Chingri Maacher Pulao (Prawn Pulao)

We are still in Durga pujo mode here in Seattle. Pujo is over, but the ever going Bijoya parties are not yet over. I sometimes feel that they continue to next years pujo

This year I was telling my husband the story of my mom making prawn pulao every year for Mahalaya because on most of the pujo days she’d be fasting and hence wouldn’t be able to make something nice for us. The petuk guy jumped at the opportunity and established that this is a custom apparently we are also starting. I was coaxed into agreeing to this and I made some prawn pulao and egg rezala.

Here goes the pulao recipe.

Ingredients

• 250gms gobindo bhog rice or kali jeera rice (1 cup)
• 500 gms. medium sized prawn deveined and cleaned
• 1 tbsp. grated ginger
• 5 - 6 green chilies slit lengthwise
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. refined oil
• 3 tbsp.
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder

Procedure

Wash rice and soak it in water for thirty minutes.. Now drain the water and spread it on a wide tray. Let it dry. It will take about 3-4 hours.

Sprinkle salt, sugar , grated ginger and half of the garam masala on the rice and mix it with a gentle hand.

Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker till it melts, then fry prawns till their surfaces turn pink.. Do not fry them for more than thirty seconds. Remove the prawns from the oil.

Now add the spice mixed rice to the hot oil and fry on low heat for about five minutes. You will see the grains turn opaque. This is the time you add a cup of coconut milk and a cup of plain room temperature water to it. Stir well and add the fried prawns and green chilies to it.

Cover the pressure cooker and crank up the heat to the highest heat mark. Ensure the pressure builds up inside and the steam is not escaping through the sides of the lid. Wait till one whistle comes up.

Turn off the heat and wait till the pressure release on its own.

Open the lid and sprinkle rest of the garam masala powder. Immediately spread the pulao in a wide serving plate.

Enjoy this with Egg rezala or korma of your choice..

Bhuni Khichuri from Bhaskar da, Simkie di

After a long hiatus I am back to food blogging. This post is brought to you by a bad bout of cold. The last time I had a cold was when I visited, ahem, a very cold place.

It was January of 2017, when few of us visited the cold sleepy town or rather village of Roslyn, up in the Cascade mountains. Like any true Bong outing, it was less about where we went, but more about what we ate.

Since I was down with a cold, I mostly stayed indoors helping others cook. One of our friend BhaskarDa made this amazing Khichuri based on his better half SimkiDi’s  recipe.

The great thing about this Khichuri is it’s simplicity and rustic taste.

Ingredients

• 1 cup gobindobhog rice ( Jeera rice)
• 1 cup yellow moong dal
• 2 tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2-3 dry red chilies
• 1” raw ginger grated
• 1 cup medium sized cauliflower florets
• 1 cub medium sized cubed potato
• 4 tbsp. oil
• 2 tsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Wash rice and drain the water and keep aside.

In a frying pan take moong dal and dry roast it on medium flame till you get a nutty aroma and dal starts taking a nice brown hue.

Remove from the heat and wash it. Now soak the dal in water.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat two tbsp. oil and temper it with one tbsp. cumin seeds, bay leaves and dry red chilies. When you get a nice aroma add washed and drained rice to it and fry them on very low heat for about five minutes.

Once you start getting the flavor of the fried rice add soaked dal along with its water to it. Give them a hearty stir. Add salt and cook it covered. you need to check the water level time to time and need to replenish if required.

In the mean time smear the cauliflower florets and potato cubes with little salt and start heating the rest of the oil in a frying pan..

Once the oil is hot enough  fry the cauliflower florets and the potato cubes on medium heat. Remove them from oil and keep aside.

When the rice and dal mixture is three fourth cooked add the fried cauliflower florets and potato to it.  Check the seasoning and the water level and adjust accordingly. This is the time you add grated ginger and sugar. Mix once more and cook it covered.

When the khichuri is done, turn off the heat. In a small frying pan heat ghee till it melts and temper it with the rest of the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, pour it over the khichuri and immediately cover the pot. Keep it covered till you serve.

Zarda Pulao

When I first posted this picture to facebook a few asked me why have I used Zarda (chewable tobacco) in a recipe. I hope someone doesn’t get that idea again, here Zarda means yellow color and the name comes from the bright yellow pulao (pillaf).
This is a dry fruit pulao and not overtly sweet as some other sources might indicate. IT is very easy to make and goes very well with mughlai meat dishes like chicken roast in the picture.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain  basmati rice
• 10-12 cashew nuts
• 10-12 sliced almonds
• 10-12 golden raisins
• 1/4 cup crispy fried onions (beresta)
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder / few drops of yellow food color
• 4 tbsp. refined oil
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 1/4 cup of mawa / 1/2 cup of whole milk
• 1 tbsp. Bengali Garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp. rose water
• 1 silver warq optional for garnishing
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• Salt to taste
• Whole Garam Masala
  • 2' cinnamon stick
  • 5-6 cloves
  • 5-6 green cardamom
  • 2 bay leaves

