AMBUR STYLE CHICKEN BIRIYANI

 

To vent out the stress of cyclone Nivara I made this awesome  biriyani today. This is a very simple but delicious biriyani recipe..The very first time I had biriyani from  chennai I didn't like it at all because I was sooooo obsessed with our kerala biriyani. But now the scenario has changed😉🤩

Biriyani is actually a simple dish. It doesn't need a lot of masalas to make it rich n delicious ;that is what  i have learned over years..I was under the impression biriyani is a tough dish to make as it used to be the special dish any house we visit or when we had any guest .I wish I had papadam, pickle and boiled biriyani to pep up the biriyani combo.

And also this is first time I am ever posting a video in my blog

 

INGREDIENTS 

chicken  - 1kg

Oil - 1tbsp

Ghee - 1tbsp

Cardamom - 3

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Fennel seeds - 1tsp

Cloves - 3

Onions  - 3 big

Ginger garlic paste - 2tbsp

Tomato - 2 medium

Chilli powder  - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder  - 1tsp

Curd - 2tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Mint leaves  - a handful 

Basmati rice/any biriyani rice - 2 cup

Water - 3cups

METHOD

Wash the chicken pieces and keep aside to drain water

Heat a vessel 

add oil ,ghee,Cardamom, cinnamon,fennel seeds and cloves

Add thinly sliced onions and saute well for about 15minutes

Add ginger garlic paste and give it a mix for about 2 minutes

Add tomato and saute till tomatoes turn mushy

Add the chilly powder ,turmeric powder and salt

Add the chicken pieces and give a good mix 

Add the curd and mix well

Check salt ,cover and cook for 15 minutes 

by now chicken will ooz out a lot of water 

Now add the washed and drained rice into the chicken masala along with 3 cups water because already there is around 1 cup water from the chicken.

Check salt and add mint leaves 

Cover the vessel with a lid and on top of the lid keep some weight so that steam doesn't escape 

After 10 minutes check if the rice is cooked and switch off the flame 

Keep the lid closed for another 10minutes or untill serving

Your yummy is biriyani is ready to serve

KERALA PAROTTA

During this lockdown while having a video chat with my mom in law she mentioned about her craving for parotta since she saw a parotta making video in YouTube. And she said someday after this lockdown when we go home we Must try making .Oh .needless to say she just easily passed on that temptation or craving on me...I never before thought of making parottat at home because of the rumuored difficulty in the process. The notorious swinging and hitting of the dough during parotta making which is a common sight in the street food/restaurants has given me an impression that parotta is something impossible to try at home.And this recipe doesn't require much hardwork with swinging or hitting..all it needs is ample time for the dough to rest and lot of oil.But i have used very less oil 

But I consider this one among the numerous advantages of lockdown that i decided to give it a try and the result was so overwhelming for me.These parottas were flaky soft and layered.

Parottas are the most popular street food in kerala.I remember the delicious soft flaky parottas served with mutton/beef curry during wedding receptions or other religious occasions when I was young.......ooooooh......heavenly combo....I miss those golden moments...still parottta n beef/mutton combo is considered a priceless feeling/emotion among typical nonveg keralites😁.But parottas are so humble that they go well with any kind of vegetable kurma or chicken gravy or salan as well.so lets go the recipe now

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour - 2cups
Egg - 1
Baking soda - a pinch
Baking powder - 1/4tsp
Salt - as needed
Sugar - 2tbsp
Milk  - 1/4 cup
Oil/ghee - 1tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup or more if  needed

How to make

In a bowl, add the flour salt sugar baking powder baking soda and mix well
Now make a well in the center and add egg and milk
Mix everything together
Add water slowly and make a soft dough
Knead it for about 5minutes
Apply oil on top and keep it covered with a wet  cloth for atleast 2hours

Now take the dough and knead it well
Make 4 big balls or 6 medium sized balls
Keep them covered with a wet cloth for half n hour

Now take each ball and roll it very thin as shown in the pic
Then cut the dough lengthwise into long strips
Apply oil on the strips
Gather the strips together from one end and join them together into a single ong strip
Now keep one end of the strip in your hand and roll it as shown in the pic
Keep the roll aside and apply oil on top
Repeat the same steps for each ball
 Now heat a pan in the stove
Take each ball  keep on the surface and press it using your paw into thin parotta and place it in hot pan
Apply oil and flip it until brown spots appear on either sides or when its cooked on both sides
 When all the parottas are done place each one on top of other and tap all the parottas together from all sides..this is to separate the layers.
Now our parottas are ready to serve

BUTTER CHICKEN

 

This butter chicken is a very easy and fool proof recipe and tastes amazing.I have tried this recipe many times and every time it came out well with the same taste and consistency. I found this recipe from one of my favorite blog,nags,years before

    The week before lockdown began,we planned for a potluck lunch at workplace.I did not think twice to choose what i was going to make.One of my colleague brought chapati and another one jeera pulav,both best combination for butter chicken. I also made hot chocolate pudding as dessert,while another friend brought paayasam /kheer that day.We thoroughly enjoyed our potluck. Now off to the recipe

