Easy Egg Biryani

Once a dish of the royals, today the 'Biryani' reflects local sensibilities and traditions and is a very popular and common dish.
India has witnessed many invaders and with every invader came a different culture and a new cuisine. Muslim invaders like Turks, Arabs, Persians and Afghans introduced the culture of feasts to India. The Mughlai cuisine that India is famous for developed from the 15th century to about the 19th century during the reign of the Mughals. The Mughals raised cooking to an art form, introducing several recipes to India like biryani, pilaf and kebabs.
While 'Biryani' is popularly associated with the Mughals, there is some historical evidence to show that there were similar rice dishes prior to the Mughul invasion.

Let us begin our royal journey into history with some simple 'Biryani' recipes to boost our confidence. Nothing better to start off with than - Egg Biryani!
Egg Biryani unlike Meat Biryani always fails to impress due to the lack of flavoring. We need to understand that unlike meat, eggs are not going to share any of it's flavor with the rice or the masala. Due to this reason, we need to prepare a very flavorful concoction to help an Egg Biryani impress you. This is one such recipe. A definite keeper!

When I first started trying out 'Biryanis', the main thing that bothered me was the 90% cooked rice bit! What is 90%! How am I supposed to know I din't cook it 80% or 95%...? Sounds familiar? This kept me from trying out 'Biryanis' for far too long... until I came across the 1:1.5 method. Every 1 cup of rice will use 1.5 cups of water instead of 2. This ensures that the rice cooks 90% and the grains can stay separate. The remaining 10% gets cooked when all the assembled layers are cooked on 'dum'. Will break this down for you when we make this Biryani.
Ideally, Long grain or Basmati rice are used in 'Biryani' preparations. But we usually do not have it lying around at home. So unless I am feeding a crowd, I use the regular rice we have at home (Kolam). Please feel free to use Basmati rice for a prettier outcome.

Level: Easy
Serves: 5 - 6 people
Adapted from: ReadySteadyEat

Ingredients:
For the rice:
- 1. 5 cups rice (Soaked in water for 10 mins and then drained)
- 2.5 cups water
- 2 tsp ghee/clarified butter
- 2 green cardamoms
- 4 cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 3/4 tsp salt

For the Egg Masala:
- 6 hard boiled eggs, Sliced into 2 lengthwise
- 3 tsp ghee
- 1.5 tsp oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2.5 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1. 5 tblsp cashewnuts, broken
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tblsp coriander powder
- 1 tblsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chilly powder
- 1.5 tsp garam masala (any kind)
- 1 tblsp tomato paste (or 1/4 cup tomato puree/1 tomato, finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup yogurt, lightly beaten
- 3 tblsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 6 - 7 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
- Salt to taste

For Layering:
- 1.5 tblsp ghee
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced (or more if desired)
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 3 - 4 mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 pinch saffron strands

Method:
LAYERING - 
Step 1 - We will begin with our layering prep. Warm the milk in the microwave for 10 seconds. Add saffron and let it soak till needed. (At least 30 mins)

Step 2 - Fry the onions in oil till they turn deep brown and drain onto a paper towel. Do not let them stay clumped. Separate them a little with a spoon or fork. This will ensure that they crisp up as they cool down. Keep aside.

RICE - 
Step 3 - Let us work on our rice. Start heating water in the microwave or stove top till it boils. While this is happening, heat ghee in a pressure pan. Add the cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Saute for a few seconds till they sizzle. Add the drained rice. Fry for 2 - 3 mins. Add the boiling water and salt. Mix well. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. When done, separate the rice grains lightly with the back of your spoon or with a fork. Remove them onto a large plate and keep aside. We will be using the same pan to cook the egg masala and the final layering.
Due to the 1:1.5 ratio of rice and water used, the rice will be 90% cooked when done. We will cook the final 10% with all the eggs and spices post layering.

EGG MASALA - 
Step 4 - Heat the ghee and oil in your pressure pan. Add onions and saute till they turn transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Saute till the mixture turns light brown. Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilly powder. Saute till the mixture turns deep brown. Add a few tsps of water if you think the masala is sticking to the bottom and burning. Add the tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium low and let this mixture cook till the masala leaves oil.

Step 5 - Add cashewnuts and salt. Mix well. Add the lightly beaten yogurt. Mix again. Add mint and coriander leaves. Taste and adjust salt.

Step 6 - Place the eggs in the masala and lightly toss them with a spoon till the masala coats them well. Do not overwork them. We do not want to separate the yolks from the whites.