Procedure

Wash rice and soak it in enough water for about thirty minutes. In a big sauce pan take enough water to cook the rice and add salt and turmeric powder to it. If you are using yellow food color this is the time you add few drops to the water instead of the turmeric powder. I prefer to use turmeric powder.
When the water starts boiling add the soaked rice to it and cook till the rice is just done. Now drain the water completely. Spread the cooked rice on a flat tray and allow it to cool.
By the mean time heat one teaspoon full of ghee in a pan and fry cashew, almond and raisin on low heat till they turn golden brown. Drain it on an absorbent paper and reserve.
Now in a non stick pan heat four tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Temper it with whole garam masala. When the oil becomes fragrant add rice along with salt, sugar and three fourth of the fried nuts. Mix well gently so the rice grains remain intact. Now lower the heat and add either mawa or full cream milk to it. Along with it also sprinkle rose water and Bengali garam masala powder. Mix gently, and cook it covered on very low heat for three to four minutes. Turn off the heat and add the rest of the ghee. Transfer it to a serving dish and garnish with the rest of the fried nuts, crispy fried onions and silver warq.
Serve it with Dhakai chicken roast..

Khichuri Kancha Maslar

Winter is coming up and so is the season for khichuri for those sleepy rainy Sunday lunches. This khichuri is from my dida and is not the typical bong niramish version (for that you have plain Khichuri). This has the flavor or raw spices and is made without any oil. However, you can indulge yourself with a large dollop of ghee on top of it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 3/4 cup musur dal ( Red Lentil)
• 2 medium potatoes cut into halves
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1” ginger knob grated
• 2 fat cloves of garlic grated
• 1 medium sized onion cut into quarters
• 4-5 green chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Wash rice and dal thoroughly.  Take a big pan and put rice and dal  along with salt, sugar and turmeric powder. Mix well and pour enough water, about six cups. Throw the potato halves into it. Cover it up and let it come to a boil on high heat. Once it starts boiling remove the lid and one by one add bay leaf, onion, grated ginger, garlic and green chilies, cauliflower florets and green peas. Keep boiling on medium heat till rice , dal and potatoes are cooked and look a bit mushy. You might need to add water to get the desired consistency.
Serve it with a big spoon full of ghee.

Mutton Pulao

Durga pujo is just around the corner. The fall weather in Pacific North West is very close to that of Kolkata just before Pujo. The sky is blue with fluffy clouds hanging around. The first nip of chill is in the air. Some variant or atleast look-a-like of kash flower abounds in our area.

I have already started planning for the Durga pujo feast at home. A must have is the simple rustic mutton pulao. Hope you enjoy the recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. mutton pieces on bone
• 3 cups basmati rice washed and soaked
• 1 medium sized onion sliced
• 1 tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 tbsp. garlic paste
• 12-14 green chilies slit lengthwise
• 2 tbsp. plain yogurt
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp. Bengali garam maala
• 2 tbsp. whole garam masala (2” cinnamon stick, 8 cloves, 8 green cardamom)
• 4 tbsp. clarified butter (Ghee)
• Sugar to taste
• Salt to taste

Procedure

In a pan heat 1 tbsp. ghee till melts. Add onion slices and fry on medium heat. Add four slit green chilies along with ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes away.
Add meat pieces to it and sear them on high heat along with the spices for about two minutes. Reduce the heat to the lowest mark. Sprinkle salt, sugar. Now add yogurt along with 1 tsp. garam masala powder and mix well.
Cook it on low heat till the mutton is three fourth done.
In a deep pan take enough water and bring it to a rolling boil. Add the soaked and drained rice to it and wait till it just starts to boil. It takes around three to four minutes time. Drain the rice on a colander.
Now in a wide pan heat two tbsp. ghee. Add bay leaves, green chilies, and whole garam masala. When it stops sputtering add the drained rice to it. Fry on medium heat gently so that the grains don’t break.
Add salt and sugar to your taste.
Now in a pressure cooker take the fried rice, put the meat pieces. Measure 3 cups of liquid (includes mutton stock + water) and pour over it. Put the pressure lid on and cook on high flame till one whistle comes. Let the pressure release on its own.
In a separate pan heat 1 tbsp. ghee till it melts and add green chilies and garam masala powder to it. Once they start sizzling pour over the pulao and serve….

Pish pash

Living in the Pacific Northwest I am used to rain. Unlike others I never grow tired of it. After a spell of hectic summer schedule I loved when rain decided to return to our evergreen state. The parched trees and my mind welcomed it. I decided to just soak it in and be a bit lazy. But I also wanted to provide something warm for everyone’s plate. Pish pash works wonders in these scenarios. It’s an Anglo-Indian one pot meal, where rice is cooked with Indian whole spices, meat, veggies and potatoes. It is primarily flavored with Ginger.

