Mutton Biryani - Apni Favourite

Ingredients

400 Gms Mutton

2 Cups Onions (Sliced)

2 Cups Rice

½ Tspn Jeera

½ Tspn Garam Masala

1/3rd Cup Curd

1 Blanched Tomato (Chopped)

2 Potatoes (Cut in squares)

¼ Kg Ghee

4-5 Tbspn Milk

2 Tspn Lime Juice

Saffron to Taste

Salt to Taste

Corriander Leaves to Garnish

Ingredients for the Masala Paste

1 Tbspn Poppy seeds

7-8 Garlics

2” Ginger piece

1 Tspn Corriander seeds

1 Tspn Cumin Seeds

3 Red Chillies

½ Tspn Turmeric Powder

A few Mint Leaves

A few Corriander Leaves

A pinch Garam Masala

Method

1. Grind to a fine paste the poppy seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ginger and garlic. Separately grind the mint leaves, coriander leaves with garam masala.

2. Fry the cubed potatoes in oil till nice and crisp.

3. Boil sufficient water with salt and jeera and the garam masala. Add washed rice to it and cook till the rice is ¾ cooked. Drain the water and keep aside.

4. Fry the sliced onions till golden brown and crisp. Remove little onion for garnishing. In the rest of onions add the masala paste with salt and haldi and fry it well. Add little water if needed.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are mixed well.

6. Add the mutton and cook till mutton is completely cooked. When the gravy dries up add the curd with cubed fry potatoes and the green masala. Cook for a while and remove from fire.

7. Take little lime juice in a cup and dissolve saffron in it. Colour half the rice with this saffron and keep rest aside.

8. Take a clean dekchi and grease it up with little ghee. Arrange the white rice sprinkle little milk on the rice, then a layer of mutton mixed with fried potatoes and top it up with a layer of the yellow rice.

9. Cover the dekchi with a tight lid  and put on very slow flame and cook it till the rice is completely cooked.

10. Serve hot with fried crisp onion and coriander leaves on top.

                                                                                                       

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients

1 Cabbage

400 Gms Mutton/Chicken Mince

2 Large Onions

2 Large Carrots

2 Ripe Tomatoes

2 Capsicums

1 Cup Rice (nearly cooked)

1 Stick Celery

3-4 Green Chillies

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Oil for Frying

Preparation

1. Cut the cabbage stump with a sharp knife. In a deep pan boil salted water enough to emerge the full cabbage. Place the cabbage in it and boil for 5 mins. Remove from water and let it cool.

2. Cut the onions and tomatoes in small cubes. Deseed the capsicums and cut them in thin strips and grate the carrots. Chop the celery.

3. Separate the cabbage leaves very carefully, trying not to damage them. Cut out the hard vein from the centre bottom of every leaf. Keep the leaves aside.

Method For the Filling;

1. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and fry till transparent. Add the carrots and fry for 2-3 mins. Keep aside to cool.

2. In a deep bowl, combine the mince meat, rice, fried vegetables and capsicum strips. Add salt, pepper and green chillies and mix well.

Method to prepare the Stuffed Cabbage

1. Place a cabbage leaf on a kitchen board. Put a spoonful of the filling in the centre (depending on the size of the cabbage), and fold it up like an envelope.

2. Place the stuffed cabbages in a pan lined with cabbage leaves, fold side down. Sprinkle salt, pepper and top it with the tomatoes and celery.

3. Pour ½ cup boiling water over it, cover and cook it for about 25 mins. Or till the mince is cooked.

4. Serve it with fresh cream or ketchup.

Chicken In Hoisin Sauce

       Ingredients

½ Cup Cashew-Nuts

1 Bell Pepper

1 Medium Size Onion

1 Pound Chicken Breasts (Boneless)

3 Tpsns Peanut Oil

       4 Garlic Cloves (Chopped)

3 Tspn Hoisin Sauce (a Thick Dark Brownish-Red Sauce)

2 Tspns Sesame Oil

5-6 Scallions (Green Part Only)

Method

1.      Cut the scallions into 1inch pieces.

2.      Heat a wok until hot. Add the cashew-nuts and dry-fry over low to medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

3.      Cut the bell pepper in half and remove the seeds. Slice into square pieces.

4.      Cut the onion into 1inch square pieces.

5.      Skin the chicken fillet and cut into thin small rectangular strips.

6.      Heat the wok again until hot, add the oil and swirl it around. Add the garlic and let it sizzle in the oil for a few seconds.

7.      Add the onion, bell pepper and chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

8.      Add the hoisin sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is tender and all the ingredients are evenly glazed.

9.      Stir in the sesame oil, roasted cashew-nuts and scallions.

10.   Garnish with coriander. Serve hot with noodles.

Spinach Pulao

     Ingredients

3 Bunches Palak

4-5 Cups Cooked Rice

½ Bunch Celery

1 Kg Mutton Pieces

3 Tspn Butter

2 Tspn Garlic Paste

2 Tspn Ginger Paste

½ Tspn Jeera

½ Tspn Rye

6-7 Curry Patta

3-4 Green Chillies

½ Cup Kothmir

1 Cup Spring Onions

1 Tspn Black Pepper

½ Cup Grated Cheese

Method

1. In a vessel, boil the mutton with ginger-garlic paste and black pepper.

2. Wash and cut the palak, spring onions and kothmir coarsely.

3. Fry the pieces of cooked mutton with little butter and celery and keep aside.

4. Heat the remaining butter in a pan and fry the green chillies and garlic paste.

5. Add rye, curry patta, jeera and fry well.

6. Add the palak, half quantity of spring onions and kothmir.

7. Layer half the rice in a pan, then add the mutton+palak and top with rice layer again.

8. Keep on dim and let it cook.

9. While serving add spring onions and grated cheese on top.