FINAL ASSEMBLY - 
Step 7 - Remove half the egg mixture from your pressure pan into another bowl. The other half of the egg masala will be your bottom layer. Spread out half the rice over the egg masala. From the layering tab, sprinkle half the fried onions, half the coriander leaves, half the mint, half the garam masala, half the ghee and half of the saffron milk mixture. Place the remaining egg masala on your rice layer and repeat the process. Remainder rice, fried onions, coriander leaves, mint leaves, garam masala, ghee and saffron milk mixture.

Step 8 - Place a large pan on medium low heat. Once it heats up, place your covered pressure pan without the whistle over it. Cook for 20 mins. This type of indirect cooking ensures that the masala at the bottom does not burn.
Alternatively, you can do the layering in your rice cooker and cook covered for 20 mins. It will switch from the cook mode to warm in 3 - 4 mins, but we have to let it continue cooking on warm till we hit our 20 mins time frame.
Both methods give excellent results. So use whichever you think works for you.

Right before serving, lightly mix the mixture with the back of a large spoon. Make sure you do not break the eggs or the rice grains.

Serve hot with some yogurt or raita of you choice.

Hope this biryani impresses your family as much as it did mine!
Happy Cooking Everyone!


Biryani info: Here!

Narali Bhaat for Narali Poornima (Sweet Coconut Rice)

'Narali Poornima' marks the end of the monsoon season in Maharashtra, India. It is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of 'Shravan'.
Fishermen and fishing community (koli) in Maharashtra celebrate 'Narali Poornima' or the Coconut Festival in a jubilant manner. Singing and dancing are the main attractions of this festival. They worship and offer coconuts to the Sea God 'Samudra' and the Rain God 'Varuna'.
This festival marks the beginning of the new fishing season.
A special sweet rice made with coconut - 'Narali Bhaat' is prepared at most homes on this day.

'Rakhi Poornima' or 'Raksha Bandhan' is also celebrated on this day. This festival celebrates the special bond and the sacred relation between brothers and sisters. The word 'Raksha Bandhan' means the bond of protection. On this day sisters tie a sacred thread which comes in many colors and designs, on their brother's wrist and in return the brothers offer gifts, presents and promise to protect them against all harms and troubles. Well...almost all!

At our homes we celebrate this day by exchanging rakhis and indulging in 'Narali Bhaat'. Every Maharashtrian home prepares 'Narali Bhaat' differently. The main difference is the use of sugar v/s jaggery. Personally I prefer jaggery as I love the mild flavor and the beautiful golden color it gives this rice. Also, that is how my Ajji made it.
I have tried my best to simplify my grandmom's recipe. Hope it does invite you to try this dish out and enjoy an almost forgotten Maharashtrian tradition.

Level: Easy
Serves: 5 - 6 people
Source: Mamata Wagh (Mamata mami)

Ingredients:
1 cup rice (uncooked, any variety)
2 cups water, boiling
1.5 cups jaggery, grated
3/4 cups fresh coconut (I used frozen)
1/3 cup ghee
5 - 6 cloves
2 - 3 green cardamoms
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 pinches saffron (optional)
1/4 cup milk
2 tblsp cashwenuts, chopped
1 tblsp almonds, chopped
1 tblsp raisins
2 pinches salt

Method:
Step 1 - Wash and soak rice in water for 10 mins. Drain out the rice in a strainer and keep aside.

Step 2 - Warm the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds. Add the saffron strands. Mix lightly and let this rest for at least 20 mins.

Step 3 - In a rice cooker or a regular pressure pan, heat 1 tblsp ghee. When the ghee heats up, add the cloves and green cardamoms. Saute for a few seconds. Add the strained rice and saute well on medium heat for 4 - 5 mins. Add boiling water and pressure cook the rice for 2 whistles or till done. Once cooled, fluff up the rice with a fork, taking care not to break down the grains and leave aside to cool. Do not get rid of the pressure pan here. We are going to cook the rice in it again.

Step 4 - While the rice is cooking, take a flat pan and heat 2 tblsp ghee. Saute the cashewnuts and almonds till they are light brown in color. Drain onto a paper towel. In the same ghee, saute raisins till they plump up and drain them onto a paper towel. Keep the nuts and raisins aside to cool.

Step  5 - In the same pan, add another tblsp ghee, coconut and jaggery. Saute for 2 - 3 mins till the jaggery melts. Pour the mixture onto a plate. Add the cardamom powder and mix well. Let this mixture warm down a little.

Step 6 - Once your rice and coconut jaggery mixture is ready, take a large pot, add the cooked, fluffed rice, the nuts, saffron along with the milk it is soaked in and coconut jaggery mixture. Gently mix everything together.

Step 7 - Grease the rice cooker/pressure pan with ghee so the rice does not stick to it's bottom. Put the rice mixture from Step 6 into the rice cooker. Pour in the remaining ghee on top. Cook covered for 20 mins on low heat. If your pressure pan is too thin or you plan to use a regular pot, keep it over a pan so the rice gets cooked with indirect heat. You do not want it all burnt up at the bottom.