As the name suggests it’s a medley and you can play with what you decide to put in it, chicken works equally well as mutton or goat meat.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain rice washed and drained
• 500 gm. medium sized mutton pieces on bone
• 1 onion cut into medium sized chunks
• 2 medium sized potato cut into quarters
• 2 cm. square of ginger cut into thin square slices
• 1/2 cup green peas (I used frozen)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp. refined oil
• For tempering
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1” cinnamon stick
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 2 cloves
• For garnishing
  • 1 medium sized onion thinly sliced
  • 8-10 cloves garlic cut into round slices
  • 5-6 dry red chilies

Procedure

Heat oil and add onion chunks and potato pieces to it. Sauté on medium heat for two to three minutes and then remove them and keep aside.

To the same oil add ingredients listed under tempering. When the spices starts sizzling add mutton pieces to it and sear the for a minute or two. Add salt and 4 cups of water. Pressure cook till the meat is tender. When the pressure releases on its own remove the lid.

Add washed and drain rice to it along with the sautéed onion and potato. Season with salt. Add enough water so that there is 5 fingers of water left above the rice mixture level. Mix well and cook it covered on medium heat till the rice is cooked and mushy.

By this time heat butter in a pan and fry the red chilies and garlic slices till they turn crispy. Remove them on a paper towel. Use the remaining butter to crisp fry the onion slices.

Take a ladle full of pish pash and top it up with the crispy fried red chilies, onion and garlic. Best enjoyed on a lazy rainy night. 

Murg Masur Pulao

Eid Mubarak to all my friends who are celebrating Eid tomorrow. Hope you are filling to your brim at the Iftar parties.

When I was a college student, one of my friends Shama used to bring Murg Masur Pulao to the class just after Eid. It would come in a huge container and in no time disappear. I have no idea where Shama is today, but I hope she is doing well and still enjoys this great dish. Thanks to the fantastic pulao I am thinking of her from another corner of the world.

Ingredients

• 500 gm. bone in chicken cut into medium pieces
• 2 and 1/2 cup long grain Basmamti rice washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 1 cup Masoor (Red lentil with skin) washed and soaked for 2 hours
• 2 medium potatoes cut into quarters
• 2 large onions thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes cut into round thin slices
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 tbsp. garlic paste
• 2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• Whole garam masala ( 2 black cardamom, 4 green cardamom, 1” cinnamon stick, 5 cloves, 1 tp. shahi jeera)
• 1 bunch fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves finely chopped
• 4 tbsp. mint leaves
• 4 tbsp. chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
• Salt to taste                 
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 1/4 cup warm milk
• Few Saffron strands 
• Few drops Kewra water

Procedure

In a heavy bottom pan heat oil and add onion slices to it. Fry till golden brown. Remove half of the fried onion on a paper towel and reserve for later use.

In the rest of the onion add ginger garlic paste, and chili powder. Sauté till the raw smell subsides. Now add chopped fenugreek leaves and tomato slices to it. sprinkle coriander and cumin powder. Fry till the moisture dries up.

Add chicken pieces to it and fry well so that the meat pieces are nicely coated with spices. Add salt and cook it covered till the meat is tender.

Now add potato quarter to it and fry along with the meat for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle garam masala powder and keep it covered. Add yogurt to it and cook till chicken and potatoes are tender.

In a separate pan boil the soaked lentil with salt till cooked. Take care so that they retain their shape.

In a large pan boil enough water with salt and whole garam masala and add soaked rice to it. Boil till the rice is 90% done. Drain the water.

Soak saffron strands in warm milk and keep aside.  

For layering in a large pan take half of the rice. Lay evenly the chicken and potato mixture with the lentils on top. Add chopped cilantro, mint and slit green chilies over it. Add  half of the golden brown onions.

For the top layer spread evenly the remaining rice. sprinkle saffron milk over it. Top it up with the rest of the chopped mint, cilantro and green chilies.

Finish it up with the rest of the golden onions and kewra water. 

Place this pan covered on the lowest mark of heat for 30 minutes.

Dish out and serve it with raita.

Chelo Kebab

Updated: With new pictures

In our visit to Kolkata we never miss out on our pilgrimage to Peter Cat on Park Street and have their famous “Original Chelo Kebab”. Peter Cat on their menu refers to this as “the protected regional product of West Bengal”. However, I have successfully conned the border security and customs and got this across the oceans.

Chelow kebab is the national dish of Iran, which is generally served with saffron basmati rice and accompanied with a grilled tomato. In olden days  putting a raw egg yolk on top of the rice was very common which is no longer in practice. So obviously Peter Cat’s claim is a bit dubious :)

The simplicity of the Chelo Kebab is it’s main lure. Peter Cat serves the kebabs on a simple bed of butter rice instead of the saffron rice.

