Vegetable Biriyani

This is my youngest BIL's (Chandu) favourie. Whenever he visits us I ensure I make it for him. He says that I am best in Vegetable Biriyani. There are so many ways to make this. I am sharing the most easiest and foolproof method to make this.

Ingredients

Rice - 1 Cup (Washed and Soaked in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes)
Aniseed,Black cardamom,Bay leaf,Cinnamon stick - 1 each
Onion - 1(Big,Sliced)
Mint Leaves - 1/2 Cup (Cleaned and washed)
Tomato - 1(Medium Sliced)
Vegetable of your choice - 1 Cup (I have used Parboiled Potato,Green Peas and Cauliflower)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tablespoon
Green Chilly - 1 Slit
Chilly Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Garam Masala - 1/4 Teaspoon
Oil and Salt - To taste

Method

In the Vessel, add oil and add all the whole Spices. Then add the onions.
Once the onion is cooked,add the mint leaves and sauté for a minute.
Then add the Tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the ginger Garlic paste and cook for 3 minutes.

Then add the Red chilly powder,Garam masala and Green chilly and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Then add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes or till your vegetable is 40% done.
Then add the water in which the rice was soaked. Once the water comes to a boil add the rice, stir slowly and carefully not to break the rice.

Once the rice is 90% done, add required amount of salt and stir.

Cover with a lid and cook till the rice and vegetables are cooked well. While cooking, ensure that you stir in between so the rice and vegetable is cooked.

Coconut Milk Rice/Coconut Milk Biriyani/Thengaipal Sadam

This is one of my favourites. Even though it is made with Coconut Milk it does not feel heavy. It is also said to cool your stomach. I tried this with a wonderful Alo/Potato Korma cooked in Coconut milk.

Oh God! it was heavenly. This is a mildly flavoured preparation without any spice.

Ingredients

Rice - 1 Cup (Washed and Soaked for 20 minutes)
Aniseed/Bay Leaf/Black Cardamom/clove/- 1 Each
Green Chillies - 1 Slit
Coconut Milk - 2 Cups*
Onion - 1(Small,sliced)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 Teaspoon.
Oil and Salt - To taste

Method

In a vessel, heat some oil. Once the oil is heated add the whole Masalas and then then add the onion.

Once the onion is cooked,add the green chilly and Ginger Garlic paste.

After a minute, drain the water and add the rice and sauté for 2 minutes.

Then add the Coconut milk and stir and cover.

Cook until the rice is done. Stir in between as it may burn.Add salt and serve hot with little Spicy Gravy.


Tips

• If you are using store bought Coconut Milk, add water and make it really thin.

• I made coconut milk at home. Grate the coconut and add it to boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes. Then pass it through a muslin cloth and squeeze the milk and use. I used 1/2 medium coconut and 3 cups of water. I used 2 cups of coconut milk for this rice and 1 cup for the Potato Korma.
• Take a tall vessel as the milk may spill.
• It is easier to make in a electric rice cooker. Add the rice and coconut milk in the electric cooker. In a kadai,do the sauté of masala and onion and add it to the Rice coconut mixture in the cooker and cook. 
• You can add Mint leaves if your want.
• You can skip the onions too
• You can add some Peas , it will enhance the taste of this dish. 

Potato Peas Podimas/Alo Mutter Sukhi Sabzi/Urulai Pattani Poriyal

This is been a very long that my Bro wrote a recipe for me. So I told him to send me some recipes. The first one he selected was the humble,simple yet super delicious Potato Peas Podimas.

If you want to post any of your recipes, please send me your recipes with picture to sowjanyaalok@gmail.com and I will post it in my blog.

From Rajesh's Desk

This is probably a very common dish in Tamil Nadu. It goes really well with virtually any dishes with rice. However, I had this with chapathis, and it was not bad at all!

Ingredients

Potatoes – 2 big ones or more

Green Peas – 50 gms (boiled)

Onions – 1

Dry red chillies – 1 or 2

Garlic – 2 cloves, finely chopped

Oil – 2 tablespoon

Little of mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Pinch of asafoetida, and a teaspoon of chilli powder.

Salt to taste

Method

Boil the potatoes, and de-skin them.

In the meantime, heat a pan and add little oil. 

Then add mustard seeds, dry chillies, and asafoetida and then chopped garlic. 

Add onions now, and sauté till golden brown. 

