Chicken Biryani

Yes - finally. Chicken Biryani is a step forward! Remember it's all in the rice. How your biryani turns out will depend on how your rice is cooked. The other part is the prep. There is a lot of prep involved and it has to be done in time. The entire time to cook the biryani is about 3 hours. Be prepared for a long time in the kitchen. But the end result can be so satisfying and oh so delicious. Biryani is the only rice preparation that my daughter Anagha will eat without complaint!

Ingredients:

9 chicken thighs, skinless, bone in.
2 cups of basmati rice - washed and drained. Soak for couple of hours. This is very important
3 TBS ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
salt
1 cup yogurt
3 TBS biryani masala (recipe follows)
4 cloves
4 green cardamom
6 pepper corns
few pieces of cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice
oil
1 tsp saffron
5 TBS milk
15 whole almonds blanched and slivered
20 cashews
2 large tomatoes (or 3 medium) tomatoes
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 cup chopped mint leaves
4 large red onions sliced thin.
4 TBS ghee
4 eggs


For Biryani masala

1 Bay leaf
4 TBS coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black cumin seeds
8 cloves
8 pepper corns
5 green cardamom
2 black cardamom
2 star anise
1/2 tsp mace
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 TBS crushed dagad phool
3 pieces - 1 inch - cinnamon.

Dry roast these ingredients and grind to a fine powder. This can be done anytime. The masala can be stored in an airtight container.

Preparation:

Wash and drain the rice, let sit for at least a couple of hours.
Marinate the chicken in the ginger garlic paste,turmeric, chili powder and 1 tsp salt.
Fry the sliced onion till crisp. (You can use store bought fried onions - just make sure they are fresh)
Soak the saffron in warm milk.
Blanch the almonds and remove the skins. Cut them into slivers.
Fry the almonds and cashews in a little oil and keep separate.
Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water till the skin splits. Remove and peel them. Chop into 4 pieces each.
Boil and peel the eggs and make a slit in them - but do not cut them all the way.

Cooking:

Heat a large pot, add 3 TBS of oil. Add the 4 cloves,4 green cardamom,6 pepper corns and few pieces of cinnamon and fry for a minute. Add the pre-soaked rice and  at least 3-4 times the water - by volume. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp lemon juice. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook till the rice is almost done. Al dente. Then drain and run cold water over it. Make sure you spread out the rice in a tray, or the residual heat will cook the rice and then you won't get the perfect biryani.
Take about 3 TBS of the rice and add to the saffron/milk mixture.

Heat a large pot, add 4-5 TBS oil and add the marinated chicken. Saute the chicken till you see it turn white. Cover and cook. DO NOT add any water. Once the chicken is cooked, add the yogurt, biryani masala and tomatoes and cook till the yogurt is absorbed and the tomatoes start to break up. Remove from heat.
Add the fried onions and chopped coriander and mint leaves. Reserve a few fried onions for garnish.
Let cool for a few minutes.

Layering:
Pre heat oven to 275.

I use a lasagna pan. But any large oven proof casserole will work. Grease the bottom of the pan with a little oil. Add the chicken to the pan, arrange the chicken pieces so they are spread evenly over the pan. Add the eggs to this layer, arranging them in between the chicken pieces. Spread the rice evenly over this layer. Spread the saffron soaked rice over the rice. If any of the milk is left over just pour it over the rice, make sure you use all the saffron strands. Sprinkle the reserved fried onion and the fried nuts on top. Melt the 4 TBS ghee and 'glaze' the biryani. Cover entirely with aluminium foil.
Place the prepared pan on the bottom rack and let it cook for 30 minutes. Then MOVE the pan to the top rack and let it cook for another 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes before opening the foil. When you serve the biryani, make sure you use a spatula that will reach all the layers.

Serve with onion raita and either bagare baingan or mirchi ka salan. Enjoy!!

Chicken Curry - Traditional

Ah chicken curry!

Each cook has his/her unique way of making chicken curry at home. Even if I give you the recipe here, it will never taste the same - so don't worry- make it a couple of times and you will hit upon the magic proportions that you and your family love. It never has to be exactly the same as someone else's. The biggest fan of my chicken curry is my little one- Anagha...this is especially for her.

I use either whole chicken,cut up or chicken thighs for chicken curry. That's simply because the leg meat always tastes better when braised and personally I love the chicken thigh meat. But feel free to use breast meat if that's what you like. The only rule is that it should be skinless and bone IN. Never boneless.

1 medium chicken cut into medium sized pieces.
2 cups yellow onion chopped
2 bay leaves
2 TBS chopped coriander leaves
3 TBS oil

For the marinade:
1 TBS turmeric
1 1/2 TBS chili powder
1 TBS salt
1 cup yogurt

Clean the chicken and pat dry. Apply the marinade and make sure all the pieces are covered. Ideally this should be marinated overnight in the fridge, but if you don't have the time, at least an hour or so.

Green Masala paste:

15 cloves of garlic
1 TBS ginger
2 TBS sliced onion
3-4 cloves
5-6 peppercorns
2 star anise
2 black cardamoms
4 green cardamoms
2 TBS coriander seeds
1 TBS cumin seeds
1/2 TBS fennel seeds
2 inch piece cinnamon
2 bay leafs
1/2 tsp black cumin seeds

Grind all of the above to a fine paste.

Brown masala paste:

4 TBS sliced onion
2 TBS grated coconut
1 TBS poppyseeds
1 tsp oil

Roast the onion in 1 tsp oil till brown, add the coconut and poppy seeds and roast till coconut turns brown. Grind to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a large thick bottomed pan, add the bay leaves and the chopped onion. Saute till onion is browned. Add the green masala and saute till oil separates. Add the marinated chicken with the marinade. Saute the chicken pieces till they turn white. Add 1 cup of water, lower heat, cover and cook. Stir frequently to make sure the chicken does not stick to the bottom of the pan. You may need to add a little more water, but do not add too much.
Once the chicken is cooked, Add the brown masala and then adjust the thickness of the gravy to your liking. Taste for seasoning. Add the chopped coriander leaves and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Serve with cucumber raita, chapati or paratha and basmati rice.

Learn the Basics - How to boil an egg

Sounds so simple right? Boil an egg, what could be simpler? It's as simple as boiling water.
But things can go wrong- especially for a new cook.
The perfect boiled egg is with the white done well, the yolk just done- and still bright yellow - no greenish edges - and perfectly peeled.

Always use the freshest eggs you can find. Start with cold tap water. The eggs should be immersed in the water. Add a teaspoon of salt or a splash of vinegar, so if an egg accidentally cracks in the water, the white does not spread. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and cover and keep the eggs in the water for 10-12 minutes. Then, run cold water in the pot. Take out the eggs and lightly roll them on the counter till the entire shell is cracked, then carefully peel them- under water. Peeling them under water helps to separate the thin membrane that holds the shell to the egg.

Voila! you will have the perfect boiled egg...every single time.