Chicken Kebab

Get the recipe at http://www.bongcook.com/2012/08/chicken-reshmi-kebab.html 

Ingredients for lamb Kebab

1. 200gms minced meat
2. 1 medium onion roughly chopped
3. 1tsp. chopped ginger
4. 1tsp. chopped garlic
5. 2 cloves
6. 2 green cardamoms
7. 1/2” cinnamon stick  
8. 1tsp.black pepper corns
9. 1 egg white
10. 1tsp. chopped cilantro
11. 2 slices of white sandwich bread
12. Salt
13. Oil or butter
14. Skewers

Procedure To make lamb Kebab

In a grinder or food processor take all above ingredients except last two and process them for a few minutes till all the ingredients are well combined and take a look of dough. Transfer them to a bowl.

If you are using bamboo skewers don’t forget to soak it in water for at least 30 minutes, before you start shaping the kebabs. Keep a bowl full of cold water handy to keep your palms wet. Take a ball of the meat mixture in your wet hand and gently wrap it around a skewer. Lightly squeeze it into a long shape. Then pinch the meat into sections using your fingers like scissors.

Brush the kebabs with butter or oil and grill each of them for a few minutes turning frequently. All surfaces of the kebabs should take  dark brown color by the time you finish them cooking.

Ingredients for parsley rice

1. 2 cups cooked white basmati rice
2. 2tsp. butter
3. 1/4th cup chopped parsley
4. 1tsp. pepper powder
5. Salt to taste

Procedure

Melt better in a  non stick pan on medium heat. Add cooked rice to it. Season with salt and pepper powder. Now fry them well till each grain of rice is coated with butter. Add chopped parsley to it and mix them once again before you finish.

Other Ingredients

1. 4 medium tomatoes
2. 4 eggs

Preparation

Tomato – Once you have finished grilling your kebabs, Place the whole or halved tomatoes on the grilling plate. Drizzle few drops of oil and grill them for 10 minutes.

Eggs- Melt butter in a non stick pan and fry the eggs ( Sunny side up ) one by one.

Plating Up

Each serving plate gets a generous serving of rice, a skewer of lamb kebab, chicken kebab and a grilled tomato.The rice is then topped with a fried sunny side up egg. One extra cube of butter on top of the rice will make it sinfully tasty.

Shahi Murgh Musallam

This is a food fit for the kings. A murgh or chicken is stuffed with fragrant Basmati rice, eggs, spices and cooked in a rich gravy. Generally served in elaborate banquets for the royals.

This originated in Pakistan and found it’s way into Bangladeshi (then East Pakistan) cuisine. I have heard that my grandma used to make this. I did not have the good fortune of having it from her. I learned this recipe from my Aunt (thanks to Vonage :)). Even though the recipe sounded intimidating and complex, it turned out pretty simple to make.

Murgh musallam is best made with small chickens. In the US it is kind of hard to come by and hence I use Cornish Game Hen. I get it from my local Whole Foods store.

NOTE: This needs 12 hour marination

Special Equipment

Wide pan that can accommodate the Whole chicken.

Ingredients For Chicken and Stuffing

• 1 whole gutted chicken weighing about 600gms. Without feather and skin
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder
• 4 tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 lime
• 1 cup Basmati rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes
• 1 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder
• 1 hard boiled egg shelled
• 1 pinch saffron strands soaked in warm milk
• 1 tsp. ghee (clarified butter)

Procedure To stuff the Chicken

Wash the chicken and pat it really dry.

Now with a sharp knife make deep incisions over thigh, drumsticks and breast part. Make some gashes on the joints as well. These incisions will help to cook the chicken
evenly and faster.

Marinate the chicken with yogurt, lime juice, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt. Make sure that you put the marinade from the inside of the stomach as well. Keep it marinated in refrigerator over night.

Next day take out chicken at least half an hour before you start cooking. Mean while cook the rice till it is 90% done. Remove half cup of rice from the pan and cook rest of the rice till it is fully cooked.

Transfer the 90% cooked rice in a mixing bowl and one by one add salt, ghee, saffron infused milk and garam masala powder to it. Mix it gently with the rice so that the rice grains don’t break. Keep it aside.

Now take the marinated chicken and stuff one egg along with the spice smeared rice inside its belly.

With a needle and thread carefully sew the opening.

Heat about 10-12 tbsp. of oil in a flat pan and fry the whole stuffed chicken on medium heat till all sides turn golden brown. It takes about 10-15 minutes. Remove the chicken on a paper towel.

With the rest of the rice make saffron rice to serve with Murg Musallam.

Ingredients For Gravy

• 2 medium onions boiled and made into a fine paste
• 5 baby potatoes peeled
• 4 black cardamom 
• 2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 4 tbsp. plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp. poppy seed paste
• 2 tbsp. cashew paste
• 2 tbsp. rose water
• 1 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder
• 4 tbsp. ghee ( Clarified Butter )
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Heat ghee in a wide pan till it melts. Add black cardamom and wait till it stops spluttering. Add potatoes and fry till they are golden yellow.

