My Biryani

Everyhouse has a special Friday biryani or a special similar rice dish usually prepared for Eid and such occasions. This is the recipe for my biryani. Its not so complicated but just has different components. Some people make biryani using rice and gravy in separate layers but I prefer to make it the mixed style.

For rice:
3 cups rice
salt

For gravy:
Biryani spice mix powder (4 table spoon-you can adjust for preferred spiciness)
One medium chicken chopped into medium size
1 yoghurt (small)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp turmeric dissolved into one cup water
2 tablespoon ghee


For garnish:
3 medium size onions chopped and fried till golden and crispy
1/2 cup cashew nuts (fried till golden)
1/2 cup raisins (fried till golden)
Hard boiled eggs (chopped into quarters)
handful coriander leaves.

How to:

First mix chicken, yoghurt, spices, tomato paste and salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in pot (a big pot) and add chicken mixture. When chicken fries nicely add the cup of water and simmer on low heat.

At the same time cook rice until almost one third done. Not hard but not too soft. (i check by squishing with finger and when the rice grain just loses its hardness). Add the rice on top of the simmering chicken mixture and pour the turmeric water mixture and rest of ghee on top of rice.

Add half of fried onions and mix the chicken and rice once. (Dont over mix -Just so that all the chicken is not at the bottom). Cover the lid with a small towel and place the lid on top. Put heat on very very low and let the steam cook the rice.

Place biryani into serving tray or bowl and  garnish with the onions, fruit and nuts. I place eggs on top and finally add coriander.

And heres how it looks like ;)

BIRYANI IS BEST SERVED WITH COLD RAITA (YOGHURT, CUCUMBER, TOMATO, ONIONS AND CORIANDER SALAD)

Hope you all will enjoy with your families, Eid Mubarik! :)

Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I made this using a vanilla cake mix because there are days when you want to eat something fancy but do not feel like measuring and sifting, and it was exactly a day like that ;) . So I thought I'd share this with you guys.

Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 vanilla cake mix (plus eggs and oil as per the box)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 can pineapple slices drained (keep the syrup aside to use instead of water for the cake mix)

cherries (if you dont have thats fine coz it just gives a bit of color and a fancy touch)

How to:

Preheat oven and grease pan as per instructions on cake mix

Mix the cake better substituting water with the sugar syrup from the pineapple

Heat sugar and water in cake pan over the stove just like how you make the caramel for puddings.

When sugar syrup is a bit browned take off stove and arrange pineapple slices on it. If you have cherries insert them in the middle of the pinepple slices.

Bake as per cake mix and cool.

Flip the cake on the serving plate and voila! A fancy dessert for a lazy day.

Happy tea time guys :)

Nutella Brownies

I was browsing for some easy nutella brownies and a super easy recipe popped up which I just had to try. The only ingredients needed were eggs and nutella! How easy could this get.

It came out all chocolaty and delicious. If you have a jar of nutella and some eggs try this immediately :)

2 Ingredient Nutella Brownies Recipe

Ingredients

4 large eggs
1 cup nutella


How to:

Line a small cake tray (small because if you use a large tray the brownies will end up too thin) with baking paper and preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Crack eggs into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer (easier but if you dont have you can always use hand power ;) ) until eggs become frothy and fluff upto almost double the size.

Warm nutella in microwave or double boil method (put the nutella in a small metal bowl and heat in a saucepan with hot water on the stove).

Pour warm nutella into the egg mixture and mix well until thoroughly combined.

Pour batter onto tray and bake for about 30 minutes or until when toothpick comes clean when inserted into brownies.

