Hyderabadi Biryani Recipe

Hyderabadi biryani is one of the most popular rice items in India. The name of this dish owes to a place “Hyderabad” in India, which is quite famous for various ethnic cuisines. A perfectly cooked biryani can be a foodie’s delight. It has a rich mixture of some exotic spices and the cooking procedure is quite elaborate and one needs to meticulously cook it to savor this wonderful dish of “Hyderabadi Biryani”. The dish is equally popular overseas too. 

Ingredients

·      Basmati Rice ( 350 gm)

·      Potato (200 gm)

·      Carrot (200 gm)

·      Onion (100 gm)

·      Green Chilly (4 pcs)

·      Ginger (30 gm)

·      Garlic (20 gm)

·      Turmeric Powder (½ tbsp)

·      Red Chilly Powder (1 tsp)

·      Garam Masala ( 2 tsp)

·      Curd (1 cup)

·      Saffron (1 tsp)

·      Milk (2 tbsp)

·      Mint leaves pudina (1/3 cup)

·      Coriander leaves dhaniya (1/3 cup)

·      Rose water (4 tsp)

·      Cashew Nuts (50 gms)

·      Raisins (25 gms)

·      Ghee (150 grams)

·      Salt depending on taste

Cooking Procedure

·      Keep the rice in water for half an hour, drain eth water and again put the rice , water, half garam masala and salt in pan and boil the rice till it is done.

·      When the rice is boiled drain eth water and keep the rice aside.

·      Finely chop ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves and cut potato, carrot and green chilly.

·      Soak the almonds for 30 minutes and beat the curd. Once done, divide the curd in two equal portions.

·      Soak saffron in warm milk and pour the solution in one portion of curd.

·      Heat the ghee in a pan ; add the remaining Garam Masala and sauté the mixture till it starts crackling.

·      Put the onion in pan and fry till it gets a golden brown color. Add green chilly, ginger and garlic and stir the mixture for a minute.

·       Put turmetic and chilly powder in eth mixture, sate it for half a minute and tehn put the vegetable. Keep the mixture simmering till it is cooked.

·      Add dry fruits, cashew nuts and raisins

·      Keep the cooked vegetables in a haandi, sprinkle some miture of curd, saffron and milk and also sprinkle mint and coriander.

·      Spread half the quantity of rice and pour the mixture of curd, saffron, milk, coriander and mint. Top this with the remaining portion of rice.

·      Cover the haandi with a moist cloth and keep it in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes.

·      Serve the biryani hot with chutneys and vegetables.

Chicken Ghee Roast Recipe

Chicken Ghee roast is a South Indian delicacy and the dish owes its origin to the “Shetty lunch home” in Kundapur, a small locality in Udupi. Perfect and calculated preparation of this non-vegetarian delight can leave you licking your fingers.

Preparation and Cooking Time: 20 minutes ( marination time additional)

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

• Chicken (1/2 kg)
• Red chilly powder (2 tbsp)
• Wholesome coriander seeds (1 tbsp)
• Wholesome fenugreek seeds (1/4 tsp)
• Tamarind extract (1/4 tsp)
• Finely grated ginger (1 tsp)
• Chopped garlic (1 tsp)
• Ghee (1 ½ tbsp)
• Salt (according to the taste preference)

* You can increase or decrease the quantity according to your taste preference. If you want to enjoy the richness then you can further add 1 ½ tbsp Ghee.

Preparation:

Prepare a thick paste by mixing coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, ginger, garlic, tamarind and chilly powder, ghee, and salt. Remember you must use very little water (just a few drops) so that the paste is thick enough. Baste the chicken pieces with this paste and keep them in refrigerator for 4-5 hours. Take out the chicken once they are marinated and fry them in Ghee at low flame. Cook till the chicken is fully roasted. Garnish the chicken with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Murgh Musallam Recipe

Murgh musallam is one of the hot favorites among those who prefect chicken. This is highly popular in western province of Punjab and few restaurants offer the authentic flavors of this dish. In fact, the murgh musallam can be dry or it also comes with gravy. Let us try to learn the dry murgh musallam.

Preparation Time: 30 Mins

Cooking Time: 45 Mins

Serves: 4

The preparation involves three stages of marinating, rubbing, and baking.

Ingredients (for marinating):

·         Wholesome chicken ( with discarded internal organs) :- 3-4 pounds

·         Curd or Yogurt :- 1.5 Cups

·         Finely chopped Ginger :- 2 inches  

·         Minced garlic :- 2 tbsp

·         Cooking oil :- 2 tbsp

·         Lemon Juice :- 2 tbsp

·         Salt :-2 tbsp

Ingredients (for rubbing):

·         Ghee :- ½ Cup

·         Finely Chopped Onions :- 1 cup

·         Garlic Minced :- 1 tbsp

·         Finely Chopped Ginger :- 1 inch

·         Cumin powder :- ½ tbsp

·         Coriander :- ½ tbsp

·          Slivered Almonds :- ½ tbsp

·         Turmeric powder :- ½ tsp

·         Paprika degi mirch :- 1 tbsp

·         Cayenne Pepper lal mirch :- ½ tsp

·         Salt :- 2 tsp

·         Black pepper :- ½ tsp

·         Water: ½ cup

Preparation:

Marinating:

·         Get rid of the skin of chicken and pierce the meat with fork on several places.