Add boiled onion paste along with ginger garlic paste and fry on low heat till oil starts oozing out from the sides.

Sprinkle red chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala. Stir in well. Now turn off the heat and let the spice mixture cool down a bit. Pour yogurt and mix well with rest of the spices before you turn on the heat again. Add cashew, poppy seed paste, salt and rose water and give a nice mix.

Now gently add the fried chicken to it and apply the spice mixture all over it with a spoon. Cook it covered on medium heat for 10 minutes before you flip the chicken over. Cook the other side for another 10minutes. By this time both chicken and potatoes will be nicely cooked.

Gently cut the stitches and remove the thread.

Pour the gravy on a serving plate and carefully place the stuffed chicken over it. Line up the potatoes and serve with saffron rice.

Saffron Rice

I commonly make saffron rice with various meat dishes. I keep referring to it and putting them in various pictures but never got down to write it’s recipe. It’s super easy to make and at the same time colorful and adds a nice vibrance to the dinner spread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 1 tbsp. saffron strands
• 1/4 cup warm milk
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds2tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Soak saffron strands in warm milk and keep aside.

In a sauce pan heat butter on medium heat till it melts. Temper with whole cumin seeds. Add drained rice to it and fry until rice begins to absorb ghee and turns opaque. Do not brown the rice.

Add salt, sugar and 4 cups of water and cook till the water is absorbed and rice is done. Pour saffron infused milk over the cooked rice and cover. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with your favorite curry. Some good options are Morich Mutton, Chaap, Rogan Josh

Chaal Kopi

 

Bongs lives in a Bi-Focal world. They classify Indians into two categories. Bengalis and Non-Bengalis. After I left Kolkata whenever I was invited to so called Non Bengali friend’s home I used to get surprised that they use onion, garlic in their vegetarian food. It took me some time to explain to them that whenever we call some food vegetarian It is devoid of onions and garlic.

Chaal kopi is a vegetarian twist to the more popular Muri-Ghonto. When Bongs are forced to eat vegetarian due to some custom or festival, this is a common option, especially in winter when the fresh cauliflower hits the markets.

Ingredients

1. 1 cauliflower cut into big florets
2. 1 large potato cut into big cubes
3. 4 green chilies cut lengthwise
4. 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
5. 4 tbsp. jeera rice or gobindobhog rice soaked in water for 30 minutes
6. 1 tbsp. grated ginger
7. 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
8. 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
9. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
10. 2 tbsp. golden raisins
11. 1 tsp. sugar
12. 1 tsp. ghee ( clarified butter )
13. Salt to taste
14. Oil
15. For Tempering
    1. 1tsp. whole cumin seed 
    2. 2,3 bay leaves ( Tejpatta ) 
    3. 2 green cardamoms 
    4. 1 inch cinnamon stick 
    5. 2 cloves

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan and add cauliflower florets and potato cubes to it. Shallow fry them on medium heat till they take a light golden hue. Remove and keep them on a paper towel.

In the same oil add all the ingredients listed under tempering. Once they stop sputtering add grated ginger, green chilies, soaked rice and raisins to it. If you are adding fresh peas, add now (for frozen peas see later).  Fry them on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Soon you will get the fantastic aroma of the fried rice and spices.

Add the fried cauliflower and potato pieces to it. Season with salt and sugar. Sprinkle turmeric, coriander and cumin powder over it. Fry them all together till the raw smell goes away and oil separates out from the spices. If required add little water for this process.

Here the rice will be cooked along with the vegetables so we need to  be careful about the quantity of the water.Add water to it so that all the veggies are partially submerged. Cook it covered on low heat till the vegetables are done. It is better to check in between to avoid overcooking because in this dish we want to keep the cauliflower florets intact.

If you are adding frozen peas, add them now.

Remove the lid and add 1 tsp. of ghee to it. If you are a health freak restrict the quantity to 1/4 tsp., but please don’t avoid it completely.

Enjoy with roti, parantha or rice. 

Mutton Awadhi Biryani in Microwave

This mildly-spicy Biriyani is one of our favorite. Making biriyani sometimes becomes a headache because of the complex procedure of giving dum (air-sealed, low heat cooking). This easier version is almost as good in taste, but way easier to make.

Ingredients

1. 1 kg mutton( Goat Meat ) cut into medium sized pieces
2. 500gms. long grain basmati rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes 
3. 1 medium red onion cut into thick slices
4. 1 inch ginger bruised
5. 6,7 cloves of garlic crushed
6. 1 inch cinnamon stick
7. 4,5 cloves
8. 3,4 green cardamom
9. 2,3 black cardamom
10. 10-15 black pepper corns
11. 1 small piece of mace (Javitri )
12. 5 dry whole red chili 
13. 1 tsp. sahi jeera
14. 3,4 bay leaves
15. 1 tbsp. sugar
16. Salt to taste
17. 1tsp. shahi garam masala powder
18. 1tsp. rose water 
19. 1/2 cup hung curd or thick plain yogurt
20. 2 + 2 tbsp. ghee or clarified butter

Procedure

Marinate mutton pieces with thick curd, salt and sugar. Let it rest for an hour.