Now add the boiled potatoes and green peas. 

The boiled potatoes can be either cut into cubes, or mashed.

 Regarding green peas, they need to be a bit cooked, but not overcooked. 

So the method that I follow is, after the potato is boiled, add the peas to the hot water in which the potato was boiled, and leave it for 2-5 minutes. This will get the peas in the right consistency. It will neither be hard, nor be over-cooked. 

Now, mix the potatoes, peas and the onions well. 

Add a little chilli powder. 

You can also add a bit of masala powder, to add some flavour to it. 

Add salt to taste, and you now have a very tasty and favourite south Indian side dish ready!!

Braided Bread

This Bread was in my To Do list for a long time. (Source: Chefinyou) Last week I decided to bake it. It was so light,delicious and Hmmmm. I was tasting fantastic without any butter or Jam or any preservatives.

Even though it looks difficult, it is pretty simple to make.

Ingredients

Maida/All purpose flour - 3 and 3/4 Cups
Egg - 1
Salt - 1 teaspoon or to taste
Butter - 4 Tablespoon (At room temperature)
Luke warm Milk - 1 Cup
Dry Active Yeast - 1 Tablepsoom
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon

Method

In a vessel, mix the sugar and salt well. To this add the lukewarm milk and stir well.

To this mixture, add the Yeast and close and leave it aside for 5 minutes.

In another bowl, take the all purpose flour,add egg,Butter, yeast mixture and knead it into a smooth dough.

Cover the Dough with a wet kitchen cloth and allow it to sit for 1 hour or till it doubles.

Once the dough is doubled, take it to a floured surface and knead it softly

Then divide the dough into 3 equal portions.

Roll each portion into thing long ropes.Place each next to each other with a 1 inch distance.

Bring all of them together at one end. Now start braiding them by bringing the right rope to the centre and so on. (Just like how we braid our hair, it is very simple)

Tuck the lower end below the Braid.Give a wash to the bread. I brushed some olive oil on top of the bread.

You can wash it with butter/egg/milk or water.

Place this on a greased Baking tray. (I greased them with Olive oil. You can use Olive oil or butter)

Cover this with a wet kitchen towel and allow it to raise for 30 minutes.

Then bake it at 220 Degree Celsius for 30-40 minutes. (I grilled for 5 minutes to get the golden colour).

Even oven is different,so keep an close eye so that you don't burn your bread.

Let them cool and rub with butter on top (Optional,I did not do it though)

Katthirikkai Gotsu/Eggplant Gotsu (Sidedish for Pongal)

Pongal is never complete Gotsu. It tastes heavenly and nothing can beat Gotsu as an accompaniment for Pongal. The Moongdhall used in this dish takes this dish to another level.

I have tried it Rice too and it tastes amazing.

Ingredients

Moong Dhall (Split Yellow Dhall) - 1/2 Cup
Onion - 1 (Medium,finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 (Medium ,finely chopped)
Eggplant/Brinjal - 4 (Medium,cut into 1/2 inches)
Tamarind - gooseberry Size
Mustard/Fenugreek/Cumin- 1/4 Teaspoon each.
Asafoetida - 1/8 th Teaspoon
Oil - 2 Tablespoon
Salt - to taste

To Grind 

Chana dal - 3 Tablespoon
split urad dal  - 1 Tablespoon
coriander seeds- 3 Tablespoon
dry red chillies - 4-6
whole black peppercorn  - 10 Corns
Cumin - 1/2 Teaspoon

Method

In a  pan, add a tablespoon of oil and sauté all the ingredients given in "To Grind". Please be careful not to burn. Cool them and powder them in a Mixer. Keep it aside.

In a pressure cooker, add the washed Moongdhall and add enough water (Say 2 cups) and cook for 2 whistles. Keep this aside.

In a pan, add a tablespoon of oil and add the mustard seeds,after it splutters add the Cumin seeds and then Fenugreek seeds. 

Then add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. 

Then add the tomatoes and Brinjal and sauté for couple of minutes. Then add a cup of water and cook till the Tomato and Brinjal is cooked.

 Now add the Grinded masala powder and sauté and add the Tamarind Juice and cook till the Raw smell is gone.

Then add the cooked Moongdhall and switch off after the gravy boils.

The Gravy needs to be thin so we can pour it on our Pongal.

Add chopped Coriander leaves.