Fish Biryani

As you guys may know by now, Biryani is a staple in my in-laws' house.

Its a weekly event.

The handling of fish is a tiniest bit tricky, otherwise this biryani almost follows the same recipe as the Chicken Biryani I make.

Many people complain that the fish smell, even after they wash it with vinegar and salt and whatnot. 

Take my advice, and wash it with just water and cook according to the recipe, you'll see that the fish doesnt smell at all but give off an amazing appetizing aroma. 

For this recipe You'll need:

(For the Marinade)

Fish pieces (I used bone-in King Fish, You can use any fish you like, bone-in or fillet)

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

1 tsp Red Chili Powder

(For the Rice)

750 Gram of Rice

1 stick or Cinnamon

3-4 Cloves

3-4 Black peppercorns

1 Black Cardamom

1 Petal of Mace 

1 Star anise

(For the Gravy)

2 Large Onions (sliced)

1 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste

1/2 Bunch of Coriander leaves (makes about 1/3 cup)

1/2 bunch of Mint leaves

2 Tomatoes (chopped)

4-5 Green Chilies

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Red Chili Powder (adjust accordingly)

1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder

1 tsp of Coriander powder

1/2 tsp of All Spice (Garam Masala)

1 tbsp of Fish Biryani Masala (or any biryani Masala) (optional)

1/2 tsp Cumin

1 cup Yogurt

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

(Other Ingredients)

a few Saffron Strands

1 Onion (browned)

1/2 tsp of Cumin

a few drops of yellow food color (optional)

Marinate fish with Lemon juice, Red Chili Powder and Ginger Garlic paste for 30 minutes (or you can leave it for 4-5 hours as well). Up to you.

While that's happening, Boil rice with Cardamom, Cloves, Black pepper corn, Mace and Cinnamon till 2/3 done.

Drain and pour cold water over the rice to prevent further cooking.

Heat oil in a pan, fry fish pieces for 2 minutes each side. (the wingy thing curled up, dont know why :D )

Take out and keep aside.

In the same pan cook Onions and 1 star anise till golden brown (add more oil if needed)

Add Ginger Garlic paste, Coriander and Mint, cook till fragrant.

Add diced Tomatoes.

and all the spices.

I added 1 tbsp of Fish Biryani Masala as well. You can add any biryani masala or you can skip this entirely.

Cook till the oil is released and the tomatoes are done.

Add a cup of yogurt. Cook for about 2 minutes more.

Add green chilies and lemon juice. Mix.

Carefully place the fish pieces in the pan. Make sure that your pan is wide enough that the fish does not overlap or you'd break the fish while taking it out.

Cover and leave on low flame for 5-7 minutes.

Soak a few Saffron strands in warm water for 5-10 minutes.

Take the fish out in a plate. keep aside.

Layer rice with the masala. Sprinkle Cumin, Browned onion and Saffron water(with a little yellow food color) on top.

Place the fish on top. Cover and leave of very low flame for 25-30 minutes.

Place a flat Tawa at the bottom to prevent burning.

Take out and serve!

Vegetable Biryani

If you're fed up of eating meat everyday but still like something spicy and delicious, than this biryani is for you!

Its best is to make it when you clean out your fridge and there are 1-2 pieces of various vegetables that collect over 2-3 weeks that you can use instead of throwing them out. Almost all vegetables taste delicious is this biryani.

You'll need

1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste

1 tsp of Cumin

1 tsp of Garam Masala

2 tbsp of Red Chili Powder vary according to taste

2-3 Green Chilies

250-300 grams of Yogurt

2 large Onions, sliced

2 medium Tomatoes, chopped

200-250 grams of Peas

200-250 grams of Green Beans

2 medium Potatoes, cut in medium cubes

2 Carrots, sliced

1/2 bunch of Cauliflower florets

(For Rice):

900g to 1 kg of Rice

4-5 Cloves

5-6 Black Peppercorns

1 stick Cinnamon

3-4 Cardamom

1 tbsp of Salt

(Others)

3 Eggs (boiled and sliced)

few leaves of Mint

1 Onion sliced

Boil Rice with cloves, black peppercorn,cinnamon, black cardamom and cardamom till 3/4 of the way done. Drain and sprinkle with cold water to stop the cooking.

Mix Garam masala, Cumin and Ginger Garlic paste with Yogurt. Keep aside.

Fry Onion till light golden brown, add cubed Potatoes and a little water. Leave to cook for about 10-15 minutes or till the potatoes are almost done.

Add Red chili powder, salt and the yogurt mixture.

and Tomatoes and Green Chilies. Leave to cook for about 5 minutes.

Add all the Vegetables. Cook uncovered for about 5-7 minutes.

When almost done, add coriander leaves and juice of 1 lemon

Mix Thoroughly.

Layer with Rice, place boiled egg in between the layers.

Sprinkle cumin, few mint leaves and fried Onion on top. Cover and put on very low flame for about 20-25 minutes.

Take out and Serve hot with mint yogurt and salad !

Enjoy!!

Mutton Biryani

Hi Guys !

If you have been following me, you'd know by now that we have 'Friday Biryani Lunch Fest' (thats what i'm calling it)

It gets quite boring actually, what if I want to eat biryani some other day of that week? or for dinner? 

It was always made for dinner at my mother's house, and whenever we wanted. There was no specified day for it. 