Wrap all the spices (3-14) in a rectangular muslin cloth and tie up all four corners together to make a pouch.

In a heavy bottom pan add 2 tbsp. ghee and allow it to melt. Add the marinated meat morsels to it and sear them on high flame till they turn light brown.

Now pour about a litre of lukewarm water to it. Once the water starts boiling drop the muslin pouch to it. Cover and simmer till the mutton becomes tender. Check and adjust the water level if required.

Skim off any scum that rises to the surface and separate the meat pieces from the stock with a slotted spoon. Keep them aside.

Squeeze the muslin bag firmly to extract all the spicy juice from it and then discard the bag. Now strain the mutton stock to get a clear juice.

Take a deep microwave safe bowl and grease the inner walls with 2tbsp. ghee. Put the drained rice along with 850ml. of strained mutton-stock and mutton-pieces. Adjust salt and mix them well.

Cook uncovered on high power for 12 minutes. Sprinkle garam masala powder and  one spoon of rose water over it. Stir once again.

Cook it covered for another 24 minutes.

Remove the lid and fluff it with a fork. Give a 5 minutes standing time before you serve.

Yakhni Pulao (Kashmiri Meat Pilaf)

Exactly 10 years back on the 30th of January, at our wedding reception the caterer who has by father-in-laws friend and colleague affectionately served Yakhni (pronounced as Aakhni) pulao. He planned the entire dinner on his own.

As you might guess from this, it’s our 10th wedding anniversary. It’s been hell of a journey living across 4 cities and two countries. However, in all the journey we have frequently talked about that Yakhni pulao and how one of our friends had nothing but the pulao in the entire dinner (and a lot of it by the way), you know who you are…

My 7 year old foodie daughter is all excited about our anniversary and all the stories of the big fat Indian wedding she goes on hearing about. So I wanted to treat her with the same Pulao. So on the occasion of the 10th anniversary, I made the same thing.

Yakhni pulao is the Kashmiri version of Biriyani. Yakhni, means a thin cream colored sauce with aromatic spices. It’s made with yogurt as a base with spices like fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and Kashmiri red chili.

Ingredients

1. Grind the following ingredients into a smooth paste with little water (masala paste)
   1. 1 tbsp fennel seeds
   2. 1" cinnamon sticks
   3. 10 cloves
   4. 5 green cardamom
   5. 5 black cardamom
   6. 1 tbsp black cumin
   7. 1" ginger root
   8. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
   9. 1tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder (optional, I didn’t have it on me and hence didn’t use it)
2. For pulao
   1. 1 kg (around 2lb) mutton / goat meat on bone cut into 2" pieces
   2. 3 cups of basmati rice ( washed and soaked in water for 30 mins)
   3. 1 cup thick yogurt
   4. 1 medium sized onion thinly sliced
   5. 1 tsp. saffron strands soaked in warm milk
   6. Oil
   7. Ghee ( clarified butter)
   8. Salt
   9. Sugar

Procedure

Heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium heat and add ground masala paste to it. Stir until you see oil floating on the top. Add half a cup of water, salt and simmer for about 5 mins. Turn off the heat before you add whisked yogurt to avoid curdling. Add sugar. Simmer it on low heat.Once the yogurt is cooked you will get a rich cream colored fragrant sauce. Strain and reserve it.

 

Put the mutton pieces in a heavy bottom pan. Pour the strained sauce or yakhni over it. Cook it covered till the meat is done. You can also pressure cook it if you are in a hurry.

Separate the meat and measure the stock. The stock should measure 6 cups. If there is more boil it down till you get 6 cups, if less add hot water to it.

Deep fry onion slices till they are brown and crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

In a separate pan heat oil and ghee. Now add the pre soaked rice and fry on medium heat till all the rice grains are well coated with oil. Add meat pieces along with 6 cups of stock and stir gently. Give a taste test and adjust salt and sugar. This is a pulao and hence will be little bit on the sweeter side. Bring it to a boil and then cook it covered on low heat till rice is done. Allow it to rest for 5 mins then fluff it with a fork.

Sprinkle saffron milk and fried onions over it to give the pulao a nice color.

In our wedding reception it was served with chicken kurma.

Egg Biriyani

I make many different types of biriyani’s. Chicken, Mutton and even vegetarian using recipes from Hyderabad, Kolkata and Awadh. I always think that over time I’ll learn and cook even more disparate types of Biriyanis. However, I never actually thought that I’d cook Biriyani just with eggs and that it’d turn out to be so yummy.

