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.

                                                                                                       

Aloo-Bhendi Fry

Ingredients

3 Potatoes (aloo)

250 Kg Bhendi

1 Tspn Red Chilli Powder

1 ½ Tspn Coriander Powder

1 Tspn Turmeric Powder

1 Tspn Lemon Juice

½ Tspn Garam masala

3-4 curry leaves

3 Tspn Oil

Salt to Taste

Coriander Leaves to Garnish

Method

1. Wash and cut the bhendi in small pieces.

2. Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes.

3. In a frying pan heat about 1 tspn oil. Add the bhendi. Keep stirring till the stickiness is gone. Cook till soft.

4. In another frying pan heat 1 tspn oil and add the cut potatoes and fry till nice and crisp.

5. Once bhendi and potatoes are ready mix them together.

6. Put the aloo-bhendi mix pan on slow flame. Make sure to stir it so that it does’nt burn.

7. In another pan heat 1 tspn oil, put the all dry masalas in the oil and mix for about 2mins. Add the curry leaves.

8. Now add the masala oil to the aloo-bhendi mix and mix it well.

9. Add the lemon juice and salt and mix.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves.

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.

Prawns Masti

Ingredients

350 Gms Prawns

2 Medium Sized Onions

3 Tomatoes

2 Tspns Vinegar

½ Tspn Turmeric Powder

A few Mint Leaves 

For the Masala Paste

½ Tspn Sesame Seeds (teel)

½ Tspn Cumin Seeds (jeera)

½ Tspn Poppy Seeds

½ Tspn Coriander Seeds (Dhania)

½ Tspn Chilli Powder

1/3rd Tspn Garam Masala

4 Green Chillies

6-7 Garlic Cloves

Method

1. Grate the onions.

2. Grind the ingredients mentioned in the masala paste column using vinegar whilst grinding.

3. Wash, peel and chop the tomatoes.

4. Heat oil in a dekchi and fry the onions till they turn light brown.

5. Add the masala paste and fry it. Add little water if needed.

6. Fry the masala and cook it well.

7. When water dries up add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft.

8. Add the prawns and cook on low fire till the oil separates from the masala.

9. Add enough water to cook the prawns.

10. When the prawns are tender and a thick gravy remains, take it off the fire.

11. Decorate with a few mint leaves on top. Serve hot with noodles and sprinkle some black pepper on top.

Chicken Frankie

Ingredients

500 gms Chicken

2 tspn Ginger-Garlic Paste

1 tspn Red Chilli Powder

1 tspn Coriander Powder

½ tspn Turmeric Powder

½ tspn Amchur Powder

½ tspn Tamarind Paste

1-2 Eggs

2-3 Onions (Finely Chopped)

½ cup Fresh Corriander (Finely Chopped)

½ cup Fresh Mint Leaves (Coarsely Chopped)

For the Outer Roll of the Frankie

1 cup Maida

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbspn Oil

Salt to taste

Butter Paper (Cut in squares to fit the rotis)

Method

1.      In a vessel or pressure cooker, cook the chicken with ginger garlic paste, all the dry masalas (except the amchur powder and tamarind paste) and two cups of water.

2.      Debone the chicken and cook it again in a pan with amchur powder and tamarind paste till dry. Keep aside till needed.

3.      Mix the maida and whole wheat flour and knead it into dough with water, oil and salt.

4.      Make portions of the dough and roll it into rotis, half cook them and cover till needed.

5.      At the time of meal, heat the chicken.

6.      Beat the egg in a bowl.

7.      Take a roti and place it on a heated tava. Apply beaten egg with a fork on one side and flip it over. Now apply the egg on the top side while the egg cooks on the down side and flip it again. Cook the other side for 1-2mins only and take the roti off the heat and place on the butter paper.

8.      Line the chicken in the centre from top to bottom on the cooked egg side, lot of onions next to the chicken and a line of coriander and mint leaves on the other side of the chicken.

9.      Sprinkle some salt and pepper to it and roll into the butter paper like a Frankie.

10.   Serve immediately with a chutney or ketchup.

Hint: You can also fill some French fries along with the chicken.

Passion Fruit Ice-Cream

     Ingredients

3Cups Passion Fruit Juice (sweetened)

½ Cup whipped cream

1Cup Sugar

7-8tbspn Butter

1cup Walnuts

1ltr Vanilla Ice-Cream

Method

1.      Pour the Passion Fruit Juice into an ice tray or another vessel and put in freezer.

2.      For the Caramel; Heat sugar on a medium flame.

3.      Keep stirring continuously in order to prevent the sugar from burning.

4.      Add the butter to the pan when the sugar begins to melt.

5.      Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat and slowly add the cream in order to avoid lumps.

6.      Stir till it turns to a smooth sauce. Set it aside to cool.

7.      Cut walnuts into thin strips and add it to the caramel.

8.      Spread the caramel on a thali and break into uneven small pieces (something like a chikki). Leave aside some triangular pieces for decoration.

9.      The passion fruit juice should be frozen or semi frozen in ice trays.

10.   Crush the frozen passion fruit into flakes, add the small pieces of chikki to it and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

11.   Decorate with the triangular pieces of chikki by just sticking them across the bowl.

Note: you can add some water to the boiling sugar to prevent it from burning, but then make sure to burn all the water before you add the butter.

Hint: you can also use mosambi juice instead of passion fruit juice.

Hint: 

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.