Well these things dont matter, what matters is that it gets quiet monotonous and boring to make biryani every week.

To make it a little interesting, we are always on a lookout for new biryani recipes.

This recipe is my sister-in-law's, who found it somewhere on the internet.

Serves: 5-6

For Marination:

1 kg of Mutton/Beef/Chicken (I used mutton)

1 cup Yogurt

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

4 tbsp of Raw Papaya Paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp of Red Chili Powder

1 tsp of Garam Masala Powder

Juice of 1 Lemon

For The Rice:

700 grams of Rice

4-5 Cloves

6-8 Black Peppercorns

2 Star anise (you can skip this, if you don't have it on hand)

1 Bay Leaf 

1 tsp Fennel Seeds (Saunf)

1-2 sticks of Cinnamon

2 Black Cardamom

2-3 Green Cardamom

1/4 Nutmeg (Jaifal) you can skip this, if you don't have it on hand, but it does give a beautiful aroma

1 Mace (Javatri) You can skip this too.

2 tsp Salt

Other Ingredients:

4 Onions (sliced)

2 medium Tomatoes (chopped)

2 Potatoes 

1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

4 green Chilies (chopped)

1 1/2 tsp of Red Chili Powder 

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder (Zeera Powder)

1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder 

1/4 cup Milk

a few Saffron strands

Yellow Food Coloring

To Boil Rice, add all the spiced to a small cloth. Tie a knot and put it in the water with bay leaf. 

OR

You can put them in the water without the cloth. 

Boil rice till ALMOST done.

Drain in a colander, pass under cold water (this prevents rice from sticking together during dam)

Keep aside.

Marinate Meat with the Marination Ingredients (see above)

Leave for at least 6 hours. Leave overnight if possible.

Fry 2 Onions till golden brown and crispy. Take out and keep aside.

Heat oil/ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add the remaining 2 onions and green chilies. Cook till golden.

Add Ginger garlic paste, cook till fragrant.

Add potatoes at this stage (if you are adding) and a little water. Cook covered on low flame till the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the marinated meat...

...Red Chili powder, Cumin powder and Coriander Powder.

Cook on high for 7-8 minutes

When the oil seperates, add 2-3 glasses of water and let it cook on medium flame till the meat is tender.

Add tomatoes, garam masala powder...

...and coriander leaves.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes till thick like Korma.

Add Saffron to warm milk. Leave for 20 minutes.

To Layer.

Add half of the korma in the bottom,

followed by crispy Onions and mint leaves

add half of the rice

Pour saffron infused milk on the rice.

Repeat 1 more time.

On Top:

Sprinkle Cumin

Mint Leaves

Drops of yellow food coloring

Tarka of Onions.

Make sure the pan is heavy bottomed. Or put a flat tawa on the stove, than put the pan on top of the tawa. 

Put on Dam for 30-35 minutes.

Take out and serve with Mint raita and Salad.

Brace prepare yourself for all the praise you are going to get !! 

Enjoy!

Prawn Biryani

Prawn Biryani is something that we dont make that often because my husband (lets call him J) thinks that prawns smell if not cooked correctly (prawn tempura he loves) and he thinks if its cooked in a gravy or in rice it would smell fishy.

 So usually its either chicken or mutton biryani.

But this week, we planned on making this just to avoid the same old, same old.

This turned out so good, that i think We'd be making it a lot more now !

For the recipe, you'll need:

(For The Marination)

1/2 kg Prawns

juice of 1 Lemon

1 tsp of Red Chili Powder

1 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste

(For The Rice)

3/4 kg of Rice

1/2 tsp Cumin

a few Cloves

a few Whole Black Pepper

1-2 Black cardamom

1 stick of Cinnamon

(For the Masala)

2 Onions, sliced

1/2 tsp Cloves

1/2 tsp Whole Black Pepper

3-4 Black Cardamom

2 sticks of Cinnamon

1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

Half bunch Coriander, chopped

1/2 bunch of Mint

3 Tomatoes, chopped

5-6 Green Chilies, chopped

 1/2 cup of Yogurt

Lemon sliced (optional)

Soak rice for 20 minutes. 

Boil Rice with Cumin, Clove, Whole black pepper, Cinnamon, Black cardamom and Salt till it is 2/3rd done.

Drain and keep aside.

Meanwhile make the masala.

Marinate prawns in Red Chili Powder, Ginger Garlic paste and Lemon juice for about an hour.

Heat oil, add cloves, whole black pepper, cinnamon and black cardamom. cook for 30 seconds till fragrant.

Add mint and coriander. Cook for a minute.

Add sliced onions, cook till light brown. Than add ginger garlic paste, cook for a minute.

Add Tomatoes, Green Chilies, Red chili powder, Coriander powder, Salt and Turmeric. Cook till tomatoes are cooked and the oil seperates.

Add Prawns...

and yogurt together.

 Cook for 3-4 minutes maximum. You dont want to overcook the prawns.

Add sliced lemon at the end.

In the same pot that you cooked the rice, add half the cooked prawn masala, than half the rice, than all the masala, and all the rice as well.

Add Cumin on top, Saffron soaked in warm milk, mint and fried onions.

Put on dam for 10-15 minutes on very low flame.

Serve with vegetable raita.

Enjoy !