It all started with my friend Laxmi visiting my home the day I made some chicken Biriyani. I served it to her son, and he loved it. However, Laxmi being a eggiterian had to miss out. So she insisted I make egg biryani the next time. Apprehensive that my hardcore non-veg daughter and husband would sneer and not have it, I made enough just for couple of people.

Oh how wrong these assumptions turned out to be. The biriyani came out really well and I just gave couple of spoons to my daughter and husband. They gobbled it up in minutes and started cribbing big time on how little I made.

Ingredients

1. 250 gm. basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 30 mins
2. 6 hard boiled eggs
3. 10 - 12 baby potatoes half boiled and peeled
4. 1 medium onion thinly sliced
5. 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
6. 4 - 5 tbsp. plain yogurt / curd
7. Few strands of saffron soaked in warm milk
8. Few strands of coriander leaves
9. 1 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder (Make your own)
10. Salt
11. Sugar
12. Turmeric powder
13. 5 - 6 tbsp. of canola / sunflower oil
14. 1 tbsp. ghee / clarified butter
15. Whole garam masala
1. 1” cinnamon stick
2. 2 green cardamom
3. 5-6 cloves

Procedure

In a pan boil water. Once water starts boiling add salt to it and stir well. Now add rice and turn off the heat. Keep it covered for 5 mins. Drain the water and spread rice on a flat dish or tray.

Heat oil in a kadai/wok and deep fry onion slices till they are brown and crispy. Don't char them. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Smear boiled eggs and potatoes with salt and turmeric powder. Deep fry the eggs and potatoes in the same oil till they turn nice golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

Temper the oil with whole garam masala. When the oil starts releasing the fragrance of the masala, add ginger+garlic paste and sauté till their raw smell goes away. You can add little water to prevent burning. 

Add half of the fried onions to it along with curd. Now gently add fried eggs and potatoes to it. Sprinkle garam masala powder. Season with salt, sugar and fry the masala till oil separates out.

Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and add rice to it. Next add egg and potato masala you made just before this. Pour about 350 ml. of water to it and mix  well. While mixing you need to be a bit careful so the eggs don't break. Taste and adjust salt and sugar. 

Cover and cook on medium heat till rice is done. Fluff it with a fork and add saffron milk.

Garnish with crispy fried onions, coriander greens and serve hot. 

Ghee bhat or Bengali Mishti Pulao

My dad has 11 brothers and 2 sisters. So along with them, their cousins and family we have a very large extended family. Every year most of this extended family from around the globe descends in Santipur to celebrate Jagadhatri puja in our ancestral home.

In this puja my mom used to make this Pualo as bhog (to be served in the puja). She didn’t have the strength to cook for all the hundred people in the house and she just made enough for the puja itself (with around 2KG of rice). After puja she used to get requests to make the pualo again for the close relatives.

This pulao needs Gobindobhog rice which I started getting at the local Bangladeshi store. If you can't get it, you can use Basmati rice. Typical Bengali pulao is on the sweeter side, so intentionally sugar is used more than the salt.

Ingredients

1. 500 gm. Gobindobhog / kalajeera rice / Basmati rice
2. 100 gm Ghee (clarified butter)
3. Half cup green peas
4. 1 tbsp. Bengali garam masala powder (Make your own)
5. 5,6 green chilies
6. 3,4 tejpatta (bay leaves)
7. 1/2" ginger grated
8. 1 tbsp. salt
9. 4 tbsp sugar
10. Turmeric powder
11. Handful of cashew and raisins
12. 1,2 small pieces of cinnamon
13. 2,3 green cardamom
14. 4,5 cloves

Procedure

Wash rice and drain it. In a flat dish take the washed rice and add turmeric powder, garam masala powder, grated ginger, green chilies, salt and sugar to it. Mix all these ingredients well with rice and allow it to dry in open air for an hour. By this time the excess water attached to the grains of rice will evaporate.

In a pan, heat ghee and add tejpatta, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. The moment the nice aroma of garam masala starts coming out, add cashew and raisins and fry them on low heat till they are light golden brown.

Add the rice mixture to the pan and fry on low heat for about 5-7 mins. By this time all grains of rice will be separated and coated by ghee.Throw some green peas into it.

The rest of the cooking can be done either in a pressure cooker or in a saucepan.

In A Pressure Cooker

Transfer the fried rice mixture into a pressure cooker and add 750 ml of water to it. Bring it to a boil on high heat. Once it starts boiling close the pressure cooker lid and cook till you hear the hissing sound (note: note the whistle, just the hissing sound of pressure being built up). Turn off the heat and wait till the pressure releases on its own. Open the pressure cooker and transfer the contents immediately on a flat serving dish.

In A Saucepan

In a saucepan take 1 lit of water and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling add the fried rice mixture to it and cook it covered on medium heat till rice is done. Fluff it with a fork. 

Pulao goes very well with chicken or mutton korma.

Notun gurer payesh (Rice pudding or Kheer with date palm Jaggery)

While we adopted some of the western traditions like cutting cake at birthdays we have forgotten some of our very own. Bong moms always fed their children payesh on their birthday mornings. Generally served in silverware with loads of love. This is the payesh I always make for my daughter and this year was no exception.