·         Mix the marinating ingredients and rub inside as well as outside of the chicken with the mixture.

·         Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours.

·         Take the marinated chicken out and throw away the remains.

Rubbing:

·         Fry the onion in the ghee at low flame till they loosen out and become tender.

·         Add other ingredients and fry for 2 minutes.

·         Add water and cook till a thick paste is made.

·         Rub the chicken inside out from the paste thus obtained.

Baking:

·         Set the temperature of oven to 350 F and place the chicken in the pre-heated oven.

·         Bake for 20 minutes/ pound or according to your convenience.

·         Turn off the heat and slice the chicken into pieces after 30 minutes.

Onion Bhaji Recipe

Onion Bhaji is one of the hot favorite Indian snacks and it is especially in demand in chilly winters in North India. People just savor this snack items with a cup of tea or coffee in the cold winter evenings. It has several synonyms like Bhajji, Bhajiya,  and Pakora. Let us learn the way to prepare an authentic Onion Bhaji. (Well, this is a generic recipe and there are slight variations from place to place and with individuals).

Preparation Time: 15 Min

Cooking Time: 15 Min

Serves: 4

 Ingredients:

• Gram Flour or Besan (100 grams)
• Large Onion, Peeled and finely chopped (2)
• Vegetable Oil (200 ml)
• Turmeric (1/2 tsp)
• Cumin Seeds or Jeera (1/2 tsp)
• Black onion seeds (1/2 tsp)
• Spices or Garam Masala Powder (1/2 tsp)
• Salt (Depending on Taste)

Optional Ingredients:
Finely Chopped Green Coriander, Green Chillies, and Mint leaves.

Cooking Procedure:

• Mix the gram flour, onion, turmeric, cumin seeds, black onion seeds, garam masala powder, and salt to make an even mixture.
• Add water to the mixture and constantly keep mixing to prepare a batter of dropping consistency.
• Heat the oil in wok (pan with a convex bottom) at medium flame.
• Drop the batter in the oil by preparing small balls (you can use the teaspoon for this).
• Deep fry till the mixture attains a golden brown color.
• Pat the fried bhaji with soft and clean thin kitchen cloth to soak the excessive oil.

Serve the hot bhaji with tomato ketchup or the chutney (of yogurt and mint/coariander).

Fresh Olives Recipe

Olives are healthy and olives are tasty too. Let us try to learn a simple recipe of fresh harvested olives. This is simple to prepare and acts as supplement during the meal course but it is not an overnight process and perfection in taste can only be achieved after substantial time period. So, follow these steps and prepare a luscious and tangy olive dish.

• Dip the olives in potable fresh water having salt (the solution should have 10% salt and 90% water) to remove the bitterness of the olives. Try to taste it periodically to ascertain the level of bitterness; you can also make a straight cut to these olives with knife to hasten the process.
•  Once the bitterness is gone then take these olives out of the solution.
• Prepare a new solution with one fourth wine vinegar (for lowering the pH) and three-fourth of 6-8% brine (Salt Solution).
• Place this solution in a glass jar and put the olives in the solution.
• Add olive oil to the top of the entire mixture.
• For more spicy taste, you can add lots of herbs ( keep the taste in mind and use these herbs accordingly) and spices like dried basil leaves, oregano, mustard seeds, bay leaves, pepper, and chilly.

Hot Indian Chutneys

Chutney or luscious dips enrich the Indian food. They are consumed in lesser quantity but you just need to taste them and you will find the reason for the delectable taste of Indian food. Chtney is also known as chammandhi in Malayalam and they are referred to as “Thottu-Kootan” in the Kerala Cuisine. Lets us sneak through some of the famous Indian Chutneys.

Coconut Chutney: One of the integral items that accompanies the famous South Indian Cuisine i.e Dosa, Idli, Vada etc. It is yellowish-white in color and the flavor can be changed by adding some green or red chilly.

Onion Chutney: This is another favorite of the south Indians and accompanies the South Indian Cuisine. This is generally made of red onions. The chutney is prepared from the sautéed or fresh onions.

Mango Chutney: Blend a near ripe mango with red chilly, some ginger, small onion and you get an absolutely delightful companion of the hot rice in dinner. The tangy taste and a deft preparation make the chutney a hot favorite among both, South and North India in summers.

Tamarind Chutney: Lip smacking tangy flavor that makes girls go after this. This is quite famous in North India and it is served with bhel, samosa, chat and pakoras (veg fries).

Non-Vegetarian Delicacies for Winter

I hope that you must have savored Chicken Seekh Kabab, Tandoori Chicken, and Chicken Tikka by now. And you must be looking for some other items, as it seems Delhi will have a prolonged winter. Well let us discuss some more non-veg delicacies of Delhi.

Murg Musallam

There are very few restaurants that serve this dish. In the earlier times a wholesome chicken stuffed with delicious thick gravy was presented. However, in the modern times, this cuisine has undergone evolution and it is now available in gravy and the chicken is also cut into several pieces. But, there are places in Chandni Chowk or Puraani Delhi where you can savour the delicacy having the original flavor.

Mughlai Paratha

If you wish to have a sumptuous meal having the combo of chicken and bread, then Mughlai Paratha is ideal dish. It has its origin from the Mughals and there is nothing like the feeling of a bite of crispy paratha stuffed with masala keema. Again, you can find delicious paratha in Puraani Delhi and Chandni Chowk in Delhi.