And we are done!
Serve warm.

Tips:
This preparation is not supposed to be too sweet. So if you have a very sweet tooth, do add more jaggery.

You can use any dried fruit of your choice and in any quantity as per your preference. I have used raisins, almonds and cashews as I generally have them on hand at home.

Using saffron is optional, but it does give a great aroma and flavor to this dish. Also the dark golden bits in the rice look very appetizing.

In step 6 after you have mixed everything together, the mixture if tasted, will be very sweet. While you cook the rice, all the sweetness in the jaggery gets soaked up and a mild sweet flavor remains.

If you have leftovers, reheating the rice in your microwave will dry out the dish. So sprinkle a little water on the rice and then heat it up. Other option would be to steam this rice in a pressure pan, but that is too labor intensive if you have too little remaining.

Narali Poornima source: here and here!

Couscous Salad

Couscous is a coarsely ground pasta made from semolina. It is a staple in the North African Maghreb region.
Like pasta, couscous is made from semolina flour, but rather than mixing the semolina with a prescribed amount of water and/or egg into a dough, couscous is made by rubbing the semolina between moistened hands until the flour combines with just enough water to form hundreds of tiny grains. Needless to say, it is the simplest forms of making pasta and one that is practiced in villages all around the Mediterranean basin.

Couscous comes in instant and non-instant variety. The instant variety is pre-steamed and then dried before it is packaged. This makes the cooking process really quick.

Today I will share a really interesting couscous salad recipe. By just glancing through the ingredients you will realize how refreshing and hearty it is going to be. This is the first couscous recipe I tried at my home and needless to say we are hooked. I am sure you would be too. So let us get started.

Level: Easy
Serves: 4 people
Adapted from: Laura in the kitchen

Ingredients:
2/3 cup instant couscous
2/3 cup water
1 tomato, scoop out the seeds and liquid and cut into small cubes
1 medium cucumber, scoop out the seeds and cut into small cubes
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas (I use canned chickpeas - washed)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 green chilly, finely chopped
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tblsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper as needed

Method:
Step 1 - Heat 2/3 cup of water covered and let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the instant couscous. Mix quickly with a spoon and cover the pot with a lid for 5 minutes.

Step 2 - Let us get to our dressing now. In a large salad bowl, zest 1/2 a lemon with a zester or the smallest grater you have. Make sure you use only the yellow portion of the lemon. Do not zest the white rind. This will make your dressing bitter. Once done, cut the lemon open and squeeze the life out of it. We need all the lemony goodness. Add the olive oil. Beat all the ingredients well with a whisk or a fork.

Step 3 - Add the chopped veggies, chickpeas, chilly and coriander leaves into the salad dressing. Add salt and pepper. Lightly toss everything together. Do not over mix. This might break the veggies. We do not want that to happen.

Step 4 - By now the 5 mins of couscous standing time would be up. Using a fork, start pulling out the layers of the couscous till they separate well. They should be lump free. Drop this couscous, while it is still warm in the bowl of veggies. Toss lightly with a fork. Adjust the salt and pepper.

The couscous should taste refreshingly lemony and be perfectly salted.
Serve warm or cold. This dish makes a meal in itself.

Happy Cooking Everyone!

Tips:
This dish can be enjoyed warm or cold out of the fridge.

The more this dish sits in the refrigerator, the more the flavors intensify. I generally make this dish the night before we plan to enjoy it for brunch.

Make sure all the veggie preparations are done before you cook the couscous. We need to use the couscous while it is still warm.

Do not forget to scoop out and discard the seeds and liquid from the tomato and cucumber. If used, they will completely water down the salad.

Give this salad your own touch, by adding or omitting the ingredients of your choice. As couscous does not have any flavor of it's own, it tastes great with any vegetables.

For this recipe, do not follow the cooking instructions on your couscous box, to cook  it. The instructions are to make a really mushy and soft couscous. We do not want that texture for our salad.

Other Sources: Here

Lapsi Biryani (Cracked Wheat Biryani)

Inspite of rice being very dear to many Indian hearts, this is one recipe that you are very likely to enjoy instead of rice. Personally, this is my favorite healthy alternative to Basmati rice.
'Cracked wheat' has a soft texture when cooked and also has an interesting "nutty" flavor. To make cracked wheat -raw, whole wheat kernels are crushed down into smaller bits. By including this outer portion of the wheat - bran and germ, cracked wheat comes along with even more benefits than whole grain.
Being naturally low in fat and absolutely free of saturated fats, cholesterol and trans fat, this food is also a great way to help maintain a consistent weight loss regimen.

