. 2 tsp lemon juice
7. 1/2 cup chopped mint
8. 1 cup chopped corriander leaves
9. Seasonings 4 cloves, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 6-7 curry leaves
10. 2 tsps ghee
11. 2 tsp Oil (or as required)
12. 2 tsp turmeric powder
13. 1 tsp red chilly powder
14. 1/2 tbsp chicken masala or garam masala powder
15. 1 1/2 cup Basmati rice washed (Rice:Water ration 1 : 1 1/2)
16. Cashews, almond slivers (fried in a little bit of ghee)


Shrimp
1. Mix the Shrimp with a 1/4 tsp of turmeric, tsp of red chilly powder and 2 tsp of lemon juice and salt and set aside.

Method
1. In a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker heat oil and 2 tsps of ghee add the seasonings and when they start to brown,
2. Add the onion and saute till they turn brown
3. Add the minced garlic,ginger, green chilly mixture and let them cook
4. Add the mint and corriander leaves and saute till wilted.
5. Add the tomatoes and let the mixture cook till the tomatoes becomes pulpy and chutney consistensy.
6. Now add the masala powder and mix well.
7. Add the Shrimp and let it cook for a minute or two. Now fish out all the Shrimp and keep it aside if a few are left behind that is ok. This helps keep the shrimp from getting overcooked and chewy.
8. Add the potatoes and mix well.
9. Add the rice and mix well and fry for a few minutes gently.
10. In a separate sauce pan bring to a boil the required amount of water for the rice.
11. When the rice is well coated add the water and test if there is enough salt.
12. Keep the heat at medium and cook till the rice is 3/4 cooked and the water is almost gone.
13. Add the shrimp mix well and sprinkle a tsp of ghee on top, if using a pressure cooker reduce the heat to below medium, cover lid put the weight on and cook for 5-6 minutes. If using a regular pan close the lid and cook for 8-10 minutes checking at regular intervals.
14. Garnish with the fried nuts and serve with Onion Raitha.

Egg Biryani and a Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake
Dear Daughter wanted to bake a cake with her friends for her birthday celebration. She usually likes to have a party at Chuck E Cheese (they never seem to outgrow this place, hmmm), Bowling Alley or some such place. Last year after her party we arrived at a bright idea, she gets to have a birthday party at one of those afore mentioned places or the equivalent money goes to her bank account, hoping in the process it will teach her value for money and how not to spend it frivilouly. She chose the latter and hence the idea to bake cake and enjoy with her friends.

She and her friends were busy playing and when the time came they wanted play rather than bake the cake. So I went ahead and baked it. I have to confess this is the only cake I know how to bake. Really quick and simple. In the end I am pretty sure the kids enjoyed this toned down free celebration rather than the planned one.


Ingredients
1. 2 Cups of All purpose flour
2. 1 1/2 cups sugar
3. 2 sticks of butter at room temperature
4. 4 Eggs
5. 1/4 cup milk
6. 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
7. a pinch each of baking powder and salt.
8. Chopped nuts and raisins, we added pecans chopped and craisins(dried cranberries sweetened with apple jucies and is slightly tart)







Method
1. Reserve a little bit of the butter for lining the baking pans and beat the butter and add all the sugar till they are mixed well.
2. Beat the 4 eggs till frothy separately.
3. Now start adding the flour little by little to the buter mixture and when it starts getting dry start adding the the beaten egg mixture and when that is done add the milk little by little, add the vanilla extract and salt also. Mix using a egg beater and stop when all they are all incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. We made one plain and the just before pouring the batter into the next pan mixed the chopped nuts and raisins using a spatula.
5. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for aobut 40 minutes or an inserted knife comes out clean.



Briyani
Briyanis have always been a favorite of mine. Whenever I tasted Briyanis at a party or in a restaurant, I remember thinking "man they taste so good and must be hard to prepare", this was a little before I started cooking. But now they are my favorite recipe and also in my opinion easiest to cook provided you are using a pressure cooker like I do most of the time. I arrived on the precise timing to cook after several trial and error and having about an inch charred and stuck to the bottom of the cooker. So if I want something quick and tasty I fall back on Briyanis to do the trick. I cook better Non. Veg Briyanis than Veg. ones.