Take out from oven and let it cool. Cut into bars and start eating

You can eat it straightaway, sprinkle powdered sugar on top or top with icecream. The possibilities are endless :)

Kan Kun Beef Stir Fry

Green leafy vegetables can only get as good as Kan Kun and this recipe is pretty easy and tastes great :)

Kan Kun Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

 

1 cup beef cut into long thin strips (about 1 1/2 inch long)

2 handfuls of kan kun leaves washed 

2 cloves garlic chopped fine

1 medium onion chopped fine

2 tablespoon soya sauce

1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce

2 green chillies sliced in half

1/2 cup chicken stock

oil

salt n pepper to taste

How to:

1. Pour about a tablespoon of oil on hot pan and fry the beef slices until browned well. Remove from pan and keep aside
2. Fry onion and garlic in the pan. Mix soya sauce, chilli garlic sauce in the chicken stock and add to the pan
3. Add chillies and season well with salt and pepper
4. Add beef and coat the sauce well.
5. Add the kan kun leaves and turn off the heat and put the lid on the pan. 
6. Serve quickly because kan kun leaves tend to wilt really soon in the heat and turns brown when left too long

Mashed potatoes

Simple Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 medium sized potatoes quartered

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp milk

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper for seasoning

How to:

1. Put potatoes into a pot and add 1/2 tsp salt. 
2. Add water until potatoes are covered and bring to a boil
3. Reduce heat and cook covered until done (Check by pricking with a fork - it should be soft enough to easily poke the fork through.
4. Heat milk and butter until melted and warm
5. Drain water from potatoes and put in a bowl
6. Add the milk and butter mixture and mash well with a fork and mix well
7. Do not over mix and season well with salt n pepper

:)

Spaghetti - Pesto

Its been ages since I had wanted to make pasta with pesto sauce. When I came across fresh basil leaf packs at Seagull Foods I just couldn't wait to try it. The recipes  I checked online usually call for pine nuts in the pesto. But I substituted it with peanuts and it tasted pretty to good to me and the family.

Spaghetti - Pesto Style

Ingredients:

Leaves from 2 bunches of fresh basil
2 tbsp peanuts unsalted
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar)
Salt and pepper
1 packet spaghetti cooked and drained

How to:

1. Combine basil, peanuts, garlic and olive oil into a blender/food processor and blend till it becomes a puree and add cheese, salt and pepper and blend again till well combined..
2. Add the pesto sauce to the spaghetti and mix well. 

Mmmmmmm!

My Pan-fried Spicy Chicken

It takes just a few measly items to make this scrumptious chicken recipe which is great with rice, pasta or with some fries

My Pan-fried Spicy Chicken recipe

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken breast sliced into any size u want.
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chilli powder (lonumirus havadh)
salt & pepper to taste
dash of lime juice
olive oil


How to:

1. Heat about 3 tbsp oil onto frying pan
2. When pan is hot lay the chicken pieces to cook until cooked halfway through and then flip
3. When both sides are nicely browned turn off heat and serve :)

Your family is gonna love it :)

Cold cucumber salad

I found this salad to be an excellent side dish either with curry or any stir fry dish. Its super easy and packed with lots of flavor.

Cold Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

1 medium sized cucumber
2 tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper
1 small onion sliced thinly horizontally (it will be in rings)

How to:

1. Slice cucumber into really really thin slices.
2. In a bowl mix vinegar, salt and pepper.
3. Add onions and cucumber and combine well
4. For more flavor u can also add about a handful of coriander chopped finely or a pinch of dried red chillies coarsely grounded (raalhu muguri mirus).

Serve chilled!

Beetroot Kulhimas

My mom is the creative mind behind this mouthwatering version of our favourite kulhimas. Here's her recipe for utter bliss, sigh...

Beetroot Kulhimas

Ingredients:

1 bowl fresh tuna (you can use any reef fish eg: snapper too) cut into cubes

2 medium onions sliced thin

4 gloves garlic crushed n chopped finely

curry leaves about 12

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup grated beetroot

1 red chilli

1 tbsp chilli powder (lonumirus havaadh is very good)

1 tsp pepper

salt to taste

oil

How to:

1. Heat about 2 tbsp oil in pan. Add curry leaves, garlic and onions. Fry these in low heat until light brown. 
2. Add tomato paste, beetroot and rest of spices. Fry the paste for a few mins until fragrant
3. Add fish and slowly mix everything and cook until tuna is cooked through.
4. Dont over mix. Season with salt and take off heat once tuna is cooked through. You can check by spearing a piece with a fork.