INGREDIENTS 

1. Chicken  - 1/2 kg (boneless or mall pieces)
2. Onion - 2 big,finely chopped
3. Tomato - 1 (pureed)
4. Tomato sauce - 1tbsp
5. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
6. Kashmiri chilli powder - 1tsp
7. Corriander powder -1tsp
8. Garam masala  - 1tsp
9. Milk - 1cup
10. Cashewnuts - a handful (soaked and grinded into paste) or fresh cream
11. Butter or oil - 2tbsp
12. Kasuri methi - a big pinch
13. Corriander leaves- to garnish

HOW TO MAKE

• Heat a pan  and add butter 
• Add chopped onions and saute
• When onions turn golden brown add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes 
• Now add turmeric ,chilli and corriander powders and saute for a minute
• Add the pureed tomato and the ketch up  close the pan with  a lid and allow it to boil  for 5 minutes
• Add in crushed kasuri methi ,milk and chicken pieces
• Keep the flame in sim
• Let it cook untill the chicken pieces are soft
• Chicken will let out water..so adjust the thickness of the gravy accordingly 
• Now add the cashew nut paste and salt and garam masala.mix well
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and remove from stove
•  Butter chicken is ready to serve .

Chicken Dum Biriyani

Of all the biriyanis i love chicken biriyani the most.I make biriyanis on special occasions like Eid like others but i make pressure cooker biriyani often which is so easy.But never tried doing the dum before.I was actually bored of making biriyani the same method i used to.So thought of giving a try at dum.I know this is not the perfect way of doing the dum but the end result was awesome.This was the best biriyani i ever made.The chicken pieces had the perfect juicy texture.

Biriyani making is often misunderstood as tedious task.But personally i feel its the easiest dish to make.no chopping no grinding apart from chopping the mint/corriander leaves:)you dont have to make ten side dish also.All you need is a simple raita or pickle.sometimes you can go a little extreme and have boiled eggs and pappad along with your biriyani:))))

Recipe for chicken dum biriyani
Ingredients

for marination

1. chicken - 1kg
2. ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
3. green chillies - 2 or 3
4. turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. corriander powder -1 1/2 tsp
6. red chilli powder - 1 tsp
7. pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
8. fennel powder - 1tsp
9. cumin powder -1/2 tsp
10. yogurt - 3 tbsp
11. {corriander leaves, mint leaves,curry leaves}- a handfull
12. salt - as required
13. lime juice - 2 tbsp

for sauting

1. onions - 4
2. tomatoes -2
3. oil - 3 tbsp

for rice

1. basmati rice - 2 1/2 cup
2. water - 4 cups
3. ghee - 2 tbsp
4. pepper pods - 4 or 5
5. cumin seeds - a pinch
6. cinnamon-half inch piece
7. cloves - 6
8. cardamom - 3
9. bay leaf - 1
10. aniseed - 3
11. salt -1/2 tsp
12. lime juice - 1 tbsp

for garnishing

1. onion - 2[for caramalising]
2. cashew nuts - handfull
3. raisins - handfull
4. mint leaves - handfull
5. corriander leaves - handfull
6. cherry/tutti frutti - handfull

Method

• wash and drain  rice and keep aside
• wash and drain the chicken .
• marinate the chicken using the ingredients listed under marination for about 2 hours
• heat oil in a pan and saute sliced onions nicely till golden brown
• add tomatoes and saute well
• once tomatoes are soft mushy and nicely saute add marinated chicken
• mix everything well and cook covered.chicken will ooze out water and in this water we will do the dum
• when the chicken is 3/4th cooked switch off the flame

• while chicken is being cooked lets make the rice
• heat a vessel and add little oil/ghee and saute onions till they turn wonderfully deep brown in colour
• transfer the caramalised onion to a plate and then add cashew nuts and fry till brown followed by raisins.

• in the same pan add rest of the ghee and add pepper pods,cumin seeds,cardamom,cinnamon,bay leaf,cloves,aniseed and saute for few seconds
• add  rice and fry for a while,about 5-10 minutes
• add water ,salt and lime juice
• mix well and cook covered.we have taken enough water just to half cook the rice

layering and dum

•   take a wide vessel and spread some ghee on the bottom
• first place chicken masala as the first layer and then add rice as second layer and repeat the process with the rest of masala and rice
• when the layering is done, spread  caramalised onions and chopped mint leaves and corriander leaves cashewnuts and raisin.keep aside the above items for final garnishing too
• 
  

• close the vessel with a tight fitting lid
• make a dough out of wheat flour like you do for chapathi and  seal the edges of lid of the vessel using this dough

• place the vessel on stove top at lowest flame and cook for about 15-20 minutes
• switch off the flame and allow to rest for another 10-15 minutes.
• now your biriyani is ready
• before serving garnish with cashewnuts caramalized onions chopped mint corriander leaves raisins and tutti frutti and enjoyyyyyyy:)
• serve hot with raita n pickle

Notes

• you can add saffron soaked in milk/pineapple essence before putting the dum.