In my childhood I used to never have payesh outside my home, as I never liked it in any other home. It took me some time to figure out why. There are 2 predominant ways to make payesh. I only like the method developed across border in Bangladesh (bangal payesh). The recipe below captures how my didu (grandma) and her daughters (my mom included) makes/made payesh. It’s more laborious but the fruit or payesh of labor is always sweeter.

Ingredients

1. 1 lit of full cream milk
2. 50 gm. of gobindobhog rice or kaala-jeera rice
3. 100gms of sugar
4. 50-100 gm. of khejur-gur (date palm jaggery) depending on your sweetness.

Procedure

Wash the rice, drain and keep aside.

Pour milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring it to a boil. When it starts boiling add pre- washed rice to it and start stirring. You have to stir it continuously to prevent scalding at bottom as it thickens.

During the entire process you have to control the heat intermittently so the milk doesn't boil over. Wait till the rice gets cooked before you add sugar. It normally takes 30-40 mins for the rice on a medium heat to get cooked.

By this time the milk will change its color from milky white to a rich ivory. Once the rice is done add sugar**. The moment you add sugar the milk will loose its thickness. You need to cook it and stir continuously so that it regains its previous thickness.

When the milk is thickened to its right consistency turn off the heat. Wait for about five minutes to allow the payesh to cool down a bit (make sure you keep stirring during this time as well to prevent the formation of skin on top) and then add the jaggery depending on your sweetness level. Serve hot or cold.

I internationally omitted spices and nuts (like cardamom, cashew, raisins, etc.) This recipe allows you to enjoy the richness of the jaggery and doesn’t let the spices mask it’s flavor.

**TIP: Adding sugar before the rice is boiled, hampers the process of rice being cooked properly so add sugar only when the rice is well done.

Now get some remedy for your sore wrist, you’ll need it with all the stirring.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

There are as many ways of making biriyani as there are people in India :). This recipe cuts through all the complexity and provides the simplest way to make South-Indian yummy biriyani. Especially good for non-Indians if you want to try your hand on some Indian delicacy.

I promise I’ll be back with the more difficult full-blown version of Awadhi and Hyderbadi Biriyani later.

Ingredient

1. 2 lbs (1 kg) chicken cut in bigger than regular curry sized pieces
2. 3 large onions finely sliced
3. 2 tbsp ginger paste
4. 2 tbsp garlic paste
5. 4 bay leaves
6. 4-5 green cardamom
7. 5 cloves
8. 2 sticks of cinnamon
9. 4 star-anise
10. 1 tsp turmeric powder
11. 1 tsp chili powder ( you can add more if you want to make it hot)
12. 1 cup thick yogurt
13. 1 lime juice
14. 1 bunch coriander leaves chopped
15. 1 bunch mint leaves chopped
16. Few strands saffron soaked in warm milk
17. Biriyani masala available at most Indian store
18. Garam masala
19. 8 green chilies
20. Half cup of Sunflower or Canola oil
21. 1 lb Basmati rice washed and soaked for half an hour.

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with yogurt, ginger+garlic paste, turmeric powder, chili powder, 3-4tbsp biriyani masala, salt and a handful of chopped coriander and mint leaves for 1 hour.
   
2. In a deep frying pan or Kadai heat oil and deep fry half of the sliced onions till they are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and keep on a tissue paper. Retain the oil for further use as it contains the excellent taste of fried onions.
3. In a pan heat the oil you used for frying the onions.
4. Temper it with clove, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and bay leaves.
5. When the spices start popping add the rest of the chopped onions and fry them in a medium heat till the onions become light pink.
6. Add the chicken along with its marinade and fry till the oil separates out from the spices.
7. Cover and cook till the meat is just done. Do not overcook the meat. It will spoil your whole day's labor.
   
8. Cook the basmati rice
   1. either in a 1:2 ratio of rice and water in a closed rice cooker or microwave
      OR
   2. Cook in an open pan, drain the water
9. Spread rice on a plate.
10. Sprinkle enough salt, very little sugar and lime juice on the rice. It will help the rice grain to stay separated from each other.

Direction for Layering

1. Take a deep wide bottom pan suitable for layering and serving. 
2. Start the bottom most layer with rice.
3. Then put a layer of caramelized onion (prepared above), chicken coated with spices, chopped coriander, mint leaves and green chilies. Sprinkle little garam masala powder and pour some saffron infused milk over it.
   
4. Cover it up with another layer of rice and continue alternating the layers till one third space in the vessel is left
5. The top and the bottom layer should always be rice. Cover it up and keep it on very low heat for 15 to 20 mins.

Garnish with crispy fried onions, and few strands of coriander and mint leaves.  Serve it with fresh raita (beaten thick yogurt with chopped onions, coriander, salt).