Chicken and Cauliflower Stir Fry

My family loves this dish and it's a great way to stuff them with the veggies they usually pull faces when put in front of them steamed or boiled.

Chicken and Cauliflower Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 cup boneless chicken sliced thin and long
1/2 cup carrot cubed
1 cup cauliflower florets (You can use frozen kind or fresh)
1 onion sliced finely
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce (I like to add this but you can skip if you dont like)
1 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 handful chopped leeks
Olive oil

How to:

Heat about a tbsp oil in a pan and brown the chicken pieces and take from pan and keep aside
Add a little more oil and fry the onions and garlic. I add some curry leaves with the onions
When onions and garlic brown a little add the carrot and cauliflowers
Mix soya sauce, tomato paste, chilli garlic sauce and water and pour over the veggies and mix until sauce coats everything well.
Add the chicken and chilli flakes and cook till everything is cooked and crisp. Don't overcook.
Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat
Add the chopped leeks and serve over rice or with roshi.

You can add veggies like green peas, bell pepper and just about anything else with this recipe. The possibilities are endless :) Go wild guys

Broccoli n mushrooms - my way

Got quite tired of steamed broccoli all the time and decided to spice it up. Everyone will come to love broccoli when you add a kick of garlic n red chilli flakes. :)

Broccoli and Mushrooms - My way

Ingredients

One large broccoli head, florets cut from the stem

2 cloves garlic chopped fine

1 tbsp dried red chilli flakes

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 tbsp chicken stock

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

How to:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan. Add chopped garlic and fry
2. Add mushrooms and brown
3. Add broccoli and chicken stock and cover with lid and cook till dry
4. Add chilli flakes, season with salt n pepper and remove from heat
5. Ready to eat!

Honey Garlic Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

Friday is officially chicken day at our place so I found a new recipe to try out. This recipe is for baked chicken drumstick with a honey and garlic sauce. 

Honey Garlic Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken drumsticks

3 tbsp butter or olive oil

3 cloves garlic minced finely

1 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp chilli flakes (coarsely ground chilli)

salt and pepper to taste

How to:

For glazing sauce: 

Heat butter/olive oil on low heat. Add all ingredients except chicken and cook gently. If its too dry add a little chicken stock or water and take off heat and keep aside

Arrange drumsticks on tray and pour the glazing sauce over it. Combine well with the drumsticks so that the sauce coats well.

Bake in a 200 degrees preheated oven for about 45 mins until cooked well and browned.

Serve over rice or with roshi

:) Easy peasy

Aloo Mattar (Potato & Peas in curry gravy)

My husband loves green peas with roshi (chappati). While looking for a new way of preparing it I came across this Indian totally yummy recipe which uses potatoes and peas in a thick curry gravy. You can change the spiciness to suit your family. We like it spicy :)

Do try it out!

Aloo Mattar

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes cubed (about 1 inch)
1 1/2 cup green peas (can use frozen or canned) - if frozen pls thaw, if canned pls drain
1 onion sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
1 inch fresh ginger piece chopped fine
curry leaves (about 8-10)
2 peeled tomatoes crushed with a fork*
1 tbsp Garam masala
1 tbsp Chilli powder
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup milk (if you want can use coconut milk also)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh coriander leaves chopped for garnish

How to:

Shallow fry the potatoes and keep aside
Add garlic and ginger to pan and fry until fragrant
Add curry leaves and onion and fry till golden.
Add all the spices and tomato paste and mix til combined.
Add peas, potatoes and the crushed tomatoes and finally add milk and stir.
Season with salt and pepper and take off heat.

Just add chopped coriander on top and serve with roshi, parata or rice.

P.S. I used a few chopped green chillies for more heat.


*Make your own peeled tomatoes by cutting an X shape on the top of the tomato and boil for about 10 mins in water. Take it out and the peel comes right off. Much flavorful than canned ones.