So let me share this wonderful Lapsi Biryani recipe with all of you and help you introduce whole grains in a delicious way into your diets.

Serves: 5 to 6 people
Level: Easy
Adapted from: Amhi Sare Khavaiyye (Cookery Show)

Ingredients:
1.5 cups cracked wheat/daliya/lapsi
3 cups water
2 tblsp oil
1 tblsp butter
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 green cardamoms
3 cloves
3 black peppers
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tblsp heaped biryani masala (I used Shan Bombay Biryani Masala)
4 tblsp yogurt, lightly beaten
1 tsp broken cashewnuts (optional)
2 tsp slivered almonds (optional)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups assorted veggies
(I used cauliflower, peas, corn, green beans, carrots)
1/2 cup paneer, grated/cubed (Indian cottage cheese)
Salt to taste
Coriander to decorate

Method:
Step 1 - In a pressure cooker pan, heat 2 tblsp oil. Add the cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, black peppers, bay leaf and cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds.

Step 2 - Add the onions and saute till they turn light brown. Add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, ginger garlic paste and biryani masala. Stir well. Add the butter. Stir again. Add a few tblsps of water if you think the spices are sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. Add the beaten yogurt and the cashewnuts and almonds if you plan to use them. Stir well.

Step 3 - Add the lapsi/cracked wheat and mix everything well. Add the assorted veggies, potatoes and salt. Saute for a good 6 - 7 mins. Add the water and stir well. Adjust the salt and red chilly powder. Let the water come to a boil. Pressure cook for 2 whistles or till the cracked wheat is completely cooked. Generally the time taken is the same as you need for cooking rice.

Step 4 - Add paneer into the cooked biryani and lightly mix everything together.

Decorate with coriander, some almonds and grated paneer and serve hot with some raita.

Tips:
Need a few more reasons to include cracked wheat into your diet?
-Cracked wheat is packed with dietary fiber which helps to maintain your entire digestive track on the whole.
-With high levels of iron, magnesium, Vitamin E and B and even some antioxidants to boot, cracked wheat can help prevent fatigue and fend off stress as well as preventing anemia and low blood iron. When put up against the much more processed white rice, it is clear which is the champion for overall nutrition.

Source: Read some more on cracked wheat here!

Lemon Rice

I was never really fond of rice dishes...but during my stay in the US, I realised that no maid is going to come and cook chapatis for me everyday...i convinced myself..that rice is the way to go!
Making chapatis has been, is and will always be a boring task for me.
So I used to make them only once a day (well almost!).
The other meal used to be either something continental or some rice dishes.

In the process I did a lot of surfing for some different styles of rice. Learnt lemon rice, tamarind rice, tomato rice etc.

So heres my sis-in-law's favorite rice preparation...Lemon rice. This dish is a cool "packed picnic preparation" too..tastes best warm, but its ok to have it at room temparature too.

SIL is going with her friends to Belgaum today and she has chosen lemon rice for her group of friends in the train. Hence the large quantity. You could adjust the quantity as per your desired servings.

Level: Easy
Serves: 6 -7 people

Ingredients:
8 cups cooked rice (2 cups raw rice)
3 lemons, or as desired
Salt to taste
3 dry red chillies
2 tsp chana dal
2 tsp urad dal
3 tblsp raw peanuts
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 pinch asafoetida/hing
2 sprigs curry leaves
3 green chillies, roughly chopped
2 inch ginger, finely chopped
3 tblsp coriander, finely chopped

Method:
Step 1 - Separate the cooked rice on a large plate and let it cool down. When cool, apply salt and lemon juice as per your taste preference. It should be lemony and perfectly salted. Its difficult to adjust the salt at a later stage. Keep aside.

Step 2 - Take a large wok-like vessel. Pour in some oil and let it heat up. When hot, add dry red chillies and mustard seeds. When they splutter add in chana dal and peanuts. Stir on a medium low flame till they brown.

Step 3 - Add in urad dal. It quickly turns brown. Add in turmeric powder, asafoetida, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves together. Mix well for a minute or so.

Step 4 - Add rice and stir till all the masala quotes the rice well. Do not fry the rice in there. Once all is quoted turn off flame.

Serve warm with some pickle.

You could leave out the chana dal, if you think you dont like too much crunch.

Rack your brains!
Citrus fruits have more benefits than any other fruits.
Lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C.
It can protect your body against germs and bacteria.
Lemon juice is very high in citric acid, which helps the body fight off colds. 
It is also a liver stimulant and can control irritable bowel syndrome.
It can control conditions like constipation and diarrhea.
It can also help in helping heart burn, some bloating and even helping in subsiding gas pains.