I saw Shankari's Egg A Meal could not resist and cooked it the next day. Briyanis get tastier as they get older so a good dish to pack for lunch the next day. You will find everybody wandering towards the kitchen to check out where the amazing smell was coming from.


Egg Briyani

Ingredients
1. 5-6 boiled eggs, slit in half.
2. 2 Cups Basmati rice
3. 1 Big Red onion thinly sliced lengthwise
4. 6 pods garlic, 2 inch piece ginger 2 green chillies chopped in a food processor (you can also ginger garlic paste but chopped cooks faster)
5. 1/2 tomato chopped fine
6. 1/4 cup cilanro leaves chopped
7. 1 cup mint leaves chopped
8. Seasonings, curry leaves, cumin 1/4 tsp , fennel seeds 1/4 tsp, 2 bay leaves, 3 cloves, 1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick
9. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
10. 2 green chillies (adjust this because it also added minced)
11. 1 tsp red chilly powder, 1 tsp chicken masala or garam masala powder
12. 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp ghee
13. Salt
14. roasted cashews for garnish (optional)

Method

1. In a pressure cooker heat the oil and ghee and add all the seasonings, as they turn brown add the onions and saute till they are translucent and brown.
2. Add the chopped ginger, garlic and chillies and saute till the garlic is soft.
3. Add the chopped mint and cilantro leaves. When they start to wilt add the turmeric, chilly and chicken masala powder and mix well.
4. Add the tomato pieces and cook till they are soft and mushy.
5. Add salt.
6. Add the washed Basmati rice and mix it well with the rice.
7. Add 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil and when the rice is 1/2 cooked, add the eggs and cover them with the rice. Don't mix too much the eggs will fall apart.
8.Close the lid put the weight, turn down the heat to just below medium and switch off the heat in 6 minutes and remove the cooker from the stove and keep it aside, or the heat will make the rice in the bottom stick.
9. When the cooker cools transfer to a bowl and garnish with onion rings and cashews.

Serve with the classic onion pachadi or any pachadi you prefer. RP has a great collection of pachadi recipes listed here.

Chicken Biryani

The girls tied the soccer game and dear daughter scored the goal that tied the game, she was the goalkeeper when the other team scored so a celebration was warranted. Eating is not one of her favorite things to do, but Chicken Briyani is different it happens to be her favorite and the little one is also developing a taste for it. I love cooking it because it is quick and easy. On a hot summer day I don't like turning on the oven to cook the Briyani but the pressure cooker works great. I am a big fan of the pressure cooker when things need to be done quickly. And if you have to carry lunch to work Chicken Briyani tastes even better the next day.



Ingredients
1. 1lb of chicken cut into bite sized pieces and washed with turmeric powder
2. 2 Red Onions sliced thin
3. ginger garlic paste 8 garlic pods and 2 inches ginger (I toast the ginger and garlic in a little bit of oil and then make them into a paste)
4. 8- 10) green chillies
5. 2 juicy tomatoes diced finely
6. 2 cups of mint and corriander leaves chopped
7. 2 cups Basmati rice (Rice:Water 1 : 1 1/2)
8. 1 tsp each of chilly powder, cumin powder and corriander powder (optional chicken masala powder about 1 tsp)
9. seasonigs, cumin, cinnamon, cloves (3), saunf, bay leaves, curry leaves
10. 4-5 tsp oil and 2 tsp ghee


Method
1. In the pressure cooker or a pan which is big enough to hold the rice, pour the oil and ghee and when it is hot add all the seasonings and saute.
2. In a separate pan add about 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil
3. Add the onions and fry till they are brown.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry them well.
5. Add the green chillies and the mint and corriander leaves and saute til the leaves have wilted completed.
6. Add all the powders and mix well.
7. Add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
8. Now add the Chicken pieces and required salt and cook them till the chicken is 3/4th done.
9. Add the basmati rice and mix well till they are coated with the masala.
10. Add the boiling water and check if the salt is enough and cook the rice till they are almost done.
11. Add a 1 tsp of ghee on top and close the lid and keep the flame in low medium for 5 minutes. Switch of the cooker off and remove from the stove.

OR

if using a pan close the lid and cook till the rice is done but towards the end make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom

Serve with Cut Onion rings and lemon and Raita (onion raita is the best)